What ingredients make a good team? - Game Thread

What ingredients make a good team?

All twelve SPL teams have been replaced with custom teams, which have been built in accordance with how participants valued different criteria. The criteria available were; Club Reputation, Stadium Size / Fan Base, Training Facilities, Squad Ability, Manager Ability and Bank Balance.

The following graphic shows how each team has been built:

Click Here for the sign-up thread, which also contains detailed criteria information.

Each teams initial squad of players.

Clydebank Cobras - joetheref

Domination United - WBA4LIFE

F.C Holtaskóli - bjoggi33

Flint City - Jody Flint

Galashiels Juniors - Jack Rudd

Highlanders FC - Blanco

Horden All Stars - FergySAFC

HR United - Darren_HR

New Bloc FC – bergtaur

New Firm - aka.arrogantio

Tobar na Màthar - Denther

Whipping Boys. (Weakened Team).

Best Youth Players Using Genie Scout

2nd September 2008: Cup Shocks, Spending Power & Smiling for the Camera.

League and Cup update

League Standings

The first four league matches of a season may not reveal too much about your teams fortunes for the coming year, but it is always nice to be at the right end of the table at the start. 'Squad Level 4' Tobar na Màthar didn't even need the full four matches to sit at the top of the pile, Steelopolis (Tobars nickname) recorded three wins from three, first against Galashiels Juniors, and then two 'Squad Level 1' teams in New Firm and F.C Holtaskóli. Knowing they have a game in hand against bottom side HR United, leaves them in a very favourable position. Steelopolis have the highest reputation, and one of the best managers in the SPL this season, and appear more than capable of beating better squads.

After just two games, 'Squad Level 1' Horden All Stars were looking untouchable, hammering HR United & Whipping Boys, 4-0 & 3-0 at home, they would follow this up with a 8-0 demolition of East Stirling in the League Cup 2nd Round. But they seem to be struggling away from home, with a draw at Cobra Arena and then a 2-0 defeat at New Firm Park.

At the wrong end of the table; Domination United, Clydebank Cobras and HR United are all yet to record a win in the league. A lack of goals appearing to be the obvious problem. The Cobras fell down against Whipping Boys at home 1-0, providing the weakened team with a surprise early victory.

Whilst you cannot win or lose the league on day one, you can certainly lose a cup. All twelve SPL teams faced lower league opposition in Round 2 of the League Cup, not all of them successfully.

As stated The All Stars made light work of East Stirling. New Firm hammered Alloa (SD2) 6-0, HR United whooped Stirling (SD2) 5-0, and there were comfortable wins for F.C Holtaskóli (4-0), Flint City (3-0), Highlanders (3-0), Whipping Boys (3-0) and Tobar na Màthar (2-0). Galashiels Juniors managed to hold off a late comeback from East Fife to win 2-1.

Three SPL teams fell at the first hurdle; Clydebank Cobras offered very little in a match dominated by Partick Thistle (SD1), but it wasn't until the sending off, off Winger Phil Fraser in the 79th minute that things became comfortable with two late goals in a 2-0 defeat for The Cobras. Domination United lived up to there name, but of nineteen shots, only one was on target, and Airdrie United (SD1) snatched a 1-0 win. New Bloc FC staged a valiant comeback against Livingston (SD1). After Livingston took a 2-0 lead, they had Danny Griffin sent off in the 63rd minute, new Argentinian signing Martin Cardetti scored from the resulting free kick, and fellow countryman Sebastian Rusculleda pulled the match level for New Bloc late on. It wasn't to be though, and Livingston claimed a 5-4 shoot-out win, leaving just nine SPL teams in the hat for Round 3.

League Cup 3rd round

Airdrie Utd (SD1)	vs	Tobar na Màthar
HR United		vs	Partick Thistle (SD1)
Highlanders FC		vs	Dunfermline (SD1)
F.C Holtaskóli		vs	Whipping Boys
New Firm 		vs 	Livingston (SD1)
Dundee (SD1)		vs	Horden All Stars
Queen of Sth (SD1)	vs	Galashiels Juniors
Flint City		vs	Clyde (SD1)

Transfer Activity

Summer Transfers

Despite being the joint richest club, Domination United made little inroads in the transfer market. By contrast the other 'Bank Balance Level 1' club HR United brought six new players to the club, including the top two transfer fees. They've had little time to make an impact so far, but they are still in the cup, with a game in hand, and with The Whips and The Cobras back to back, you'd expect to see a rise up the table before too long.

Highlanders, All Stars, New Bloc & New Firm have all been very busy in the transfer market but have largely been buying squad players. Tobar na Màthar have let their backup goalkeeper leave for TNS on loan, which could prove fatal if Ronnie Young were to pick up an injury.

Speaking of injuries; New Bloc FC (6 injured), Highlanders (4) and The Cobras (4) have had the worst of it so far, particularly The Cobras, who have star midfielder Paul Allen unlikely to play again this season, following a broken leg. Whilst Flint City, New Firm and Domination each have only one injury apiece.

Which Ingredient?

I'd like to reference the whole point of the sign-up when it seems appropriate. With reminders of peoples choices in the chosen areas at a time when it is relevant. With this in mind I've noticed a trend in TV Fixtures.

Tobar na Màthar 'Reputation Level 1' have been chosen for TV in fifteen of their opening seventeen league matches, including the opening seven. An astonishing 88%. Flint City 'Fan Base Level 1' have been chosen for TV in seven of their opening nine league matches, and ten of their opening seventeen. There is a clear trend in club set-up affecting TV matches.

Tobar na Màthar 	15/17
Flint City		10/17 (initially 7/9)
Domination		9/17 (but only 2/8 to start with)
F.C Holtaskóli		5/17
Highlanders		4/17
HR United		4/17
New Bloc FC		4/17
New Firm		4/17
Cobras			3/17
Galashiels		2/17
All Stars		2/17
Whipping Boys		1/17

I intend to have the next update available by Sunday afternoon. Thank you for reading.

Knew squad level 6 was a bad idea

No need to panic just yet Joe - lol - You just have to hope for a decent January transfer window.

where u at in league last

i started great

I'm 2nd bottom but the team below me has a game in hand. Training facilities and bank balance are 1 and 2 so hopefully the players will improve or new ones can be bought

I'm annoyed at having to redo the last 2 games. It certainly didn't help me, but Juniors will have no complaints following their Cup rebirth. Domination Utd and New Bloc FC might feel a little agrieved though.

I'm 2nd bottom but the team below me has a game in hand. Training facilities and bank balance are 1 and 2 so hopefully the players will improve or new ones can be bought

Having many injuries certainly won't help either. You play me next, so it'll be a good time to play you. You have 4 injuries to my one. You didn't have much luck with newgens either. Not much luck coming your way.

On another note, Juniors have a DRL, where everyone else has just a DR. This is because FM decided to make him strong with both feet and has nothing to do with the database.

God... I'm always injured in these sing-ups.

27th October 2008: Winning Runs, Scoring Goals & Monthly Awards

League Standings

Early leaders Tobar na Màthar followed their opening three victories with three consecutive defeats and a penalties cup exit against Airdrie Utd. It just shows how little the League table means at such an early stage. Manager Fred Brookes could only watch in disbelief as his team managed to miss two penalties in normal time, and then two in the shoot-out to go out of the cup in a match were they completely outplayed their lower league opposition. (Match Overview).

New Bloc FC have won four games in a row and sit top, they have scored in all 11 games this season, and have kept 6 clean sheets, which makes the cup exit to Livingston all the more surprising. Hot on their heels are a strong New Firm side, who have won six games in a row, including 5-0 & 4-0 hammerings over Whipping Boys and early title rivals Flint City. It's too close to call a winner at this stage, but a clear top six / bottom six divide is being formed.

F.C Holtaskóli are another improved team, with five wins and a draw in the last six games, some superb performances by striker Bill McCoist who now has 10 Goals in 11 Games (5 goals in 2 cup games) with an average rating of 7.60. Easily the clubs star player.

SPL Top Scorers

Jan Visser		Tobar na Màthar		8
Christopher Ruppe	New Firm		7
Milan Osterc		Highlanders FC		5
Bill McCoist		F.C Holtaskóli		5
Moreira			Horden All Stars	5
Martin Cardetti		New Bloc FC		5
Marik Jaworski		Horden All Stars	5

Domination Utd fans must pleased with the number of rumours in the newspapers, they are constantly being linked with an array of talented footballers. Including £2.7m rated Vitesse striker Mads Junker and £2.1m rated AZ defender Sebastien Pocognoli among many others. The current crop of players will have to try a lot harder to keep ahold of their place. Manager JJ Blaze has been quoted as saying that he is “Disappointed at how things are going”.

Cobras manager Joe Tompkins is right to be worried about his current squads ability to keep the side in the division, still without a win after ten matches, if it weren't for Whipping Boys they would be adrift already. They'll likely have to play Whipping Boys three more times this season, and those games will be crucial in deciding the clubs fate.

League Cup 3rd round

Airdrie Utd (SD1)	p 1-1		Tobar na Màthar
HR United		  4-0		Partick Thistle (SD1)
Highlanders FC		  1-1 p		Dunfermline (SD1)
F.C Holtaskóli		  4-0		Whipping Boys
New Firm 		  2-1		Livingston (SD1)
Dundee (SD1)		  3-4 e		Horden All Stars
Queen of Sth (SD1)	  1-0		Galashiels Juniors
Flint City		  3-0		Clyde (SD1)

More cup shocks in the 3rd round, we've already heard about Tobars fall from grace. Highlanders FC followed them out in a similar way, losing 7-6 on penalties to promotion chasing Dunfermline. The match was even more disappointed for Highlanders when new signing Samuel Slovak was stretchered off with a torn calf muscle, and is expected to miss four monthes of the season.

Galashiels Juniors made little use of their 2nd chance in the cup, as they were outclassed by Queen of the South, in a totally one-sided 1-0 defeat. Horden All Stars edged a goal-fest at Dundee, after falling behind after just three minutes, they managed to equalise straight away, and then go 2-1 in front, Dundee twice levelled the match, first at 2-2, then at 3-3, but with penalties looming, super-sub Moreira settled the game.

New Firms fans went from despair to ecstasy in the dying minutes at New Firm Park. Trailing 1-0 from the 9th minute, Livingston managed an equaliser in the 87th minute, and just as the away fans were beginning a chorus of “You're not singing any more”, the New Firm faithful were back in front with a Christopher Ruppe strike to seal the win.

F.C Holtaskóli made light work of fellow SPL side Whipping Boys, and a Harold Buck hat-trick gave HR United a well deserved victory over Partick Thistle. 7969 fans turned up to see Flint City win another home cup game 3-0 against a lower league side.

League Cup Quarter Final

Airdrie Utd (SD1)	vs	Horden All Stars
New Firm 		vs	HR United
Queen of Sth (SD1)	vs	Flint City
Dunfermline (SD1)	vs	F.C Holtaskóli

Monthly Awards

Manager of the Month
Aug	Fred Brookes		Tobar na Mathar
Sep	Cristobal Blanco	Highlanders FC

Player of the Month
Aug	Marik Jaworski		Horden All Stars
Sep	Zahari Sirakov		HR United

Young Player of the Month
Aug	Willie McNeil		Whipping Boys
Sep	Andy Gordon		Domination United

omg 1 on players and 8th

DELETED - LOL - getting ahead of myself. That was spoilers from the next update.

BTW you play me in the semis ;-)

Out of the cup

But doing ok in the cup in 6th place, hopefully my rep can help us bring in some good players

KUTGW

I'm pleased to see th New Firm are putting up the expected title chase. Any chance of a screenie of our early season hero Ruppe?

HUZZAH... tops for now. Keep it up New Bloc!

1st January 2009

League Standings

From the spreadsheet, it is immediately obvious that 'Squad Ability' is the primary factor at this early stage.

League leaders New Firm have won twelve and lost one in their last thirteen matches (The defeat came at Home 3-1 vs F.C Holtaskóli). Star players are Christopher Ruppe who has scored 19 goals in 21 matches, and midfielder Joshua Lawson, who has contributed 7 goals in 16(2) matches from midfield. Manager Bob McBuilder is said to be very secure in his Job.

New Bloc FC have won only two in the last eight matches, and without a win in three. Their star strikers each out with muscle problems, a Groin Strain and a Pulled Hamstring, which has seen them slip down the table, but both should be back soon to help the side challenge for a European Placing.

Domination Utd manager JJ Blaze and Tobar na Mathar manager Fred Brookes might well be looking for new employment soon. The fans of both clubs are said to be very disgruntled with how things are progressing. They were the two favourites for the title at the beginning of the season, but things haven't gone to plan for either club.

Their were no upsets in the League Cup Quarter Final, with league leaders New Firm seeing off fellow SPL side HR United comfortably. Flint City were ran pretty close in their match at Queen of the South, but came through a penalty shoot-out unscathed.

League Cup Quarter Final

Airdrie Utd (SD1)	0-2	Horden All Stars
New Firm 		5-2	HR United
Queen of Sth (SD1)	2-2 p	Flint City
Dunfermline (SD1)	0-4	F.C Holtaskóli

League Cup Semi Final (27th Jan)

Flint City		vs	Horden All Stars
F.C Holtaskóli		vs	New Firm

Scottish Cup Fourth Round (10th Jan)

Clyde (SD1)		vs	HR United
Cove Rangers (Non)	vs	Highlanders FC
Domination United	vs	Queen of the South (SD1)
Dundee (SD1)		vs	Whipping Boys
F.C Holtaskóli		vs	Stranraer (SD2)
Flint City		vs	Tobar na Mather
Horden All Stars	vs	Ross County (SD1)
New Bloc FC		vs	Peterhead (SD2)
New Firm		vs	Galashiels Juniors
Partick Thistle (SD1)	vs	Clydebank Cobras
As well as six ties not involving SPL clubs

I Intend to have the next update done by Thursday Night.

Thanks for the screenie of Ruppe - it's good to see he's getting better and better. 8 goals in 3 games in the cup is awesome.

It's good to see the New Firm seem set to dominate Scotland in the same way as the old did - though hats off to the Highlanders for keeping it close despite having a weaker squad, no money and a manager who's just as bad/underrated as mine.

Will be interesting to see how much the reputations and expectations of the different clubs shift after a season.

Domination United seem to be the big underachievers - the setup chosen gave them a squad as good enough for mid-table and they had the money and reputation to add some real talent. Can they do what they didn't manage at the beginning of the season and buy their way to the top half of the table?

'Mon the Highlanders....

We're doing better than I expected - hopefully we can get that second CL place at least, if not the title, and that will boost the reputation and the finances.

Don't know how we're doing so well with such a bad manager though...

Unreal... another injury. WHY DOES MY LUCK GO BAD!!

Not bad, the others with good squads should be doing well this season, but as I said, my higher rep should allow me to bring in better players next season (I hope)

KUTGW

1st February: Another New League Leader, Manager Replacements & The Cobras Are Fighting Back.

League Standings

On the 19th January we had our first managerial casualty, JJ Blaze was removed as manager of Domination Utd following defeat against Queen of the South in the Scottish Cup, and two draws against Tobar na Màthar and Highlanders FC. They have paid Dundee Utd £250k to secure the services of Craig Levein, who will be looking for dramatic improvement, especially with eight new faces in January.

Only seven days later, Fred Brookes of Tobar na Màthar joined Blaze on the unemployment list, a 2-0 defeat against The Cobras deemed unacceptable, despite a 3-0 win against Whipping Boys earlier in the week. Brookes was replaced by Motherwell manager Mark McGhee (£110k).

Once again we have a new league leader in F.C Holtaskóli, who are coming good at the right time. Securing a place in the League Cup final with a 1-0 victory over New Firm, and then destroying Stranraer 12-0 in the FA Cup. F.C Holtaskóli could be on course for an unexpected treble. With star player Bill McCoist banging the goals in for fun (SPL top scorer, and joint League Cup top scorer along with Ruppe with 8 goals).

New Firm have slipped down the table, after only managing to pick up one win in five matches. Their last two league games have been defeats at F.C Holtaskóli and New Bloc FC. As well as that League Cup defeat against F.C Holtaskóli.

Flint City are falling away, and this has not been helped by the lack of any new signings this season (A problem for me in the other 2 sign-ups that I am in). Despite having several transfers lined up, nearly all fell down during the Contract Negotiations. Flint will be hoping that this seasons TV Revenue and Gate Receipts will provide a large transfer kitty that will be spent in the summer, and are clinging on to the hope of a European place or a Scottish Cup triumph. Hopes of a League Cup win were taken away with Horden All Stars winning that game 1-0. The scoreline flattered The Sparks who were outplayed for 90 minutes.

The most notable improvement after F.C Holtaskóli is that of The Cobras, three wins in five has seen them power away from the relegation fight, and left Whipping Boys as near certainties to be relegated.

Full January Transfer Window News

As expected, Domination Utd were very busy in the transfer window, signing eight players. The Cobras & Tobar na Màthar also each added many new faces to their squad.

Initial squad player Ainsley Sykes has moved from HR United to Leicester, Sykes had only played 7 games this season, with summer signings Zahari Sirakov and Veli Lampi playing more frequently in the position.

| Date           | Person                | From              | To                 | Fee            | 
| 9.1.2009       | Micola, Tomas         | Banik Ostrava     | Clydebank Cobras   | £925K          | 
| 15.1.2009      | O'Shea, James         | Galway Utd        | Clydebank Cobras   | £40K           | 
| 18.1.2009      | Thompson, Kenny       | AA Gent           | Clydebank Cobras   | £250K          | 
| 24.1.2009      | McFlynn, Terry        | Sydney FC         | Clydebank Cobras   | £4K            | 
| 12.1.2009      | Ribeiro, Christian    | Sheff Wed         | Clydebank Cobras   | £60K           | 
| 12.1.2009      | Barron, David         | St. Mirren        | Clydebank Cobras   | £350K          | 
| 12.1.2009      | Németh, Norbert       | Vasas             | Clydebank Cobras   | £140K          | 
| 31.1.2009      | Pozniak, Chris        | Dundee            | Clydebank Cobras   | £3K            | 
| 15.1.2009      | Dreesen, Timothy      | Club Brugge       | Domination United  | £210K          | 
| 29.1.2009      | Solano, Nolberto      | Universitario     | Domination United  | £130K          | 
| 22.1.2009      | Hamill, Jamie         | Kilmarnock        | Domination United  | £55K           | 
| 20.1.2009      | Al-Tayeb, Tarek       | Al-Hilal (KSA)    | Domination United  | £900K          | 
| 23.1.2009      | Zárate, Rolando       | Barcelona (ECU)   | Domination United  | £1.4M          | 
| 5.1.2009       | Paulo Adriano         | FC Brasov         | Domination United  | £475K          | 
| 13.1.2009      | Sjölund, Daniel       | Djurgården        | Domination United  | £775K          | 
| 14.1.2009      | Daprelà, Fabio        | Grasshopper       | Domination United  | £350K          | 
| 5.1.2009       | Landgren, Andreas     | Helsingborg       | F.C Holtaskóli     | £275K          | 
| 14.1.2009      | Gado, Ramses          | Otelul            | F.C Holtaskóli     | Free           | 
| 1.1.2009       | Olcese, Aldo          | Cienciano         | Highlanders FC     | Free           | 
| 1.1.2009       | Ferrari, Jean         | Melgar            | Highlanders FC     | Free           | 
| 20.1.2009      | Evans, Phillip        | Thanda Royal Zulu | Highlanders FC     | £16K           | 
| 10.1.2009      | Miliev, Yordan        | Levski            | Highlanders FC     | £75K           | 
| 10.1.2009      | Dzaferovic, Vanja     | Loko (Sofia)      | Horden All Stars   | £300K          | 
| 13.1.2009      | Kamburov, Martin      | Loko (Sofia)      | Horden All Stars   | £875K          | 
| 30.1.2009      | Slepicka, Miroslav    | Dinamo            | HR United          | £1.9M          | 
| 30.1.2009      | Cort, Leon            | Stoke             | HR United          | £1.1M          | 
| 11.1.2009      | Guevara, Amado        | Toronto FC        | HR United          | £190K          | 
| 31.1.2009      | Sykes, Ainsley        | HR United         | Leicester          | £45K           | 
| 11.1.2009      | Vidanov, Pavel        | CSKA (Sofia)      | New Bloc FC        | £65K           | 
| 31.1.2009      | Venkov, Mihail        | Litex             | New Bloc FC        | £375K          | 
| 2.1.2009       | Bruno, Giovanni       | HR United         | St. Pat's Athletic | £75K           | 
| 9.1.2009       | Litmanen, Jari        | Free Transfer     | Tobar na Màthar    | Free           | 
| 9.1.2009       | Roman, Mihai          | FC Brasov         | Tobar na Màthar    | £170K          | 
| 25.1.2009      | Segerström, Pontus    | Stabæk            | Tobar na Màthar    | £110K          | 
| 19.1.2009      | Otepka, Rudolf        | Banik Ostrava     | Tobar na Màthar    | £50K           | 
| 20.1.2009      | Brezic, Danijel       | Domzale           | Tobar na Màthar    | £28K           | 
| 8.1.2009       | Geary, Derek          | Sheff Utd         | Tobar na Màthar    | £150K          | 
| 14.1.2009      | Brennan, Killian      | Dundee Utd        | Tobar na Màthar    | £70K           | 

League Cup Semi Final (27th Jan)

Flint City		0-1		Horden All Stars
F.C Holtaskóli		1-0		New Firm
The Final is played 15th March.

Scottish Cup Fourth Round (10th Jan)

Several shocks in the Scottish Cup, Queen of the South took a second SPL scalp for the season, after dumping Galashiels out of the League Cup, they dispatched Domination Utd, and it was totally deserved, the away team making much better use of their share of the possession.

The biggest shock was the ease at which SD1 leaders Clyde shrugged past HR United, the 3-0 scoreline would have been higher if the Clyde team had managed to get more of their shots on target, fifteen shots on goal, with only the three shots on target.

Tobar na Mathar & Galashiels Juniors were eliminated in two all SPL ties against Flint City & New Firm respectively. Flint City made light work of Tobar, and Galashiels will feel like they were hit by a freight train in their defeat. (Match Stats).

Edit: I missed some information by looking at the wrong page first, Clydebank Cobras required a replay to get past Partick Thistle after the first match finished 2-2.

Everyone else made it through comfortably to the Fifth Round.

Clyde (SD1)		 3-0		HR United
Cove Rangers (Non)	 0-3		Highlanders FC
Domination United	 0-1		Queen of the South (SD1)
Dundee (SD1)		 0-1		Whipping Boys
F.C Holtaskóli		12-0		Stranraer (SD2)
Flint City		 2-0		Tobar na Mathar
Horden All Stars	 4-2		Ross County (SD1)
New Bloc FC		 3-0		Peterhead (SD2)
New Firm		 2-0		Galashiels Juniors    (Replay)
Partick Thistle (SD1)	 0-2		Clydebank Cobras
As well as six ties not involving SPL clubs

Scottish Cup Fifth Round (10th Jan)

Highlanders FC		vs		F.C Holtaskóli
New Bloc FC		vs		Queen of the South (SD1)
Stirling (SD2)		vs		Clydebank Cobras
Whipping Boys		vs		Cowdenbeath (SD3)
Horden All Stars	vs		Dunfermline (SD1)
Clyde (SD1)		vs		Livingston (SD1)
New Firm		vs		Arbroath (SD2)
St. Johnstone (SD1)	vs		Flint City

I intend to have news up to the split available by Friday, possibly to the end of the season. After this I have a busy weekend ahead, and may not make an additional update until next wednesday (but I'll try to).

Come on you Cobras

Can't believe the board sacked Fred

Out of the cup as well

But one good thing is the signing of Jari Litmanen

KUTGW

Happy enough with 9th place. I'm in this for the long game.

Minor edit on the thread. I missed that Clydebank Cobras needed a replay to overcome Partick Thistle in the cup.

Level on points at the top, all going well. Hopefully boost the reputation with a good league finish, and get some cash from Europe...

Oohhh, glad weve sacked the manager, get a proper man in.

With those new players I hope we can achieve a respectable position by the end of the season

oh boy... Queen of The South is coming for me... come on New Bloc!

19th April: More Signings, League Cup Triumph & More Manager Misery.

League Standings

The transfer window lasted for two extra days than I expected, with the following signings rushed through in the end.

| Date           | Person                | From              | To                 | Fee            | 
| 2.2.2009       | Shilla, Iliasu        | Saturn            | New Firm           | £925K          | 
| 2.2.2009       | Atanasov, Dimo        | Loko (Sofia)      | Flint City         | £60K           | 
| 2.2.2009       | Peers, Gavin          | Sligo Rovers      | Clydebank Cobras   | £45K           | 
| 2.2.2009       | Hristov, Georgi       | Levski            | Tobar na Màthar    | £275K          | 
| 1.2.2009       | Russell, John         | New Firm          | Rangers            | £80K           | 
| 1.2.2009       | Zeng Peng             | F.C Holtaskóli    | Sheff Utd          | £30K           |

Andrew Jackson has been replaced as Galashiels Juniors manager, it was no surprise, as the team had gone on a run of nine consecutive defeats, including a 5-0 defeat at F.C Holtaskoli. Replacement Gary McAllister will be wondering what he did wrong in a previous life, because his welcome to SPL management was a 6-1 hammering at Horden All Stars. Juniors are leaking goals in nearly every game, and this will need to be addressed in the summer. With funds raised from a decent support, one of the best training facilities in the world and not a terrible squad of players.

Going into the final five games of the season, it would be hard to look past New Firm and Highlanders FC as the two in the running for the title. FC Holtaskoli have let slip their lead, but they haven't played that badly, it's just that their four wins in ten matches cannot compete with New Firm who have won eight from nine, and Highlanders seven wins in twelve.

Flint City had a major injury crisis, in the middle of the season, with only buying one player all season, and having five players out for much of the season, they were never likely to sustain the early promise of a serious title challenge, but with only two players out now with short term injuries, Flint will be hoping for a late push into a European placing.

League Cup Final: 15th March 2009

Horden All Stars 0-2 F.C Holtaskoli

Match Overview

Match Facts

Player Ratings

Horden had more shots, and more chances, but it was F.C Holtaskoli who took the first Major piece of silverware on offer, and judging by the player ratings, it was fully deserved. Star man Bill McCoist gave them an early lead, and when Man of the Match Ted Robinson added a second before half-time, the All Stars were going to need something special in the second half, and it wasn't forthcoming.

Scottish FA Cup Fifth Round (8th February)

(sorry bergtaur) Queen of the South took a third SPL scalp for the season, this time European place chasing New Bloc FC, but they needed a replay to do it. New Bloc dominated the first game, but twice allowed Queen of Sth the chance to equalise, and ill discipline cost them dear in the replay, 1-0 down with over a third of the game left to play when Craig Myers tripped Ryan Donaldson in the area to concede a penalty, and earn his second yellow card. The penalty was tucked away and at 2-0 down with only ten men, New Bloc had no way back.

Flint City needed a replay to see off St. Johnstone and Highlanders knocked out League Cup winners F.C Holtaskóli, the remaining SPL teams had comfortable results.

Highlanders FC		2-0	F.C Holtaskóli
New Bloc FC		2-2	Queen of the South (SD1)
New Bloc FC		0-2	Queen of the South (SD1) (H)	(Replay)
Stirling (SD2)		0-1	Clydebank Cobras
Whipping Boys		4-0	Cowdenbeath (SD3)
Horden All Stars	1-0	Dunfermline (SD1)
Clyde (SD1)		2-0	Livingston (SD1)
New Firm		2-0	Arbroath (SD2)
St. Johnstone (SD1)	1-1	Flint City
St. Johnstone (SD1)	0-2	Flint City (H)			(Replay)
(H) Home Side Reversed For Replays

Scottish FA Cup Quarter Final (7th March)

Queen of Sth nearly had a fourth SPL scalp, but somehow The Cobras found some energy reserves in Extra Time of the Replay. The Cobras nearly didn't have the chance of a replay, it wasn't until the 88th minute of the first game that they managed to find an equaliser, Paul Allen snatching the draw. Norbert Nemeth was the hero of the replay, in a match that should have been more comfortable for The Cobras, as they controlled much of the play. An extra time penalty claimed the place in the Semi Finals.

Flint City took down title chasing Highlanders FC in a replay, the first game was as dull as dishwater, each side only managing one shot on target throughout the whole game. The replay was far more lively with Flint being far more aggressive at home, taking a 2-0 lead in the opening 26 minutes. A third was added midway through the second half to make the game safe, before the Highlanders added a late consolation goal.

New Firm and Horden All Stars both made light work of their opposition. Horden star man Marik Jaworski scoring a hat-trick in a straight forward win.

Highlanders FC		0-0	Flint City
Highlanders FC		1-3	Flint City (H)			(Replay)
Clyde (SD1)		0-4	New Firm
Clydebank Cobras	1-1	Queen of the South (SD1)
Clydebank Cobras      e 2-1	Queen of the South (SD1) (H)	(Replay)
Horden All Stars	5-0	Whipping Boys
(H) Home Side Reversed For Replays

Scottish FA Cup Semi Final (25th April)

Flint City		vs	New Firm
Clydebank Cobras	vs	Horden All Stars

Scottish First Division

League Standings

The race for promotion is so hot I had to show a screenshot. The league has been close all season, and with just two games left, you can't really look past the Top 3. But two or three games ago it could have been anyone from the Top 8.

Cobras going well all of a sudden, safe from relegation and in a semi-final

How many games do we play?

HIghlanders look good for top two at least, and maybe can overhaul those pesky New Firmers.. Should do wonders for the reputation and the bank balance. Can you use Genie and show us the bank balances / reputations after the end of the season?

Tobar should be doing a lot better with the big name strikers they signed, even if Georgi Hristov is ancient

To be honest Jody, that loss was fully expected for some reason. Let's just cement a top 4 finish in the SPL and we'll be fine.

38 Games total. You play everyone 3 times, and then the league splits in two. You then play everyone in your own half a 4th time (After the split you cannot finish in the opposite half). So with 33 games played, that leaves 5 games left.

I will do a Genie Scout report at the end of the season, as well as club screenshots with player performances/ratings on view.

In the tests, the reputation average slowly declined over time, mainly because every team has been made at a level slightly below that of Rangers and Celtic, and not everyone can win everything every year like those two did. Hopefully we can have some decent European runs, but I don't expect our teams to be challenging the likes of English, Spanish or Italian teams.

6th June: End of season one update.

Scottish Premier League

League Standings

Team Stats

Player Stats

Season Summary

Eleven wins from Twelve saw New Firm comfortably win the SPL with two games to spare. Highlanders FC cantered over the line, finishing with three draws which was enough to secure Champions League Qualification.

New Bloc made a strong finish to the season, beating European rivals F.C Holtaskoli & Horden All Stars, whilst taking a point of each of the top two sides, their only defeat in their final five matches was to Flint City.

F.C Holtaskoli only managed 2 points from the 18 available in their final six games, a stat that will worry the fans of the club for next season, but it was enough to hold on to the last available European place from the league placings.

Horden All Stars could only match Holtaskoli's 2 points from 18 as both sides had weak finishes to the season. Flint City didn't fair much better, but did manage a couple more points to close the gap. The Sparks clearly had an eye on the cup.

A side to watch next season will be HR United, who finished with six straight wins. Clydebank Cobras were making steady progress towards the end of the season, and will be hoping for a Top Half push next season. Domination Utd, Tobar na Mathar and Galashiels Juniors will be demanding much better next season.

Whipping Boys will be replaced by Livingston in the SPL next season.

Scottish FA Cup Semi Final (25th April)

“Scottish Cup provides no shocks” according to the FM news, I beg to differ, both games had the League form turned on its head. Flint City took an early lead through striker Dan Askew, but offered little else all game, a solid defensive display held the New Firm strikers to just a single goal, and with the players tiring no-one could find a breakthrough in extra time. Flint City held their nerve to score all five of their penalties, whilst defender Dominic Banks missed for New Firm to allow Flint City to sneak into the final past the League Champions.

Horden All Stars were 3-1 up with 8 minutes remaining when it all went wrong. Matthew Kirk conceding a penalty for a foul on Terry McFlynn, with Quarter Final hero Norbert Nemeth making sure from the spot, and in the 90th minute Tiago Moniz scored a dramatic equaliser to force extra time. A 95th minute winner from David Barron was enough to secure a win that the Cobras fully deserved on the balance of play.

Flint City		p 1-1		New Firm
Clydebank Cobras	e 4-3		Horden All Stars

Scottish FA Cup Final (30th May)

Flint City finished 6th and Clydebank Cobras finished 10th so this was definitely an unexpected final. Although Flint City did start with a Level 2 squad, so maybe it was their poor league finish that was more of a surprise than this final appearance. Clydebank Cobras however, started the season with the weakest squad, but a strong finish will leave them more optimistic for next year.

The Final, played at Hampden Park and attended by 52,497 fans was one sided from start to finish, Flint, having fully recovered from the injury problems that had plagued them for most of the mid-season comfortably won this match 2-0 with goals from Nick Astley and Paul Bates, and as a result will take the final European place on offer this season.

Match Overview

Match Stats

Player Ratings

Clydebank Cobras 0-2 Flint City

Failure to win the Cup saw Joe Tompkins become the 4th managerial casualty only hours later, he was replaced by Aberdeens Jimmy Calderwood for next season. All of the sacked SPL managers are yet to be re-employed.

End of season Images

Clydebank Cobras - joetheref

Domination United - WBA4LIFE

F.C Holtaskóli - bjoggi33

Flint City - Jody Flint

Galashiels Juniors - Jack Rudd

Highlanders FC - Blanco

Horden All Stars - FergySAFC

HR United - Darren_HR

New Bloc FC – bergtaur

New Firm - aka.arrogantio

Tobar na Màthar - Denther

Team Details Using Genie Scout

Manager Details Using Genie Scout

Monthly Awards

Manager of the Month
Aug	Fred Brookes		Tobar na Mathar
Sep	Cristobal Blanco	Highlanders FC
Oct	Bob McBuilder		New Firm
Nov	Bjorgvin Faerseth	F.C Holtaskoli
Dec	Bob McBuilder		New Firm
Jan	Bjorgvin Faerseth	F.C Holtaskoli
Feb	Craig Levein		Domination Utd
Mar	Bob McBuilder		New Firm
Apr	Bob McBuilder		New Firm
May	Darren Gilmartin	HR United
YEAR	Bob McBuilder		New Firm

Player of the Month
Aug	Marik Jaworski		Horden All Stars
Sep	Zahari Sirakov		HR United
Oct	Christopher Ruppe	New Firm
Nov	Griffin Morrison	Tobar na Mathar
Dec	Joshua Lawson		New Firm
Jan	Neil Platts		Highlanders FC
Feb	Tarek Al-Tayeb		Domination Utd
Mar	Martin Cardetti		New Bloc FC
Apr	Paul Bates		Flint City
May	Miroslav Slepicka	HR United
YEAR	Joshua Lawson		New Firm

Young Player of the Month
Aug	Willie McNeil		Whipping Boys
Sep	Andy Gordon		Domination United
Oct	John Middleton		Galashiels Juniors
Nov	Brian Sim		Galashiels Juniors
Dec	Brian Sim		Galashiels Juniors
Jan	Kenny McAusland		Galashiels Juniors
Feb	Ivelin Popov		HR United
Mar	Christian Ribeiro	Clydebank Cobras
Apr	David Barron		Clydebank Cobras
May	Willie McNeil		Whipping Boys
YEAR	James McCarthy		New Firm

Tobar just kept dropping down the table all season, 9th is rubbish

Let's hope for better next season, KUTGW

Disappointing performance in the cup final but we've got hope for the future. A nice transfer budget and a half decent manager in charge should bring a top half finish next season. Good update KUTGW

I've skipped ahead in the game 'til Sept 1st. I won't have time to write the update this weekend, but there have been a lot of transfers, including some big transfers out for some of the original players.

Last season I was trying to do a report for every round of the cup, but found myself repeating a lot of sentences, so I'll likely just do three full updates per season for now, (around 1st Sept, 1st Feb & End of Season). As well as a SPL Table screenshot and brief league summary in early December due to the large gap between transfer windows.

Summer Transfer Window

Horden All Stars had a profitable summer, selling original Left Winger Samuel Allen and Centre Midfielder Ryan Parker for a combined £8.6m, whilst they haven't spent much, they have brought in seasoned players such as Lee Bowyer and Nwanko Kanu.

F.C Holtaskoli have also had an exodus of original talent, with initial MC, DL, MC, DC, ST & AML leaving the club (Ordered as shown by price). They have brought in twelve new signings to seriously bolster their squad.

Domination Utd have used the chequebook this summer, to bring in Kevin Kilbane & Ian Ashbee from Hull, along with Reginald White from F.C Holtaskoli.

Some big names have joined SPL clubs this season on free transfers. The pick of which are Claude Makele's move to Tobar na Mathar, Sol Campbell's move to Flint City and Mark Viduka's move to HR United.

| Date           | Person                  | From                | To                 | Fee            | 
| 6.7.2009       | Allen, Samuel           | Horden All Stars    | Fulham             | £4.8M          | 
| 29.7.2009      | Parker, Ryan            | Horden All Stars    | Fulham             | £3.8M          | 
| 8.6.2009       | Kilbane, Kevin          | Hull                | Domination United  | £3M            | 
| 21.8.2009      | Sykes, Joesph           | F.C Holtaskóli      | Everton            | £2.7M          | 
| 20.8.2009      | McDonald, Ryan          | F.C Holtaskóli      | Fulham             | £2.2M          | 
| 8.7.2009       | White, Reginald         | F.C Holtaskóli      | Domination United  | £2M            | 
| 28.8.2009      | Newman, Harry           | F.C Holtaskóli      | Wigan              | £2M            | 
| 28.8.2009      | Keane, Paddy            | F.C Holtaskóli      | Wigan              | £1.8M          | 
| 6.8.2009       | McGinn, Niall           | Celtic              | Clydebank Cobras   | £1.8M          | 
| 7.8.2009       | Davenport, Calum        | West Ham            | HR United          | £1.5M          | 
| 26.8.2009      | Wobay, Julius           | U Craiova           | HR United          | £1.5M          | 
| 22.8.2009      | Sheriston, William      | F.C Holtaskóli      | Dinamo             | £1.4M          | 
| 30.8.2009      | Lewandowski, Robert     | Lech                | New Firm           | £1.1M          | 
| 22.7.2009      | Cuthbert, Scott         | Celtic              | Clydebank Cobras   | £975K          | 
| 27.8.2009      | Cooler, Barney          | Flint City          | Sunderland         | £875K          | 
| 8.6.2009       | Ashbee, Ian             | Hull                | Domination United  | £775K          | 
| 9.7.2009       | Marek, Tomas            | Banik Ostrava       | New Bloc FC        | £725K          | 
| 22.6.2009      | Imrie, Dougie           | Inverness CT        | Clydebank Cobras   | £700K          | 
| 21.6.2009      | Zuculini, Franco        | Sparta Prague       | Horden All Stars   | £675K          | 
| 30.8.2009      | Hughes, Kris            | New Bloc FC         | Wigan              | £600K          | 
| 10.8.2009      | Brezinsky, Milos        | FC Timisoara        | HR United          | £575K          | 
| 28.6.2009      | McMahon, Tony           | Middlesbrough       | New Firm           | £400K          | 
| 19.6.2009      | Adam, Charlie           | Rangers             | New Firm           | £375K          | 
| 11.8.2009      | Grainger, Danny         | Dundee Utd          | Highlanders FC     | £350K          | 
| 20.6.2009      | Juliano                 | Internacional       | Flint City         | £300K          | 
| 29.8.2009      | Mazur, Pawel            | Highlanders FC      | New Bloc FC        | £275K          | 
| 24.8.2009      | Mach, Petr              | CFR Cluj            | F.C Holtaskóli     | £275K          | 
| 7.8.2009       | James, Chris            | Tampere Utd         | Highlanders FC     | £275K          | 
| 19.7.2009      | Rui Miguel              | CSKA (Sofia)        | New Bloc FC        | £250K          | 
| 2.8.2009       | Bunderla, David         | Maribor             | Tobar na Màthar    | £250K          | 
| 14.6.2009      | Husek, Lubos            | Sparta Prague       | F.C Holtaskóli     | £240K          | 
| 31.7.2009      | Johnson, Jermaine       | Sheff Wed           | Tobar na Màthar    | £220K          | 
| 13.7.2009      | Bezjak, Roman           | Pirin (Blagoevgrad) | Tobar na Màthar    | £200K          | 
| 12.7.2009      | Horvath, Pavel          | Viktoria Plzen      | Flint City         | £200K          | 
| 28.6.2009      | Halliday, Michael       | Glentoran           | F.C Holtaskóli     | £170K          | 
| 19.8.2009      | Bell, Steven            | Dunfermline         | F.C Holtaskóli     | £160K          | 
| 4.8.2009       | Grant, Charlie          | Celtic              | Tobar na Màthar    | £150K          | 
| 21.6.2009      | Andjelkovic, Sinisa     | Slavia (Sofia)      | F.C Holtaskóli     | £140K          | 
| 9.7.2009       | Filipe Da Costa         | Levski              | New Bloc FC        | £140K          | 
| 10.7.2009      | Porazik, Andrej         | Dubnica             | F.C Holtaskóli     | £140K          | 
| 5.7.2009       | Yurukov, Yordan         | Cherno more         | Flint City         | £140K          | 
| 4.8.2009       | Hélder Barbosa          | Porto               | Clydebank Cobras   | £130K          | 
| 21.6.2009      | Trapp, Petr             | Slavia Prague       | Galashiels Juniors | £130K          | 
| 28.6.2009      | Vigurs, Iain            | Birmingham          | Clydebank Cobras   | £120K          | 
| 23.6.2009      | Bonin, Grzegorz         | Gornik Zabrze       | New Bloc FC        | £120K          | 
| 30.8.2009      | Drummond, Iain          | Domination United   | Sheff Utd          | £55K           | 
| 15.7.2009      | Ventre, Danny           | Sligo Rovers        | Flint City         | £26K           | 
| 18.6.2009      | Gunnell, Linford        | Whipping Boys       | Flint City         | £20K           | 
| 28.6.2009      | Simonsen, Magne         | Lyn                 | F.C Holtaskóli     | £20K           | 
| 15.7.2009      | Jamieson, Scott         | Adelaide United     | Tobar na Màthar    | £10K           | 
| 24.8.2009      | Ure, Martin             | New Firm            | Queen of Sth       | £7K            | 
| 19.7.2009      | Martini, Pierre-Antoine | Livingston          | Whipping Boys      | £4K            | 
| 20.6.2009      | McNamara, Darragh       | Drogheda Utd        | Livingston         | £3K            | 
| 8.7.2009       | Young, Hector           | Tobar na Màthar     | Gillingham         | £3K            | 
| 27.8.2009      | Zhu Jun                 | F.C Holtaskóli      | Morton             | £1K            | 
| 30.5.2009      | Jones, David            | Galashiels Juniors  | Free Transfer      | Free           | 
| 3.8.2009       | Bale, Chris             | Free Transfer       | Livingston         | Free           | 
| 21.8.2009      | Viduka, Mark            | Free Transfer       | HR United          | Free           | 
| 16.7.2009      | Hreiðarsson, Hermann    | Free Transfer       | HR United          | Free           | 
| 1.7.2009       | Montenegro, Ariel       | Gimnasia (J)        | Galashiels Juniors | Free           | 
| 8.7.2009       | Burns, Paul             | Livingston          | Free Transfer      | Free           | 
| 1.7.2009       | Fontaine, Liam          | Bristol City        | New Bloc FC        | Free           | 
| 22.7.2009      | Holland, Matt           | Free Transfer       | Galashiels Juniors | Free           | 
| 1.7.2009       | Johnson, Richard        | Livingston          | Free Transfer      | Free           | 
| 1.7.2009       | Noble, David            | Bristol City        | Clydebank Cobras   | Free           | 
| 29.7.2009      | Bates, Matthew          | Free Transfer       | Flint City         | Free           | 
| 1.7.2009       | Ward, Elliott           | Coventry            | Horden All Stars   | Free           | 
| 1.7.2009       | Petre, Ovidiu           | Steaua              | New Firm           | Free           | 
| 14.7.2009      | Campbell, Sol           | Free Transfer       | Flint City         | Free           | 
| 1.7.2009       | Sobolewski, Radoslaw    | Horden All Stars    | Free Transfer      | Free           | 
| 30.5.2009      | Crawford, Kevin         | Flint City          | Free Transfer      | Free           | 
| 30.5.2009      | Dingwall, Liam          | Flint City          | Free Transfer      | Free           | 
| 28.8.2009      | Grzyb, Wojciech         | Free Transfer       | Livingston         | Free           | 
| 30.5.2009      | McBride, David          | Flint City          | Free Transfer      | Free           | 
| 30.8.2009      | Winter, Jamie           | Free Transfer       | Livingston         | Free           | 
| 20.8.2009      | Middleby, Robbie        | Free Transfer       | Livingston         | Free           | 
| 30.5.2009      | Graham, James           | Domination United   | Free Transfer      | Free           | 
| 29.6.2009      | Gibson, James           | Free Transfer       | F.C Holtaskóli     | Free           | 
| 30.5.2009      | Craig, Mark             | Horden All Stars    | Free Transfer      | Free           | 
| 10.7.2009      | Ricketts, Rohan         | Free Transfer       | Flint City         | Free           | 
| 30.5.2009      | Dow, Chris              | F.C Holtaskóli      | Free Transfer      | Free           | 
| 30.5.2009      | Hunter, Jamie           | Tobar na Màthar     | Free Transfer      | Free           | 
| 30.5.2009      | Hamill, Ally            | Domination United   | Free Transfer      | Free           | 
| 1.7.2009       | Smith, Jimmy            | Chelsea             | Highlanders FC     | Free           | 
| 28.7.2009      | Víctor                  | Free Transfer       | Clydebank Cobras   | Free           | 
| 30.5.2009      | Fraser, John            | Clydebank Cobras    | Free Transfer      | Free           | 
| 30.5.2009      | Wang Chenqi             | New Firm            | Free Transfer      | Free           | 
| 1.7.2009       | Davidson, Murray        | Livingston          | Crewe              | Free           | 
| 24.8.2009      | Simonovic, Sasa         | Free Transfer       | Livingston         | Free           | 
| 30.5.2009      | Jones, Tony             | Clydebank Cobras    | Free Transfer      | Free           | 
| 13.6.2009      | Joy, Ian                | Free Transfer       | Galashiels Juniors | Free           | 
| 1.7.2009       | Malone, Chris           | Livingston          | Free Transfer      | Free           | 
| 1.7.2009       | Otepka, Rudolf          | Tobar na Màthar     | Free Transfer      | Free           | 
| 1.7.2009       | Miller, Gary            | Livingston          | Free Transfer      | Free           | 
| 1.7.2009       | Jacobs, Sheldon         | Livingston          | Free Transfer      | Free           | 
| 16.6.2009      | Gibson, Willie          | Kilmarnock          | Tobar na Màthar    | Free           | 
| 30.5.2009      | Wood, Jamie             | Tobar na Màthar     | Free Transfer      | Free           | 
| 1.7.2009       | Jamieson, Darren        | Livingston          | Free Transfer      | Free           | 
| 30.5.2009      | Liu Weimin              | New Firm            | Free Transfer      | Free           | 
| 30.5.2009      | Watt, Jack              | Galashiels Juniors  | Free Transfer      | Free           | 
| 1.6.2009       | Winters, David          | Livingston          | Swansea            | Free           | 
| 1.7.2009       | McDonald, Kevin         | MK Dons             | F.C Holtaskóli     | Free           | 
| 30.5.2009      | McIntosh, Scott         | HR United           | Free Transfer      | Free           | 
| 30.5.2009      | Middleton, John         | Galashiels Juniors  | Free Transfer      | Free           | 
| 2.7.2009       | McCombe, Jamie          | Bristol City        | Tobar na Màthar    | Free           | 
| 1.7.2009       | Olcese, Aldo            | Highlanders FC      | Free Transfer      | Free           | 
| 1.6.2009       | Griffin, Danny          | Livingston          | Tranmere           | Free           | 
| 30.5.2009      | Farrell, Chris          | Galashiels Juniors  | Free Transfer      | Free           | 
| 30.5.2009      | Cuthbert, Ross          | Galashiels Juniors  | Free Transfer      | Free           | 
| 30.5.2009      | Ferry, Steven           | Galashiels Juniors  | Free Transfer      | Free           | 
| 16.6.2009      | Clancy, Tim             | Free Transfer       | F.C Holtaskóli     | Free           | 
| 8.7.2009       | Bowyer, Lee             | Free Transfer       | Horden All Stars   | Free           | 
| 2.7.2009       | Grzyb, Wojciech         | Highlanders FC      | Free Transfer      | Free           | 
| 1.7.2009       | Jacobs, Devon           | Livingston          | Free Transfer      | Free           | 
| 30.5.2009      | Nelson, Chris           | Clydebank Cobras    | Free Transfer      | Free           | 
| 6.8.2009       | Guede, Karim            | Free Transfer       | Livingston         | Free           | 
| 29.7.2009      | Kolkka, Joonas          | Free Transfer       | Galashiels Juniors | Free           | 
| 11.7.2009      | Smicer, Vladimir        | Free Transfer       | Flint City         | Free           | 
| 3.8.2009       | Kabba, Steven           | Free Transfer       | F.C Holtaskóli     | Free           | 
| 11.7.2009      | Nicol, Kevin            | Livingston          | Free Transfer      | Free           | 
| 1.7.2009       | Sinclair, David         | Livingston          | Brentford          | Free           | 
| 1.6.2009       | Griffiths, Leigh        | Livingston          | Inverness CT       | Free           | 
| 4.8.2009       | Weir, David             | Free Transfer       | Livingston         | Free           | 
| 13.7.2009      | Kanu, Nwankwo           | Free Transfer       | Horden All Stars   | Free           | 
| 31.7.2009      | Makélélé, Claude        | Free Transfer       | Tobar na Màthar    | Free           | 
| 18.8.2009      | Camara, Henri           | Free Transfer       | HR United          | Free           | 
| 4.8.2009       | Ambrose, Darren         | Free Transfer       | F.C Holtaskóli     | Free           | 
| 12.7.2009      | Atouba, Timothée        | Free Transfer       | New Firm           | Free           | 
| 31.7.2009      | Lewandowski, Mariusz    | Shakhtar            | HR United          | Ln Fee £140K   | 
| 24.6.2009      | Jones, James            | Flint City          | TNS                | Ln Fee £9K     | 
| 21.6.2009      | MacDonald, Cameron      | Livingston          | TNS                | Ln Fee £4K     | 
| 21.6.2009      | Foster, Corey           | Horden All Stars    | Tayport            | Loan           | 
| 27.8.2009      | Allan, Steve            | HR United           | Brechin            | Loan           | 
| 11.6.2009      | Cuthbert, Kieran        | New Bloc FC         | Elgin              | Loan           | 
| 19.6.2009      | Cowie, Fraser           | New Bloc FC         | Forfar             | Loan           | 
| 15.6.2009      | Sun Di                  | F.C Holtaskóli      | Annan              | Loan           | 
| 12.6.2009      | Forster, Fraser         | Newcastle           | Livingston         | Loan           | 
| 15.7.2009      | Dodds, Stuart           | Clydebank Cobras    | Stranraer          | Loan           | 
| 16.8.2009      | Brown, Paul             | Clydebank Cobras    | Raith              | Loan           | 

I'm taking a break from updating now, screenshots of the new squads will be uploaded by wednesday.

End of season Images

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It seems that for instant success, the best combination is:

Squad Ability (the most important) + Stadium/Fan Base (2nd most important) + Stability of the Squad (New Firm only made a few changes in their squad - I made proof of this, when tried to sell 15 players and buy 10 new players in one single year, and my team had to play for almost 3/4 of a season until they could start playing well).

On the other hand, the least important criterias are the Manager Ability (it makes sense, if the manager is that bad, its quite simple to fix it, fire him and get another one!) and Club Reputation (Domination United had Club Rep 2 of 6 while New Firm had Club Rep 4 of 6, and at the end of the season New Firm has almost the same Club Rep as Domination United...)

KUTGW Flint!

Regards,

Nice feedback Pawn. It suprised me to see sides like Highlanders FC and New Bloc FC do better than FC Holtaskoli and Horden All Stars. But I think Finances were very important as well, having no money to bring in extra players certainly hampered Flint City during their injury crisis, and it proved to be a thorn in Galashiels Juniors side as well.

I was certainly looking long term with Flint City, but I regret not placing a higher importance on training facilities, my wishful thinking was that they would get improved over time. I wasted a pick with Club Rep, because we didn't have the money to bring anyone in anyway.