AI Experiment - what would happen if?

[JRHaggs]

Originally posted by Mravac Kid:

And finally, a request:

Would it be possible to include their position rating in the "ones to watch" and "world beaters" sections? I think it would be nice how well they're using their ability.

This has been on my mind for awhile, as well. I wonder if the CA/PA ratings are as telling as the position rating. It seems to factor in the attributes most useful to the position instead of some overall measure of quality. I only didn't bring it up sooner because I felt uneasy about asking Kip to incorporate another time-consuming aspect in his reports.

If it isn't time-consuming or annoying, though, it would be a fantastic rating to know more about. Actually, it may be that we can all learn more about the relationship between the position ranking and the CA/PA ranking by exploring this.

KUTGW, Kip.

[williamshankley]

On a side note Kip. I enjoyed the article you were involved with in the fanzine!

[Meitheisman]

Originally posted by williamshankley:

On a side note Kip. I enjoyed the article you were involved with in the fanzine!

Linkage?

[williamshankley]

Its in the Unofficial Football Manager Fanzine which can be found URL=http://community.sigames.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/521102691/m/2542030963/p/2]Here[/url]

Its it issue two btw

[williamshankley]

Here

[rtik-1-one]

Kipfizh, great article in the fanzine, hopefully the Bandits will win the league sometime soon.

KUTGW

[Meitheisman]

Originally posted by williamshankley:

Here

Grrr

Here's yet another website I can't check from work... thanks for the link Will. I'll read that at home.

[waz_nufc_awk]

Originally posted by rtik-1-one:

Kipfizh, great article in the fanzine, hopefully the Bandits will win the league sometime soon.

KUTGW

WHS - great article, as someone fortunate enough to have followed the experiment from th outset, I feel the points you made in the article about the AI and the way it doesn't 'cheat' is as important a part of the game as any fancy graphics or gameplay.

wazz

[Scotty Walds]

Just read the fanzine article... don't suppose you have a screenie of the Boston upset?

What league are Boston in? Any major achievements?

[Skunner]

KUTGW Kip.

Just a quick question.

How did Canada fair in the world cup?

[kipfizh]

Originally posted by Mravac Kid:

And finally, a request:

Would it be possible to include their position rating in the "ones to watch" and "world beaters" sections? I think it would be nice how well they're using their ability.

Do you mean the scouting rating FM Genie Scout gives to every player in each position? As in, Maia is a 0.02% midfielder even though he's got 199 CA?

[kipfizh]

Originally posted by williamshankley:

On a side note Kip. I enjoyed the article you were involved with in the fanzine!

Thanks very much Good to spread the word of the Bandits....

[kipfizh]

Originally posted by Skunner:

KUTGW Kip.

Just a quick question.

How did Canada fair in the world cup?

I can't actually remember the last time they qualified!

[chopper99]

Loving the new Karma rating by the way Kip

[waz_nufc_awk]

Originally posted by chopper99:

Loving the new Karma rating by the way Kip

Yes, excellent Karma.

[kipfizh]

Originally posted by AB-forever:

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

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

Could you post a screenie of the Bandits' scouting knowledge?

Tom Lynch (71, 120/120)

Jim Heath (57, 120/120)

Wayne Haigh (59, 172/172)

Rod Berry (60, 150/150)

Pretty decent CAs in there, and experience seems to help too. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Thanks, but I actually meant the entire club's scouting knowledge page. Where you can also see knowledge from coaches, feeder clubs etc.

And Pacheco sure looks great </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Ah, I see, I think you mean these then:

Scouting Knowledge Part 1

Scouting Knowledge Part 2

[kipfizh]

Originally posted by chopper99:

Loving the new Karma rating by the way Kip

Yeah, I like it too - thanks, whoever did that!

[kipfizh]

Season 2050-51

Bandits report - Transfers

Transfers In

Transfers Out

After a season of rebuilding, there was a feeling of optimism around the Bandits, with Neil Angus bringing in a few players who could go on to be huge in the future. All the fans wanted now was for that process to continue, with more youngsters, or mid-20s players who could play straightaway to reduce the average age of the first team and give the squad a platform from which to build in the future.

It was to be a dramatic summer.

Summer

The summer started with a clearout of some deadwood. Corradini hadn’t played any football for the Bandits in over a year, so when Hull offered 1.1m for the 29 year old, it was accepted gladly. Adam Richardson, a 28 year old centre back who had played eleven times for the Bandits despite spending his entire career there, soon followed, along with veteran Luis Pizarro and a host of unwanted youth players.

32 year old Gustavo Hernandez was next to go – having averaged below six for the last two seasons, he wasn’t to be missed, and the sale price of 2.6m to Crystal Palace was an excellent piece of business.

Coming the other way were a trio of signings that delighted the fans. Firstly, Bandits youth product Kyle Cox returned, Angus having activated a buyback clause for the attacking midfielder that was previously kept quiet. With the youngster’s CA now 153, his PA of 177 is realistic and he could go on to be a major force.

From there, it got even better, with Pacheco, a right sided Portuguese star, arriving for a club record 20m from Benfica. He looks utterly awesome, and having arrived at 24, with a CA and PA of 179, he instantly became the club’s best player, with time still on his side. It’s fair to say the fans were excited.

If that wasn’t enough, Neil Angus then raided the ‘ones to watch’ list, and snapped up young striker Aaron Lomas, who by the end of the season was still only 22, but saw his CA rise to 169 (it was 152 last year), with an amazing potential of 198. He could turn out to be the best signing the Bandits have ever made, costing 12m from Chelsea, who weren’t playing him – would they regret letting him go?

On July 8 Angus engineered a part exchange, bolstering his goalkeeping group by signing 38 year old Andy Brock, who despite his age still had a CA of 165, just ten short of the PA his once again. Going to Spurs in return was Orazio Greco, who had never made an impression. Angus again showed his cunning, managing to get 3.4m plus Brock for the unwanted wing back, more cash than he originally cost two years previously.

The fans were ecstatic – the squad was getting more talented, and younger at the same time, real stars were being brought in, the best potential the club had ever seen were joining them, and only the dropouts were leaving. Just when they were beginning to pinch themselves, it all suddenly took a turn.

Two days after his last signing, Neil Angus decided that he had had enough of football, and retired with immediate effect, sending shockwaves through the club. The man who was building an empire had left, with no warning whatsoever.

The board acted quickly, by appointing Terry Arthur as new manager. Arthur had been assistant manager nearly two decades ago, before leaving to pursue a managerial career, which hadn’t been a spectacular success. Aged 62 on appointment, he had a CA of 84 and a PA of 114, and by the end of the season, he had turned 63 and dropped to 80 CA. Only a year younger than Angus, he would surely be following his predecessor into retirement before long. Looking at his abilities, the fans wouldn’t mind that eventuality too much.

Terry Arthur

He isn’t as bad as some of those that have come before, with decent coaching abilities and very good tactical knowledge, he is at least a manager. He can also judge a player’s potential, so hopefully will continue the signings of some of the best young players around. The worry is his judgment of a player’s current ability, at just two, which may see him pick entirely the wrong team.

He was to make two sales before the window shut, that of Scott Woods, who had never come near the first team, and Ricardo Forde, a youngster with a lot of talent – the fans were sad to see the Jamaican go. But he left the main starlets – Cox, Gardner, Thomas, Ellis, Lomas – alone, which stands the club in good stead going forward.

He also brought in two players, although they weren’t quite as inspiring as some of Angus’ purchases. Manuel Ackermann is a 26 year old Turkish left back who has reached his peak of just 142, and with such a low ability level did not feature much throughout the season, ending it back on the transfer list. Three million wasted.

David Mulgrew, meanwhile, is more versatile, being able to play a defensive or attacking role in the centre of midfield, or on the list, but again is never going to be a star – the Northern Irish 24 year old is at a CA level of 136, fourteen short of his potential of 150. Again, a waste of 2.1m.

When the window shut, the fans didn’t know what to think. Angus had certainly been a superstar in the transfer market, and it was clear from the early signings of his successor that Arthur had no such talent. But that might not matter with Arthur only having a year or two left in his own career, especially if he can apply his tactical nous to the squad and push them up the table.

After all, Angus hadn’t managed much on the pitch, could Arthur take them to where they should be, or would it be an appointment the board would always regret?

January

January began with some more clearout, and the first to go was Junior Barry, a youngster who was unlikely ever to make it. One time first choice midfielder Fabien Vincent was also allowed to leave after the 32 year old fell out of contention for a place in the team. Ribeiro and Sebastien Ernst, two more unwanted veterans who had gone past 30, were culled from the squad as the average age was reduced further.

As the month came to a close, it appeared that the fans’ worries were misplaced, and Arthur would only get rid of those whose time had passed. Even when Tim van den Berg left, no-one minded too much as the 28 year old midfielder had fallen out of favour.

But then Arthur sold two of the club’s brightest prospects. 21 year old Scottish defender Gregor McGowan has a PA of 179, but the manager failed to spot the youngster’s talents and allowed him to move to QPR for a paltry 1.3m.

And that wasn’t all – another of Neil Angus’ starlet signings would follow McGowan out of the door, 21 year old central midfielder Malcolm Gardner, who despite his PA of 185 was allowed to move to Arsenal for 6m. The Bandits may regret those sales.

Still, they were left with Lomas, Cox, Pacheco and the existing starlets of Ellis and Sayer, so there was still plenty of young talent in the squad. The question was – could Arthur add to it as impressively as Neil Angus would’ve done?

For a long time, it looked like he simply wasn’t interested in signing anyone, but he sprang into life in the final few days of the window. First, he signed 26 year old Welsh defender Steve Beckford from Arsenal, for a healthy 10.5m. With a CA of 169 and a PA of 170, he is certainly a fine defender, but whether he is worth quite that amount is another story. But with the Bandits’ unlimited transfer budget, not many of the fans will complain about signing overpriced players, as long as talent is brought it.

He also raided Arsenal for his second signing, and the name was familiar to Bandits fans everywhere. Paul Thackeray used to ply his trade on the Bandits’ left wing, but left for 12.75m to move to Aston Villa four years ago. Now 28, he returns for 8.75m, with his CA still very healthy, at 162.

On deadline day, Arthur made two more swoops. The first was an long-named Argentine midfielder, Juan Jose Martinez Gutierrez, who sounds exotic but actually isn’t very good. The 29 year old has a CA of 144, only three short of his poor potential.

But the final signing was an excellent one, if again a little overpriced. Said Dompig is a Dutch centre back or central midfielder, although he is more comfortable at the back. At 25, he has plenty of time ahead of him, and has already reached his impressive potential of 170. Arthur once again failed in his bargaining attempts, having to pay PSV 19.5m for him, but fans everywhere would rather have the player than the money.

So all in all, it’s a mixed bag. Angus signed some inspiring players in the summer, before retiring, and Terry Arthur has been a case of good news mixed with bad. He let two really talented kids go, but otherwise left the first team alone, and while a couple of his signings have been poor, he has signed some real talent in Beckford and Dompig especially. Both defenders, this should ensure that from January, the Bandits defence is strong.

So can he apply his tactical expertise to management? Or is his poor record in the top jobs indicative of his true ability?

[kipfizh]

Bandits report - squad

Top 20 in Squad (sorted by CA)

Name, Pos, Age, CA-PA

Pacheco, D/WB/M R, 25, 179-179 – new signing

Martin, ST, 28, 178-178 (-)

Johnstone, GK, 31, 172-173 (-1)

Americo, ST, 26, 172-172 (-)

Fatih, DC, 28, 171-173 (+1)

Dompig, D/M C, 25, 170-170 – new signing

Lomas, ST, 22, 169-198 – new signing

Beckford, SW, DLC, 26, 169-170 – new signing

de Jong, DC, 30, 167-170 (-3)

Finley, ST, 30, 166-169 (-2)

Brock, GK, 38, 165-175 – new signing

Remy, DM, 28, 165-166 (-1)

Stroud, D RLC, 24, 163-177 (+6)

Thackeray, AM L, 28, 162-170 – new signing

Beckham, GK, 31, 160-161 (-1)

Thomas, DC, 22, 159-173 (+4)

Reid, MC, 29, 159-170 (-6)

Mnguni, D/WB L, 33, 154-175 (-5)

Cox, AM RC, 20, 153-177 – new signing

McDermott, ST, 33, 153-159 (-2)

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

Hernandez, AM RL, 31, 158-174 (-5)

van den Berg, AM C, 27, 157-157 (-)

Vincent, MC, 31, 154-181 (-9)

Corradini, D/WB R, 28, 148-167 (-2)

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

Paris, GK, 34, 153-156 (-)

Hansen, D/WB R, 31, 148-172 (-6)

Jones, AM RL, 31, 145-183 (-14)

There are some excellent signings towards the top of the list, with Pacheco, Domig, Lomas and Beckford all having time on their side. Add Americo, Stroud, Thomas and Cox to that list of young players who are years from the declining stage of their careers, and the fact that the rest are hitting the top of the mountain and coming down the other side doesn’t matter quite so much.

Those that have left will not be missed, and if the younger half of the squad is retained, any signings will only push the club forward. Question is – with Angus gone will the right signings be made?

Notable others:

Harper, AM/F C, 16, 109-181 – youth product

Sayer, ST, 20, 137-174 (+12)

Ellis, AM/F C, 18, 118-174 (+17)

With McGowan and Gardner leaving, two of the club’s brightest prospects are now playing their trade elsewhere. But with the re-signing of Cox, and the tremendous new youth product of Harry Harper, there is still cause for optimism. Thomas and Cox are in the top 20, but these three might join them one day.

CA of X or above:

190 : 0 … 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0

180 : 0 … 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0

170 : 0 … 0, 1, 2, 1, 3, 4, 4, 4, 6

160 : 0 … 3, 3, 7, 8, 10, 9, 12, 9, 15

150 : 0 … 17, 15, 19, 16, 21, 20, 19, 19, 21

140 : 0 … 27, 24, 26, 20, 26, 25, 25, 27, 27

130 : 0 … 34, 29, 29, 26, 30, 30, 28, 30, 30

120 : 0 … 36, 30, 32, 28, 31, 30, 29, 34, 30

110 : 0 … 36, 31, 32, 28, 32, 31, 31, 35, 33

100 : 2 … 40, 34, 33, 30, 38, 34, 33, 39, 36

The number of 170+ players is greater than ever before, and Pacheco is only one point short of being included in the 180+ section, and giving the Bandits their first world star. At 160+ they are far stronger, with 15 instead of last season’s nine players. There is no doubt their first team is far stronger than it has been before.

[Bluebeard]

Yep, looking pretty good all told. Thanks for the update Kip! I can't wait to see how Pacheco did in his first season...

[williamshankley]

Blimey what a shock. Angus going and then this Turkey getting the job! He best not sell any more of the starlets

[AB-forever]

Originally posted by kipfizh:

Scouting Knowledge Part 1

Scouting Knowledge Part 2

Thanks

The amount of knowledge they have is quite disappointing but they have a Danish feeder club have they loaned out any players to them?

Why did Angus have to go?

[rubybell_99]

I'm shocked by the poor scouting knowledge as well. Is this typical of a AI "risen from the ranks" team, or is it only typical of a team with a terrible board?

From the scouting knowledge, it looks like they (we) only have two scouts, Chris Graham (who never leaves the Irelands) and Craig Jones (who never leaves Scotland).

This may help to explain the poor academy results. A team of this reputation and budget are probably allowed nine scouts, but only have two!

[Ste93]

Absolutly gutted, yet delighted at the same time, we can only hope the 2 starlets we sold have a buy back price

[Doobyah!?]

ok, this is bad - i'd be preparing for retirement in this world now

[Meitheisman]

A bit sad about Angus departure because I really liked his signings but Arthur's tactical knowledge is good and he still has 15 in judging player potential so he shouldn't do too bad on the transfer market. A bit worrried about the players he'll pick though.

On the scouting knowledge I'm shocked too, this seem really low for one of the richest team in the world. Could you please go check (don't bother with screen shots, I'll take your word for it) if other major teams scouting knowledge is this low or if it's just the Bandits. If every team's knowledge is this low then this should go in the bugs forum (if not already sorted out on FM 08) and if it's just the Bandits then I can't for a board take over...

[mattpiulton]

Shame about Aungus, that Harper looks like amazing home grown talent!

[pjtopor]

Gutted about Angus.

[leonavich]

dissapointed about Forde leaving. being jamaican myself, it really excited me to see one in the squad with a decent future. 22 caps at the age of 21. i hope he eclipses their record for most caps (most likely held by theodore whitmore at 135 or there abouts).

kutgw, and cant wait for the next update

[Mravac Kid]

Originally posted by kipfizh:

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

And finally, a request:

Would it be possible to include their position rating in the "ones to watch" and "world beaters" sections? I think it would be nice how well they're using their ability.

Do you mean the scouting rating FM Genie Scout gives to every player in each position? As in, Maia is a 0.02% midfielder even though he's got 199 CA? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Hmm, not a bad idea at all.

Actually, I meant to just include their top-rated position, so we can see if their high CA is actually being distributed to the right places.

[OrientMartin]

Excellent stuff. Spent the last two days reading through this.

Brilliant stuff Kipfizh i'm eagerly waiting for the next update.

[Truegunner]

I find that quite unrealistioc how a manager retires two days after his last siging, that probably wouldn't happen in real life, but oh well, I wish Terry Arthur luck(although I want him to be sacked!)

I just checked the forum stats:

Most viewed:

1st 286024 What would happen if..(Kipfiz)

2nd 128385 Dafuges take asmall club to a big one challenge

3rd 61458 having problems with FM 08 thread

this thread is the most viewed in this section of the forums, it's even higher then Dafuge's! I have noticed this thread is however only the third most viewed, with Dafuge's having 87 pages! and then Gundo's having 43! still those are impressive figures and Kipfizh should be proud of what he has done.

[5ergio]

You can expect dafuge's and Gundo's to have more pages since people are telling their stories there. I expect dafuge's challenge 08' to past this thread in terms of view since there will be lots of people there talking about stories or legends like Super Kyle

However this does not simplify the magnificent story of Bandits. It's something different, something real maybe to most of us here.

[kipfizh]

Originally posted by AB-forever:

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

Scouting Knowledge Part 1

Scouting Knowledge Part 2

Thanks

The amount of knowledge they have is quite disappointing but they have a Danish feeder club have they loaned out any players to them?

Why did Angus have to go? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

No, they really don't seem to use their feeder clubs at all. Not sure why.

[kipfizh]

Originally posted by rubybell_99:

I'm shocked by the poor scouting knowledge as well. Is this typical of a AI "risen from the ranks" team, or is it only typical of a team with a terrible board?

From the scouting knowledge, it looks like they (we) only have two scouts, Chris Graham (who never leaves the Irelands) and Craig Jones (who never leaves Scotland).

This may help to explain the poor academy results. A team of this reputation and budget are probably allowed nine scouts, but only have two!

They actually have four decent scouts, but it seems they have the same knowledge areas, which don't spread beyond the UK.

As for other clubs, no-one's scouting knowledge is actually that good. Sheff Wed's is about on a par with the Bandits, although historically top club like Chelsea and Arsenal have wider networks.

The main difference between the Bandits level of scouting and others is how far afield they go. Most other top clubs have a little knowledge all across Africa and Asia, albeit small.

[kipfizh]

Originally posted by Meitheisman:

On the scouting knowledge I'm shocked too, this seem really low for one of the richest team in the world. Could you please go check (don't bother with screen shots, I'll take your word for it) if other major teams scouting knowledge is this low or if it's just the Bandits. If every team's knowledge is this low then this should go in the bugs forum (if not already sorted out on FM 08) and if it's just the Bandits then I can't for a board take over...

I must admit I was surprised too, but I have yet to find a team with a dramatically higher scouting knowledge. Theirs is still weak, but others are quite weak too.

I'd be interested in comparing this to the scouting knowledge of Premiership clubs at the start of the game, to see if the scouting talent pool has waned.

[02BAGUNNER]

whats the facebook group?/ can some post the link? I tried searching the bandits but came up with far to many results...

I'm a newbie to this story, only started reading it yesterday... its now 11:45 and I've just finished. My name is 02BAGUNNER, and I'm addicted!

[Young Jimlad]

Found this thread a few days ago and pleased to say I've finally got through it all. Can't imagine the time and effort that has gone into this work but well played all the same.

Despite the initially skewed set-up at the start, and obviously with a club that has been artificially enhanced like the bandits it will remain so to some extent, since the original bandits have retired it has been interesting to see how the game world has developed in terms of team success and player development.

It is particularly the latter of these that is particularly interesting because it shows that nothing is set in stone from CAs and PAs. Maia for instance was supremely talented but either he had hidden stats that failed to allow him to utilize this talent or the game situation he was forced into by the manager of Milan stifled his ability to perform. Its also good to see that there are other factors at work with players having high PAs but not achieving them for whatever reason.

I also find it interesting that there are managers who seem to be able to recognise gaps in their squad, although long-term planning overall does seem to be an issue still.

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?

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?

Anyway, I've bookmarked this and look forward to further updates.

[Meitheisman]

I don't know if favorite formations for managers are linked to their playing careers but that's a very interesting question you raised here. Kipfizh, if you can answer that you'd be a legend... wait, you already are

[Sidnv]

Hi. This topic is amazing. I just read through this in 2 days. I can't wait for the nmext update.

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?

[Sidnv]

Double post ........ but i've found that if Man Utd don't win trophies in their first few seasons they really suffer. Maybe SI think that the loan debt of United is going to cause them problems so its coded into the game as such.

[chopper99]

Originally posted by Sidnv:

Double post ........ but i've found that if Man Utd don't win trophies in their first few seasons they really suffer. Maybe SI think that the loan debt of United is going to cause them problems so its coded into the game as such.

I don't think the loan debt was included in FM07 so this will have had no bearing an Man Utd's downfall in this experiment.

[mattpiulton]

Originally posted by chopper99:

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

Double post ........ but i've found that if Man Utd don't win trophies in their first few seasons they really suffer. Maybe SI think that the loan debt of United is going to cause them problems so its coded into the game as such.

I don't think the loan debt was included in FM07 so this will have had no bearing an Man Utd's downfall in this experiment. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

it was in there.

[homerjnick]

Kipfizh,

Enjoyed your interviee in the Bootroom Part 2.

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

[kipfizh]

Quick one - the next season isn't far off, if I didn't have to keep being at work around midnight because of crazy deadlines it'd be sooner....

[williamshankley]

Can't wait

[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?

[Maviarab]

Hi all, been a while since I graced the halls of this great thread, just taken me 4 hours to get through the latest updates lol.

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

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

Couple bad seasons had me worried but with the appointment of Angus and some amazing signings, even though he has now left us for whatever personal reasons befell him it looks like we are in a strong position for the future campaigns.

Cant wait for the next chapter unfold..love it

[p33n]

Good read.

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.

[5ergio]

Well, as I know Kip has his ideas about an improved version of this experiment but he was not willing to start it till our journey to top of Europe as Bandits occur As I remember, FM09 was mentioned to be the target of the new experiment.

On a side note, I really don't want this to end before we win something BIG