Matthew Giloney - 9 years old?!?!

I saw a news report in my game stating that Matthew Giloney of Blyth Spartans became the youngest ever participant in the FA Cup at the age of 14 years xx days (don't remember). I thought it was strange, so i clicked his name.

His birthday in game is March 29, 2000, meaning that he actually starts the game at NINE YEARS OLD. Surely a mistake, right?

WRONG!

I checked the Blyth Spartans website, and surely enough, there is Matthew Giloney, listed as a Centre Back, now ten years old. Apparently he's been in the squad since the age of five!

http://blythspartansafc.co.uk/new_php/?p=1961

Surely a mistake by some data researchers going a little too quickly? Or perhaps just a wind-up!

By the way, i did a search, and the only FM related post i can find about it is in Polish, but a quick run through a translator gives you the basic idea.

http://euro.centrumfm.org/news-864-110,Ile_masz_lat_.html

I believe he won a raffle to win a place in the first team squad. Not sure he should have been incorporated into the FM series though!! A bit of a mistake.

good spot, is he any good?

His stats must get auto-generated, because in that Polish website he's 193 cm, but in my save he's only 183 cm.

He's played in 8 games (5 as a sub) in my game, no goals, average rating 6.43. Poor stats overall, though most of them are masked because i haven't scouted him!

i dont think its a mistake or a windup, i looked it up and he won a spot as an official player, so why not put him in the game as he, although not really, is part of the squad.

So either the researcher isn't really close enough to the club to spot this or he found it funny enough to have him in the game as well.

However, another question. From the screenie you can see that FM still makes the kid 14 years old. Will he now wlways be 5 years older than he is irl or will he stay that young for 5 years and then grow older parallelly to rl?

Having asked that I'm sure I once read that the latter one is correct, right?

I'd imagine he would stay 14 until his birthday in 2015. I guess i'll know for sure later on in the season!

i dont think its a mistake or a windup, i looked it up and he won a spot as an official player, so why not put him in the game as he, although not really, is part of the squad.

Yes, he won some sort of contest, but that doesn't make him a paid professional (or semi-pro) footballer. It's a "ceremonial" position, and he therefore should definitely not be playing matches in FM!

why not? Is he a squad member? Is he eligable to play for the club? What difference does it make how he got into the squad really? Im not saying its right, or that he should be there, just that i dont see the problem with it.

193cm at 9 !!!!

going to sign him up

why not? Is he a squad member? Is he eligable to play for the club? What difference does it make how he got into the squad really? Im not saying its right, or that he should be there, just that i dont see the problem with it.

It's just a private "gimmick" within the club, for the fans.

He is not expected to be picked.

They are not expecting Sir Alex Ferguson to come in with a bid either.

^ exactly

Palace used to have a contest where a fan would try to kick a ball into a shed at halftime for a prize (seriously!). Should the Palace researcher have to get the names and shooting stats of every fan who won the prize?

He is not eligible to actually play for the club in real life, so he should not be eligible in FM. Doesn't matter if they got him an adorable little kit to prance about in, or took his picture for the website. It's cute, it's funny...but it shouldn't be in the game!

Lighten up a bit on the lad, he's only 9! It doesn't effect the game in any way and I can't see his stats being decent enough for him to have any impact on the game. I say we let him have his fun and fair play to him.

I cannot believe the reactions of some of you guys, seriously have a sense of humour, it's a bit of fun in a game!

I hope someone finds this thread for him - as if being made an honourary team member wasn't enough, he's on FM (nice touch by the data guy), and he's starting whole debates

Yeah cheers for this, it's something we've since spotted and he's been removed from the db. Thanks.

Aww spoil sports!

I guess it's for legal reasons?

I genuinely think that's a shame for the lad! Imagine the job at finding yourself in the game...when you were 9!

I believe he won a raffle to win a place in the first team squad. Not sure he should have been incorporated into the FM series though!! A bit of a mistake.

What team in their right mind offers a first team place in a raffle

As a Blyth Spartans fan and now the 'new' researcher for FM11, i shall clear this up.

Matthew Giloney is just a Blyth Spartans fan and won the raffle to be named as a Blyth player (unofficially) ovboiusly because he was under the age limit of playing 11-a-side, so he never signed any Player paperwork/forms, but he did get added to the website and indeed the match programme. The only reason he was added onto your game was down to the fact you downloaded a Third party database, most likely SUPER-BLADESMAN( down to level 7,10,11 - Delete as appropiate) as i have found him in my Blyth team with the reserves.

Hope this has helped.

Cheers Jordan

The new researcher for FM11?! really...

And its pretty obvious this was some sort of private joke within the club and its fans from the start...

Andy

The new researcher for FM11?! really...

And its pretty obvious this was some sort of private joke within the club and its fans from the start...

Andy

Why does this come as such a shock to you?

And no it wasnt a joke, it's just a way of raising money for the club, 100 tickets sold at £20 per ticket =£2000.

Simples said the Meerkat.

Jordan

maybe he thinks there is one overall researcher and is shocked at that, not that there is a researcher for indivivual teams.

He will stay 14 until such time as the game time allows him to age in acordance to his DOB. He would be 14 for 4-6 years game time. But since it's been taken out of the game it doesn't really mater anymore. *shrug*

There are several 12 and 13 year old players at Redhill, but these may be a result of the Super-Bladesman update.

Matthew Giloney is actually in the game. Nothing to do with the Superbladesman Update!

It's funny and all, but thanks for getting him out of the database. If we let him stay, then surely we have to allow every club to have a little inside joke in the game. It would just make a mockery of things.

There are several 12 and 13 year old players at Redhill, but these may be a result of the Super-Bladesman update.

Matthew Giloney is actually in the game. Nothing to do with the Superbladesman Update!

It's funny and all, but thanks for getting him out of the database. If we let him stay, then surely we have to allow every club to have a little inside joke in the game. It would just make a mockery of things.

It's not an inside joke, it's a way for the club to raise a bit of money. Brighton did it a few years ago and some bloke in his mid-40s won a place in the squad, was in the pictures, got training kit and even appeared for 5 mins in a pre-season game. Admittedly he didn't make it into FM though...

As a Blyth Spartans fan and now the 'new' researcher for FM11, i shall clear this up.

Matthew Giloney is just a Blyth Spartans fan and won the raffle to be named as a Blyth player (unofficially) ovboiusly because he was under the age limit of playing 11-a-side

Eh? He's 9. I was playing 11-a-side on a proper pitch from the age of 6 in a local under-8's side

i ythink its only in the bladsmanupdate, but yeah, i signed him and changed his PA to abotu 200 to see if i could max it out.

Eh? He's 9. I was playing 11-a-side on a proper pitch from the age of 6 in a local under-8's side

and there is the problem with training in this country.

Anyway what he means is there is a minimum age limit to compete in a competitive match - 14yo IIRC.

^ exactly

Palace used to have a contest where a fan would try to kick a ball into a shed at halftime for a prize (seriously!). Should the Palace researcher have to get the names and shooting stats of every fan who won the prize?

when wales played a recent rugby international i fan had to kick the rugby ball and hit the cross bar to win serious money and he did it aswell.

Eh? He's 9. I was playing 11-a-side on a proper pitch from the age of 6 in a local under-8's side

I highly doubt that. In the UK, you are not allowed to play 11 a side competitive matches until the age of 10, and even then you have to be playing in a team good enough to compete a year up. No-one can play open-age football until the age of 16, unless they get special dispensation from the FA, and no one can be included in the FM database until the age of 15 and 11 months, even if that have special dispensation (Reuben Noble-Lazarus made his Barnsley debut at 14, but FM11 will be his first year in FM).

(Reuben Noble-Lazarus made his Barnsley debut at 14, but FM11 will be his first year in FM).

You mean except from FM10?

Out of curiosity, what did the researcher make this kid's CA\PA?