AI Experiment - what would happen if?

[waz_nufc_awk]

Originally posted by djhdjh:

Just a quick request to see how Barnet are getting on? What league, have we got a new stadium yet (desperate search for the last decade in real life) and is Kleanthous still chairman?

Kleanthous Clean the House - made up name surely....

[Maviarab]

Not a Barnet fan, but for the record, not a made up name

Barnet FC Who's Who

[kipfizh]

Originally posted by Young Jimlad:

In addition, the fate of Manchester United has been particularly interesting as it seems that mismanagement on the sporting side has cascaded into financial problems that have impinged any attempts to resurrect the sporting side until recently. Does that ring true?

Absolutely right, although there were financial problems from the start with their huge loan - they needed on field success to pay it off, and once that slipped, they went into freefall.

Finally, I was wondering about Left Back 1's choice of 532 as his favourite formation, was he one of the players to play at Chelsea while that formation was en-vogue? I don't think he was (Spurs/Leeds?) so I was wondering what determined his and the other bandits tactical choices, if that can be determined at all?

It's a fair question, and I honestly have no idea whether he played in that system as a player. Is it possible that this has an impact when making the transition to management? I'd say so, but only SI can answer that one.

[kipfizh]

Originally posted by Sidnv:

I wanted to know if the PA and CA for staff was based on their managerial abilities or coaching abilities or scout abilities?

Also can you check Goalkeeper 1's profile to see what staff role suits him most?

I believe it's a combination of the lot, which means a 150 AI scout could be much worse than a 100 AI scout if his stat distribution is worse (e.g. they aren't in his judging skills).

Goalkeeper 1, along with all the ex-Bandits, is a coach first and foremost. He can't judge or motivate players, but technically he is excellent. A behind the scenes man, certainly.q

[kipfizh]

Originally posted by homerjnick:

Kipfizh,

Enjoyed your interviee in the Bootroom Part 2.

I would stop it just before big games too and wait nervously...

Thank you very much

Of course the irritating thing is every time I finish a season I have to write about it before playing another one when all I want to do is zoom into the future

So believe me, I know how your waiting feels, except I'm in control of mine (if I actually pulled my finger out and finished the reports quicker!)

[kipfizh]

Originally posted by Maviarab:

Kip, great job as always, and with this quote...

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content"> and couldn’t motivate an alcoholic to go to the bar

Im not sure which is best, the experiment or the way you tell it and string it together. Absolutly top job indeed bud

</div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Thank you very much - I do my best!

[kipfizh]

Originally posted by p33n:

But fact is that isn't really experiment anymore. I'd rather say story.

Kip, did you ever thought about starting something like this in FM08. You could load Spain, Italy, Germany and France as well for more realism and to watch out Bandits' players from original squad better, also team's chairman and manager could be ideal roles (200 CA/PA, 20 in "Buying Players" and judging CA/PA skills) so they could at least do something with their enornoums anounts of money at the early stages.

While I agree that this is now a story for many, I wouldn't say it has expired as an experiment just yet, we regularly see new things to explore. Recently United's financial problems, and the direct power of reputation has gone into focus, along with the contrasting performance of managers.

There is a new experiment being devised, I've got a very good idea what I want to do with it, and it will be a good deal more expansive than this one. To give you a few tidbits:

<LI>The Bandits will return, complete with riches, stadium and fanbase.

<LI>Their board will be pre-designed.

<LI>The players will return, although they may not be Bandits initially.

<LI>There will be at least one other club to follow, who have the riches of the Bandits but other factors which may hinder them or make them the enemy.

<LI>The game world will be expansive, I'm hoping my computer will stand up to the rigours of running every major league in the world on full detail (yes, it'll be slow).

<LI>There will be other experiment offshoots to follow, as the Idiots were in this one. Look at for more people/clubs to track.

Now, this experiment has been going on for about 13 months now, and has some life left in it. If I started the new one on FM08, it'd be obsoleted in around seven months.

So, the experiment will be designed to the microscopic detail before FM09 comes out, and when it does I may spend a little time examining the new game to see what else I can do. Then, it'll run over the new one.

That's the plan.

[Chilliconcarnie]

I also hope that you start the new experiment in GQ as it will generate alot more interest even if it gets moved to the C/S-U/HG's section. I still follow the link from GQ

Really looking forward to the next installment

[chopper99]

Sounds like a great plan

It's also a plan that allows us a good amount of time to continue reading about this experiment, which has thrown up some very valuable and interesting results imo.

I'm still very interested in tracking the progress of different managers, and gaining an insight into what attributes seem to make them better. I'd also love there to be a Bandits board takeover before the end of this experiment, just to see how much of an effect they would have on the club.

[skottii123]

HAS ANY1 LOOKED INTO TRYING TO ADD THE DRAFT LIKE SYSTEM INTO ANOTHER LEAGUE INSTED OF THE MLS??? SORRY ABOUT THE CAPS MY BUTTON IS BROKEN LOL

[ricardo164]

hey kip

i dont know of you recieved my email or not but I have been following you thread, for over a year now and i was sad to find out you was not going to be carrying on this experiment into the 2008 version.

With your permission i would gladly create a 2008 version of your experiment and post regular updates in the same format you have used in yours.

[Scotty Walds]

Originally posted by skottii123:

HAS ANY1 LOOKED INTO TRYING TO ADD THE DRAFT LIKE SYSTEM INTO ANOTHER LEAGUE INSTED OF THE MLS??? SORRY ABOUT THE CAPS MY BUTTON IS BROKEN LOL

Use the Shift key then

[skottii123]

No need 2 b smart about it, its a forum as long as everything makes sence DONT WORRY IF ITS IN CAPS OR NOT

[Scotty Walds]

Ok, if you want things to make sense, use 'be' instead of 'b', 'it's' instead of 'its' and 'sense' instead of 'sence'.

Using all capitals is the equivolent to shouting...

[BrettGTE16v]

I love this thread. I only ever come on this site now to check on the bandits. Such a good job you are doing mate!

Using all capitals is the equivolent to shouting...

Its 'equivalent' actually....

[Scotty Walds]

Same thing!

*gets coat*

[Meitheisman]

The plan sounds awesome Kipfizh

[ricardo164]

hey kip

i dont know of you recieved my email or not but I have been following you thread, for over a year now and i was sad to find out you was not going to be carrying on this experiment into the 2008 version.

With your permission i would gladly create a 2008 version of your experiment and post regular updates in the same format you have used in yours.

[Guest juansarlosol]

it woul dbe nice if the great players were scatered throught the same league as the bandits but still have the bandits as their favorite team and have diferent ages, like some 30 and some 17 to see how much that affects what teams buy those players and if the bandits buy any of those players before other teams do

[OrientMartin]

There are so many interesting experiments that can be done, and i'm sure kipfizh is full of ideas to put on FM09, that will test the AI to its limits.

I hope there's an update soon, I have a good feeling about this sesaon.

[kipfizh]

Originally posted by Chilliconcarnie:

I also hope that you start the new experiment in GQ as it will generate alot more interest even if it gets moved to the C/S-U/HG's section. I still follow the link from GQ

Really looking forward to the next installment

Yeah, I imagine I will do - I always come to it through GQ too

[kipfizh]

Originally posted by ricardo164:

hey kip

i dont know of you recieved my email or not but I have been following you thread, for over a year now and i was sad to find out you was not going to be carrying on this experiment into the 2008 version.

With your permission i would gladly create a 2008 version of your experiment and post regular updates in the same format you have used in yours.

I've replied - and yes, feel free to start any experiment you want, based on this or otherwise, it's an open forum

As for the Bandits not being in FM08, that's only because they're skipping a year, at the (very slow) rate that I post updates these days, it takes more than a year for the experiment to complete (if it ever does).

So this one will run until FM09, where we'll take a short break for final designs, before the Bandits return....

[kipfizh]

Originally posted by OrientMartin:

I hope there's an update soon, I have a good feeling about this sesaon.

There certainly will - first thing in the morning!

[Resident]

C'mon the Bandits! Can't wait until they have the Premiership trophy in their cabinet, then we can see about the Champions League!

Really put a smile on my face to see Scotland winning the World Cup two times in a row, could you give a little insight into the success story and the situation in Scotland? How many Scot's from the first WC win took home a second medal and was it the same manager? Any chance of some screenies? Also how are Celtic doing? Has the 9 in a Row in the SPL record been beaten and who now has won the league most times? WOuld really appreciate any info, I know you're really busy.

Again, the experiment/story is fantastic man. Keep it up!

[kipfizh]

Bandits report – Season report

After a season of promising rebuilding under Neil Angus, and a summer that started in a similar vein, the fans were feeling more optimistic than they had in years. But Angus then retired, to be replaced by the former Bandits assistant manager Terry Arthur who, while not doing too badly in the transfer market, clearly did not have the same bargaining nous of his predecessor.

That said, his strengths are in the tactical side of the game, so there were still cautious hope running around the club as the season began.

And begin in did, in similar vein to the previous couple of seasons – one good result followed by a bad one and they found themselves around ninth place early on. Losses to Derby and Leeds were countered by hugely impressive wins against Arsenal and champions Sheff Wed, where Pacheco scored to winner to delight the fans. Meanwhile, Sheff Wed would again provide a League Cup obstacle after the Bandits easily negotiated early rounds against Halifax and Crystal Palace.

And the Bandits nearly repeated the trick against the champions, but their keeper played a blinder, and Sheff Wed ran out 2-0 winners to knock them out of the competition.

Domestically, form was still patchy – they would draw and lose matches and fall down to 12th-13th, and then string two wins together to reach eighth. Nonetheless, Europe seemed a long way away, and the fans began to pine for the days of regular European football that occurred not so many years ago.

As the year turned, their form began to improve a little – a few wins over the holiday period put them in seventh, and remaining undefeated for the first seven games of 2051 pushed them up into fifth, and through two rounds of the FA Cup, against Newcastle and Scunthorpe.

But a league loss to Sheff Wed was soon followed by a cup defeat at the Emirates against Arsenal, and all of a sudden their season was threatening to peter out. There was still a league challenge to be made, but a very good run of form would be required to reach Europe once again.

Which is exactly what they got. Ten points in four matches pushed the Bandits up to the heady heights of third, and while two subsequent draws saw them allow the others back into contention, they were still in the Champions League spots with just five games to play, when a UEFA Cup berth would’ve been accepted at the start of the season.

With Liverpool and Sheff Wed running away with a very close league at the top, the remaining two Champions League spots would be decided between the Bandits, Chelsea, West Brom and Man City. The Bandits had 53 points from 33 games, West Brom 51 from 33, Chelsea 51 from 32 and Man City 50 from 33. It was in their hands.

With Man City and West Brom out of action due to an FA Cup semi final weekend, Chelsea lost their game in hand to Burnley on the Saturday, giving the Bandits a chance to open up a five point gap in third. They missed it, losing 3-1 at Aston Villa, and West Brom won on Tuesday to move above them. Wednesday was better, with Chelsea only drawing and Man City losing, so West Brom sat in third, on 54 points, the Bandits 53, Chelsea 52 and City 51. All had four games to play, with the top two reaching the Champions League.

All this meant the home match with West Brom took on huge significance, and it was to prove a disappointing day. Despite dominating, the West Brom keeper saved everything they threw at him, and to make matters worse, it was a former Bandit in Michael Lancashire who would score the decisive penalty. West Brom were now practically out of reach.

With Chelsea drawing and Man City winning, both clubs moved ahead of the Bandits, pushing them down to sixth place and making the race for the top four extremely difficult. A draw away at Scunthorpe, sitting bottom of the league, only made matters worse. A penultimate day win over West Ham gave them hope, but results elsewhere meant that West Brom and Man City would be out of reach.

With the Champions League spots gone, it was to be a battle with Chelsea for fifth. With Chelsea coming to town on the final day of the season, the Bandits knew that a win would give them that consolation, while defeat could see either of West Ham or Spurs move above them with wins. An eighth placed finish would be a harsh ending to a much improved season.

But Chelsea would prove a nemisis again, winning 2-1, and as the fans listened to the radio, good news was coming in from elsewhere. West Ham and Spurs both lost, so sixth was assured.

After a turbulent couple of seasons, the Bandits fans had to be happy that at least, with sixth place, they would be going back into Europe the following season, and that with such a promising core of young players still at the club, they must surely have a bright future.

But they say trouble comes in threes, and it was to be a trio of news reports that would rock the Bandits to the core once again.

Firstly, the European spots were worked out. With Championship side Barnsley winning the League Cup (beating the dominant Sheff Wed in the final), and 16th placed Sunderland triumphing in the FA Cup, only fifth went straight into the UEFA Cup. To make matters worse, the Intertoto Cup offer was made with two games to go, when the Bandits had slipped behind West Ham for one match only. West Ham accepted the offer before the Bandits beat them in the league to rise above them again. Finishing the season in sixth place will not be enough this season.

Newsflash number two came out, and it was that Terry Arthur, having only been in charge for a year, would follow Neil Angus into retirement in the summer. Picking a date of June 21, he at least guaranteed that his successor would have the full transfer window to stamp his mark on the squad.

And it was the squad news that would provide the biggest kick of the three, in that Arthur had arranged the sales of three players when the window reopened in July. Michael Thomas had been unhappy for much of the season for a combination of two reasons – firstly, that he wanted to move to a bigger club, and secondly, that he had fallen out of favour because of the new signings. Wasted with just one league start all season, the youngster got what he wanted and his moving to Man City for a disappointing 3.6m.

Kyle Cox was the second to be confirmed to be leaving, sold for the second time by the Bandits. A huge prospect, he was also largely unused this season, and is joining QPR for just 3.2m.

The final sale was a real stinger, but not a massive surprise. Not being a Champions League club, the Bandits cannot hold reasons for the real world prospects to stay, and as such after only one season with the club, Aaron Lomas is moving on, for a healthy 17.25m, the only surprise being that it is Spurs, who finished 8th, who are signing him. He started only five matches, with four substitute appearances, but scored six times and was showing real potential.

With all three players underused, their frustration was understandable, but the biggest surprise is that they’ve mainly gone to clubs below the Bandits. They will surely move again.

So how did the season go overall? On the field, the league position was an improvement, but the lack of European football is a real blow. Arthur doesn’t appear to appreciate the need to hang on to your best young players, so it’s probably a good thing he’s going before he can carry on and get rid of Stroud, Harper, Sayer and Ellis, the remaining quartet of starlets.

A lot now rests on the new appointment, once again. This board have had a fair few cracks at picking managers in recent years, can they get this one right?

Honours: League Cup (2044, 2047)

[kipfizh]

Bandits report – Season summary

2006-07, English Conference South - 1st, FA Trophy - Winners

2007-08, English National Conference - 7th, FA Trophy - Final

2008-09, English National Conference – 7th

2009-10, English National Conference – 9th

2010-11, English National Conference – 6th

2011-12, English National Conference – 18th

2012-13, English National Conference – 5th

2013-14, English National Conference – 1st

2014-15, English League Two – 21st

2015-16, English League Two – 21st

2016-17, English League Two – 6th

2017-18, English League Two – 6th

2018-19, English League Two – 7th

2019-20, English League Two – 6th, Johnstone’s Paint Trophy – South Semi Final

2020-21, English League Two – 10th

2021-22, English League Two – 1st, Johnstone’s Paint Trophy - Final

2022-23, English League One – 13th, Johnstone’s Paint Trophy – South Semi Final

2023-24, English League One – 11th, League Cup – Final

2024-25, English League One – 11th, League Cup – Semi-Final

2025-26, English League One – 18th

2026-27, English League One – 17th

2027-28, English League One – 14th

2028-29, English League One – 20th

2029-30, English League One – 1st

2030-31, English Championship – 14th

2031-32, English Championship – 10th, League Cup – Final

2032-33, English Championship – 12th

2033-34, English Championship – 8th

2034-35, English Championship – 21st

2035-36, English Championship – 2nd

2036-37, English Premiership – 17th

2037-38, English Premiership – 12th

2038-39, English Premiership – 15th, FA Cup – Semi-Final

2039-40, English Premiership – 11th

2040-41, English Premiership – 14th

2041-42, English Premiership – 13th

2042-43, English Premiership – 11th

2043-44, English Premiership – 6th, League Cup – Winners

2044-45, English Premiership – 9th

2045-46, English Premiership – 3rd

2046-47

English Premiership: (Pos 2), P 38, W 19, D 13, L 6, F 63, A 40, GD +23, Pts 70

(Media Prediction: 5th)

Champions League: Group Stage

FA Cup: 4th Round

League Cup: Winners

2047-48

English Premiership: (Pos 5), P 38, W 17, D 9, L 12, F 52, A 52, GD 0, Pts 60

(Media Prediction: 3rd)

Champions League: 1st Knockout Round

FA Cup: 3rd Round

League Cup: Final

2048-49

English Premiership: (Pos 9), P 38, W 13, D 15, L 10, F 50, A 49, GD +1, Pts 54

(Media Prediction: 5th)

UEFA Cup: Semi Final

FA Cup: 3rd Round

League Cup: 3rd Round

2049-50

English Premiership: (Pos 11), P 38, W 15, D 7, L 16, F 53, A 52, GD +1, Pts 52

(Media Prediction: 7th)

FA Cup: 5th Round

League Cup: Final

2050-51

English Premiership: (Pos 6), P 38, W 15, D 12, L 11, F 57, A 45, GD +12, Pts 57

(Media Prediction: 7th)

League

FA Cup: 5th Round

League Cup: 4th Round

[kipfizh]

Bandits report - Best and Worst

General

Stats

Finance Overview

Their financial outlay meant that, for once, the Bandits actually registered a loss this season.

New records:

Oldest Player: Andy Brock (38 years, 130 days) v QPR

Highest Transfer Fee Paid: 20m to Benfica for Pacheco

Total Spending: 82m

This season:

Best player – Johnstone, 7.52

Top scorer – Finley, 23

Worst player – Reid, 6.30

The Bandits return to the top of the rich list, by some distance.

Rich Clubs

[kipfizh]

Bandits report - First XI Summary

GK: Johnstone (31, 172/173) – 7.52

LB: Beckford (26, 169/170) – 7.15

CB: de Jong (30, 167/170) – 6.92

CB: Fatih (28, 171/173) – 7.05

RB: Hansen (31, 148/172) – 6.84

LM: Thackeray (28, 162/170) – 6.71

CM: Remy (28, 165/166) – 6.32

CM: Reid (29, 159/170) – 6.30

RM: Pacheco (25, 179/179) – 7.06

ST: Martin (28, 178/178) – 7.06

ST: Finley (30, 166/169) – 7.19

Average age – 28.5 (up from last year’s 28.2)

Average CA – 166.9 (up from last year’s 164.5)

Average rating – 6.92 (same as last year)

The team is getting worryingly old now, but the managers keep insisting on selling some of the more promising youngsters. A few still remain, and some younger signings are required to bring the age level down.

Quality wise, the team is good, but the performance levels of the central midfielders are particularly disappointing.

[kipfizh]

Bandits report – Outside the first XI

Dropped:

Mnguni (LB): Mnguni was first choice left back for the first half of the season, before Steve Beckford was signed in January.

Stroud (RB): Hansen returned to the first team at right back, and Stroud found himself filling in as reserve across any defensive position.

Jones (LM): Was first choice left winger until Paul Thackeray rejoined the club in January

Lamberti (RM): Was never good enough for the Bandits, and was rightly demoted once Pacheco arrived.

Sold:

None

Prospects

Sayer (20, 137/174) gained 12 CA points while having an impressive loan spell at Logrones. A real prospect.

Ellis (18, 118/174) gained 17 points of CA, but is still some way from breaking into the first team.

Harper (16, 109/181) is a real player in the making, and must be retained.

Elsewhere, Lomas, Cox and Thomas are leaving at the end of the season.

[kipfizh]

Competitions - Other stats

England reached the quarter finals of the World Cup before being knocked out by France, and are currently storming through their European Championship qualifying group, with four wins from four, and fifteen goals scored without reply.

Sheff Wed won their fourth straight Premiership title, but were pushed all the way by Liverpool this year, who ended up losing out only on goal difference. Behind them, Chelsea finished third, ten points back. Chesterfield, Morecambe and Scunthorpe suffered the drop.

Newcastle won the Championship, with Man Utd coming second, so both former giants bounced straight back into the Premiership. Barnsley bearly made it so that all three relegated clubs jumped up immediately, coming third, but losing in the playoffs. Portsmouth went up instead.

Sunderland won the FA Cup, beating West Brom in the final, in a season that saw two unwanted records set. Shrewsbury managed to concede 13 goals before going out, a record total managed in only three rounds. A first round 2-2 draw was followed by a 3-2 replay win, before 2-2 and 3-3 draws in the second round saw them through on penalties. A 4-1 defeat in round three meant that they set a new record. Meanwhile, Ramsgate stretched their games without a win to 27 before knocking out Bristol Rovers.

Championship Barnsley picked up a shock League Cup triumph, beating Sheff Wed, qualifying for Europe at the expense of the Bandits in the process.

In Europe, France won the Champions League again, and this time it was Lyon who beat Porto to life the trophy, in a season where no English club got past the quarter finals. CSKA Moscow beat Liverpool in the UEFA Cup final.

[kipfizh]

Player reports – the original Bandits

Goalkeeper 1 – Retired from playing 03/07/2032

2032-, Sunderland (scout), CA 170, PA 170

2033-2034, Liverpool (scout), CA 170, PA 170

2034-2047, West Ham (assistant manager), CA 162, PA 170

2047-, Bandits (assistant manager), CA 140, PA 170

Continues as assistant manager of the Bandits, who rise back up to sixth in the Premiership.

Goalkeeper 2 – Retired from playing 27/06/2032

2032-, Tottenham (scout), CA 170, PA 170

2033-2034, Birmingham (assistant manager), CA 170, PA 170

2034-2042, Leeds (assistant manager), CA 169, PA 170

2042-2043, Leeds (manager), CA 170, PA 170

2043-2044, No Club, CA 170, PA 170

2044-2045, Arsenal (manager), CA 170, PA 170

2045-2046, No Club, CA 167, PA 170

2046-2048, Morecambe (manager), CA 163, PA 170

2048-2049, No Club, CA 161, PA 170

2049-2050, Newcastle (manager), CA 154, PA 170

2049-2050, No Club, CA 152, PA 170

After Newcastle’s relegation from the Premiership last season, he was sacked in the summer, and has not found work since. Newcastle went on to win the Championship.

Left Back 1 – Retired from playing 30/06/2030

2030-2031, Scunthorpe (fitness coach), CA 110, PA 110

2031-2034, Tottenham (assistant manager), CA 110, PA 110

2034-2035, Tottenham (coach), CA 110, PA 110

2035-2041, Tottenham (assistant manager), CA 110, PA 110

2041-2042, Tottenham (manager), CA 109, PA 110

2042-2048, England (manager), CA 90, PA 110

2048-2049, Bandits (manager), CA 88, PA 110

2049-2051, No Club, CA 88, PA 110

2051-, QPR (manager), CA 87, PA 110

After nearly two seasons out of the game after being fired by the Bandits, he is hired at the end of the season by QPR, who had finished 10th in the Premiership.

Right Mid 1 – Retired from playing 25/04/2026

2026-2027, Aston Villa (youth coach), CA 130, PA 130

2027-2035, Chelsea (assistant manager), CA 130, PA 130

2035-2037, Chelsea (manager), CA 130, PA 130

2037-2038, Roma (manager), CA 130, PA 130

2038-2042, Chelsea (manager), CA 129, PA 130

2042-2043, No Club, CA 130, PA 130

2043-2045, Milan (manager), CA 126, PA 130

2045-2047, Barcelona (manager), CA 124, PA 130

2047-, Sheff Wed (manager), CA 114, PA 130

Continues his fantastic record at Sheff Wed, who win their fourth consecutive Premiership title, although this one was only on goal difference. Surprisingly loses the League Cup final to Championship side Barnsley, a defeat which prevents the Bandits from playing in Europe next season.

Centre Mid 1 – Retired from playing 02/07/2030

2030-2032, Liverpool (youth coach), CA 110, PA 110

2032-2039, Reading (coach), CA 109, PA 110

2039-2040, No Club, CA 108, PA 110

2040-, Yeovil (coach), CA 100, PA 110

Having won promotion to League One last season, Yeovil narrowly avoided the drop this time around, finishing 20th.

[kipfizh]

Premiership Analysis - Reputation

(league position in bold)

1 (1). Sheff Wed (1) – 9462 (-83)

2 (2). Chelsea (3) – 8612 (-335)

3 (4). West Ham (7) – 8363 (+23)

4 (5). Liverpool (2) – 8354 (+136)

5 (3). QPR (10) – 8239 (-219)

6 (7). Man City (5) – 8077 (+354)

7 (-). Leeds (17) – 7914 (-205)

8 (6). Bandits (6) – 7882 (-32)

9 (8). Sunderland (16) – 7596 (-53)

10 (11). Crystal Palace (11) – 7525 (+360)

11 (10). Charlton (9) – 7431 (+127)

12 (12). West Brom (4) –7379 (+216)

13 (9). Derby (15) – 7297 (-250)

14 (14). Aston Villa (12) – 7137 (+131)

15 (13). Arsenal (13) – 7102 (+59)

16 (16). Tottenham (8) – 6870 (+101)

17 (17). Burnley (14) – 6759 (+148)

18 (15). Scunthorpe (20) – 5832 (-947)

19 (-). Morecambe (19) – 5709 (-908)

20 (-). Chesterfield (18) – 5592 (-834)

Promoted sides

Newcastle – 7137 (+920)

Man Utd – 6822 (+745)

Portsmouth – 5876

Sheff Wed remain clear at the top, while Chelsea’s disappointing run without trophies means their reputation is suffering. Liverpool’s excellent season pushes them towards the upper echelons.

Lower down, Leeds have a chance of becoming the big club they used to be, while the Bandits need to qualify for Europe to stop their reputation sliding further.

Coming up from the Championship, Newcastle look strong, with Man Utd aiming to stay up this time. Portsmouth, meanwhile, have a reputation nearly a thousand points lower than anyone remaining in the league. They’ll struggle to attract talent.

[kipfizh]

Premiership Analysis – Team Ability

(league position in bold)

1 (2). Chelsea (3) – 73.87 (-0.33)

2 (5). Arsenal (13) – 73.48 (+0.97)

3 (4). Liverpool (2) – 73.29 (-0.04)

4 (3). Sheff Wed (1) – 72.91 (-0.58)

5 (9). Bandits (6) – 72.63 (+2.46)

6 (1). West Ham (7) – 72.26 (-2.07)

7 (6). Tottenham (8) – 71.85 (+0.31)

8 (8). Sunderland (16) – 70.67 (+0.26)

9 (13). Man City (5) – 70.39 (+1.52)

10 (10). QPR (10) – 69.90 (-0.17)

11 (7). Aston Villa (12) – 69.42 (-1.06)

12 (12). Charlton (9) – 68.88 (-0.01)

13 (11). Derby (15) – 68.84 (-0.22)

14 (15). West Brom (4) – 68.76 (+0.23)

15 (-). Leeds (17) – 68.64 (+2.04)

16 (18). Crystal Palace (11) – 68.15 (+1.38)

17 (20). Burnley (14) – 66.16 (+1.09)

18 (19). Scunthorpe (20) – 65.91 (-0.33)

19 (-). Morecambe (19) – 65.08 (+0.01)

20 (-). Chesterfield (18) – 64.45 (+0.97)

Promoted sides

Newcastle – 67.93 (-0.71)

Man Utd – 66.31 (-0.55)

Portsmouth – 64.00

Chelsea become the best side in the Premiership despite slipping in quality slightly, mainly because West Ham suffered a spectacular fall from grace, dropping all the way to sixth. Arsenal made good ground to come second, while the Bandits enjoyed the biggest rise of 2.46 to move into the top five, a sign of the squad improvements Angus made before retirement.

Coming up, Newcastle and Man Utd look well set, but Portsmouth already look in massive trouble.

Overachievers : West Brom

Underachievers : Arsenal, Sunderland

Title Prediction : Chelsea to end Sheff Wed’s dominance

Relegation Prediction : Portsmouth to finish bottom, and be followed by Man Utd and Burnley

[kipfizh]

Summary

The managerial revolving door continues with the Bandits, Neil Angus retiring last summer and being replaced by Terry Arthur, who has been a little bit hit and miss since he arrived. To the relief of those who didn’t want to see him decimate the squad further, he is also retiring this summer, so the board will have to make yet another appointment. Will they get it right?

Finishing sixth in the Premiership would normally mean European qualification, but with the cups going to lower sides, they’ll miss out once again.

Sheff Wed were at last challenged for the Premiership, Liverpool pushing them all the way, but the champions held out to win their fourth straight title. Can anyone stop the juggernaut led by ex-Bandit Right Mid 1?

Man Utd have come back up to the Premiership again – can they stay up this time?

Bandit’s former manager watch

Justin Edinburgh has retired.

Steve Brackstone has retired

Gary Perry has retired.

Dean Glover has retired.

Martin Lawton has retired.

Danny Gamble left West Ham last summer to take charge of Real Madrid, taking them to the semi finals of the Champions League before losing to eventual winners Lyon. At 64, it is likely to be the last job of his career. Without him, West Ham dropped from third to seventh.

Phil Edwards has retired.

Ben Clayton improved Chelsea a little this season, rising to fourth, but they didn’t consider it good enough, and fired him before the final match of the season, where they beat the Bandits to finish third. He is currently out of work.

Stuart Davies has retired.

Left Back 1 was hired by 10th placed QPR at the end of the season.

Neil Angus has retired.

[kipfizh]

World View - Ones to watch

Your annual guide to the stars of tomorrow:

Roberio (17, 99/198, Winger: 49.11%) is a young Brazilian right winger, who has come through Flamengo’s youth system. He is quite the prospect, although with a best potential scouting rating of 72.27% he will never hit the heights of some.

Previous tips (legends, or players still with promise)

Carlo Lupo (35, 128/198, Centre Back: 64.31%), the Italian centre back, lost another 18 CA points, and is no longer considered good enough for Barcelona. However, he is refusing to retire.

Hugues Guichard (29, 176/195, Target Striker: 74.62%), the French striker, slowed his decline, losing only three points of CA, and still starring for Bayern Munich, scoring a fantastic 31 goals as he remains a threat to anyone.

Bjorn Strand (28, 185/193, Fast Striker: 79.93%), the Norwegian striker, drops eight points as he falls away from his peak for the first time. He scores another 24 goals for West Ham, but is in a team on the decline, that will probably not win him the trophies he deserves.

Ante Bacic (29, 182/189, Centre Back: 73.48%) the Croatian central defender, loses two more points, but continues to star for Barcelona.

Umit Abdulkadir (26, 199/199, Fast Striker: 80.68%), the Turkish striker, reaches his peak, gaining the last two CA points he needed, and scoring 13 goals in 20 games for Real Madrid.

Sergey Sergienko (27, 193/193, Midfielder: 71.62%), the Russian central midfielder, stayed at his peak, and massively improved from Inter, scoring an average of 7.20. His comparably low scouting rating of 71.62 explains his struggles over the years.

Reiner Helbig (25, 185/199, Midielder: 74.75%), the German defensive midfielder, gains just one more point, and continues to struggle at Chelsea, averaging a pathetic 6.30.

Leonardo (24, 185/185, Fast Striker: 76.58%), the Brazilian striker, remains at his peak, and remained at Internacional, where he averaged 8.20, scoring eight goals in ten games. Will he ever leave?

Peter Schulz (26, 188/188, Target Striker: 75.37%), the German striker, spends his fourth year at the peak of his game, and is now a Bayern Munich player, having joined on a free transfer from Hamburg. He scored 17 goals in 23 games for his new club, averaging 7.70 in the process, and seems an excellent signing.

Fabrizio Bucci (25, 199/199, Target Striker: 74.55%), the Italian striker, remained at his peak for the second season in a row, and had another astonishing season for Inter, scoring 36 goals.

Joe Galloway (24, 181/190, Full Back: 80.81%), the English left back, gained four more points of CA, but isn’t impressing for West Ham, and his considering his options.

Guillaume Charton (24, 186/194, Goalkeeper: 77.57%), the French goalkeeper, gained another three points of CA and has become an incredible keeper, averaging 8.13 for Lyon, managing 35 clean sheets in 45 games with 15 man of the match performances, and playing a massive part in his club becoming European champions.

Juan Perez (21, 179/194, Winger: 76.87%), the Mexican right winger, continues to storm towards his potential, gaining another nine points. Still at Chivas, he is now a fully fledged star, getting eleven goals, nineteen assists and fourteen man of the match awards, averaging 7.86. Watch this kid, he’s got serious talent.

Aaron Lomas (22, 169/198, Target Striker: 75.51%) the English striker, gained a terrific seventeen points of CA, and is currently a Bandit, having signed for 12m from Chelsea last summer. However, he is moving on again at the end of the season, Sputs paying 17.25m for him. Barely given a chance at the Bandits, he still scored at practically a goal a game and isn’t a wise sale.

Primoz Kercmar (22, 163/190, Midfielder: 64.65%), the Norwegian defensive midfielder, rose twelve points this season, and remains at Lyon, where he has established himself at a regular. His rating of 64.65% for a midfielder is poor though, and may some way to explaining his terrible 6.36 average rating.

Graham Thomas (20, 165/198, Centre Back: 71.61%), the English centre back, gained twelve more CA points, moving from Arsenal to Sunderland for 7.5m but not playing particularly well for his new club.

Francisco Javier Rua (22, 166/192, Winger: 68.64%), the Spanish left winger, rose ten points, but barely got a game for Chelsea.

Andre Luis (20, 147/198, Attacking Midfielder: 65.19%), the Brazilian attacking midfielder, gained a massive 24 CA points, and joined Real Madrid on a free transfer from arch rivals Barcelona. He played surprisingly frequently for them, but managed only a 6.31 average rating. He needs to improve.

Raymond van Dijk (19, 124/195, Full Back: 69.19%), the Dutch right back, improved by 14 CA points, and remains at Ajax, where he has already become a first teamer. However, his average rating of 6.40 shows that he has a long way to go yet.

[kipfizh]

World View - World beaters (by CA)

Fabrizio Bucci (25, 199/199, Target Striker: 74.55%) remains top with his incredible ability level, but it is a joint award this season. Bucci scored 36 goals in yet another incredible season for Inter, and aged only 25 could keep this up for years.

Fabrizio Bucci

Turkish striker Umit Abdulkadir (26, 199/199, Fast Striker: 80.68%) joins Bucci at the top of the list. The Real Madrid striker has ridiculously good stats, with 20s all over the place, so it is no surprise that his scouted rating is 80.68%. Anything above 80% is top notch. Scoring plenty for his club and country, he is a force to be reckoned with.

Umit Abdulkadir

Russian central midfielder Sergey Sergienko (27, 193/193, Midfielder: 71.62%) is the third and last 190+ player on the list, and is clearly the weak link of the three despite an improved season. His scouted rating of 71.62% is an indication of why – as the screenshot shows he is not on the same level as Abdulkadir or Bucci despite his CA rating.

Sergey Sergienko

[kipfizh]

World View - World beaters (by scouted rating)

Time for a new section. The benchmark of 190 CA marks out the very best players in the world by CA, and we need a neat new benchmark for Genie Scout’s rating of the players. Looking at the ratings, it seems that (quite handily), 80% is reached only by the very very best, so that will become the yardstick.

Two players are currently over 80% for at least one position. No surprise to see that Umit Abdulkadir is on the list, but his Fast Striker rating of 80.68% does not place him at number one in the world.

That honour goes to former ‘one to watch’ Joe Galloway (24, 181/190, Full Back: 80.81%), who is currently considering his options at West Ham. He may one day join the CA world beaters list, but for now he holds the crown as the best player in the world, according to Genie Scout. Looking at him, it becomes clear why he is so highly rated – his stats are very well distributed for a full back.

Joe Galloway

However, you could say that this section is unfair – are all positions equally rated? Over the coming seasons we’ll get some idea, but with one full back and one striker on the list this year it has made a good start. For completeness, here are the best players in the world, in each position, by scouted rating:

Goalkeeper: Gillaume Charton (24, 186/194, 77.57%)

Sweeper: Terry Hill (23, 165/183, 76.46%)

Centre Back: Joe Galloway (24, 181/190, 78.20%)

Full Back: Joe Galloway (24, 181/190, 80.81%)

Wing Back: Joe Galloway (24, 181/190, 79.68%)

Defensive Midfielder: Jochen Kunert (28, 171/187, 76.93%)

Midfielder: Ronnie Blundell (30, 171/195, 76.05%)

Attacking Midfielder: Ronald Diaz (27, 174/177, 77.47%)

Winger: Juan Perez (21, 179/194, 76.87%)

Fast Striker: Umit Abdulkadir (26, 199/199, 80.68%)

Target Striker: Bjorn Strand (28, 185/193, Target Striker: 79.64%)

Joe Galloway is actually the best centre back, full back and wing back in the world, by this reckoning. With him looking to leave West Ham, his signing could be huge. Watch for Juan Perez – at 21 he is already the best winger in the world, and has 15 more potential to attain.

Incidentally, there are 22 players in the world with a potential to hit 80% (one player has a potential over 85%, so there is room there), and there are 34 players with the potential to hit 190 CA, so it seems this category is a real honour to get into.

My guess is, Maia would never have made it.

[kipfizh]

World View - Distribution of 180+ CA players

The clubs

Inter – 4 (-1) (199, 193, 180, 180)

Bayern Munich – 3 (+1) (188, 188, 185)

Milan – 3 (+1) (186, 185, 180)

Real Madrid – 2 (-2) (199, 185)

Roma – 2 (-1) (187, 181)

Deportivo – 2 (+1) (187, 186)

Chelsea – 2 (-1) (185, 181)

West Ham – 2 (+1) (185, 181)

Lyon – 1 (-) (186)

Internacional – 1 (-) (185)

Barcelona – 1 (-) (182)

Arsenal – 1 (-) (182)

Liverpool – 1 (-1) (180)

Lazio – 1 (-) (180)

Hamburg – 0 (-1)

Valencia – 0 (-1)

Veracruz – 0 (-1)

Total – 26 (-5)

The number of star players drops to only 26, with only three world beaters in the list. Inter have two of the three, and four stars in total, so clearly lead the way, while three clubs drop off the list entirely.

The leagues

Italy – 10 (-1)

England – 6 (-1)

Spain – 5 (-2)

Germany – 3 (-)

France – 1 (-)

Brazil – 1 (-)

Mexico – 0 (-1)

Total – 26 (-5)

No-one gains any stars this year with a few dropping off the list, but Italy still have a clear lead. Mexico lose their star, cutting the number of leagues in the list down to six.

The nationalities

Germany – 4 (-1)

France – 3 (-1)

Spain – 3 (-1)

England – 3 (-)

Russia – 2 (+1)

Brazil – 2 (-)

Holland – 2 (+1)

Turkey – 1 (-)

Italy – 1 (-1)

Greece – 1 (-)

Norway – 1 (-1)

Portugal – 1 (-)

Croatia – 1 (-)

Peru – 1 (-)

Chile – 0 (-1)

Scotland – 0 (-1)

Total – 26 (-5)

Two more countries – Chile and world champions Scotland – drop off the list as Germany remain top.

[VonBlade]

After all these years of battles it wouldn't surprise me if Wednesday threw the game to make sure the Bandits were mired in domestic football.

Curses.

[dafuge]

Superb stuff

[Chilliconcarnie]

Wow, I was not expecting the Bandits to challenge for the champions league places!

Let us hope that someone good and influential joins the club and can finally get us that title!

[chopper99]

Fantastic update as always. I'm absolutely gutted that we sold Lomas. He was steadily approaching his massive potential and should have started a lot more games imo.

6th place has to be considered a decent finish, but missing out on Europe in the way The Bandits did is incredibly unlucky.

I'm hoping now that the board finds a well rounded manager who can make proper use of their excellent funds. I feel a new centre back, striker and left winger are needed to push the club forwards. Plus we need to try and hang onto our young talent.

I'm very much looking forward to the next update to find out who will be the new manager and more importantly who they sign.

Love the new section about the positional ratings by the way, gives a nice extra insight into how the spread of attributes can often be more important than CA.

[Maviarab]

After all these years of battles it wouldn't surprise me if Wednesday threw the game to make sure the Bandits were mired in domestic football.

You know was thinking exaclty the same thing...

Great update again Kip, shame we missed out on europe due to a technicality of sorts, but showing signs of improvement at least.

Now we just need a young (ish) 'good' manager to take us all the way

[DefoesRightBoot]

Good season, all things considered, although horribly unfortunate in terms of European qualification.

Like the scouting/positional section, one thing I'd suggest as an addition though here would be their club and nation mentioned (eg Joe Galloway (West Ham / England, 24, 181/190, 80.81%)) - I know some get mentioned along with their clubs etc in the write-up part of this but would be interested to see it for the whole of the "World XI"

Great work again overall though, as usual, Kip! KUTGW.

[Serdar]

Just read it through, damn took more than 4 hours despite I only read the messages from Kip. It was a good one and I enjoyed the way the story was told but I must say it was not so interesting anymore in the end. Ask for Bandits; as long as they retain their strong financials, they will remain on the top of UK and eventually will win trophies every now and then. I dont see anything more to prove there anymore.

My conlucison is; it takes 40 years for AI to take a team from nowhere into top half of premiership with unlimited resources. IRL this would not take any longer than a decade. As some mentioned before I believe this has something to do with finances not effecting reputation and goal of the team efficiently. As one SI member mentioned, it can be considered as a bug since in official DB they wont create a team with massive income and low reputation but still code may consider finances more carefully while updating reputation at the end of each season.

One thing I did not like is; some of these players accepted to remain on bench at their peak. I know they had high loyality and low ambition but IRL such example can not happen ever. Take your most loyal, modest, shy player and put him on the bench of his favaourite club. If he is as good as your stars he wont sit there any longer than 4 months.

Well done Kips one more time, I will be back when and if you start new game with the new setup you were mentioning about.

P.S. I suggest you to consider making a seperate document where you merge/organize all your posts(exluding individual responds to other posters) that will make a great read for first timers. Maybe you can concinve SI to let you open a thread where only you can post and it will be easier to read for us.

[Maviarab]

Serdar...

Bandits Home Page

[Fudger]

Kipfizh,

I have been following this as an unsung person for the past few months, I have now read everyone of your posts, and I have to hand it to you, well done on in my opinion the best topic on the forums. I analyse most of them, but this is miles ahead of the rest, all you have to do is see the views of it to justify my opinion. I have recently been thinking of doing the exact same experiement but using FM08, seeing as this was done with FM07. But to be honest, I wouldn't want to do something like that, without asking or comtemplating it with the man yourself. Anyway, congrats, *Takes hat off*

Keep up the great work!

[AB-forever]

Originally posted by Chilliconcarnie:

Let us hope that someone good and influential joins the club and can finally get us that title!

Just like we did the other times

Why couldn't Terry Arthur just feck off and leave the squad as it was?! Hate him now

We don't the Bandits buy that Galloway character?

KUTGW Kip superb update as always

[emgergo]

Sheer quality again, Kip

[Serdar]

Originally posted by Maviarab:

Serdar...

Bandits Home Page

This is excellent I hope you will update it to fill empty pages. Is it possible to add this link to first page so newcomers can find it easily.