AI Experiment - what would happen if?

[kipfizh]

Originally posted by Suma:

This may seem a weird question.... but how big is your save file and I am guessing its not compressed or is it?

It isn't compressed no, and is actually only 224MB, probably because no league is run on full detail.

[kipfizh]

Originally posted by VonBlade:

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

By the way, hating to be picky but your update should say that Welling became the first non-league club to win the FA Cup since Tottenham in 1901!

Oooh Defoe eh. Man we fleeced Pompey on that one. He's worthless. Ahem.

In other news, Kip is a Gooner so he is probably happy to see our achievement go un-noticed </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Ah, trust a Spurs fan to be clinging on to glory from over a century ago

You're right though, I missed that one, to quote Darren Bent.

[kipfizh]

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 VonBlade:

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

By the way, hating to be picky but your update should say that Welling became the first non-league club to win the FA Cup since Tottenham in 1901!

Oooh Defoe eh. Man we fleeced Pompey on that one. He's worthless. Ahem.

In other news, Kip is a Gooner so he is probably happy to see our achievement go un-noticed </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Ah, trust a Spurs fan to be clinging on to glory from over a century ago

You're right though, I missed that one, to quote Darren Bent. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Oh, and Jenas

Ramos is a decent coach, but he hasn't yet learnt that you should never ever give an Englishman a crucial penalty.....

[kipfizh]

Originally posted by valencia:

what was the secret of Leeds' emergence? you said they had a well-balanced squad?

Yeah, there are short of stars, but have a well rounded squad without obvious weakness. They also didn't suffer much in the way of injuries this season, but I'd be surprised to see them maintain their fine form.

[kipfizh]

Originally posted by Meitheisman:

I think I remember reading somewhere that if your bank balance hits 2.3 billion GBP then it switches to negative and you get into admin. It had something to do with the number of diggits allowed in a line of code iirc.

2^31 = 2,147,483,648 - I believe that's the number.

Chelsea are closest with 1,604,531,560, so a little over 500m short of the marker, or about 15 years perhaps.

The Bandits are second, but their balance of 550,702,770 is not even close to being dangerous.

So only Chelsea are in trouble. Ha!

[kipfizh]

Detail Level

Right, now on to the real issue. Thank you very much for all your replies, it was excellent to come back to the thread and see so many reasoned arguments.

You've helped me make the decision, which is to leave the detail level as it is for this experiment, as upping it would essentially make this an entirely new experiment, as previous acts, records and performances would be incomparable.

And if I'm going to effectively reset the experiment, I might as well start Bandits II, and I'm not ready to do that just yet.

So it will be part of the FM09 experiment, but this one is staying exactly as it is.

Once again, thanks for your input

[cms186]

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 cms186:

\0/ for Forest reaching the Prem, do they have any star players?

They don't no, and team-wise they ended the season ranked as the ninth best team in the Championship. The manager is also no star, so they may struggle. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

oh

[dirty1982dec]

Originally posted by dirty1982dec:

kip, can i ask for a league records screenie for the epl please. cheers

sorry to harp on and all, but i'd love to see what difference 40 years makes

[kipfizh]

European Championships Preview - 2052

Hosts: Norway

Holders: Portugal

Pre-tournament predictions

Germany once again have a large amount of stars, but haven’t impressed in a major tournament for a long time now, and I don’t expect that to change. Italy, on the other hand, might have a real chance with the form of Fabrizio Bucci, while France will be hard to break down with Charton in goal.

Also, watch for Scotland, two time world champions, and England, who do after all have five 180+ players. Those two, Italy and France are my semi final picks, with Italy beating France in the final. For dark horses look no further than Turkey, with Abdulkadir joined by midfielder Demir Ekinci as their stars.

World beaters

For once, all of the world beaters will be taking part in the tournament, and for five different countries.

Fabrizio Bucci (Inter/Italy, 26, 199/199, Target Striker: 76.15%)

Umit Abdulkadir (Real Madrid/Turkey, 27, 199/199, Fast Striker: 79.08%)

Sergey Sergienko (Inter/Russia, 28, 193/193, Midfielder: 71.62%)

Gillaume Charton (Lyon/France, 25, 191/194, Goalkeeper: 71.82%)

Bjorn Strand (West Ham/Norway, 29, 183/193, Fast Striker: 82.07%)

Ones to watch

Quite a few of the younger ones are not selected for the summer tournament, barring a late call up, but there are still some to watch.

Carlo Lupo (Barcelona/Italy, 36, 112/198, Centre Back: 63.76%) – not selected

Hugues Guichard (Bayern Munich/France, 30, 167/195, Target Striker: 77.28%)

Ante Bacic (Barcelona/Croatia, 30, 173/189, Centre Back: 71.98%) – did not qualify

Reiner Helbig (Barcelona/Germany, 26, 186/199, Midielder: 74.36%)

Leonardo (Internacional/Brazil, 25, 185/185, Fast Striker: 76.60%) – ineligible country

Peter Schulz (Bayern Munich/Germany, 27, 180/188, Target Striker: 76.48%)

Joe Galloway (West Ham/England, 25, 183/190, Full Back: 78.61%)

Juan Perez (Real Madrid/Mexico, 22, 188/194, Winger: 79.00%) – ineligible country

Aaron Lomas (Tottenham/England, 23, 178/198, Target Striker: 78.04%) – not selected

Primoz Kercmar (Lyon/Slovenia, 23, 173/190, Midfielder: 64.01%) – did not qualify

Graham Thomas (Sunderland/England, 21, 172/198, Centre Back: 74.52%)

Francisco Javier Rua (Chelsea/Spain, 23, 172/192, Winger: 73.07%) – not selected

Andre Luis (Sheff Wed/Brazil, 21, 159/198, Attacking Midfielder: 69.79%) – ineligible country

Raymond van Dijk (Chelsea/Holland, 20, 152/195, Full Back: 74.43%) – not selected

Roberio (Flamengo/Brazil, 18, 122/198, Winger: 63.86%) – ineligible country

Olivier Texier (Lille/France, 19, 120/199, Winger: 58.27%) – not selected

[kipfizh]

Originally posted by dirty1982dec:

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by dirty1982dec:

kip, can i ask for a league records screenie for the epl please. cheers

sorry to harp on and all, but i'd love to see what difference 40 years makes </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Well, Lincoln certainly eclipsed Sunderland as 'worst team ever in the Premiership':

Premiership Records

[dirty1982dec]

it's amazing to think that some records haven't been broken in a long time. cheers kip

[cms186]

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 dirty1982dec:

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by dirty1982dec:

kip, can i ask for a league records screenie for the epl please. cheers

sorry to harp on and all, but i'd love to see what difference 40 years makes </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Well, Lincoln certainly eclipsed Sunderland as 'worst team ever in the Premiership':

Premiership Records </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

srange how none of the bandits are in the player records, and noone has ever scored more than 4 goals in a mach either!! good old Robbie Keane

[Scotty Walds]

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 Scotty Walds:

Kip... how would you feel if I put all your updates into a blog? bendysbandits.com or something

Would be easier to look back on that on the forums

Of course, feel free </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Good stuff, I'll see what I can do over the weekend

[Scotty Walds]

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 dirty1982dec:

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by dirty1982dec:

kip, can i ask for a league records screenie for the epl please. cheers

sorry to harp on and all, but i'd love to see what difference 40 years makes </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Well, Lincoln certainly eclipsed Sunderland as 'worst team ever in the Premiership':

Premiership Records </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

How many points did they get?

[Meitheisman]

Oh and Kipfizh, you wouldn't be coming to NYC by any chance? If you are and have some spare time I'd be more than happy to buy you a drink for all the joy you've provided me

Wrong coast I'm afraid - I'm in San Diego Thanks anyway!

Yep, that's a bit far, as much as I like beer I wouldn't travel accross the US for it.

Oh and the Bandits' biggest victory ever is actually not that bad since the EPL record after 45 seasons is only 6-0.

[DefoesRightBoot]

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 kipfizh:

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

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

By the way, hating to be picky but your update should say that Welling became the first non-league club to win the FA Cup since Tottenham in 1901!

Oooh Defoe eh. Man we fleeced Pompey on that one. He's worthless. Ahem.

In other news, Kip is a Gooner so he is probably happy to see our achievement go un-noticed </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Ah, trust a Spurs fan to be clinging on to glory from over a century ago

You're right though, I missed that one, to quote Darren Bent. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Oh, and Jenas

Ramos is a decent coach, but he hasn't yet learnt that you should never ever give an Englishman a crucial penalty..... </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Was there any need for that kip? It might well be a fair point, but it HURTS!

Great to see Keano hanging on to that record, I suspect it's been equalled quite a few times though as the game only updates the record if it's actually beaten IIRC.

[kipfizh]

Originally posted by cms186:

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

Premiership Records

srange how none of the bandits are in the player records, and noone has ever scored more than 4 goals in a mach either!! good old Robbie Keane </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Actually, they are, but it isn't obvious. Initially, I gave the Bandits real names, but during the first season realised this was going to cause confusion, so nicknamed them al. Candlin, the oldest player, is actually Goalkeeper 1, and Beazley, the top scorer and performer in a season, is Striker 4.

[kipfizh]

The Bandits board does not have a lot of patience. Before the European Championships even began, they fired Mark Nicholson for his league position, despite the League Cup triumph.

That's the bad news.

The good news is that they've hired a decent replacement. James Reynolds came from Villa, and at 55 may have an unimpressive CA of 99 (PA of 106), but his stats are well distributed:

James Reynolds

He has the same motivational problems of many of his predecessors, but he is a decent coach and an excellent scout, two of the vital components of a Bandit manager.

Villa didn't do too badly either, replacing Reynolds with Welling's stunningly talented manager. Why didn't the board think of that?

[Scott1990]

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 cms186:

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

Premiership Records

srange how none of the bandits are in the player records, and noone has ever scored more than 4 goals in a mach either!! good old Robbie Keane </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Actually, they are, but it isn't obvious. Initially, I gave the Bandits real names, but during the first season realised this was going to cause confusion, so nicknamed them al. Candlin, the oldest player, is actually Goalkeeper 1, and Beazley, the top scorer and performer in a season, is Striker 4. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Haha I was wondering about that. I was like "Wow, this Beazley must be a really good regen..."

Euro prediction: France over England in PKs

[Meitheisman]

Nicholson fired

Reynolds tactical knowledge: 3

And I was hoping for a title challenge next season, I'm vastly depressed literally minutes before my WE starts. Thanks Kipfizh

[AB-forever]

Why the f*** does James Reynolds have scouting knowledge of Slovakia?

And it's a little stupid that the Bandits didn't hire Welling's manager

[kipfizh]

European Championship Review - 2052

Group Stage

Spain dominated Group A, cruising to top place, while Turkey again flattered to deceive, finishing bottom without scoring. The remaining spot was a battle between two of the regular surprise teams at the business end of tournaments – Belgium and Scotland. The Scots had lost to Spain but beaten Turkey, while Belgium had drawn with both to sit a point behind. It was Scotland who would edge through, thanks to an 89th minute equaliser in their decider, drawing 1-1 to send Belgium home.

Group B, the real group of death, featured some of the favourites – Germany, France, Holland and Russia fought it out, and while it was expected to be competitive, it was over early. Peter Schulz was prolific for Germany in their wins over Russia and France, while Wesley van Grinsven did the same for Holland. After two games, France and Russia, complete with two of the five world stars, were going home. Holland ended up winning the group after beating Germany in the decider, while France condemned Russia to bottom place as a small consolation to them.

England ran riot in Group C, winning all three games, and scoring eight goals without reply, while Bulgaria sat at the bottom with three defeats. Norway and Portugal battled it out for the second spot, and went into the last game separated by goal difference, Portugal having the edge. Two goals from Bandit Americo then fired Portugal through in the decider, and sent another world star in Bjorn Strand home.

In Group D, Italy were putting down a marker, Fabrizio Bucci scoring in all three victories as they topped the group, ahead of the Czech Republic. Romania and Denmark never threatened to qualify.

Quarter Finals

The group stages had ripped their hearts out of the world beaters, with Charton, Sergienko, Abdulkadir and Strand all making early exits, and leaving behind only Italy’s Bucci. France were the major casualties, but the quarter final lineup was strong.

Germany were the next big nation to go out, their four world stars unable to stop them going out to a solitary goal, scored by Bandit Javier Esteban Martin, for Spain.

World champions Scotland then followed them, losing 3-2 on penalties after a dull goalless draw with Holland that saw little action at either end.

In the third quarter final, a man of the match performance by the Czech keeper held England to a 1-1 draw, and the underdogs then knocked England, and their five world stars, out with an extra time goal.

Portugal were looking to complete the set of shocks against Italy, and held them to a goalless draw, before taking the lead early in extra time, before Italy equalised to take the tie to penalties. Bucci missed his opening spot kick, and Italy were always one behind until the fifth penalty, where Portugal missed a kick that would’ve seen them through. Eventually, the eleventh penalty split the teams, Italy’s keeper Sereni scoring and then saving from his opposite number to sneak his country through.

[kipfizh]

Semi Finals

Italy’s semi final against Spain was almost a repeat of their Portuguese experience. It required another shootout after a goalless draw, and again Bucci missed early to hand the Spaniards an advantage. Once again though, they were saved when Spain missed their fifth. Into sudden death though, and Italy missed penalty seven, and were not saved this time. Yet again, the last world beater would fall and not win a major international trophy. Spain were in the final.

The other semi ended in the fourth shootout of the tournament, after another goalless draw. The penalties were straightforward though, with the Czech Rep easily beating a Dutch side who missed three of four.

It would be a Spain-Czech final, but after a semi final week with no goals, the neutrals were just hoping for some action.

Final

If the neutrals wanted entertainment, they would be disappointed in the final, with the Czech Rep failing to muster a single shot on goal in the entire match. Eventually, Spain put them out of their misery, with a goal three minutes from time sealing a 1-0 win.

It had been one of the dullest tournaments in recent memory, the excitement of the quarter final shocks seeming a long time ago. Spain won, but by the end did anyone care?

Javier Esteban Martin cared. He may not have come on in the final, but he became the first Bandit to win a major international medal. Even compatriot and now club teammate Eduardo Castillejo didn’t manage that.

[kipfizh]

World Cup Report Card – World Beaters

Fabrizio Bucci (Inter/Italy, 26, 199/199, Target Striker: 76.15%)

(5 games, 7.40 average rating, 3 goals)

Bucci’s tournament couldn’t have started better, with him scoring in the opening minute of the first game, and he went on to notch a goal in the other two group games too. But he went missing in the knockout stages, also missing penalties in both shoot outs. He needed to do more.

Grade: C+

Umit Abdulkadir (Real Madrid/Turkey, 27, 199/199, Fast Striker: 79.08%)

(3 games, 7.00 average rating)

Complete nothing. He never had a particularly bad game, but never looked like scoring either, and for such an incredible striker, that is unforgivable. Without him threatening, Turkey whimpered out.

Grade: D

Sergey Sergienko (Inter/Russia, 28, 193/193, Midfielder: 71.62%)

(3 games, 6.67 average rating)

Complete rubbish. Russia’s captain needed to dominate from central midfield, but was overrun repeatedly as his country lost all three matches and went out.

Grade: D-

Gillaume Charton (Lyon/France, 25, 191/194, Goalkeeper: 71.82%)

(3 games, 7.33 average rating)

France had a disastrous campaign, losing to Holland and Germany before gaining a meaningless consolation win over Russia. In reality though, Charton played superbly to keep the score down to 3-0 against Holland, and only conceded one goal after that. Personally, he was fine, but his teammates let him down badly.

Grade: C+

Bjorn Strand (West Ham/Norway, 29, 183/193, Fast Striker: 82.07%)

(3 games, 7.00 average rating)

Read Abdulkadir’s report - this should be a copy-paste job. He never looked like scoring, blah blah blah. Not good enough for a man with his international future drifting away.

Grade: D

World Cup Report Card – Bandits

Bayram Fatih (Turkey, 29, 172/173, Centre Back: 73.66%)

(3 games, 7.33 average rating)

Played well in the opening draw with Belgium, but struggled to hold together an otherwise poor Turkish team.

Grade: C+

Americo (Portugal, 27, 172/172, Fast Striker: 74.35%)

(4 games, 7.25 average rating, 2 goals)

Started slowly against Bulgaria and England, but in the group qualification decider with Norway, it was his two goals that saw Portugal through. They lost on penalties to Italy, but he scored his, and can be satisfied with his work.

Grade: B-

David Schweinsteiger (Germany, 28, 173/173, Attacking Midfielder: 76.89%)

(4 games, 6.75 average rating, 1 goal)

Scored in the opening win against France, but after that struggled to make any sort of impact from midfield.

Grade: C-

Javier Esteban Martin (Spain, 29, 178/178, Fast Striker: 74.46%)

(2 games, 7.50 average rating, 1 goal)

Struggled to get into the side, and didn’t feature at all in the group stage, but when called upon to start the quarter final with Germany, rose to the occasion and scored the only goal. Came on as a sub in the semi, and while not an integral part of the team, did his bit and takes home a winner’s medal.

Grade: B

Said Dompig (Holland, 26, 170/170, Midfielder: 71.28%)

(5 games, 6.80 average rating, 1 assist)

Started poorly with 6s in his two opening games, but came alive with a man of the match performance against Germany. Took part in a winning shootout and a losing one in the knockout stages, but he scored his penalties on both occasions and should not be blamed for their eventual exit.

Grade: C

Tom Finley (England), Paul Thackeray (England) and Jonas Haaland (Norway) also made the squad but not the team.

World Cup Report Card – Ones to watch

Hugues Guichard (Bayern Munich/France, 30, 167/195, Target Striker: 77.28%)

(2 games, 7.00 average rating, 1 goal)

Didn’t play in the opening defeat, did in the next one and played badly, before improving and scoring in the dead rubber at the end. A poor likely end to his distinguished international career.

Grade: C-

Reiner Helbig (Barcelona/Germany, 26, 186/199, Midielder: 74.36%)

(4 games, 6.75 average rating, 1 goal, 2 assists)

Started very well, getting an 8 and two assists in the opening game against Russia, scored another in the final group game, but played poorly in the other two matches. A real up and down tournament.

Grade: C

Peter Schulz (Bayern Munich/Germany, 27, 180/188, Target Striker: 76.48%)

(4 games, 7.25 average rating, 3 goals)

Scored twice in the opening match, and again in the second, as he guaranteed Germany a place in the knockout stages. But then he went missing with two anonymous performances as his country crashed out.

Grade: B-

Joe Galloway (West Ham/England, 25, 183/190, Full Back: 78.61%)

(4 games, 8.00 average rating, 1 assist)

Opened with a man of the match performance from full back, getting a nine against Norway, before bettering it, getting a ten and another man of the match against Portugal, picking up an assist on the way. Was injured early in the final group game and was forced to be a substitute in the quarter finals. It would be unfair to judge him on those two matches as to begin with, he was awesome.

Grade: A-

Graham Thomas (England) made the squad but never played.

[crewe_york]

World Cup Report Card – World Beaters

Isn't this the European Championship? lol

[Phil Macklam]

Kip for the season review could you let us know for this season how Welling did in their defence of the FA Cup and how they did in the UEFA Cup?

[DefoesRightBoot]

I'm starting to think that the "World Beaters" section should be renamed, as none of them ever seem to beat Europe, let alone the world!

[Jonzii]

Originally posted by Phil Macklam:

Kip for the season review could you let us know for this season how Welling did in their defence of the FA Cup and how they did in the UEFA Cup?

I think Kip said he would be following Wellings progress next season.

[Alurny]

Originally posted by Jonzii:

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

Kip for the season review could you let us know for this season how Welling did in their defence of the FA Cup and how they did in the UEFA Cup?

I think Kip said he would be following Wellings progress next season. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Good to hear

[dirty1982dec]

Originally posted by kipfizh:

The Bandits board does not have a lot of patience. Before the European Championships even began, they fired Mark Nicholson for his league position, despite the League Cup triumph.

That's the bad news.

The good news is that they've hired a decent replacement. James Reynolds came from Villa, and at 55 may have an unimpressive CA of 99 (PA of 106), but his stats are well distributed:

James Reynolds

He has the same motivational problems of many of his predecessors, but he is a decent coach and an excellent scout, two of the vital components of a Bandit manager.

Villa didn't do too badly either, replacing Reynolds with Welling's stunningly talented manager. Why didn't the board think of that?

another opportunity missed by the board.

oh well, i'm a bandit through and through, so optimism strikes again

[JRHaggs]

I'm afraid I'm not feeling very optimistic about the new managerial hire. Poor Nicholson. Seems like he made all the right moves, only to be cut adrift by our fickle board. At least he put all the pieces in place. Hopefully, Reynolds won't sell too many critical players. At least he seems to have good player analysis attributes. The rest is pretty concerning, though.

Man, though, would've been nice to pick up Deakin.

Here's to hoping.

[kipfizh]

Updates coming, and panic not, Nicholson and Reynolds are similar styles of manager, and while Reynolds may not be quite as good, he will still try to build a squad in the right way. I think the scouting attributes are the number one stat for Bandit managers.

Incidentally, can I point you in the direction of the Bootroom Issue 3...?

[url:http://community.sigames.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/521102691/m/1332081683]Bootroom Issue 3[/url]

There might just be a chance in there for you to prove how much better at DB editing you are than me

[/plug]

Oh, and the whole magazine is a cracking read

[kipfizh]

Try again:

Bootroom Issue 3

[The Lambs]

Another relatively poor manager, I wonder if the ability to choose a manager is a reflection of the stats of the chairman or board members?

I know i am playing FM08, but a quick scan of my premiership managers has the followings CA and PA results in the 2014/15 season.

Stat CA PA

+190 0 0

+180 1 2

+170 0 4

+160 5 9

+150 8 3

+140 4 1

+130 1 0

The league position almost directly linked to the managers CA, with only one exception, the CA180 manager was in a mid table position.

I have to search in Championship teams before I find any managers lower than 120CA, and then there are only 6 of them, with the lowest manager on 108CA in the relegation zone.

I wonder if this is a problem of low quality regen managers on FM07?

[williamshankley]

Poor Nicholson. Perhaps this new boss might still lead us up there Very Fickle board though

[Mravac Kid]

Originally posted by DefoesRightBoot:

I'm starting to think that the "World Beaters" section should be renamed, as none of them ever seem to beat Europe, let alone the world!

Heh, I was just thinking that... considering the number of world beaters, and the strength and reputation of their teams, they certainly have a very poor track record when it comes to lifting cups.

I guess it just goes to show a good, balanced team can do far more than a star or two without solid support.

[snootyjim]

Well if your time is running short, and time for the Bandits 2 is running short, then I think an accelerated future would be fantastic.

We could forget about most of the outside world, just see how the bandits do in their competitions, who they sign, who leaves, and see whether they actually ever manage to win the Premiership

[henryzz]

Originally posted by Mravac Kid:

Heh, I was just thinking that... considering the number of world beaters, and the strength and reputation of their teams, they certainly have a very poor track record when it comes to lifting cups.

I guess it just goes to show a good, balanced team can do far more than a star or two without solid support.

unfortunately the england football team always goes for stars

[ThfcJoe]

Good to see Robbie Keane having a 45 year old record

[dirty1982dec]

Originally posted by ThfcJoe:

Good to see Robbie Keane having a 45 year old record

[StewartJRobertson]

Been a while since we had an update. Im in need of a Bandits fix!!

[DefoesRightBoot]

Agree, almost 10 days since kipfizh posted... is this a record?!?!

Guess things are a bit busy over Easter hols kip?

[redUTDgoose]

finally i have caught up. i thought it would have been finsihed by page 32! now i am able to join the hoardes eagerly awaiting an update instead of scrolling down faster! happy days. i started this on Tuesday 25th March and consequently havent done much work, but feel very enlightened with regards to my FM games!

Brilliant work Kip.

[kipfizh]

(And we're back, both here and back in the UK!)

Season 2052-53

Bandits report - Transfers

Transfers In

Transfers Out

After a season with Mark Nicholson at the helm, seeing various decent signings come into the club and a third League Cup won, the board were still unhappy with him, largely due to an eight game league losing streak that put paid to a very promising title campaign. The eventual finish of ninth was disappointing, but the rest of the season had been so good and the signings so promising that the fans wanted the young manager to keep his job.

But the fans don’t make the decisions, and early into the close season Nicholson was fired. The favourite for the job, James Reynolds, was quickly hired, and had had a good record at Aston Villa, where he spent four years establishing them in the Premiership. A similar manager to Nicholson in that his main skill is spotting players, and in fact does this even better than his predecessor. The downside is that his motivational and tactical skills are extremely poor, although the assistant manager’s 17 for tactical knowledge should at least alleviate this.

Summer

It was destined to be a summer of major upheaval, with Reynolds quickly busy in the transfer market. First came the sales, as some of the club’s best, but peaked players, began to leave for big money. Vukasin Hadziburic, the 27 year Serbian central midfielder who had arrived only last year for 8m and had played very well in his debut season, moved to West Ham for a whopping 19.25m, a huge profit in just twelve months. West Ham would look foolish, Hadziburic struggling at his new club.

The second sale hurt more. Pacheco had given the club one excellent year of service, before missing his second season through a damaging cruciate ligament rupture. Despite the fitness risk, Liverpool were willing to offer 25m for him, an offer the Bandits decided was too good to refuse. Like Hadziburic before him, Pacheco would struggle badly at Liverpool, sparking rumours that the 27 year old isn’t the player he once was. He seems s star though, just badly out of form. Expect him to return to his best.

Next to go was first choice right winger Robbie Clark, also moving to West Ham, the sale price of 13.25m bringing about a three million profit on his purchase last year. Now 28, he was another who couldn’t replicate his Bandits form with his new club. Had the Bandits stolen 30m from West Ham?

There was one more sale before Reynolds turned his attention to those coming in. Mustafa de Jong had given six excellent years of service in central defence, but now 32, an offer of 7.5m from Spurs was a bit too good to turn down, and he was off.

The fans were concerned, but curious. Four sales had been made, all of first team players, but all four were at their peak or after it, it wasn’t as if Reynolds was getting rid of the promising kids. If he could replace them with younger talent, they might be impressed. If his signings were weak, they were in trouble.

First to arrive was 23 year old Northern Ireland international keeper Tony McParland, who was showing promise at Arsenal, but with them relegated last season the Bandits saw and opportunity and swooped, paying 4.1m for his services. He would go on to become the club’s first choice keeper, and with a CA of 163 and a PA of 173 he looked good.

The next man to arrive raised some excited eyebrows. Michael Messner is an Austrian striker who would only turn 24 at the very end of the season, and already had an international record of twenty goals in twenty games. He is a pure and deadly finisher, as he has been proving at QPR, and when the Bandits snapped him up for 11.75m, the fans were delighted. A CA of 170 could rise to 175.

The third signing was a rare cheap one, Uruguayan right winger Gustavo Rodriguez arriving form his hometown club of Defensor Sporting. Costing just 150k, his signing looks incredible, his PA of 184 making the fee look miniscule. At just 20 years of age, he had every chance of getting there, with a CA already at 159. He looks quite the talent.

Behind him at right back came Oliver Gomez, a Spanish right back who at 28 is already at his peak. His CA of 163 is now never going to reach his PA of 180, and at 4.1m is a squad player.

Realising that the set of strikers at the club were old, Reynolds bought another youngster, paying Coventry 2.2m for 20 year old Tom Barton, who began the season unknown before ending it anything but. He may only have a CA of 145, but his PA of 185 is exceptional, and he spent the season on loan at Fulham, scoring 17 goals in 30 appearances in the Championship. He made quite an impact in his England Under 21 debut too, his only international appearance to date. Coming on as a substitute against Germany, in a European Under 21 Championship qualifying playoff, the tie was delicately poised going into extra time. In that period though, he put the German kids to the sword, scoring a mesmerising hattrick to send England to the tournament. Watch this one, he’s a talent.

Reynolds had one more signing up his sleeve before the summer was out. Having sold two right sided players, he realized the weakness and spent 17.25m on wing back or winger Simon Russell, who arrived from Aston Villa. At 27, his PA was still a fantastic 184, but his CA was only 159, suggesting that he doesn’t have the ability or determination to make the most of his immense talent. The price looked overly high.

But overall, it had been an interesting summer, and one of serious transition. Some of the best players at the club had moved on, to be replaced by younger versions, some with some serious talent.

Was the team stronger or weaker than before? And could the club survive a transitional season, before some of the most promising youngsters find their feet?

January

After a transitional summer, Reynolds was again allowed to tinker with his squad in January. And tinker he did.

33 year old right back Steen Hansen, a veteran of eight and a half seasons at the Bandits, finally moved on, joining Sochaux for 45k, while the only major sale was centre back Bayram Fatih, who again was playing well but had turned 30. Leeds offered 8.75m for him, and he was allowed to leave.

And that was it for sales, so the fans turned their attentions to the men Reynolds was bringing in.

First to arrive was hot Argentinian prospect Jose Javier Velga, a 24 year old left wing back with extraordinary technical abilities. His CA of 160 still has plenty of chance to improve, especially with an impressive PA of 178. His scouted rating of 76.01% for a wing back is second in the squad only to David Schweinsteiger, and he can still get better. He cost 10.75m from Liverpool.

Next to arrive was 25 year old centre back Shaun Rowntree, with Reynolds paying Arsenal 7.25m for him. His CA of 169 could still rise up to 177 to make him another outstanding prospect.

Signing number three was another arrival from Liverpool, and another centre back – England international Peter Griffin, a 26 year old whose CA of 168 wasn’t far from his potential of 174.

And the final signing proved that Liverpool have now officially become the Bandits’ feeder club, as they let the Bandits snap up one of their hottest young talents. The fee was 14.75m, and the player was 20 year old left winger Tony Harris, whose potential of 178 would surely be reached, as his CA was already 169.

If the summer left the fans wondering whether they had strengthened or weakened, January left them in no doubt. Sure, one more centre back had left, but two had arrived, with the left side also heavily strengthened with a wing back and winger.

Could this finally mean that a season of success was upon them? Or would the team take a while to gel and cause another good manager to lose his job?

[kipfizh]

Bandits report - squad

Top 20 in Squad (sorted by CA)

Name, Pos, Age, CA-PA

Haaland, D/WB RL, 30, 177-188 (+1)

Johnstone, GK, 33, 171-173 (-)

Messner, ST, 24, 170-175 – new signing

Schweinsteiger, AM/F C, 29, 170-173 (-3)

Dompig, D/M C, 27, 170-170 (-)

Harris, AM L, 20, 169-178 – new signing

Rowntree, DC, 25, 169-177 – new signing

Griffin, DC, 26, 168-174 – new signing

Martin, ST, 30, 166-178 (-12)

Hals, DC, 23, 166-171 (+5)

Simon, SW/D LC, 31, 166-166 (-)

Basile, MC, 26, 165-185 (+1)

Americo, ST, 28, 165-172 (-7)

Gomez, DR, 28, 163-180 – new signing

McParland, GK, 23, 163-173 – new signing

Pollard, MC, 23, 162-177 (+1)

Velga, D/WB L, 24, 160-178 – new signing

Cook, D/WB R, 22, 160-170 – new signing

Beckham, GK, 33, 160-161 (-)

Rodriguez, AM R, 20, 159-184 – new signing

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

Pacheco, D/WB/M R, 26, 179-179

Fatih, DC, 29, 172-173

Hadziburic, DM, 26, 172-179

de Jong, DC, 31, 168-170

Clark, AM R, 27, 167-179

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

Halonen, GK, 22, 159-171 (+3)

Thackeray, AM L, 30, 149-170 (-11)

Finley, ST, 32, 140-169 (-18)

Castillejo, ST, 33, 131-198 (-26)

This is definitely a transitional season. Five excellent talents were let go, but all of them were at their peak or beyond it. Coming the other way are a bunch of younger players, who may not be quite as good as those they have replaced, but can make it. A bit of long term planning seems to be going on here.

The overall strength of the top 20 has gone up though, as shown by keeper Halonen, who improved by three points but still dropped off the list.

Notable others:

Barton, ST, 20, 145-185 – new signing

Harper, AM/F C, 18, 143-181 (+12)

Sayer, ST, 22, 154-174 (+5)

Ellis, AM/F C, 20, 142-174 (+15)

The three existing starlets – Harper, Sayer and Ellis – all improve, while Tom Barton looks a real prospect and a stunning signing. Harris and Rodriguez are other fantastic talents aged just 20, but both are already in the top 20, above.

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 … 2, 1, 3, 4, 4, 4, 6, 9, 5

160 : 0 … 7, 8, 10, 9, 12, 9, 15, 17, 19

150 : 0 … 19, 16, 21, 20, 19, 19, 21, 23, 25

140 : 0 … 26, 20, 26, 25, 25, 27, 27, 29, 33

130 : 0 … 29, 26, 30, 30, 28, 30, 30, 32, 35

120 : 0 … 32, 28, 31, 30, 29, 34, 30, 35, 36

110 : 0 … 32, 28, 32, 31, 31, 35, 33, 37, 39

100 : 2 … 33, 30, 38, 34, 33, 39, 36, 38, 41

With some of the peaked players sold on, the number of 170+ players drops from nine to five, but below that there is much better news, with the number of 160+ players now at record levels. The encouraging thing is that so many of those players are not yet at their best.

The star players are weaker, but the squad depth is stronger and the age is much younger. Can the transition be a success?

[VonBlade]

Wow. There is a manager who knows how to buy players. Some epic world-talent coming into the club. If his poor management skills can be overcome enough to survive the first season of settling in, the second should be monumentous.

Or will he suffer from the weight of expectation that massive signings bring? Could be a barnburner.

VB

[Meitheisman]

Yeah the signings look good and promising but why do we sell stars at their peak? It's not like the Bandits need the money, we might as well keep them until their CA drops below first team material.

[VonBlade]

It is an element of the game that's still not 'right'. I've had multiple sales of players, even with an completely un-interfering chairman and huge bank balance. A quick look around the league shows all sorts of players going for reasonable money, when there was no need to sell them.

Perhaps the Chairman being unambitious lends pressure onto the manager to keep the books ticking over? Perhaps the manager has a Defoe thing going on and the player just doesn't fit? Perhaps the player is Chad Johnson and doesn't want to fit? Perhaps I should stop using examples from my supported teams

VB

[pjtopor]

The problem with all this managerial upheaval is they doom themselves. Manager comes in, buys his players, sells some regulars who don't mesh with his style, team gels and gets out of gate slowly, leading to manager buying more in winter, re-queue consolidation, winning streak late isn't enough to save managers job, manager gets sacked, wash, rinse, repeat.

Hopefully the new manager succeeds where others have failed, but really, I think the Bandits won't win the league til they keep a manager around a couple years.

[cms186]

i want to know if Forest stayed up