The Great Premiership Exodus

THE GREAT PREMIERSHIP EXODUS

AIM OF THE EXPERIMENT

- To examine the impact of 72 Premiership ‘stars’ and 24 ‘star’ managers if they were placed in the Championship.

- To examine how the Premiership teams would react to their loss of stars/manager.

- To examine how international squads and line-ups are impacted by reputations of clubs/leagues.

DATABASE

- The game will be played using an edited large database on Patch 9.3

- Six ‘star’ players from the top four Premiership teams and three ‘star’ players from the rest of the Premiership clubs will be drafted to Championship clubs.

- The twenty Premiership managers will be drafted to Championship clubs.

- Four international managers (Capello, Burley, Toshack and Trappatoni) will also be drafted to Championship clubs.

- The twenty four Championship managers will be drafted to the Premiership teams / international teams.

- The wages of the ‘star’ players will be modified to top Championship levels.

- The ‘stars’ will all be assigned a future transfer back to their Premiership club after 3-7 years (this will be determined by age to ensure that they will be at an age to impact on their return) so that they will remain at their new club for an appropriate length of time.

THE GAME

- The game will be played using only the English league down to Championship level.

- I will be an unemployed manager in the game using the holiday function.

- The ‘star’ players have been determined through advice from other CSE forum members.

- The placement of the players will be determined using a random draft.

UPDATES

- Updates over the next two weeks will probably be more frequent than they will be in the long run. I will aim for one season update every week where possible. Obviously, this will depend on what I need to get done. This will be my first experiment so I am venturing into the unknown as well.

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER

- How will the top four teams react to their manager and star player losses? How will they perform in the Champions League and Premiership? How will the other teams Premiership teams perform? Will they catch up and overtake the top four?

- Will the Premiership teams sack their managers? If so, who will replace them?

- Will the ‘star’ managers stay with their new Championship teams? Will they hold onto their jobs even if they are struggling with their Championship side?

- Once we know the drafted players and managers, which teams will be promoted to the Premiership? How much of an impact will the ‘star’ players have?

- Will the ‘star’ players retain their places in their national sides despite the lower reputation of their new league and clubs?

WHAT NEXT?

- Feel free to ask any questions to clarify my experiment.

- Please post your opinions on the questions I have posed.

- The players were determined by a voting system at this link. Thanks to everybody who voted.

- I am going to randomly select the location of the stars, the top managers and the Championship managers who will replace them in the Premiership.

Information coming tonight!

Hmm. Well, some of the lower Premiership managers are worse than Coppell and McLiesh- will that mean that Reading and Birmingham suffer if they get Redknapp/Southgate/etc? The international players will retain their places as their individual reputations will be higher.

I don't have much idea about the other questions though,

Announcement 1:

SKY SPORTS BREAKING NEWS

FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION ANNOUNCE MAJOR SHAKE UP IN ENGLISH FOOTBALL MANAGEMENT

The Football Association has announced a major shake up of English football after threats from supporters groups to boycott English league football in the 2008/09 season. Managers from the twenty Premiership teams and from the national teams of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales will swap with their Championship counterparts in an unprecedented move where the destination of the managers will be determined by a draft. The twenty Premiership teams will be appointed a manager from one of the twenty-four Championship teams meaning that former Premiership managers, like Neil Warnock and Paul Sturrock, as well as up and coming young managers, such as Roberto Martinez and Brian Laws, will get their opportunity to manage in the top league and, possibly, European football. An FA spokesperson stated that ‘this move and others to be announced in the coming days, whilst not pleasing some teams, will ensure that a degree of parity is returned to English football. This will make it less predictable and more entertaining.’

Arsenal, Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea all refused to comment on the announcement, fuelling speculation that the four clubs are not happy about the new direction of English football. With more announcements to follow, it remains to be seen what impact the shake up will have in the coming seasons.

Announcement 2:

FOOTBALL365.co.uk

IT’S OUR WAY OR THE HIGHWAY!

The Football Association today released a statement that outlined the need for the ‘big four’ to accept their decisions or find a different league to play in. The statement read:

“The FA yesterday announced the first stage of its plans to make the English leagues less predictable, more interesting and to avoid the mass boycott of football clubs from the majority of football league clubs in the coming season. We received a number of complaints from some Premiership clubs regarding the plans despite the majority of affected clubs agreement with them. If any club does not like the decisions that we have made, then they are welcome to leave the football league. We are not interested in the fortunes of a few clubs: we are interested in the fortunes of football as a whole. Therefore, all clubs will be invited to accept our decisions and remain in the English football league with the opportunity, now or maybe in the future, to represent England in European competition. Those who do not agree with our decisions will need to find other places to play their football outside of England.”

It is expected that all clubs will agree to the changes with the Scottish Premier League already releasing a statement that no English club will be allowed to play in the Scottish leagues. The second stage of the shake up of English football is expected to be announced tomorrow as well.

Announcement 3:

THEFA.COM

OFFICIAL STATEMENT: SECOND STAGE OF SHAKE-UP PLANS

Following on from our announcement that Premiership and International managers of the home nations will be swapping over with their Championship counterparts in the 2008/09 season, the FA is pleased to announce that all 44 league clubs involved in the plans have agreed to the changes. We are also pleased to announce their full co-operation in the next phase of the shake-up.

Six players from Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal and three players from each other Premiership club will also be moving to the twenty-four Championship clubs for the 2008/09 season. The locations of these players will be determined by a draft to be held in early July. Each of the football league managers have been invited to vote for the best players in the Premiership to determine who will be playing in the Championship next season. The contracts of the Premiership ‘stars’ will be paid up and set to a standard level with a future date agreed for their return to their Premiership club set for the future.

Announcement 4:

SKY SPORTS BREAKING NEWS

72 PREMIERSHIP PLAYERS FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP ANNOUNCED!

ARSENAL

1st seeds – Cesc Fabregas, Emanuel Adebayor

2nd seeds – Andrei Arshavin, Kolo Toure

3rd seeds – Robin Van Persie, Gael Clichy

ASTON VILLA

1st seed – Ashley Young

2nd seed – Gareth Barry

3rd seed – Gabriel Agbonlahor

BLACKBURN ROVERS

1st seed – Roque Santa Cruz

2nd seed – Christopher Samba

3rd seed – Benni McCarthy

BOLTON WANDERERS

1st seed – Kevin Davies

2nd seed – Jussi Jaaskelainen

3rd seed – Matt Taylor

CHELSEA

1st seeds – Frank Lampard, John Terry

2nd seeds – Petr Cech, Didier Drogba

3rd seeds – Michael Essien, Nicolas Anelka

EVERTON

1st seed – Mikael Arteta

2nd seed – Tim Cahill

3rd seed – Phil Jagielka

FULHAM

1st seed – Brede Hangeland

2nd seed – Danny Murphy

3rd seed – Andrew Johnson

HULL CITY

1st seed – Geovanni

2nd seed – Michael Turner

3rd seed – Jimmy Bullard

LIVERPOOL

1st seeds – Steven Gerrard, Fernando Torres

2nd seeds – Pepe Reina, Jamie Carragher

3rd seeds – Xavi Alonso, Javier Mascherano

MANCHESTER CITY

1st seed – Robinho

2nd seed – Steven Ireland

3rd seed – Micah Richards

MANCHESTER UNITED

1st seeds – Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo

2nd seeds – Nemanja Vidic, Rio Ferdinand

3rd seeds – Patrice Evra, Edwin Van der Sar

MIDDLESBROUGH

1st seed – Stewart Downing

2nd seed – Sanli Tuncay

3rd seed – Emanuel Pogatetz

NEWCASTLE UNITED

1st seed – Michael Owen

2nd seed – Jonas Gutierrez

3rd seed – Steven Taylor

PORTSMOUTH

1st seed – Peter Crouch

2nd seed – David James

3rd seed – Glen Johnson

SUNDERLAND

1st seed – Kenwynne Jones

2nd seed – Kieran Richardson

3rd seed – Craig Gordon

STOKE CITY

1st seed – James Beattie

2nd seed – Rory Delap

3rd seed – Abdoulaye Faye

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR

1st seed – Robbie Keane

2nd seed – Luca Modric

3rd seed – Arron Lennon

WEST BROMWICH ALBION

1st seed – Chris Brunt

2nd seed – Scott Carson

3rd seed – Robert Koren

WEST HAM UNITED

1st seed – Matthew Upson

2nd seed – Scott Parker

3rd seed – Robert Green

WIGAN ATHLETIC

1st seed – Antonio Valencia

2nd seed – Chris Kirkland

3rd seed – Jason Koumas

Announcement 5:

SKY SPORTS BREAKING NEWS

MANAGERS ANNOUNCED FOR ENGLISH FOOTBALL SHAKE UP!

MANAGERS HEADING FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP

Arsene Wenger, Martin O’Neill, Sam Allardyce, Gary Megson, Guus Hiddink, David Moyes, Roy Hodgson, Phil Brown, Rafa Benitez, Mark Hughes, Alex Ferguson, Gareth Southgate, Joe Kinnear, Tony Adams, Ricky Sbragia, Tony Pulis, Harry Redknapp, Tony Mowbray, Steve Bruce, Fabio Capello, George Burley, Geovanni Trapattoni, John Toshack.

MANAGERS HEADING FOR THE PREMIERSHIP

Simon Davey, Alex McLeish, Tony Parkes, Gary Johnson, Owen Coyle, Dave Jones, Phil Parkinson, Chris Coleman, Neil Warnock, Nigel Clough, Sean O’Driscoll, Jim Majilton, Bryan Gunn, Billy Davies, Paul Sturrock, Alan Irvine, Paolo Sousa, Steve Coppell, Kevin Blackwell, Brian Laws, Mark Wotte, Roberto Martinez, Brendan Rodgers, Mick McCarthy.

Hmm. Well, some of the lower Premiership managers are worse than Coppell and McLiesh- will that mean that Reading and Birmingham suffer if they get Redknapp/Southgate/etc? The international players will retain their places as their individual reputations will be higher.

I don't have much idea about the other questions though,

Agree with that. That's the luck of the draw I guess. Reading might suffer from the loss of Coppell if they get Southgate although the potential introduction of Ronaldo, Cahill and Jagielka could help slightly too!

Reading might suffer from the loss of Coppell if they get Southgate although the potential introduction of Ronaldo, Cahill and Jagielka could help slightly too!

Pfft, with Jimmy Kebe around Ronaldo won't even make the first XI!

Looking forward to this, some interesting combinations could be made.

Announcement 6:

SKY SPORTS BREAKING NEWS

MANAGER ANNOUNCEMENTS - NEW PREMIERSHIP MANAGERS

The Championship managers who are leaving behind their clubs to manage at the top level of English football, some with European football, has been announced. These managers will now be able to join their clubs and begin work with the knowledge of which players will be leaving their new clubs in the upcoming draft.

NEW PREMIERSHIP MANAGERS

- Former Scotland manager, Alex McLeish, may be a little disappointed to be leaving Birmingham City for the job at Stoke City.

- Liverpool have drawn one of the better managers in Gary Johnson who has transformed Bristol City in recent years.

- Owen Coyle will not have far to move but has massive shoes to fill: the former Burnley manager steps into the hotseat at Manchester United to replace fellow Scot, Sir Alex Ferguson.

- Portsmouth will be happy to take the experience of Dave Jones from Cardiff City.

- Chris Coleman returns to the Premiership with the former Coventry manager getting an opportunity at Bolton Wanderers.

- An amazing draw: Neil Warnock - the manager of Sheffield United in the 'Battle of Bramall Lane' - leaves Crystal Palace to take over at West Bromwich Albion. Baggies fans are unlikely to be happy!

- Nigel Clough leaves Derby to join former Midlands rivals, Aston Villa, who will be hoping he has the success of his father.

- Sean O'Driscoll leaves Doncaster Rovers and will take his passing footballing principles to St. James' Park and Newcastle United.

- Jim Majilton leaves Ipswich Town to fill the void at the Riverside Stadium and Middlesbrough.

- Inexperienced ex-Norwich manager Bryan Gunn will join Fulham who could struggle if he doesn't learn fast.

- Paul Sturrock has something to prove to the Premiership and gets his chance at Chelsea. An interesting appointment.

- Alan Irvine, former Preston manager, gets a massive opportunity to work with the potentially excellent Arsenal squad.

- Paolo Sousa, reported to be hanging onto his job at QPR before the announcements, will hope to fair better at White Hart Lane. His flair as a player would be suited to Spurs but will his managerial appointment?

- Steve Coppell, the best draw according to most, will take over at Upton Park and West Ham.

- Kevin Blackwell, a man who has had jobs at 'potless' Luton and Leeds in the past, gets a chance to spend some money at Manchester City. Will he spend it wisely?

- Brian Laws is forced to leave the missus' team, Sheffield Wednesday, to join Blackburn Rovers. From the Owls to the E-Wood!

- Mark Wotte leave cash-strapped Southampton behind and gets his chance at Wigan Athletic.

- Promising manager, Roberto Martinez, leaves his Spanish contingent at Swansea behind to take the role at Hull City where the weather is nothing like Spain!

- Brendan Rodgers, a surprise appointment at Watford when he started, moves up to the position at Sunderland.

- Mick McCarthy, former Irish manager with World Cup experience, leaves Wolves and lands at Everton. With the loss of the stars in the top four, could 'Super Mick' use his experience to move Everton up the table to challenge?

Simon Davey (Barnsley), Tony Parkes (Blackpool), Phil Parkinson (Charlton) and Billy Davies (Nottingham Forest) will be drafted to the four home nations international sides in the near future.

Announcement 7:

SKY SPORTS BREAKING NEWS

MANAGER ANNOUNCEMENTS - NEW INTERNATIONAL MANAGERS

- Simon Davey of Barnsley misses out on the job of his homeland, Wales, and has to make do with the Scotland job.

- Tony Parkes, experienced caretaker manager of Blackburn on about 143 occasions, takes over the role of manager of Republic of Ireland.

- Phil Parkinson leaves the mess at Charlton behind to take over the Welsh national side.

- Billy Davies becomes the new manager of England. The hopes of the English nation now rest on the shoulders of ... a Scotsman!

Great so far, was hoping Tony Parkes would get the Blackburn job

Some very interesting draw results, looks like this will be very interesting!

Announcement 7:

SKY SPORTS BREAKING NEWS

MANAGER ANNOUNCEMENTS - NEW CHAMPIONSHIP MANAGERS

- Bristol City get a plum draw when they pull Arsene Wenger out in the opening draw of the draft.

- Martin O'Neill will need to get the SatNav out and find Selhurst Park as he heads for Crystal Palace.

- Sam Allardyce had a lot of success with Bolton Wanderers in the past. How will he fair at another Wanderers in Wolves?

- A good pairing next - former winger Gary Megson returns to Hillsborough to take over Sheffield Wednesday.

- Birmingham City will be hoping for promotion to the Premiership and the appointment of Guus Hiddink shouldn't harm their chances!

- An emotional return to Deepdale for David Moyes as he returns to Preston North End.

- Watford fill their vacant managerial role by appointing experienced Roy Hodgson instead of the inexperienced managers they have in previous years.

- Phil Brown returns to Pride Park where he had an unsuccessful spell a few years back. How will he get on second time around?

- Charlton are in a real mess financially and on the playing side - is Rafa Benitez the man to sort it all out?

- Mark Hughes leaves behind the money at Eastlands to join the Royals at Reading.

- Sir Alex Ferguson: twenty plus years at old Trafford and a legend. Now at Blackpool. Unbelievable!

- Swansea replace the promising Martinez with Gareth Southgate. Groans can be heard in the valleys tonight!

- Cash strifed Southampton put aside their worries to appoint hard nosed Joe Kinnear. Can he sort the problems at St Mary's?

- More groans in South Wales: Cardiff City appoint Tony Adams.

- Ricky Sbragia leaves Sunderland to replace Paul Sturrock as manager of Plymouth Argyle.

- Tony Pulis' style of football is not the most popular and what the QPR directors will make of it could be interesting. Mr Briatore may need to spend some time on the F1 circuit!

- Doncaster Rovers have made enormous strides in recent times by coming from the Conference to the Championship in five years. Harry Redknapp will help to move them forward now.

- Gianfranco Zola was a superb player in the past and now he comes to ... Oakwell. It's not known yet whether Zola has ever been in Barnsley, it may be a shock!

- Tony Mowbray has had successes in the Championship in the past and Nottingham Forest will hope he can repeat it.

- Steve Bruce has been superb at Wigan Athletic and Coventry City is a good move for him now. Can he have a positive impact on the 1987 cup winners?

- Fabio Capello leaves the England job and takes over at Burnley to replace Owen Coyle.

- George Burley has had success in the Championship with Ipswich and Derby and now gets his chance to try and push Sheffield United back there.

- Ipswich Town lost one Irish manager in Jim Majilton so they appoint the current Irish manager, Geovanni Trappattoni, to replace him.

- Welsh manager John Toshack has spent time in the Bernebeu as manager of Real Madrid and now he joins Norwich City.

Warnock should have gone to West Ham

Warnock should have gone to West Ham

Was thinking that at the time! Mind you, he could have gone anywhere and had a problem with it couldn't he?!

Here we go then with the draft: where will the Premiership stars end up? The Championship is awaiting the trickery of Ronaldo, the lethal finishing of Adebayor, the passing of Gerrard and the solid goalkeeping of Cech. Which clubs will these stars end up at?

First up, it's Cesc Fabregas. Spanish youngster, a real midifeld gem who should dominate the Spanish midfield for the next three World Cups if he realises the potential he undoubtedly has. He will go to: BLACKPOOL. Sir Alec will be absolutely delighted with that pick. What a draft so far for the Seasiders!

Next up, it's Bolton's talisman Kevin Davies. Doesn't get as many goals as you would like but is a real handful and a major reason for Bolton's success in recent times. He will go to: NORWICH CITY. He will link up with John Toshack at Carrow Road.

Brede Hangeland is next up. Relative unknown until a year ago, has had a major impact on the improvement in Fulham of late. Where will he end up? SOUTHAMPTON. The Saints may be disappointed not to get a bigger name but he will help to shore up a leaky defence. And Joe Kinnear likes a good defence.

A real star is up now, Brazilian superstar Robinho. Cost Manchester City in excess of 30m last summer and now he is leaving for pastures new. He will end up at: PLYMOUTH ARGYLE. Amzing, Home Park and Ricky Sbragia will be buzzing now.

The first England international up is Michael Owen who will still hope to exceed Bobby Charlton's goalscoring record for England. Will he be able to do that whilst he is playing for: BIRMINGHAM CITY? Guus Hiddink will be delighted to have a natural goalscorer at St. Andrew's.

Finally, before a short break, is former Tottenham striker and Irish captain, Robbie Keane. A move to Liverpool didn't work out great but now he gets another chance to move. And he moves to: SHEFFIELD UNITED. He links up with George Burley at Bramall Lane and is the type of striker the Blades have needed for a while.

A short break now and then back with some more of the first seeds!

Interesting draw so far. I worry for Sunderland

Welcome back to the draft - so far we've seen Fabregas teamed up with Sir Alex at the seaside, Kevin Davies become a canary, Hangeland become St. Brede of Southampton, Robinho find a new home at Home Park, Michael Owen end up at St. Andrew's and Robbie Keane sharpen up for a stint with the Blades. What will happen next?

Ashley Young is up next, a real in-demand player. Young, English and an excellent player. He is Aston Villa's loss and DONCASTER ROVER'S gain as he teams up with Harry Redknapp at the Keepmoat Stadium!

Anybody for an England captain? Here is John Terry. Chelsea legend. But he leaves the Bridge behind. Where will he end up? The answer is: WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS. Molineux will get ready to welcome the England captain and he is a player that Big Sam Allardyce will really appreciate!

A second major England player in a row now - it's Steven Gerrard. Liverpool through and through but he is being forced to move on now - but where to? CARDIFF CITY and Tony Adams! Cardiff fans might have been disppointed with their manager draft but they have hit the jackpot with their first player!

The names keep coming: the world footballer of the year is next, Cristiano Ronaldo. The player that every Championship club wants. His amazing ability will electrify the fans of: NOTTINGHAM FOREST! Wow! Tony Mowbray got one of the toughest jobs when he drew Forest who are near the bottom end of the league but they shouldn't be now! Ronaldo is heading for the City Ground!

Kenwynne Jones of Sunderland is on the move. He has experience of the Championship with Southampton and Sheffield Wednesday. Where will her go now? He is heading for David Moyes, Deepdale and PRESTON NORTH END. Not the biggest name for PNE but a good striker who will score goals a plenty!

Finally for now, England centre half Matthew Upson. The former Arsenal and West Ham player is a solid defender and is a fixture in the England squad now. He is going to play for: Rafael Benitez and CHARLTON ATHLETIC at The Valley. A good defensive pick for the Addicks.

Another break, back in a moment.

Welcome back. Breaking news is that season ticket sales at Nottingham Forest are set to go through the roof now that Cristiano Ronaldo is on his way there. What will the next massive draft pick be?

Well, I'm sure that most clubs would accept Emanuel Adebayor. The Togo striker blows hot and cold but certainly knows where the onion bag is so expect a few goals from him. But where will he get them? BRISTOL CITY is the answer. A change of club but a very familiar managerial face in that of Arsene Wenger. A great pair of picks for the Robins.

There is no doubting the impact that Mikel Arteta has had on the Toffees of Everton. He is the number one star from Goodison and he is off to a new club. That club is: IPSWICH TOWN. A perfect place for Arteta, Ipswich always try to play excellent football and he will make it even better for them!

Next up is Fernando Torres, the Spanish wonder striker from Madrid via Liverpool. An unbelievable striker and my particular favourite. But where will he end up? SWANSEA CITY! Just like Cardiff, Swansea were unhappy with their managerial pick but that is a great first player! He will be at home alongside the other Spanish players although it is a pity that Roberto Martinez has moved on! He meets up with Gareth Southgate at the Liberty Stadium.

Another England international now, Stewart Downing. The left winger is the key man at the Riverside and Boro' may struggle now that he is leaving. He is off to: DERBY COUNTY and Phil Brown. A good, solid signing for the Rams.

Na na na na ... Beattie. James Beattie, the saviour of Stoke City. Recently left the Championship after a very successful stint at Bramall Lane, now he is heading back to: SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY! An amazing draw! Quite what the Wednesday faithful will make of that is anyone's guess! Particularly after his equaliser in last season's Sheffield derby. Gary Megson has a goalscorer there though!

Finally for this third part of the draft, Wigan's former star, Antonio Valencia. He has been linked with big-money moves to Real Madrid recently so this is a major pick for someone. He will go to: CRYSTAL PALACE. Martin O'Neill is a known admirer of the player so he will be happy with that.

One more break before the final six top seeds and their drafts!

Welcome back to the final part of the top seeds draft pick. The Spanish flags are out in Swansea now with the imminent arrival of Fernando Torres to join Jordi Gomez and company. The final six player include a two major England stars and a couple of South American stars as well. Let's see how things work out in the final part of the draft.

We start with Paraguayan striker, Roque Santa Cruz, a unanimous pick as the star of Blackburn Rovers. A goalscorer of the highest quality who will join: WATFORD. The Golden Boys have not scorer many lately so he is a good draft pick for them. Roy Hodgson knows the importance of a good goalscorer as well.

Now, it's 'super' Frank Lampard. A star for Chelsea, questionable at international level with England but a quality addition to any side in the world. But he is heading to the Championship and to: BARNSLEY. He will team up with Gianfranco Zola at Oakwell, a real Chelsea re-union. Will they have the same success with the Tykes?

Now, Hull City's star man - Geovanni. The little Brazilian has a flair for spectacular long range goals. Who will he get to score them for? Well, he is heading to: Fabio Capello's BURNLEY and Turf Moor. Whether that is a match made in heaven is questionable! Capello likes his players to play a certain way and I'm not sure Geovanni fits that well! Only time will tell!

Next up is Peter Crouch, England striker formerly at Liverpool and Portsmouth. The tall striker is a real danger in the air or on the deck and will be a real menace to defences in the Championship. He is going to join Tony Pulis at QUEENS PARK RANGERS. The long balls will be coming very soon! Probably a perfect pick for Pulis!

Northern Ireland winger and star of West Brom is next up. Chris Brunt - on his day, an outstanding player but has a lot of off days. Where will he be playing next season? READING is the answer. Mark Hughes will like to see the ball in the box early as a former striker and Brunt will certainly do that. Kevin Doyle should have a field day when Brunt plays well!

Finally, a major draft pick - Wayne Rooney. A suspect temperament but an unbelievably gifted footballer. And there is only one team left in the hat so that is where Rooney will be going. The RICOH Arena and COVENTRY CITY can celebrate because Rooney is heading there for next season.

An unbelievable draw. The second and third draft picks will be announced shortly.

Welcome back! The first seeds were drawn earlier and there were some superb draws. The second and third seeds were drawn afterwards and here they are:

BARNSLEY

Manager: Gianfranco Zola

Drafted Players: Frank Lampard is joined by Sunli Tuncay from Boro and Robert Koren from West Brom. Midfield and attack strengthened at Oakwell but their defence might let them down.

BIRMINGHAM CITY

Manager: Guus Hiddink

Drafted Players: Michael Owen is joined by Scott Carson from West Brom and Emanuel Pogatetz from Boro. With their already strong squad, they should be in the promotion shake up now.

BLACKPOOL

Manager: Sir Alex Ferguson

Drafted Players: Cesc Fabregas was an excellent first pick and he is joined by a familiar face to Sir Alex in Nemanja Vidic. A 'big four' trio is completed with Liverpool's Javier Mascherano. A strong pick should enable Blackpool to steer well clear of the relegation zone and they may be a darkhorse to gatecrash the play off spots.

BRISTOL CITY

Manager: Arsene Wenger

Drafted Players: Emanuel Adebayor joins Wenger at Ashton Gate and they are joined by Pepe Reina and Arron Lennon from Liverpool and Spurs respectively. The Robins should challenge the leaders now.

BURNLEY

Manager: Fabio Capello

Drafted Players: Geovanni was drafted first but the English centre back pairing of Rio Ferdinand (Man U) and Phil Jagielka (Everton) should keep Burnley very solid. Have they got enough up front to worry the leaders of the division?

CARDIFF CITY

Manager: Tony Adams

Drafted Players: Adams can have no complaints about the draft after drawing Gerrard who is joined by Michael Turner from Hull and Rob Green from West Ham. Gerrard should ensure a top half challenge.

CHARLTON ATHLETIC

Manager: Rafael Benitez

Drafted Players: Disaster for Charlton who needed three strong picks. Matt Upson was a good start and so was Chris Kirkland from Wigan. However, they really didn't need a second goalkeeper in the draft but that's what they got in Sunderland's Craig Gordon. Can Benitez save them from a tough season?

COVENTRY CITY

Manager: Steve Bruce

Drafted Players: Wayne Rooney was a great start and Luka Modric from Spurs and Steven Taylor from Newcastle add to the squad well. Young manager and young players mean the future should be bright for Coventry although maybe not immediately!

CRYSTAL PALACE

Manager: Martin O'Neill

Drafted Players: Antonio Valencia is joined by Steven Ireland (Man City) and Robin Van Persie (Arsenal) in a good draft for Palace. With their younsters, they could challenge towards the top within three seasons.

DERBY COUNTY

Manager: Phil Brown

Drafted Players: Stewart Downing is joined by arguably the best goalkeeper in the world in Petr Cech from Chelsea. Man. City's promising defender Micah Richards makes up the draft picks and Derby could be a darkhorse.

DONCASTER ROVERS

Manager: Harry Redknapp

Drafted Players: Ashley Young is joined by Jussi Jaaskelainen from Bolton, a good pick for a team needing a new keeper. Nicolas Anelka makes up the trio from Chelsea and Doncaster should have enough to survive.

IPSWICH TOWN

Manager: Geovanni Trappattoni

Drafted Players: Mikel Arteta should suit Ipswich perfectly and the Tractor Boys will be excited about Didier Drogba (Chelsea) heading the attack. They are joined by Matty Taylor from Bolton. They should challenge for the Play Offs.

NORWICH CITY

Manager: John Toshack

Drafted Players: Kevin Davies will suit Toshack's play and Scott Parker from West Ham is a good pick too. Add a very strong goalkeeper in Edwin Van Der Sar and Norwich should be easily safe this season.

NOTTINGHAM FOREST

Manager: Tony Mowbray

Drafted Players: Other than Blackpool, Forest look to have the strongest player draft. Ronaldo is joined by Mr. Liverpool in Jamie Carragher and Jimmy Bullard from Hull City. If their strikers are on form, Forest could challenge!

PLYMOUTH ARGYLE

Manager: Ricky Sbragia

Drafted Players: Any disappointment with the Sbragia drafting was wiped out by the Robinho pick and he is joined by Kolo Toure and Jason Koumas. Plymouth should have enough to steer clear of the drop zone.

PRESTON NORTH END

Manager: David Moyes

Drafted Players: Kenwynne Jones is joined by Benni McCarthy (Blackburn) up front to give Preston the firepower and a reunion for Moyes with Tim Cahill from Everton should ensure the goals flow. If their defence is sound, Preston could challenge for promotion.

QUEENS PARK RANGERS

Manager: Tony Pulis

Drafted Players: Pulis' style of play will be helped with the arrival of Peter Crouch. Kieran Richardson (Sunderland) is a Pulis player as well and should create goals for Crouch. Abdoulaye Faye joins from Stoke (Pulis signed him for the Potters) so QPR will be challengers in the top half although it won't be pretty for the tycoons to watch.

READING

Manager: Mark Hughes

Drafted Players: Not the greatest player draft for Reading as Chris Brunt is joined by Danny Murphy (Fulham) and Gael Clichy (Arsenal) so they will need to hope that there excellent initial squad is up to standard. The three drafts will strengthen the squad and they should be amongst the leaders still.

SHEFFIELD UNITED

Manager: George Burley

Drafted Players: Robbie Keane is joined by Gareth Barry and Patrice Evra in a decent draft for United. The strong squad already in place should be capable of achieving a play off place with the three additions but can they challenge the top two?

SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY

Manager: Gary Megson

Drafted Players: Former Blade James Beattie is joined by Jonas Gutierrez and Xavi Alonso in a solid draft for Wednesday if not spectacular. They should score goals but the defence is key to their hopes of a top half challenge.

SOUTHAMPTON

Manager: Joe Kinnear

Drafted Players: Considering the quality of the draft for other teams struggling in the Championship, Southampton may struggle with their draft of Brede Hangeland, the returning Rory Delap and Glen Johnson. They should be difficult to beat but may struggle offensively and may draw a lot of games.

SWANSEA CITY

Manager: Gareth Southgate

Drafted Players: Fernando Torres and the rest of the Spaniard at the Liberty Stadium are joined by Andrei Arshavin and Andrew Johnson. They will possess as good an attack as anyone else in the division but need defensive reinforcements to challenge the top two.

WATFORD

Manager: Roy Hodgson

Drafted Players: The former Blackburn boss gets two former Blackburn players in Roque Santa Cruz and Chris Samba. The arrival of Michael Essien means they have a strong spine and should be safely in midtable.

WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS

Manager: Sam Allardyce

Drafted Players: John Terry, the England captain, is joined by two more England internationals in David James and Gabby Agbonlahor. They should be in contention at the top and could win the league with their strong squad and strong draft picks.

I will sort the database tomorrow and launch the game as soon as I can. In the meantime, can we have some predictions about the questions below?

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER

- How will the top four teams react to their manager and star player losses? How will they perform in the Champions League and Premiership? How will the other teams Premiership teams perform? Will they catch up and overtake the top four?

- Will the Premiership teams sack their managers? If so, who will replace them?

- Will the ‘star’ managers stay with their new Championship teams? Will they hold onto their jobs even if they are struggling with their Championship side?

- Once we know the drafted players and managers, which teams will be promoted to the Premiership? How much of an impact will the ‘star’ players have?

- Will the ‘star’ players retain their places in their national sides despite the lower reputation of their new league and clubs?

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER

- How will the top four teams react to their manager and star player losses? How will they perform in the Champions League and Premiership? How will the other teams Premiership teams perform? Will they catch up and overtake the top four?

None of the English top four will make the Semi Finals of the Champions League. They will make some signings but won't replace the stars enough to win in Europe. In the Premiership, I think that Arsenal have the best chance of winning the title. Their kids will flourish without the stars. However, I would expect at least two of the top four spots to be filled with other teams other than the big four. Particularly the likes of Tottenham with a strong squad or maybe even West Ham (hated saying that!)

- Will the Premiership teams sack their managers? If so, who will replace them?

They may make moves for the star managers who will be free to leave unlike the drafted players. I imagine that a manager that is an icon would have a chance of returning, i.e. Sir Alex back to Manchester United.

- Will the ‘star’ managers stay with their new Championship teams? Will they hold onto their jobs even if they are struggling with their Championship side?

SOme will be tempted away when the Premiership star-less clubs struggle in Europe or in the league. I'd expect half of them to leave in the first season.

- Once we know the drafted players and managers, which teams will be promoted to the Premiership? How much of an impact will the ‘star’ players have?

Looking at the draft, Swansea are going to have a great chance. There'll not be lots of changes but some teams may over-achieve because of the drafted players, i.e. Blackpool. Look for a Championship club to win a cup.

- Will the ‘star’ players retain their places in their national sides despite the lower reputation of their new league and clubs?

Depends how their repuations and stats hold up with coaching staff that aren't up to scratch, poor facilities and the lesser reputation of the league.

Awesome.

Sheer brilliance this one, mate. Cant wait for it to start

Just wanted to say that I think this looks excellent

Think i'll have to be a Chelsea and Barnsley fan for this with Zola and Lampard pitching up in Barnsley

Great work mate looking forward to it starting

i think either wolves or sheffield

i think either wolves or sheffield

:thdn:

Which one?! Nothing winds United and/or Wednesday fans up more than being called Sheffield ... We are Sheffield United, they are Pi ... Sheffield Wednesday.

Would've been amusing had Harry Redknapp gone to Southampton

:thdn:

Which one?! Nothing winds United and/or Wednesday fans up more than being called Sheffield ... We are Sheffield United, they are Pi ... Sheffield Wednesday.

FC Sheffield maybe.

:thdn:

Which one?! Nothing winds United and/or Wednesday fans up more than being called Sheffield ... We are Sheffield United, they are Pi ... Sheffield Wednesday.

Sheffield United of course

Database done. Just going to test it a little and hopefully get this started later.

Any ideas what screens and information would be useful? Am open to requests.

Possibly monthly or bi monthly updates considering the sheer scale and audacity of this experiment, you might also include some transfer news from around the world

Yeah I don't want to include screenshots for every player because it would take ages.

League Tables, Player Stats and Team Stats screens monthly or bi-monthly is fine for the Championship. Maybe just the Premiership league table would be suitable until the end of the season? Transfer window: screens of any transfers although I have ensured that the 72 'stars' cannot move so the rest might not be that interesting in the Championship - the Premiership transfers will be interesting to see how they replace the stars. Am going to create a shortlist with the 72 players on to keep track of them and to compare their impact. And I will write an in-depth season update at the end of each season. Any comments?

Have just had a test load and only found one issue (I'd not set the new international managers as managers - they were coaching but no more!) which I've corrected. I think I'm ready for lift off!

EDIT: Damn, just found another. I didn't place Rafael Benitez at Charlton! He's not getting away that easily!

SEASON 1 - MID SEASON UPDATE - JANUARY 1st 2009

CHAMPIONSHIP - WITH STARS AND TOP MANAGERS

Championship League Table

The Championship table makes interesting reading even at this early stage of the experiment. Sheffield United lead the way on the back of some good draft picks with Robbie Keane a particularly big influence. The goals of Didier Drogba, Emanuele Adebayor and Roque Santa Cruz keep Ipswich, Bristol City and Watford respectively involved. Rafa Benitez has inspired Charlton to overcome the low expectations and challenge for a Play Off spot. In mid-table, Wolves have had a real mixed bag. Sam Allardyce was 2nd in the manager of the month in August as they flew out of the blocks but ended up as the first manager to be fired after a terrible run after that. Paul Jewell has taken over and he is the December manager of the month as they have steered away from the relegation zone. Reading are also underachieving but weren't helped by the draft initially. Southampton are bottom and siz points adrift of 21st place but have clawed points back in the last two months since the return of Brede Hangeland from a four-month injury.

The four managers of the bottom four clubs (Plymouth's Sbragia, QPR's Pulis, Cardiff's Adams and Southampton's Kinnear) all have very insecure jobs right now as do Crystal Palace (Martin O'Neill) and Derby (Phil Brown). Also interestingly, despite their Play Off place, Birmingham's Guus Hiddink is also insecure.

Top Scorers

The drafted players dominate the top scorers list with Kevin Davies, Didier Drogba and Roque Santa Cruz leading the way. Kevin Doyle is the highest placed original Championship player.

Top Assists

The drafted players have not been able to dominate the assists list in quite the same way. Only two of the top ten are drafted, Gareth Barry for league leaders Sheffield United and Stewart Downing of lowly Derby, although Downing does lead the way with Swansea's Ferrie Bodde right behind him.

Top Average Ratings

The average ratings are dominated by drafted players which suggests they are continuing to make a big impact despite the change of club and division. Santa Cruz leads the way with his goals for Watford and the highest undrafted player is Wednesday's Frankie Simek.

I'm sure you're all wondering where a certain C. Ronaldo is ...

Well, he has played all Nottingham Forest's games and has a few assists. He seems to be off the pace in the Championship though - maybe he doesn't suit the style of play of Nottingham Forest and their manager, Tony Mowbray.

League Cup QF

The Championship teams have struggled to make an impact in the League Cup with all eight teams in the quarter finals representing the Premiership. This surprised me I have to admit.

PLAYER OF THE MONTH IN CHAMPIONSHIP

August - Stearman (WW)

September - Gordon (CA drafted)

October - Torres (SC drafted)

November - Doyle ®

December - Davies (NC darfted)

MANAGER OF THE MONTH FOR CHAMPIONSHIP

August - Redknapp (DR)

September - Benitez (CA)

October - Hughes ®

November - Hiddink (BC)

December - Benitez (CA)

MANAGERIAL CHANGES IN CHAMPIONSHIP

Sam Allardyce sacked by Wolves and replaced by Paul Jewell.

PREMIERSHIP - WITHOUT THE STARS/TOP MANAGERS

Premiership TableApologies for the dodgy table picture - you get the idea though! Stoke City are the bottom club.

Top Scorers

Top Assists

Top Average Ratings

The 'big four' had enough in reserve it seems and weren't totally reliant on their star players ... except for Liverpool who are struggling. Aston Villa are making a challenge as are Manchester City - more on them later. Gary Johnson of Liverpool is very insecure as 9th is not good enough for the Reds and Mick McCArthy is under pressure with Everton near the foot of the table. Hull, Fulham and Stoke sit in the bottom three and have not coped with the loss of their 'stars' at all. Chelsea lead the way with Paul Sturrock at the helm showing Southampton what might have been! West Brom and Blackburn are overachieving with Neil Warnock and Brian Laws in charge whereas Everton and Tottenham are the underachievers of the league.

TRANSFERS

Well, there weren't any. Except for ...

Premiership Transfers

... Manchester City. They replaced their 'stars' by making the only eight transfers in the Premiership other than transfers out of the clubs. With that, 4th might be an underachievement and Kevin Blackwell may yet need to improve on that.

PLAYER OF THE MONTH IN PREMIERSHIP

August - Collins (WHU)

September - Nelsen (BR)

October - Olsson (WBA)

November - Emerton (BR)

December - Cech (WBA)

MANAGER OF THE MONTH FOR PREMIERSHIP

August - Sousa (TH)

September - Clough (AV)

October - Blackwell (MC)

November - Laws (BR)

December - Coyle (MU)

ENGLAND

Here is the latest England squad. Notice anything?

England Squad

It's the same for Brazil, France and Spain. None of the stars of the major nations are in the international squads. The reputation of these nations must mean that the Championship and it's teams are completely overlooked. How else could John Terry and Wayne Rooney not be in the England team or Fernando Torres not be in the Spanish team? It's not until you reach the likes of Portugal that the stars get into the squads and teams.

Really good report

KUTGW