AI Experiment - what would happen if?

[kipfizh]

Striker 4 – Retired 29/06/2027

Club Career:

Bandits: Apps 59, Gls 35, Asts 2, MoM 7, YC 4, RC 0

Liverpool: Apps 878, Gls 529, Asts 36, MoM 160, YC 91, RC 4

Total: Apps 537, Gls 564, Asts 38, MoM 167, YC 95, RC 4

Honours:

Premiership (Liverpool 2014)

Conference South (Bandits 2007)

FA Cup (Liverpool 2021)

FA Trophy (Bandits 2007)

UEFA Cup (Liverpool 2011)

Intertoto Cup (Liverpool 2020)

International Career:

England: Apps 119, Gls 82, Asts 5, MoM 9, YC 7, RC 0

Honours:

World Cup (2010, 2014), Confederations Cup (2013, 2017, 2025), European Championships (2016)

Personal Awards:

World Player of the Year (2012)

World Player of the Year 2nd place (2013)

World Player of the Year 3rd place (2021)

World Footballer of the Year 2nd place (2012, 2013)

European Footballer of the Year 2nd place (2016)

European Footballer of the Year 3rd place (2011, 2012, 2017)

European Striker of the Year (2016)

European Striker of the Year 2nd place (2012, 2013, 2017)

European Striker of the Year 3rd place (2011, 2014, 2015, 2020, 2022)

Notes:

One of the most stunning careers the English game has ever seen. After a scorching start to his career with the Bandits, where his goals shot them to promotion and the FA Trophy, he moved to Liverpool where he would spend the rest of his career.

An astonishing goalscoring record of over 500 goals for them (over 600 in his career, including internationals), was matched by a marker of his importance to the team – in 878 games for the club, he won the man of the match award an incredible 160 times. He remained an absolute star throughout his entire career, and Liverpool kept faith with him throughout.

He did not win as many medals as his performances deserved, but he took home on Premiership title, along with a handful of cup triumphs.

At international level he was simply amazing. A scoring ratio of two in every three games in a mark of one of the best strikers ever seen, especially when you consider that many of those appearances were from the bench.

The world rightfully recognised his talent despite his lack of trophies with Liverpool, as he was consistently in the running for World and European honours. His peak came in 2012, when he won World Player of the Year in a season where he scored 42 goals for Liverpool.

It is also worth noting that while I’ve only listed European and World honours, he won the coveted Players’ Player of the Year award no less that eight times in his career, adding the young award twice. His trophy cabinet, while not full with club honours, is stacked with personal triumphs.

A true legend of the game, Liverpool will find him irreplaceable.

[nick...]

There's only one Striker 4,

Only one Striker 4...

[steve_888]

A Great update as always Kip. Its a shame many of the ex-Bandits havent gone onto Coaching roles.

[gcormack]

how do u look at a players CA and PA?

[richie1000000]

It just accured to me that probably the reason so little of them have gone into coaching roles is that they all have very low ambition and probably have nod desire to stay in the game. Although its one of those "in heinsight.." thoughts for kip, because there's no way he could have predicted it, and the players still left the clubs anyway so maybe if somebody was to re-ru this wondeful experiment it would be an idean to put the ambition up.

Brilliant thread though, I've actually got 'STRIKER 4' on my United shirt

[Weden]

Originally posted by nick...:

There's only one Striker 4,

Only one Striker 4...

I can hear it in the stands already!

[Meitheisman]

Great update kipfizh... too bad the Bandits had a terrible season

I'll calculate the average rating for the new retired players in a couple hours... it's lunch time here now!

[Meitheisman]

Originally posted by gcormack:

how do u look at a players CA and PA?

With FM Genie Scout or something similar I suppose.

[Coenemeloen]

Uhhh...Total caps of striker 4 537? I think you mean 937

But, An excellent update as usually

[waz_nufc_awk]

Originally posted by Meitheisman:

Great update kipfizh... too bad the Bandits had a terrible season

I'll calculate the average rating for the new retired players in a couple hours... it's lunch time here now!

What's for lunch, cream cheese on rye?

[Meitheisman]

I had a very good cheese burger since you asked

[Meitheisman]

Players' average rating (those who retired at the end of the 2027 season):

Right Back 2 - 7.3507

Left Mid 2 - 7.4571

Center Mid 2 - 7.3079

Striker 4 - 7.8324

[Watford_fc_4_lyf]

Striker 4 - 7.8324

amazing

[kipfizh]

The lack of ex-Bandits in coaching

Right, so I think some of the experiment part of this thread might've got lost under the story so I'm going to come back to it. One of the conclusions we've come to (apart from the AI generally being superb) was that an artifically rich club in the lower leagues, with a sugar daddy, perhaps didn't get enough of a reputation boost.

Now, I'm beginning to see something else, and I can see others have spotted it too. So far, out of sixteen ex-Bandits, all of whom wanted to move into coaching, only one has. Why?

It could be a number of things:

Theory 1

Perhaps the game works out roughly how many staff are required by each club, adds this all together, and adds, say, 20% to make sure there's always plenty of unemployed staff around. Maybe this meant that players can only go into coaching when other coaches retire. Perhaps there's ten times as many players looking to go into coaching than spaces, so most don't make it.

Some maths - say a League One club (average club) has 10 staff and 35 players, and 20 players will want to go into coaching. 20 want to, there are ten jobs. So 50% don't make it. Of course, that calculation is completely wrong, because it suggests players and coaches have the same career span. Let's say players have a 20 year career, and coaches a 25 year career.

One of the 20 players will retire every year, on average, while 2 coaches retire every five years. So now 3 in 5 players don't have a spot to move into - 60%.

But here we've seen 15/16 fail to make it, which is a huge proportion, so I doubt this theory is true. Moving on.

Theory 2

Perhaps every player has a new CA and PA for management, which is completely disconnected to playing CA and PA. And maybe they just weren't good enough.

To be honest, I struggle to imagine this scenario, I would think there's some link between the two stages of career, especially in the mental stakes.

Theory 3

As put forward by richie1000000, above. All of the ex-Bandits had extremely low ambition, to ensure that they could get happily settled at a club. Perhaps this same lack of ambition led them to think 'Ah, you know what, I'm happy now, I'll retire and live a quiet life'. This one's got merit.

A little aside

Is it a coincidence that the one ex-Bandit to move into coaching was the one who fell out of favour with his club first? It's almost as if he needed something new because he wasn't playing any more, but whereas now their reaction is to retire, at that point he probably felt too young to. He then gained coaching stats (while still a player), and moved on.

Is that really a coincidence? I'm not sure.

If anyone at SI is still reading this thread, I'd be intrigued to hear their thoughts.

[kipfizh]

Striker 4 - what a legend.

Thanks for doing that Meitheisman.

[Little Software]

Great thread Kip.

Go to a book publisher, and sell them this story. Would become a cult hit im sure, reminds me of Dave Gormans Googlewhack Adventure, in the fact its a true, and is so intirguing.

Go and share The Bandits amazing adventure with the world.

On another note, i must mention that the actual experiment itself is superb, cant wait for the other experiments.

[Meitheisman]

Originally posted by kipfizh:

Striker 4 - what a legend.

Thanks for doing that Meitheisman.

You're welcome.

And yeah Striker 4 was probably the best player I've ever heard of on any version of CM/FM

[paranoik0]

So, is this over, or are you going to keep tracking the Bandits' (very slow) progress?

Striker 4 is a legend for sure.

[kipfizh]

Thanks for the support all

And this is far from over....

[Veg]

Hopefully someone from SI could comment how this transition from Player to Non-player works would have been nice to know.

[standardly]

In terms of the bandits poor movement through the leagues. It is a fact, that due to many of the players being poor; id guess that most of them have pretty bad 'pressure ratings'. Maybe a lot of them cave in when playing in front of 80000 every week? Crowd influenced why they knock so many big teams out? Intimidated by the atmosphere; well at least its a thought...

[Hadoken87]

Absolutely amazing. I have just read all of this from page 1 in the space of 3 hours and my girlfriend is quite p****d off at me! This has re-ignited my love for FM as looking back at the 16 pages, this proves that the AI is absolutely spot on (Although sometimes a bit weird) it was interesting to see the development of the players once they'd left The Bandits.

It's unbelievable the ammount of people who are cheering on a fictional team in somebody else's save!! I think I might have Bandits t-shirts made. They need a new manager and fast! I wonder why their higher-skilled assistant manager never got the job? Ah well. So is this experiment over or what? I sure hope not. Thanks kip - best post I have ever read. Period.

Ooh aah Striker 4 say ooh aah striker 4

[richie1000000]

Kip, when you made the club chairman, what did you set his judging abily/potential as? If it was left at 0 maybe this is why he hasnt hired the manager the bandits need?

[DS]

I dont think player CA and PA are linked with their staff CA and PA and they should not be because IRL some of the best players turn out to be crap staff and some hopeless players end up being top quality staff. However the mental attributes should probably have some link between player and staff careers.

[Hadoken87]

Sorry if this has been answered, but is there a way of viewing player and staff CA and PA?

[Konquest]

Originally posted by Hadoken87:

Sorry if this has been answered, but is there a way of viewing player and staff CA and PA?

You ca view that in the editor (for the starting database) or you have to use a third party program, like FM Genie Scout.

[DS]

Originally posted by Hadoken87:

Sorry if this has been answered, but is there a way of viewing player and staff CA and PA?

Yes..its easy. When in FM go to the searchbox thing where u search players and clubs and things and enter "show abilities"

[NeilJWD]

based purely on experience, I think the reason many don't go into staff roles, is because they're too good for it. They should still be playing, probably in league 1/2, but they have the CA to play for a couple more years. But due to being phased out at big clubs, and left to rot often, they just retire, thinking they're past it.

I don't believe the game generates staff stats, until a players playing stats are shot.

If you have a back up save you could manipulate either by taking control of yourself and buying them, or a saved game editor, to get a few bandits to extend their careers and get older, I think you'd find more would get coaching roles.

They're also more likely to get coaching jobs here, than at big clubs of course.

[Hadoken87]

I'd agree with that. It seems like, as said above, due to the fact that they were phased out they just presume they're past it. Not only that but due to their ambition being only 1 they probably don't have the desire to carry on as a coach/manager and think that they could comfortably retire even if they COULD go on until they were 40.

On another note, I'm starting to play with the editor - is there a way that you can change the editor so that the season starts in July 2007 rather than 2006 without having to go on holiday for a year?

[ajani]

I think the reason almost none of them became staff is because you set it so in the editor.

Perhaps other players in the editor are given something like a -1 to -9 to indicate they will more than likely become staff.

[zeusbheld]

also i notice that if a player is considering a staff role after retirement, badgering them constantly about how they would make a good coach has a significant impact on whether they will or not.

i suspect the bandits just retire coz no one cares enough to nag them. how sad.

[VonBlade]

Just making sure this doesn't get lost in the mire.

[DS]

Originally posted by VonBlade:

Just making sure this doesn't get lost in the mire.

I doubt it considering it has 16 pages of posts and nearly 100000 views

[zeusbheld]

Originally posted by DS:

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by VonBlade:

Just making sure this doesn't get lost in the mire.

I doubt it considering it has 16 pages of posts and nearly 100000 views </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

it's refreshing to see something like this doing so well what with all the useless stuff that finds its way to the forum.

well done kipfizh, extremely well done.

[Guest]

Brilliant read Kipfizh. Been reading this from the start.KUTGW

I'm definatly a Bandits supporter now!

[Chris Waddle]

I've been playing the FM (and CM in it's previous incarnations) for longer than I care to remember.

After buying 06 and realising that it was no more than a patch for 2005 I lost interest in the franchise. Several months ago my son/wife bought me FM07 as a birthday present. I never got around to installing it due to lack of interest.

As I had a couple of days off this week I decided to give it a go. I came to the forums looking for the obligitory patches. Whilst downloading 7.02 I stumbled across this thread.

Never in all my years have I been this enthralled on a forum. So much so that I had to try this out for myself.

In no way am I trying to 'jump' your thread but I thought I'd just share a few of the differences that I have found.

I've pretty much followed what you did, created the same players but with a starting CA/CR of 170 a PA of 200 + Home & World rep of 10. The main difference which interested me was to see what would happen with a top notch backroom staff.

I gave my team a Chairman + 2 board members a rating of 200 with ambition of 20 and the club a reputation of 7000. I created a Manager, Ass Man, 6 mixed coaches, 3 physio's & 3 scouts all with ratings of CA/CR/WR of 180 & PA 200.

What a difference it has made to your simulation.

Over the season the club signed another 13! members of staff, keeping all of the previous staff and players.

The club stormed to victory in the Conference South winning all 42 games, scoring 398 goals, conceding 1 goal with the biggest winning margin of 15:0 & winning the FA trophy.

Striker 4 scored an amazing 64 goals in 28 games averaging 9.5 for the season.

On a side note, I created 6 nutters; all play in the premiership and 3 have already changed teams, one of them twice.

Many, many thanks again for starting this thread. I now have the desire to play this game till it is far too late of an evening again (gone 3:30am now).

I can't wait to find out tomorrow if my team is going to completely implode next season or destroy all that is put before them.

[Sufc-Ownage]

Wow.

Have just read this entire thread from start to finish and I have to give Kudos Kipfizh who has done an amazing job with this experiment and the sheer work what has gone into it on his part has been amazing.

Cant wait to see how the bandits get on now. Europe in 5 years should be the aim!

[Meitheisman]

Interesting Chris, could you please let us know how your team does after 5/10yrs... maybe start a new thread so that it doesn't get confused with this one but please post a link to your thread in this one so that we don't have to look for it for ages. Cheers

[amack1n]

Originally posted by Chris Waddle:

I've been playing the FM (and CM in it's previous incarnations) for longer than I care to remember.

After buying 06 and realising that it was no more than a patch for 2005 I lost interest in the franchise. Several months ago my son/wife bought me FM07 as a birthday present. I never got around to installing it due to lack of interest.

As I had a couple of days off this week I decided to give it a go. I came to the forums looking for the obligitory patches. Whilst downloading 7.02 I stumbled across this thread.

Never in all my years have I been this enthralled on a forum. So much so that I had to try this out for myself.

In no way am I trying to 'jump' your thread but I thought I'd just share a few of the differences that I have found.

I've pretty much followed what you did, created the same players but with a starting CA/CR of 170 a PA of 200 + Home & World rep of 10. The main difference which interested me was to see what would happen with a top notch backroom staff.

I gave my team a Chairman + 2 board members a rating of 200 with ambition of 20 and the club a reputation of 7000. I created a Manager, Ass Man, 6 mixed coaches, 3 physio's & 3 scouts all with ratings of CA/CR/WR of 180 & PA 200.

What a difference it has made to your simulation.

Over the season the club signed another 13! members of staff, keeping all of the previous staff and players.

The club stormed to victory in the Conference South winning all 42 games, scoring 398 goals, conceding 1 goal with the biggest winning margin of 15:0 & winning the FA trophy.

Striker 4 scored an amazing 64 goals in 28 games averaging 9.5 for the season.

On a side note, I created 6 nutters; all play in the premiership and 3 have already changed teams, one of them twice.

Many, many thanks again for starting this thread. I now have the desire to play this game till it is far too late of an evening again (gone 3:30am now).

I can't wait to find out tomorrow if my team is going to completely implode next season or destroy all that is put before them.

Jesus, I hope thats THE Chris Waddle...

[Chris Waddle]

Sorry amack1n it isn't - lol. Just a fan from his Wednesday days.

Meitheisman, I might well do that. Unfortunately earlier today we had a power cut mid save and I lost the game I had 4 seasons in.

I wasn't worried though, I decided to start again but was highly confused as the team I designed was only winning by the odd goal, 4 goals being the most scored in a game; much like Kipfizh descovered.

Many re-starts later I figured out what was different. If you want the new team to get the big scores this is what you need to do.

1) Set up the game with the English leagues set down to conference north/south. It doesn't matter what other leagues you run.

2) Once you are in the game, set the detail levels (2nd drop down opytion under Options) for England to All. Make sure that the Conference details are set to All and confirm.

This works everytime to get you the big scores.

As for my lost game, half the team left in season 2 with the rest leaving in season 3.

[Meitheisman]

Too bad for the power cut

Thanks for the link though, I'll be waiting for it

[DS]

Originally posted by Chris Waddle:

I wasn't worried though, I decided to start again but was highly confused as the team I designed was only winning by the odd goal, 4 goals being the most scored in a game; much like Kipfizh descovered.

Many re-starts later I figured out what was different. If you want the new team to get the big scores this is what you need to do.

1) Set up the game with the English leagues set down to conference north/south. It doesn't matter what other leagues you run.

2) Once you are in the game, set the detail levels (2nd drop down opytion under Options) for England to All. Make sure that the Conference details are set to All and confirm.

This works everytime to get you the big scores.

yes but it takes time to process matches. If you dont have the detailed processing then the games are just simmed and dont really take any time. When you have the detailed processing on it actually plays each game which gives much more realistic results but it will take a few seconds to process. Dosnt sound like much but if you have a lot of games running it takes ages.

[foobar]

Originally posted by Chris Waddle:

Sorry amack1n it isn't - lol. Just a fan from his Wednesday days.

Meitheisman, I might well do that. Unfortunately earlier today we had a power cut mid save and I lost the game I had 4 seasons in.

I wasn't worried though, I decided to start again but was highly confused as the team I designed was only winning by the odd goal, 4 goals being the most scored in a game; much like Kipfizh descovered.

Many re-starts later I figured out what was different. If you want the new team to get the big scores this is what you need to do.

1) Set up the game with the English leagues set down to conference north/south. It doesn't matter what other leagues you run.

2) Once you are in the game, set the detail levels (2nd drop down opytion under Options) for England to All. Make sure that the Conference details are set to All and confirm.

This works everytime to get you the big scores.

As for my lost game, half the team left in season 2 with the rest leaving in season 3.

Kip, what level of detail are you running your experiment on? I looked over the first page of posts where you described the experiment and couldnt find any references.

Overall I think the impact that the level of detail has on the simulation is an interesting factor that impacts the performance of the AI. It's been known for a while that it impacts player development (i.e. if only the England leagues are loaded then the English national team tends to do better than expected in the long run), but the apparent impact that detail level has on the outcome of the individual indicates a discrepancy in the AI used when "simming" the game at the lowest detail levels and "processing" the game at the highest detail levels.

[kipfizh]

Interesting - I've left all the detail levels as default, so it probably isn't being played on full detail.

All good points for my second experiment, which will contain many countries all being played on full detail.

The season's will take ages to complete, but we'll have some decent accuracy.

[kipfizh]

Season 2027-28

Club report

2006-07

English Conference South: (Pos 1), P 42, W 30, D 6, L 6, F 82, A 29, GD +53, Pts 96

(Media Prediction: 22nd)

FA Cup: 2nd Round

FA Trophy: Winners

2007-08

English National Conference: (Pos 7), P 46, W 22, D 8, L 16, F 68, A 55, GD +13, Pts 74

(Media Prediction: 22nd)

FA Cup: 1st Round

FA Trophy: Finalist

2008-09

English National Conference: (Pos 7), P 46, W 19, D 12, L 15, F 73, A 65, GD +8, Pts 69

(Media Prediction: 17th)

FA Cup: 4th Qualifying Round

FA Trophy: 1st Round

2009-10

English National Conference: (Pos 9), P 46, W 19, D 12, L 15, F 58, A 57, GD +1, Pts 69

(Media Prediction: 10th)

FA Cup: 4th Qualifying Round

FA Trophy: 3rd Round

2010-11

English National Conference: (Pos 6), P 46, W 21, D 10, L 15, F 75, A 55, GD +20, Pts 73

(Media Prediction: 12th)

FA Cup: 1st Round

FA Trophy: 4th Round

2011-12

English National Conference: (Pos 18), P 46, W 16, D 9, L 21, F 59, A 66, GD -7, Pts 57

(Media Prediction: 8th)

FA Cup: 2nd Round

FA Trophy: 3rd Round

2012-13

English National Conference: (Pos 5), P 46, W 21, D 11, L 14, F 67, A 52, GD +15, Pts 74

(Media Prediction: 16th)

FA Cup: 2nd Round

FA Trophy: 4th Round

2013-14

English National Conference: (Pos 1), P 46, W 20, D 18, L 8, F 68, A 46, GD +22, Pts 78

(Media Prediction: 8th)

FA Cup: 1st Round

FA Trophy: 4th Round

2014-15

English League Two: (Pos 21), P 46, W 12, D 15, L 19, F 60, A 69, GD -9, Pts 51

(Media Prediction: 22nd)

FA Cup: 1st Round

League Cup: 1st Round

Johnstone’s Paint Trophy: South Quarter Final

2015-16

English League Two: (Pos 21), P 46, W 14, D 10, L 22, F 56, A 73, GD -17, Pts 52

(Media Prediction: 23rd)

FA Cup: 2nd Round

League Cup: 1st Round

Johnstone’s Paint Trophy: South 2nd Round

2016-17

English League Two: (Pos 6), P 46, W 17, D 16, L 13, F 64, A 51, GD 13, Pts 67

(Media Prediction: 24th)

FA Cup: 3rd Round

League Cup: 1st Round

Johnstone’s Paint Trophy: South 2nd Round

2017-18

English League Two: (Pos 15), P 46, W 16, D 14, L 16, F 63, A 65, GD -2, Pts 62

(Media Prediction: 10th)

FA Cup: 1st Round

League Cup: 3rd Round

Johnstone’s Paint Trophy: South 2nd Round

2018-19

English League Two: (Pos 7), P 46, W 19, D 12, L 15, F 64, A 62, GD 2, Pts 69

(Media Prediction: 16th)

FA Cup: 3rd Round

League Cup: 1st Round

Johnstone’s Paint Trophy: South 2nd Round

2019-20

English League Two: (Pos 6), P 46, W 18, D 13, L 15, F 69, A 66, GD 3, Pts 67

(Media Prediction: 10th)

FA Cup: 2nd Round

League Cup: 1st Round

Johnstone’s Paint Trophy: South Semi Final

2020-21

English League Two: (Pos 10), P 46, W 17, D 15, L 14, F 67, A 61, GD 6, Pts 66

(Media Prediction: 8th)

FA Cup: 1st Round

League Cup: 1st Round

Johnstone’s Paint Trophy: South 2nd Round

2021-22

English League Two: (Pos 1), P 46, W 25, D 9, L 12, F 74, A 54, GD 20, Pts 84

(Media Prediction: 10th)

FA Cup: 5th Round

League Cup: 1st Round

Johnstone’s Paint Trophy: Finalist

2022-23

English League One: (Pos 13), P 46, W 16, D 15, L 15, F 73, A 63, GD +10, Pts 63

(Media Prediction: 23rd)

FA Cup: 4th Round

League Cup: 3rd Round

Johnstone’s Paint Trophy: South Semi-Final

2023-24

English League One: (Pos 11), P 46, W 17, D 13, L 16, F 65, A 71, GD -6, Pts 64

(Media Prediction: 19th)

FA Cup: 2nd Round

League Cup: Finalist

Johnstone’s Paint Trophy: South 2nd Round

2024-25

English League One: (Pos 11), P 46, W 19, D 8, L 19, F 64, A 64, GD 0, Pts 65

(Media Prediction: 11th)

FA Cup: 1st Round

League Cup: Semi-Final

Johnstone’s Paint Trophy: South Quarter Final

2025-26

English League One: (Pos 18), P 46, W 13, D 16, L 17, F 64, A 62, GD +2, Pts 55

(Media Prediction: 13th)

FA Cup: 3rd Round

League Cup: 1st Round

Johnstone’s Paint Trophy: South 2nd Round

2026-27

English League One: (Pos 17), P 46, W 13, D 18, L 15, F 69, A 78, GD -9, Pts 57

(Media Prediction: 17th)

FA Cup: 1st Round

League Cup: 1st Round

Johnstone’s Paint Trophy: South 2nd Round

2027-28

English League One: (Pos 14), P 46, W 16, D 15, L 15, F 64, A 63, GD +1, Pts 63

(Media Prediction: 17th)

League

FA Cup: 2nd Round

League Cup: 3rd Round

Johnstone’s Paint Trophy: South 2nd Round

The Bandits were plunged into disarray at the beginning of the season when, after just one year in charge, Dean Glover retired from football entirely, leaving another hole in the club’s management. Although this seemed like a good thing at the time, because Glover was clearly not up to the task, his replacement was even worse.

Martin Lawton, with CA and PA of 93, is an excellent scout, but his stats are not that of a manager. With him in charge, the Bandits managed a small improvement on last season, tightening up the defence and rising to 14th in the league, but they’re still way off challenging for promotion which, with the squad they have, is what they should be doing.

In the cups, they got back to their giant killing ways in the League Cup, knocking out Premiership Cardiff in the first round, before eventually losing in round three, and in the FA Cup, they got a round further than last year.

So a small improvement on last season, but I can’t say I’m convinced by the choice of manager. He isn’t likely to take them forward – a good manager now and they’d probably make serious progress. But the media predictions are now low, so he’s unlikely to get himself sacked. We shall see.

[kipfizh]

Player reports

Goalkeeper 1

2006-07, Bandits, CA 151: Apps 47, Conc 29, Cln 15, MoM 3, YC 5, RC 0, Avg 7.66

2007-08, Bandits, CA 166: Apps 49, Conc 56, Cln 12, MoM 6, YC 6, RC 0, Avg 7.51

2008-09, Bandits, CA 178: Apps 32, Conc 38, Cln 6, MoM 5, YC 4, RC 0, Avg 7.28

Transfers to Blackburn for 650k

2008-09, Blackburn, CA 178: Apps 14, Conc 16, Cln 4, MoM 2, YC 1, RC 0, Avg 7.21

2009-10, Blackburn, CA 184: Apps 41 (1), Conc 45, Cln 13, MoM 3, YC 5, RC 1, Avg 7.38

2010-11, Blackburn, CA 189: Apps 32, Conc 48, Cln 5, MoM 2, YC 3, RC 0, Avg 7.38

2011-12, Blackburn, CA 192: Apps 43, Conc 62, Cln 7, MoM 3, YC 6, RC 0, Avg 7.53

2012-13, Blackburn, CA 194: Apps 45, Conc 65, Cln 9, MoM 4, YC 9, RC 0, Avg 7.58

Transfers to Arsenal for 27m

2013-14, Arsenal, CA 196: Apps 56, Conc 70, Cln 18, MoM 7, YC 5, RC 0, Avg 7.46

2014-15, Arsenal, CA 197: Apps 43, Conc 34, Cln 19, MoM 5, YC 4, RC 0, Avg 7.74

2015-16, Arsenal, CA 198: Apps 33, Conc 30, Cln 13, MoM 4, YC 0, RC 1, Avg 7.61

2016-17, Arsenal, CA 199: Apps 40, Conc 49, Cln 10, MoM 0, YC 6, RC 0, Avg 7.38

2017-18, Arsenal, CA 200: Apps 51, Conc 57, Cln 16, MoM 3, YC 3, RC 0, Avg 7.49

2018-19, Arsenal, CA 200: Apps 56 (1), Conc 67, Cln 14, MoM 4, YC 3, RC 1, Avg 7.49

2019-20, Arsenal, CA 200: Apps 38 (2), Conc 39, Cln 13, MoM 3, YC 4, RC 0, Avg 7.55

2020-21, Arsenal, CA 200: Apps 51, Conc 67, Cln 13, MoM 6, YC 3, RC 0, Avg 7.53

2021-22, Arsenal, CA 191: Apps 41, Conc 41, Cln 14, MoM 4, YC 2, RC 0, Avg 7.54

2022-23, Arsenal, CA 191: Apps 49, Conc 52, Cln 11, MoM 3, YC 3, RC 2, Avg 7.55

2023-24, Arsenal, CA 189: Apps 36, Conc 40, Cln 12, MoM 7, YC 4, RC 1, Avg 7.61

2024-25, Arsenal, CA 185: Apps 52 (1), Conc 58, Cln 17, MoM 4, YC 5, RC 0, Avg 7.51

2025-26, Arsenal, CA 184: Apps 49 (2), Conc 47, Cln 19, MoM 8, YC 5, RC 0, Avg 7.57

2026-27, Arsenal, CA 182: Apps 46 (1), Conc 61, Cln 11, MoM 4, YC 3, RC 0, Avg 7.26

2027-28, Arsenal, CA 181: Apps 30 (1), Conc 30, Cln 12, MoM 2, YC 5, RC 0, Avg 7.48

Notes: In the twilight of his career, he returns to the top to have a fantastic season in goal for Arsenal, who rise back to the summit of English football, winning the Premiership. He reaches 87 caps at international level, but is currently rejecting new contracts. Arsenal needn’t worry though, he still has two years left on his current deal, which takes him to the day before his 41st birthday.

Goalkeeper 2

2006-07, Bandits, CA 150: Apps 10 (4), Conc 6, Cln 8, MoM 1, YC 0, RC 0, Avg 7.93

Transfers to Leeds for 675k

2007-08, Leeds, CA 167: Apps 43, Conc 45, Cln 12, MoM 7, YC 2, RC 1, Avg 7.51

2008-09, Leeds, CA 181: Apps 35, Conc 45, Cln 4, MoM 3, YC 2, RC 0, Avg 7.26

2009-10, Leeds, CA 189: Apps 42, Conc 51, Cln 8, MoM 6, YC 3, RC 0, Avg 7.50

2010-11, Leeds, CA 191: Apps 37, Conc 41, Cln 8, MoM 4, YC 5, RC 0, Avg 7.46

2011-12, Leeds, CA 195: Apps 57, Conc 68, Cln 17, MoM 10, YC 6, RC 0, Avg 7.58

2012-13, Leeds, CA 196: Apps 51, Conc 77, Cln 4, MoM 1, YC 4, RC 1, Avg 7.27

2013-14, Leeds, CA 200: Apps 39, Conc 52, Cln 7, MoM 3, YC 5, RC 0, Avg 7.21

2014-15, Leeds, CA 200: Apps 59, Conc 72, Cln 14, MoM 8, YC 1, RC 0, Avg 7.46

2015-16, Leeds, CA 200: Apps 40, Conc 45, Cln 10, MoM 8, YC 6, RC 0, Avg 7.53

2016-17, Leeds, CA 200: Apps 56 (2), Conc 64, Cln 17, MoM 10, YC 6, RC 0, Avg 7.60

2017-18, Leeds, CA 200: Apps 41 (1), Conc 46, Cln 12, MoM 7, YC 3, RC 0, Avg 7.60

2018-19, Leeds, CA 200: Apps 56, Conc 62, Cln 12, MoM 6, YC 7, RC 0, Avg 7.45

2019-20, Leeds, CA 200: Apps 57, Conc 69, Cln 15, MoM 7, YC 5, RC 0, Avg 7.37

2020-21, Leeds, CA 192: Apps 43, Conc 54, Cln 10, MoM 3, YC 5, RC 0, Avg 7.30

2021-22, Leeds, CA 189: Apps 34 (2), Conc 37, Cln 12, MoM 5, YC 1, RC 0, Avg 7.64

2022-23, Leeds, CA 188: Apps 47, Conc 53, Cln 15, MoM 9, YC 4, RC 0, Avg 7.53

2023-24, Leeds, CA 185: Apps 31 (2), Conc 27, Cln 15, MoM 4, YC 3, RC 0, Avg 7.36

2024-25, Leeds, CA 185: Apps 37, Conc 48, Cln 11, MoM 2, YC 2, RC 0, Avg 7.41

2025-26, Leeds, CA 182: Apps 39 (3), Conc 37, Cln 17, MoM 6, YC 5, RC 0, Avg 7.57

2026-27, Leeds, CA 182: Apps 49 (1), Conc 52, Cln 17, MoM 8, YC 5, RC 0, Avg 7.60

2027-28, Leeds, CA 182: Apps 47, Conc 52, Cln 14, MoM 6, YC 6, RC 2, Avg 7.45

Notes: Approaching 39, he is still playing at an incredibly high level, and more surprisingly, his CA is not dropping at all. Continues to be first choice for Leeds, and justifies their loyalty as they finish fourth, but plays less for his country, adding just four more caps to reach 133. Still has two years left on his contract. Doesn’t have the best season from a discipline point of view, but towards the end of his career comes third in European Goalkeeper of the Year.

Left Back 1

2006-07, Bandits, CA 150: Apps 9 (5), Gls 0, Asts 0, MoM 0, YC 1, RC 0, Avg 7.14

Transfers to Tottenham on a free

2007-08, Tottenham, CA 165: Apps 42, Gls 1, Asts 4, MoM 1, YC 4, RC 0, Avg 7.21

2008-09, Tottenham, CA 175: Apps 40, Gls 0, Asts 1, MoM 3, YC 1, RC 0, Avg 7.30

2009-10, Tottenham, CA 187: Apps 45, Gls 0, Asts 4, MoM 2, YC 6, RC 0, Avg 7.11

2010-11, Tottenham, CA 194: Apps 40, Gls 1, Asts 2, MoM 3, YC 6, RC 1, Avg 7.35

2011-12, Tottenham, CA 197: Apps 39, Gls 1, Asts 2, MoM 2, YC 2, RC 0, Avg 7.31

2012-13, Tottenham, CA 200: Apps 42, Gls 2, Asts 2, MoM 2, YC 6, RC 0, Avg 7.36

2013-14, Tottenham, CA 200: Apps 35, Gls 0, Asts 1, MoM 2, YC 1, RC 0, Avg 7.31

2014-15, Tottenham, CA 200: Apps 51, Gls 1, Asts 3, MoM 3, YC 2, RC 0, Avg 7.31

2015-16, Tottenham, CA 200: Apps 43, Gls 0, Asts 2, MoM 0, YC 7, RC 0, Avg 7.19

2016-17, Tottenham, CA 200: Apps 43, Gls 1, Asts 1, MoM 3, YC 5, RC 1, Avg 7.28

2017-18, Tottenham, CA 200: Apps 45, Gls 0, Asts 4, MoM 2, YC 3, RC 1, Avg 7.36

2018-19, Tottenham, CA 193: Apps 39, Gls 3, Asts 2, MoM 1, YC 4, RC 1, Avg 7.36

2019-20, Tottenham, CA 191: Apps 46, Gls 0, Asts 3, MoM 7, YC 6, RC 0, Avg 7.24

2020-21, Tottenham, CA 190: Apps 39, Gls 3, Asts 3, MoM 4, YC 4, RC 0, Avg 7.38

2021-22, Tottenham, CA 186: Apps 19, Gls 1, Asts 1, MoM 0, YC 2, RC 0, Avg 7.21

2022-23, Tottenham, CA 182: Apps 46, Gls 0, Asts 5, MoM 2, YC 3, RC 1, Avg 7.43

2023-24, Tottenham, CA 178: Apps 38, Gls 1, Asts 2, MoM 5, YC 4, RC 2, Avg 7.47

2024-25, Tottenham, CA 174: Apps 38, Gls 0, Asts 3, MoM 7, YC 3, RC 0, Avg 7.58

2025-26, Tottenham, CA 161: Apps 39, Gls 0, Asts 1, MoM 4, YC 10, RC 0, Avg 7.31

2026-27, Tottenham, CA 152: Apps 40, Gls 1, Asts 3, MoM 1, YC 4, RC 0, Avg 7.30

2027-28, Tottenham, CA 147: Apps 16 (8), Gls 1, Asts 3, MoM 0, YC 1, RC 0, Avg 7.25

Notes: Another one who continues to play well enough for his club to remain in favour, although he does play a lot less than he has. He still wins the League Cup though, and still doesn’t mention retirement. He has one year to go on his current contract, and will surely retire at the end of it.

Left Back 2 – Retired 30/06/2026

Right Back 1 – Retired 25/06/2026

Right Back 2 – Retired 02/07/2027

Centre Back 1 – Retired 13/06/2026

Centre Back 2

2006-07, Bandits, CA 151: Apps 3 (5), Gls 0, Asts 0, MoM 1, YC 1, RC 0, Avg 7.25

Transfers to Arsenal on a free

2007-08, Arsenal, CA 166: Apps 49, Gls 1, Asts 4, MoM 3, YC 7, RC 0, Avg 7.02

2008-09, Arsenal, CA 177: Apps 52, Gls 0, Asts 3, MoM 3, YC 3, RC 1, Avg 7.19

2009-10, Arsenal, CA 184: Apps 51, Gls 0, Asts 3, MoM 0, YC 2, RC 1, Avg 6.98

2010-11, Arsenal, CA 190: Apps 49, Gls 0, Asts 5, MoM 4, YC 5, RC 0, Avg 7.02

2011-12, Arsenal, CA 194: Apps 53, Gls 3, Asts 5, MoM 7, YC 5, RC 1, Avg 7.34

2012-13, Arsenal, CA 199: Apps 49, Gls 0, Asts 0, MoM 3, YC 5, RC 2, Avg 7.33

2013-14, Arsenal, CA 200: Apps 47, Gls 3, Asts 1, MoM 3, YC 5, RC 0, Avg 7.36

2014-15, Arsenal, CA 200: Apps 48, Gls 0, Asts 4, MoM 11, YC 8, RC 0, Avg 7.71

2015-16, Arsenal, CA 200: Apps 48, Gls 0, Asts 2, MoM 5, YC 8, RC 0, Avg 7.52

2016-17, Arsenal, CA 200: Apps 52, Gls 0, Asts 2, MoM 8, YC 6, RC 0, Avg 7.46

2017-18, Arsenal, CA 200: Apps 53, Gls 2, Asts 3, MoM 7, YC 5, RC 2, Avg 7.47

2018-19, Arsenal, CA 191: Apps 55, Gls 2, Asts 5, MoM 2, YC 8, RC 1, Avg 7.40

2019-20, Arsenal, CA 188: Apps 43, Gls 1, Asts 3, MoM 1, YC 4, RC 0, Avg 7.38

2020-21, Arsenal, CA 191: Apps 44, Gls 0, Asts 1, MoM 2, YC 2, RC 2, Avg 7.36

2021-22, Arsenal, CA 191: Apps 44, Gls 1, Asts 2, MoM 1, YC 6, RC 0, Avg 7.39

2022-23, Arsenal, CA 182: Apps 54, Gls 2, Asts 3, MoM 7, YC 1, RC 0, Avg 7.46

2023-24, Arsenal, CA 182: Apps 44, Gls 1, Asts 0, MoM 4, YC 1, RC 0, Avg 7.34

2024-25, Arsenal, CA 172: Apps 38 (2), Gls 1, Asts 0, MoM 3, YC 4, RC 0, Avg 7.35

2025-26, Arsenal, CA 149: Apps 33 (5), Gls 0, Asts 2, MoM 3, YC 4, RC 0, Avg 6.97

2026-27, Arsenal, CA 142: Apps 5 (5), Gls 0, Asts 0, MoM 0, YC 2, RC 0, Avg 6.80

2027-28, Bolton, CA 127: Apps 36, Gls 0, Asts 2, MoM 3, YC 3, RC 0, Avg 7.14

Notes: After Arsenal decided that he wouldn’t be required this season, he spent the season on loan at Bolton, who despite his help at the back, ended up getting relegated from the Premiership in 18th. Despite his Arsenal contract running out this summer, and his CA dropping quickly, he decides he has another season left in him and refuses to retire. His international career is surely over with 68 caps and two goals.

Centre Back 3 – Retired 26/06/2026

Centre Back 4 – Retired 29/06/2026

Left Mid 1 – Retired 30/06/2026

Left Mid 2 – Retired 29/06/2027

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

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

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

Arrives at Chelsea just before they have a slump and finish sixth in the league, after winning the title seven years running. Was his hiring anything to do with it?

Right Mid 2 – Retired 23/06/2026

Centre Mid 1

2006-07, Bandits, CA 150: Apps 18, Gls 0, Asts 2, MoM 1, YC 5, RC 0, Avg 7.17

Transfers to Man Utd for 675k

2007-08, Man Utd, CA 159: Apps 33 (5), Gls 1, Asts 2, MoM 1, YC 3, RC 2, Avg 6.55

2008-09, Man Utd, CA 173: Apps 10 (9), Gls 3, Asts 0, MoM 0, YC 1, RC 0, Avg 6.53

2009-10, Man Utd, CA 181: Apps 27 (13), Gls 6, Asts 4, MoM 5, YC 1, RC 0, Avg 7.18

2010-11, Man Utd, CA 191: Apps 18 (12), Gls 6, Asts 1, MoM 1, YC 2, RC 0, Avg 7.20

2011-12, Man Utd, CA 200: Apps 8 (23), Gls 5, Asts 3, MoM 1, YC 3, RC 0, Avg 7.06

2012-13, Man Utd, CA 200: Apps 20 (16), Gls 2, Asts 1, MoM 1, YC 1, RC 1, Avg 7.14

2013-14, Man Utd, CA 200: Apps 9 (16), Gls 3, Asts 1, MoM 0, YC 0, RC 1, Avg 7.08

2014-15, Man Utd, CA 200: Apps 7 (15), Gls 1, Asts 2, MoM 0, YC 1, RC 0, Avg 7.05

Transfers to Arsenal for 27m

2015-16, Arsenal, CA 200: Apps 51, Gls 3, Asts 10, MoM 5, YC 6, RC 0, Avg 7.43

2016-17, Arsenal, CA 196: Apps 49, Gls 7, Asts 6, MoM 5, YC 8, RC 0, Avg 7.69

2017-18, Arsenal, CA 197: Apps 55, Gls 10, Asts 10, MoM 3, YC 13, RC 0, Avg 7.58

2018-19, Arsenal, CA 190: Apps 48, Gls 3, Asts 5, MoM 4, YC 5, RC 1, Avg 7.56

2019-20, Arsenal, CA 189: Apps 42 (1), Gls 6, Asts 4, MoM 3, YC 1, RC 0, Avg 7.49

2020-21, Arsenal, CA 189: Apps 47, Gls 5, Asts 2, MoM 2, YC 5, RC 1, Avg 7.28

2021-22, Arsenal, CA 189: Apps 40, Gls 6, Asts 5, MoM 3, YC 3, RC 0, Avg 7.45

2022-23, Arsenal, CA 185: Apps 54, Gls 7, Asts 7, MoM 3, YC 4, RC 1, Avg 7.50

2023-24, Arsenal, CA 173: Apps 31 (1), Gls 4, Asts 3, MoM 1, YC 3, RC 0, Avg 7.34

2024-25, Arsenal, CA 165: Apps 47 (1), Gls 5, Asts 6, MoM 2, YC 6, RC 1, Avg 7.21

2025-26, Arsenal, CA 143: Apps 14 (1), Gls 1, Asts 0, MoM 0, YC 1, RC 1, Avg 6.80

Transfers to Hull on a free transfer

2026-27, Hull, CA 126: Apps 1 (2), Gls 1, Asts 0, MoM 0, YC 0, RC 0, Avg 7.00

2027-28, Hull, CA 115: Apps 31 (1), Gls 3, Asts 3, MoM 1, YC 3, RC 0, Avg 7.25

Notes: After Hull’s relegation to League One last season, and with him not playing, his career seemed in serious doubt, but he refused to retire, and was rewarded as the manager finally decided he would be an asset. He ends the season scoring in the playoff final penalty shoot out, helping his side to gain an instant return to the Championship. He doesn’t want to give up playing club football, but his international career is surely over, with 78 caps and nine goals. A measure of how far he’s fallen is his wage. He used to command around 100k a week at his peak, now he earns just 120 pounds per week, equivalent to around 6k a year.

Centre Mid 2 – Retired 13/05/2027

Centre Mid 3

2006-07, Bandits, CA 150: Apps 40 (1), Gls 2, Asts 6, MoM 1, YC 4, RC 0, Avg 7.41

2007-08, Bandits, CA 165: Apps 53, Gls 9, Asts 9, MoM 8, YC 4, RC 0, Avg 7.45

Transfers to Man Utd for 975k[/b]

2008-09, Man Utd, CA 180: Apps 41 (2), Gls 8, Asts 6, MoM 2, YC 4, RC 0, Avg 7.00

2009-10, Man Utd, CA 186: Apps 36, Gls 6, Asts 5, MoM 9, YC 2, RC 0, Avg 7.75

2010-11, Man Utd, CA 194: Apps 43 (7), Gls 10, Asts 3, MoM 6, YC 5, RC 1, Avg 7.52

2011-12, Man Utd CA 200: Apps 47 (1), Gls 12, Asts 4, MoM 4, YC 5, RC 0, Avg 7.50

2012-13, Man Utd, CA 200: Apps 45 (3), Gls 10, Asts 4, MoM 5, YC 4, RC 1, Avg 7.31

2013-14, Man Utd, CA 200: Apps 45 (2), Gls 6, Asts 6, MoM 5, YC 3, RC 2, Avg 7.36

2014-15, Man Utd, CA 200: Apps 44, Gls 3, Asts 4, MoM 1, YC 4, RC 0, Avg 7.43

2015-16, Man Utd, CA 200: Apps 50, Gls 2, Asts 7, MoM 9, YC 6, RC 0, Avg 7.54

2016-17, Man Utd, CA 196: Apps 36, Gls 0, Asts 6, MoM 0, YC 3, RC 0, Avg 7.31

2017-18, Man Utd, CA 190: Apps 39, Gls 4, Asts 2, MoM 0, YC 8, RC 0, Avg 7.46

2018-19, Man Utd, CA 188: Apps 32, Gls 3, Asts 6, MoM 3, YC 4, RC 0, Avg 7.59

2019-20, Man Utd, CA 193: Apps 39, Gls 4, Asts 4, MoM 7, YC 6, RC 1, Avg 7.44

2020-21, Man Utd, CA 194: Apps 36, Gls 1, Asts 4, MoM 0, YC 6, RC 1, Avg 7.22

2021-22, Man Utd, CA 189: Apps 34, Gls 3, Asts 4, MoM 3, YC 8, RC 1, Avg 7.38

2022-23, Man Utd, CA 184: Apps 45, Gls 5, Asts 2, MoM 1, YC 5, RC 0, Avg 7.40

2023-24, Man Utd, CA 182: Apps 44, Gls 6, Asts 2, MoM 3, YC 6, RC 2, Avg 7.23

2024-25, Man Utd, CA 169: Apps 52 (1), Gls 4, Asts 4, MoM 2, YC 6, RC 1, Avg 7.40

2025-26, Man Utd, CA 131: Apps 27 (3), Gls 2, Asts 2, MoM 1, YC 1, RC 0, Avg 7.03

2026-27, Man Utd, CA 118: Apps 3 (1), Gls 0, Asts 1, MoM 1, YC 1, RC 0, Avg 7.25

2027-28, Man Utd, CA 100: Apps 0, Gls 0, Asts 0, MoM 0, YC 0, RC 0, Avg -

Notes: It seems he should’ve retired last season. After only playing four games last time around, Man Utd release him from his contract and he is unable to find a new club all season. Decides that now is the time to retire, with 100 caps and five goals at international level.

Centre Mid 4 – Retired 22/06/2026

Striker 1 – Retired 24/06/2026

Striker 2 – Retired 27/06/2026

Striker 3 – Retired 30/06/2026

Striker 4 – Retired 29/06/2027

Idiot A – Retired 13/05/2026

Idiot B – Retired 22/06/2023

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Other stats

England, once again, won every single qualification game for the European Championships, and all without conceding a goal, They go into the tournament in a tough group containing Denmark, Germany and Turkey.

Arsenal bounced back from a lowly position to win the Premiership, ending Chelsea’s seven year reign. Incredibly, with Chelsea coming sixth and the two cup entrants finishing below them, they will have to enter the Intertoto Cup to get back into Europe. Derby claimed an excellent second place, while Liverpool also rose back up the league. Man Utd finished mid table.

Premiership

Newcastle claimed the FA Cup with a penalty shoot out win over Aston Villa, while Tottenham claimed the League Cup ahead of Leeds.

Real Madrid returned to their usual perch, on top of Europe, winning their seventh Champions League trophy in eleven years, beating Benfica in the final. Barcelona ensured Aston Villa lost their second final of the season in the UEFA Cup.

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Summary

The Bandits managed a small improvement on last season’s disaster, and have another new manager t take them forward, but his ability is anything but convincing. With him in charge, it is less than likely that they’ll move forward.

They managed one giant killing this season, a reminder of the time not so many years ago when they were a dangerous side or any top level opponent. They need to get back there, and once again, their manager is probably not up to scratch. But with expectations low now, he’d do well to get sacked.

Only one more ex-Bandit decided to retire this season, with three outfield players turning 40 next summer, surely this season will be their last? On the flip side, the two goalkeepers both still have CAs above 180, and could probably continue for years if they wanted to.

Right Mid 1’s first full season as assistant manager of Chelsea was a disaster, as they ended their seven year Premiership reign by finishing sixth, a place that doesn’t even grant them a European spot for next season.

England have another international tournament this summer, and they’ll go into it with a similar squad to the one that won the World Cup two years ago. The keepers are the only ex-Bandits remaining but they tighten up the defence and their experience could be crucial.

Bandit’s former manager watch

Sheff Wed showed how fickle football can be – after years of establishing them as a strong side, Justin Edinburgh was sacked when they sat 19th in the Premiership. It did them no good as they ended bottom. He was soon hired by Stoke, at the time sixth in the Championship, and that’s where they finished, eventually reaching the playoff final before losing to a last minute Blackpool goal.

Steve Brackstone was fired by Wrexham with them 22nd in the Championship, but it didn’t help their fortunes either, as they dropped a further place to be relegated in 23rd. He was snapped up by Coventry, who were 18th in the Championship when he took over, and he took them to 16th by the end of the season.

Gary Perry’s Sheff Utd had another mid table League One finish, dropping one place to 12th.

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Bandits squad

General

Stats

Finance Overview

Interested Players

The number of interested players rose back up this season, from 6195 to 6265, still some way short of the high of 6488 from two years ago.

Top 20 in Squad (sorted by CA)

Name, Pos, Age, CA-PA

Kirk, MC, 29, 135-135 (+0)

Noble, DR, 26, 126-126 – new signing

Jones, MC, 29, 126-126 (0)

Baker, DC/DM, 25, 125-136 – new signing

Abbott, GK, 27, 125-133 (+3)

Stevens, D/WB RL, 22, 121-125 (+1)

Pendleton, DR, 28, 120-121 (-1)

Canning, AM R, 24, 119-119 – new signing

Jenkins, ST, 30, 119-119 (+1)

Millership, ST, 27, 118-118 (+1)

Townsend, DC, 28, 116-116 (0)

Stephens, AML, 25, 113-119 (0)

Mike, ST, 26, 112-112 (0)

Harris, WB/AM R, 20, 108-111 – new entry in top 20, youth player

Randall, MC, 21, 105-114 – new entry in top 20, youth player

Leary, ST, 20, 104-119 (+4)

Ashton, DRL, 32, 103-115 (-4)

Johnson, AM RC, 21, 102-109 (+1)

Underwood, ST, 22, 100-110 – new entry in top 20, youth player

Slade, ST, 24, 100-100 (0) – re-entry in top 20

Players in last season’s top 20 who have left the club:

Bryan, DC, 31, 124-135

Hearn, AM RC, 19, 111-130

Hughes, DL, 31, 109-138

Potter, D/WB R, 20, 104-116

Harvey, MC, 30, 104-111

Elliott, FC, 19, 100-126

Players in last season’s top 20 who have dropped out of the top 20:

Pearson, AM LC, 31, 99-111 (-4)

A few signings at the top end, and at good ages (24-26) show that this Bandit squad continues to be strong, and the average age of the top 20 is further dropped by three players who have come through the youth system going over the 100 CA mark for the first time.

On the down side, Lawton, the new manager, has allowed some very good talent to leave – Hearn and Elliott especially could’ve played for years at this level and improved the fortunes of the Bandits.

It looks like a few more have gone out than come in, which is a slightly worrying sign as the manager does not appear to have to talent to take them forward. However, with the squad getting younger, they may get more stability over the next couple of years, and they got promoted off the back of that before.

CA of X or above:

190 : 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0

180 : 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0

170 : 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0

160 : 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0

150 : 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0

140 : 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0

130 : 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 1, 1

120 : 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 1, 0, 1, 1, 1, 0, 1, 2, 2, 6, 6, 7

110 : 0, 2, 2, 3, 2, 6, 7, 6, 6, 7, 8, 7, 7, 9, 10, 10, 12, 12, 13

100 : 2, 4, 7, 7, 6, 13, 13, 12, 13, 13, 16, 12, 12, 12, 16, 16, 19, 21, 20

90 : 7, 11, 10, 9, 10, 16, 17, 15, 15, 20, 22, 16, 15, 17, 20, 22, 29, 33, 26

80 : 13, 14, 13, 13, 16, 21, 21, 18, 16, 21, 26, 20, 22, 21, 26, 26, 34, 36, 32

70 : 19, 22, 21, 20, 22, 27, 25, 19, 23, 25, 30, 23, 25, 27, 28, 30, 35, 39, 38

60 : 26, 26, 25, 23, 24, 32, 30, 24, 26, 30, 32, 26, 28, 28, 38, 33, 40, 44, 41

50 : 30, 31, 31, 26, 26, 35, 33, 28, 32, 34, 35, 30, 32, 34, 42, 37, 43, 46, 43

A slight improvement at 120+ and 110+ means there’s a little more talent at the top end, but the worrying thing is below that. They now have 26 players with a CA of 90 or better, as opposed to last season’s total of 33. This could affect them badly if they pick up a few injuries.

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Best and Worst

New records:

Highest scoring game: 3-3 v Leyton Orient, League One (in twenty years they’ve never had a six goal game – incredible)

Total transfer spending: 975k (2027)

This season:

Best player – Abbott, 7.39

Top scorer – Jenkins, 19

Worst player – Kirk, 6.67

The Bandits remain sixth in the rich club list:

Rich Clubs