kipfizh Posted July 10, 2007 Author Share Posted July 10, 2007 Team analysis Goalkeepers Last summer, it appeared that Rob Spellman and Ben Abbott, the two main keepers, was leave. But Spellman (29, 150/150) signed a new contract, while Gamble, aware that his keepers could be leaving, signed James Wade (21, 153/164). The two split the playing time, and left the slot completely sewn up. Summary: After last season’s worries, the Bandits now have healthy competition for places. Spellman plays fractionally more, but will surely hand the gloves over to Wade in time. Defenders Martin Stevens (27, 125/125) remains the first choice left back, despite the signing of David Boyce (25, 142/151). Neither are playing particularly well. Keith Hatch (30, 137/148) remains the pick at right back, but is not greatly impressing, and his CA is now fading away. Behind him, there is little competition, with Neil Mitchell (32, 109/121), the man Hatch replaced, aging and not good enough anymore. Last season, there were three centre backs vying for a place, but only Matt Nicholson (22, 137/153) remains first choice. Alongside him, last season’s upcomer Jon Robbins (22, 139/149) plays. It’s a young partnership, and one that could flourish in time. At the moment, they are a little inexperienced and struggling. But with the competition aging or not good enough, no-one else gets a look in. The next starlet is Scott Tillen (19, 117/148) who will look for some first team action next season. Summary: If David Boyce can step in at left back, that spot should be sealed, but a new right back is required with the current occupants aging. In the centre, there is plenty of young talent, they just need to be kept. Midfielders Ryan Stephens (30, 118/119) remains first choice on the left wing, but is particularly unspectacular. The trouble is, there is absolutely no competition for his place. On the other flank, Perrin left on the Bosman ruling, and was replaced by Scott Nicholson (29, 136/136), and with an average over 7 is proving to be an astute signing. He may only be a short term plan though, and some young talent would be ideal. In the centre, Colin Harris (22, 148/157) was again awful, but at least his 6.47 average eclipsed last season’s dismal 6.22. The trouble is he is a defensive anchor, but being asked to play too attacking a role. At least he now has a decent partner, after Bobby Mackie (29, 150/156) was signed for a club record 4.9m. With the backups aging and far behind the standard of the pair, injuries would be disastrous. Summary: The Bandits are in a similar position to last summer – needing to strengthen the midfield. Stephens is not good enough a left winger to help them challenge for promotion, he is aging, and he has no backup, while on the right, Nicholson will be fine for a couple of years, but no more. The two in the centre are fine, but have no backup. Signings are required across the whole midfield. Strikers Mark Bartley, star of the last two seasons, left in the summer, leaving just Rob O’Neill (23, 145/148) as a first choice striker, but the Irishman has a superb season, scoring 20 goals. Alongside him, Pat Mike (31, 112/112) stepped into the breach, coming back as first choice for the first time since the Bandits won promotion three years ago. He proved he could still cut it, as the club’s top scorer with 23 goals. Paul Leary (25, 119/119) and Jason Holmes (20, 111/126) provide some backup, but neither will develop into the sort of player Bartley and Morley were in their heyday. Summary: O’Neill is fine, and Mike is having a resurgence, but the area still needs strengthening. Last season’s shopping list: Left Back – signed Left Midfielder – not signed Right Midfielder – signed Attacking Central Midfielder – signed Striker – not signed Summer shopping list: Right Back, Left Midfielder, Right Midfielder, Central Midfielder, Striker Again, five obvious signings needed. First XI Average Ratings GK: Spellman – 7.42 LB: Stevens – 6.85 CB: M Nicholson – 6.67 CB: Robbins – 6.51 RB: Hatch – 6.77 LM: Stephens – 6.88 CM: Harris – 6.47 CM: Mackie – 7.00 RM: S Nicholson – 7.09 ST: O’Neill – 7.14 ST: Mike – 7.27 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
williamshankley Posted July 10, 2007 Share Posted July 10, 2007 How have the two keepers done? Have any of them got a job as a manager yet? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
williamshankley Posted July 10, 2007 Share Posted July 10, 2007 Should have been more patient GW Again! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kipfizh Posted July 10, 2007 Author Share Posted July 10, 2007 Incidentally, this is Ryan Morley now: Ryan Morley Hard to believe he was once a Bandit, isn't it? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
williamshankley Posted July 10, 2007 Share Posted July 10, 2007 Wonder if its Trever Morley's grand son Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rostby Posted July 11, 2007 Share Posted July 11, 2007 Morley is awesome but I'm still waiting for the first superstar to grow from the bandits' academy (I think Morley wasn't?). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dreaded Walrus Posted July 11, 2007 Share Posted July 11, 2007 They bought him from Colchester for £1.9m. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craig Williams Posted July 11, 2007 Share Posted July 11, 2007 Another great update Kipfizh. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AB-forever Posted July 11, 2007 Share Posted July 11, 2007 I can't tell you how fantastic this thread is! KUTFW! Meanwhile, why do you think the Bandits' academy isn't producing any good players? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meitheisman Posted July 11, 2007 Share Posted July 11, 2007 Great update again Kipfizh Quick question related to what Rostby pointed out, who are the top 5 players (in terms of CA/PA) who came out of the Bandits' youth academy? Since you put a state of the art academy and everything else in 25+ years we should have seen at least a few internationals come out of the Bandits academy and I don't recall anyone ever being really good. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knight274 Posted July 11, 2007 Share Posted July 11, 2007 Originally posted by Meitheisman:Great update again Kipfizh Quick question related to what Rostby pointed out, who are the top 5 players (in terms of CA/PA) who came out of the Bandits' youth academy? Since you put a state of the art academy and everything else in 25+ years we should have seen at least a few internationals come out of the Bandits academy and I don't recall anyone ever being really good. I think that youth development depends much more on reputation than people realise. Think about it: I'm managing Stalybridge (up the Celts!), and within 50 miles of my stadium are all the Manchester teams, Leeds and Bradford, Huddersfield etc etc. Would a promising youngster choose to come to me if they also have the opportunity to learn at Man U, or even Rochdale - even if your facilites had somehow become amazing? I think there's an upper limit on the ability of young players at obscure clubs, especially if there are more attractive local rivals. Yes, the occasional wonderkid might choose to play for his local club, but this would be rare. This, i think, is accurately represented in FM. If it's been anything like my experiences, as the Bandit's reputation has been improving, so have the quality of their kids - but the club's been playing at a steadily higher level, so they'll never be good enough to become more than fringe players. Hopefully, now the Bandits are established in the Championship, promising youngsters will start to come through. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
VonBlade Posted July 11, 2007 Share Posted July 11, 2007 Great to see them sticking nice and safely in Mid-Table. I am confused as to why there is a section entitled "Ryan Morleys of this world" when it's only about Ryan Morley. Is it awaiting further World Class ex-Banditos? Or are there really no other Baggio-esque regens? VB Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meitheisman Posted July 11, 2007 Share Posted July 11, 2007 I think Kipfizh said that he would track the progress of all the great ex-bandits. As of today there's only 1 of them and his name is Ryan Morley so it's only fair to use his name for the section. When others will come and go I'm sure Kipfizh will add them to the "Ryan Morley's of this world" section. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meitheisman Posted July 11, 2007 Share Posted July 11, 2007 Originally posted by Knight274:<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Meitheisman: Great update again Kipfizh Quick question related to what Rostby pointed out, who are the top 5 players (in terms of CA/PA) who came out of the Bandits' youth academy? Since you put a state of the art academy and everything else in 25+ years we should have seen at least a few internationals come out of the Bandits academy and I don't recall anyone ever being really good. I think that youth development depends much more on reputation than people realise. Think about it: I'm managing Stalybridge (up the Celts!), and within 50 miles of my stadium are all the Manchester teams, Leeds and Bradford, Huddersfield etc etc. Would a promising youngster choose to come to me if they also have the opportunity to learn at Man U, or even Rochdale - even if your facilites had somehow become amazing? I think there's an upper limit on the ability of young players at obscure clubs, especially if there are more attractive local rivals. Yes, the occasional wonderkid might choose to play for his local club, but this would be rare. This, i think, is accurately represented in FM. If it's been anything like my experiences, as the Bandit's reputation has been improving, so have the quality of their kids - but the club's been playing at a steadily higher level, so they'll never be good enough to become more than fringe players. Hopefully, now the Bandits are established in the Championship, promising youngsters will start to come through. </div></BLOCKQUOTE> I get your point and if we were talking about a "normal" club then it would make perfect sense but although the Bandits were in lower divisions they still were/are one of the richest team in the world and youth definitely care about that. Think about it this way, if you were a great 14yrs old and had the opportunity to go play for the 5th richest club in the world with the best youth academy and improving on a fairly consistent basis (even if they are still in league 1 at that point) or go play for a team that's been stable in the championship for years with less money and a worst youth facilities than the Bandits have where would you go? You can't really compare the Bandits to any real life club since they are super rich but have no history whatsoever and I can't think of a single club like that in the world. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knight274 Posted July 11, 2007 Share Posted July 11, 2007 Originally posted by Meitheisman:<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Knight274: <BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Meitheisman: Great update again Kipfizh Quick question related to what Rostby pointed out, who are the top 5 players (in terms of CA/PA) who came out of the Bandits' youth academy? Since you put a state of the art academy and everything else in 25+ years we should have seen at least a few internationals come out of the Bandits academy and I don't recall anyone ever being really good. I think that youth development depends much more on reputation than people realise. Think about it: I'm managing Stalybridge (up the Celts!), and within 50 miles of my stadium are all the Manchester teams, Leeds and Bradford, Huddersfield etc etc. Would a promising youngster choose to come to me if they also have the opportunity to learn at Man U, or even Rochdale - even if your facilites had somehow become amazing? I think there's an upper limit on the ability of young players at obscure clubs, especially if there are more attractive local rivals. Yes, the occasional wonderkid might choose to play for his local club, but this would be rare. This, i think, is accurately represented in FM. If it's been anything like my experiences, as the Bandit's reputation has been improving, so have the quality of their kids - but the club's been playing at a steadily higher level, so they'll never be good enough to become more than fringe players. Hopefully, now the Bandits are established in the Championship, promising youngsters will start to come through. </div></BLOCKQUOTE> I get your point and if we were talking about a "normal" club then it would make perfect sense but although the Bandits were in lower divisions they still were/are one of the richest team in the world and youth definitely care about that. Think about it this way, if you were a great 14yrs old and had the opportunity to go play for the 5th richest club in the world with the best youth academy and improving on a fairly consistent basis (even if they are still in league 1 at that point) or go play for a team that's been stable in the championship for years with less money and a worst youth facilities than the Bandits have where would you go? You can't really compare the Bandits to any real life club since they are super rich but have no history whatsoever and I can't think of a single club like that in the world. </div></BLOCKQUOTE> You're forgetting that Kip started the experiment by setting the Bandits' reputation to the lowest possible. Even though they're ludicrously rich, very few people have actually heard of them. I know this doesn't make much sense, but that's basically how it's worked out. Yes, they're steadily increasing their reputation, but it's a slow process Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meitheisman Posted July 11, 2007 Share Posted July 11, 2007 It's a slow process but their reputation has been fairly high for a few years now, out of the 10,000 players in the DB about 75% of them are interested by a move to the Bandits and this number has been over 50% for a bunch of years. We should keep in mind that we're talking about players joining the youth academy so 13-14-15 year old kids. If half of the world's professional players are interested in joining the Bandits surelly most (if not all) 14yr old kids should be thrilled by the opportunity to join the Bandits. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rinso Posted July 11, 2007 Share Posted July 11, 2007 ive just gone cross-eyed readin all the thread, but what an experiment!! keep it up!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicobile Posted July 11, 2007 Share Posted July 11, 2007 hey kip! i wanted to know if you could post the reputation of the main teams in the premier, like west ham, leeds, and also the likes of liverpool and Man utd. thanks! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
waz_nufc_awk Posted July 14, 2007 Share Posted July 14, 2007 pull up to the bumper baby Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
VonBlade Posted July 16, 2007 Share Posted July 16, 2007 Don't wish to seem impatient, but well I am dammit Don't leave us hanging like this Kip. We need Premiership Banditos Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kipfizh Posted July 16, 2007 Author Share Posted July 16, 2007 Updates coming again soon - it's been a moving weekend so been out of action.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
robin_trott_hoof Posted July 16, 2007 Share Posted July 16, 2007 So far all the staff have had equal PA and CA. Does this mean that staff can't develop their abilities? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kipfizh Posted July 17, 2007 Author Share Posted July 17, 2007 Right, back now after a while away - now I know why removal companies earn their money! To be honest, I don't think there are many youths produced throughout the world - when I've been a top side I rarely get outstanding kids, I just think they're dotted around the world. At any one time there may be 30 180+ PA players in the world - when you think of how many clubs there are that doesn't make the odds very good even for the top clubs. VonBlade - when there are more players deserving of being in the Ryan Morley section, they'll be added, but there aren't yet robin_trott_hoof - the creation of staff abilities is something I don't really understand, but you're right - they've all peaked immediately but there are plenty of staff throughout the world that isn't the case for. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kipfizh Posted July 17, 2007 Author Share Posted July 17, 2007 Season 2033-34 Club report 2006-07, English Conference South - 1st, FA Trophy - Winners 2007-08, English National Conference - 7th, FA Trophy - Final 2008-09, English National Conference – 7th 2009-10, English National Conference – 9th 2010-11, English National Conference – 6th 2011-12, English National Conference – 18th 2012-13, English National Conference – 5th 2013-14, English National Conference – 1st 2014-15, English League Two – 21st 2015-16, English League Two – 21st 2016-17, English League Two – 6th 2017-18, English League Two – 6th 2018-19, English League Two – 7th 2019-20, English League Two – 6th, Johnstone’s Paint Trophy – South Semi Final 2020-21, English League Two – 10th 2021-22, English League Two – 1st, Johnstone’s Paint Trophy - Final 2022-23, English League One – 13th, Johnstone’s Paint Trophy – South Semi Final 2023-24, English League One – 11th, League Cup – Final 2024-25, English League One – 11th, League Cup – Semi-Final 2025-26, English League One – 18th 2026-27, English League One – 17th 2027-28, English League One – 14th 2028-29, English League One – 20th 2029-30 English League One: (Pos 1), P 46, W 22, D 9, L 15, F 65, A 57, GD +8, Pts 75 (Media Prediction: 20th) FA Cup: 2nd Round League Cup: 1st Round Johnstone’s Paint Trophy: South Quarter-Final 2030-31 English Championship: (Pos 14), P 46, W 15, D 18, L 13, F 63, A 60, GD +3, Pts 63 (Media Prediction: 22nd) FA Cup: 3rd Round League Cup: 1st Round 2031-32 English Championship: (Pos 10), P 46, W 18, D 12, L 16, F 71, A 64, GD +7, Pts 66 (Media Prediction: 22nd) FA Cup: 3rd Round League Cup: Final 2032-33 English Championship: (Pos 12), P 46, W 17, D 12, L 17, F 66, A 66, GD 0, Pts 63 (Media Prediction: 13th) FA Cup: 5th Round League Cup: 1st Round 2033-34 English Championship: (Pos 8), P 46, W 20, D 8, L 18, F 69, A 57, GD +12, Pts 68 (Media Prediction: 13th) League FA Cup: 3rd Round League Cup: 3rd Round A solid season for the Bandits sees them finish in their highest ever position of eighth. In fact, if results had gone their way on the final day, they could’ve made the playoffs, but it wasn’t to be as they sat just outside, having not been in relegation danger all year. Once again, they made signings in the summer, but it was in January that most movement happened, both in and out – central midfielder Mackie and left back Crowe leaving for a combined 7.4m, and being replaced quickly. They didn’t make a lot of progress in the cups this season, which perhaps allowed them to play their strong first team more often than they have in previous seasons. To progress now, they need to convince their better players to stop leaving after a couple of years – the team are slowly improving, and this trend should see a promotion challenge before too long, as long as they can keep their stars in the club, leading the way. But one thing is for sure – Gamble has turned the Bandits from relegation battlers in League One to a team who consistently perform in the top half of the Championship. Can they now push on and make that golden leap up to the big time? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kipfizh Posted July 17, 2007 Author Share Posted July 17, 2007 Player reports Goalkeeper 1 – Retired from playing 03/07/2032 2032-, Sunderland (scout), CA 170, PA 170 2033-, Liverpool (scout), CA 170, PA 170 After one season with Sunderland, moves on to become a scout at seventh placed Liverpool. Goalkeeper 2 – Retired from playing 27/06/2032 2032-, Tottenham (scout), CA 170, PA 170 2033-, Birmingham (assistant manager), CA 170, PA 170 Moves on from one season in scouting to take on a more prominent role at Birmingham. As assistant manager, helps them finish 12th in the Premiership. Left Back 1 – Retired from playing 30/06/2030 2030-2031, Scunthorpe (fitness coach), CA 110, PA 110 2031-, Tottenham (assistant manager), CA 110, PA 110 Completes his third season a Tottenham’s assistant manager, as they have an excellent year, finishing fifth, only missing out on the Champions League on goal difference to Arsenal. 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 A very strange season for Right Mid 1. Chelsea appointed no manager all season, so as assistant he was technically in charge in the early stages. Around Christmas, he was demoted to just a coach, so there was no assistant either, but he has risen back up to that role again. There is still no manager. Still, Chelsea come second. Centre Mid 1 – Retired from playing 02/07/2030 2030-2032, Liverpool (youth coach), CA 110, PA 110 2032-, Reading (coach), CA 110, PA 110 Remains Reading coach, as they rise up another spot to ninth in the Premiership. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kipfizh Posted July 17, 2007 Author Share Posted July 17, 2007 Other stats Once again, England qualified for the World Cup with ten wins out of ten, and no goals conceded. They will head to Canada this summer to line up against Croatia, Togo and Mexico. Leeds rose back to the Premiership summit, winning the league quite comfortably ahead of a resurgent Chelsea. For a while, it appeared that Arsenal would destroy allcomers, but an appalling run of form saw them drop back to fourth. Man Utd again struggled, finishing just two places and two points from the drop zone. Premiership Arsenal won the FA Cup, beating West Ham in the final, but they couldn’t make it a domestic cup double after losing in the League Cup to Newcastle. However, they still took two cups home, as they ended Real Madrid’s domination of the Champions League, defeating them in the final, while Bayern Munich won the UEFA Cup ahead of Benfica. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kipfizh Posted July 17, 2007 Author Share Posted July 17, 2007 Summary Danny Gamble once again continues to impress at the Bandits – he is slowly improving them, pushing them further up the Championship table, while being the first Bandits manager to have the willingness to spend some of their riches. The only worry is that if they have one poor season, he’ll be sacked, so it is vital that the team stays together and helps this push up towards the Premiership – can they do it? While none of the ex-Bandits have made the step into full time management, Right Mid 1 has been assistant while Chelsea have no man at the helm. Will this give him or any of the others the impetus to take on the top job? Once again, the dominant quartet of English football are Leeds, Chelsea, West Ham and Arsenal, who made up the top four in the Premiership once more. But worrying times for Man Utd, for the second consecutive season they flirted with relegation – will they drop? England have their first World Cup without any ex-Bandit this summer, how will they do? And will Ryan Morley make the squad? Bandit’s former manager watch Justin Edinburgh’s Everton are relegated from the Premiership after finishing 18th, but he keeps his job for now. Steve Brackstone’s Sheff Wed bounce straight back from their relegation last season, finishing second in the Championship and returning to the big time. It’s a rare season of success for the much-sacked manager. Gary Perry is unable to return Sheff Utd back to the Championship, finishing fifth and losing in the playoff semis to Preston. Dean Glover has retired. After reaching the playoffs last season, Martin Lawton was quickly sacked by Wrexham as they sat 23rd in League One. It didn’t help – that was exactly where they finished. After a couple of months out of the game, he returned with Yeovil, and took them up from 16th to 13th in the same league. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kipfizh Posted July 17, 2007 Author Share Posted July 17, 2007 Bandits squad General Stats Finance Overview Interested Players The Bandits managed a sizeable leap in the level of players interested in joining the club. The total has now hit a record 7702, from last year’s high of 7483. This is out of a total of 10215 players, so only the top 25% of world players are not interested at the moment. Top 20 in Squad (sorted by CA) Name, Pos, Age, CA-PA Wade, GK, 22, 154-164 (+1) Harris, DM, 23, 151-157 (+3) Spellman, GK, 30, 150-150 (0) McDonald, AM L, 28, 148-157 – new signing Hutton, ST, 24, 148-148 – new signing McKenzie, MC, 33, 148-148 – new signing O’Neill, ST, 24, 148-148 (+3) Robbins, DC, 23, 144-149 (+5) Holmes, D LC, 22, 141-155 – new signing Allison, D RL, 24, 140-159 – new signing M Nicholson, DC, 23, 138-153 (+1) S Nicholson, AM R, 30, 136-136 (0) Hatch, DR, 31, 130-148 (-7) Tillen, DC, 20, 129-148 (+12) Abbott, GK, 33, 128-133 (0) Stevens, D/WB RL, 28, 123-125 (-2) Bevan, D/WB R, 20, 122-134 – new signing Tomlinson, ST, 22, 120-120 (0) Leary, ST, 26, 119-119 (0) Baker, DC/DM, 31, 117-136 (-3) Players in last season’s top 20 who have left the club: Mackie, MC, 29, 150-156 Boyce, DLC / ML, 25, 142-151 Razak, AM RL, 32, 113-116 Players in last season’s top 20 who have dropped out of the top 20: Thompson, MC, 33, 114-134 (-4) Stephens, AM L, 31, 114-119 (-4) Mike, ST, 32, 108-112 (-4) Danny Gamble is doing a superb job on two fronts. Firstly, he is improving the standard of the squad every year, but secondly, and more subtly, he is reducing its age. Of the Bandits’ top eleven players, only three are above 24 – the other eight have most of their careers still ahead of them. If much of that is at the Bandits, they will surely prosper. Gamble has bought wisely this season – McDonald, Hutton, Allison and Bevan all arrived in the summer, with McKenzie and Holmes being added in the January window. We’ll analyse how this leaves the balance of their team a little later. As for the sales, Mackie and Boyce both left in the January window, for a combined fee of 7.4m. 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, 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, 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, 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, 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, 0, 0, 3, 2, 3, 3 140 : 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 5, 5, 6, 10 130 : 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 5, 8, 10, 13 120 : 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 1, 0, 1, 1, 1, 0, 1, 2, 2, 6, 6, 7, 5, 5, 12, 13, 14, 18 110 : 0, 2, 2, 3, 2, 6, 7, 6, 6, 7, 8, 7, 7, 9, 10, 10, 12, 12, 13, 13, 16, 23, 25, 23, 24 100 : 2, 4, 7, 7, 6, 13, 13, 12, 13, 13, 16, 12, 12, 12, 16, 16, 19, 21, 20, 18, 24, 31, 32, 28, 30 90 : 7, 11, 10, 9, 10, 16, 17, 15, 15, 20, 22, 16, 15, 17, 20, 22, 29, 33, 26, 24, 29, 32, 36, 31, 33 80 : 13, 14, 13, 13, 16, 21, 21, 18, 16, 21, 26, 20, 22, 21, 26, 26, 34, 36, 32, 31, 33, 40, 40, 33, 34 70 : 19, 22, 21, 20, 22, 27, 25, 19, 23, 25, 30, 23, 25, 27, 28, 30, 35, 39, 38, 35, 37, 42, 43, 36, 37 60 : 26, 26, 25, 23, 24, 32, 30, 24, 26, 30, 32, 26, 28, 28, 38, 33, 40, 44, 41, 37, 40, 45, 45, 38, 43 50 : 30, 31, 31, 26, 26, 35, 33, 28, 32, 34, 35, 30, 32, 34, 42, 37, 43, 46, 43, 42, 44, 49, 49, 45, 47 Superb stuff – an increase at every level from 140+ downwards, the squad is undoubtedly getting stronger at the same time as getting younger. Gamble is implementing a superb long term plan, aiming at the Premiership. Can he take them that one step further? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kipfizh Posted July 17, 2007 Author Share Posted July 17, 2007 Best and Worst New records: Highest League Position: 8th in Championship (previous: 10th in Championship) Average Attendance: 104415 (previous: 99813) This season: Best player – O’Neill, 7.35 Top scorer – O’Neill, 24 Worst player – Harris, 6.21 The Bandits rise on spot to their highest ever position of fourth in the rich list, now richer than Chelsea. Rich Clubs Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kipfizh Posted July 17, 2007 Author Share Posted July 17, 2007 The ‘Ryan Morley’s of the world Ryan Morley gained two more points of CA to reach 177, closing in on his PA of 186. The 23 year old is now a first choice striker at Chelsea, and he scored a tremendous 30 goals this season, his 7.68 average placing him second in the Premiership players list. The man who topped the list, Liverpool’s John O’Conner, partners Morley in the Premiership team of the year. At international record the story is even more incredible. In ten caps he has amassed a remarkable fifteen goals, at a rate quicker than even the Bandits’ starlets back in the day. His value is 18m, but Chelsea now value him at a whopping 44m. He won’t be leaving anytime soon. To add to the stunning season, he came third in World Player of the Year, and third in English Footballer of the Year, while being named in the Champions League dream team for the season. Ryan Morley Frighteningly good. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kipfizh Posted July 17, 2007 Author Share Posted July 17, 2007 Team analysis Goalkeepers James Wade (22, 154/164) has taken over the gloves from the experienced Rob Spellman (30, 150/150), which has led to the latter handing in a transfer request. Wade, rated as the club’s best player by CA, is playing very well. Summary: With Wade secured on a contract for another two years, only a backup is required as he is plenty good enough for years to come. Defenders Martin Stevens (28, 123/135) was the first choice left back until January, but the signing of Ricky Holmes (22, 141/155) has reduced him to the reserves. Danny Allison (24, 140/159) has been signed as the first choice right back, a troublesome position for the Bandits. However, he had a poor season. Keith Hatch (31, 130/148) provides cover, but is aging. Last season’s young partnership of Matt Nicholson (23, 138/153) and Jon Robbins (23, 144/149) remain the first choice pairing in the centre, where they are growing in both ability and experience, and forming an excellent backbone for the defence. Their performances are certainly on the rise – Nicholson improved from last season’s average of 6.67 to 7.17, while Robbins went from 6.51 to 6.83. Scott Tillen (20, 129/148) is the next one on the production line, and will be vying for first team action if he continues to improve at the rate he is. Summary: Ricky Holmes and Danny Allison look excellent signings, while the centre pairing are performing superbly now. All that is required is to gel the players together and bring up more future players like Tillen. A strong area of the team now. Midfielders After Ryan Stephens (31, 114/119) had been first choice for the last couple of seasons, a proper left winger was finally signed, with the arrival of James McDonald (28, 148/157), who, although he had an average season, should be able to hold this place down for the next couple of years. Apart from Stephens, there is still no cover though, so a young replacement would be wise. On the right, Scott Nicholson (30, 136/136) remains first choice, and was decent, but he now has absolutely no competition for his place and is likely to only have a couple of good years left in him. Colin Harris (23, 151/157) remains a mainstay in the centre, despite his appalling average rating of 6.21, which again is due to him being asked to play a more attacking role that he is suited for. His partner for the first half of the season was Bobby Mackie, who was sold in January and replaced by Matthew McKenzie (33, 148/148), an experienced campaigner with 74 caps for Congo. He has played well, but his age surely demands this to be a short term solution. The reserves are not worth speaking of. Summary: Once again, signings are required across the midfield. McDonald needs backup on the left, a new first choice right winger should be a priority, while a new central midfielder or two is absolutely essential. Strikers Rob O’Neill (24, 148/148) improved on last season’s performances, playing superbly well and scoring 24 goals for the Bandits. He had a new partner in Craig Hutton (24, 148/148) who knocked in 17 of his own. In the reserves, last season’s top scorer, Pat Mike (32, 108/112) is reprising his role as a supersub, scoring 13 largely in cameo roles. Behind those three, there are no players likely to scare opponents in the future. Summary: Both strikers are good for the Championship, but neither will improve anymore and Mike is getting old. One more striker to mix it up would be ideal. Last season’s shopping list: Right Back – signed (Allison) Left Midfielder – signed (McDonald) Right Midfielder – not signed Central Midfielder – signed (McKenzie), but other central midfielder sold Striker – signed (Hutton) Summer shopping list: Left Midfielder, Right Midfielder, Central Midfielder, Striker Four more required this summer, all to replace some aging players. Right Midfielder and Central Midfielder are absolutely essential. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kipfizh Posted July 17, 2007 Author Share Posted July 17, 2007 First XI Summary GK: Wade (22, 154/164) – 7.31 LB: Holmes (22, 141/155) – 6.75 CB: M Nicholson (23, 138/153) – 7.17 CB: Robbins (23, 144/149) – 6.83 RB: Hatch (31, 130/148) – 6.36 LM: McDonald (28, 148/157) – 6.59 CM: Harris (23, 151/157) – 6.21 CM: McKenzie (33, 148/148) – 7.00 RM: S Nicholson (30, 136/136) – 6.83 ST: O’Neill (24, 148/148) – 7.35 ST: Hutton (24, 148/148) – 6.93 Average age – 25.7 Looking at that, Hatch needs to buck up his ideas at right back, as he’s the only experienced member of the back five, with the eldest of the rest being only 23. He should be setting a better example, although he and Scott Nicholson look the weak links of the side. I can see them losing to teams with decent left wingers. Can you? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexani Posted July 17, 2007 Share Posted July 17, 2007 I'll just weigh in with my opinion that this thread continues to be excellent, and my hopes that the Bandits will enjoy immense success in the years to come. I also think that Gamble should bring in a few good midfielders, as the ones there really don't provide what's necessary in order to progress. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
shota92 Posted July 17, 2007 Share Posted July 17, 2007 A brilliant update. Gamble is doing a brilliant job at the moment and I trust him to bring in the required players for a promotion push. If only the bandits had pushed into the premiership a couple of years earlier they might have been able to keep morley or get more money for him.Surely the bandits are now ready to live up to their potential. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knight274 Posted July 17, 2007 Share Posted July 17, 2007 excellent work as ever kip. hope you're happily settled in wherever you've gone, and the updates can continue apace! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walcott\'s Wonderkids Posted July 17, 2007 Share Posted July 17, 2007 Great inciteful updates as always Kip. Looks like The Bandits are slowly edging their way towards a promotion push. Ryan Morley appears to be an absolute beast of a player. KUTGW Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rostby Posted July 18, 2007 Share Posted July 18, 2007 I bet there's gonna be a promotion next season, go bandits! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meitheisman Posted July 18, 2007 Share Posted July 18, 2007 great update again Kipfizh Just wondering since the Bandits just topped their highest average attendance how many sold out home games did they have last season and how's their attendance in the cups? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DS Posted July 20, 2007 Share Posted July 20, 2007 Good stuff! Promotion is close...I can smell it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watford_fc_4_lyf Posted July 20, 2007 Share Posted July 20, 2007 excellent work as ever kip. hope you're happily settled in wherever you've gone, and the updates can continue apace! whs Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sufc-Ownage Posted July 20, 2007 Share Posted July 20, 2007 KUTGW Kip, Looking forward to the next update Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kipfizh Posted July 20, 2007 Author Share Posted July 20, 2007 Meitheisman: I'll have a look when I next load it up - I don't think they actually sell out very often though. As a quick update, Danny Gamble is no longer Bandits manager. One of the two scenarios happened: 1) With the Bandits second in the league and flying, the Aston Villa vacancy came up, and Gamble couldn't resist the lure of the Premiership before getting the Bandits there. He now sits mid table with them, and the Bandits sit fifth with one game to go, needing to win to guarantee a playoff berth. 2) After not signing anyone of note in the summer, the Bandits plummeted into the relegation zone, and Gamble was fired before Christmas. His replacement is even worse, and they need to win on the final day to guarantee safety from the drop. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
polegategavin Posted July 20, 2007 Share Posted July 20, 2007 You tease you, I have also been following this from the beginning, and I now can't wait to see your next update! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evertonbloke Posted July 20, 2007 Share Posted July 20, 2007 I think he went to Villa and the Bandits are going to get the play offs. I think Gamble has proven himself well enough to get a higher rep job and the fact that they have always gone forward each season under him would imply that the second story is untrue Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikechilli Posted July 20, 2007 Share Posted July 20, 2007 you really know how to keep us in suspense kip Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gcormack Posted July 20, 2007 Share Posted July 20, 2007 i really hate u kipfizh, u give us a brilliant update thn leave us dangling in suspense. u really know how to keep the readers kutgw Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
brambleten Posted July 20, 2007 Share Posted July 20, 2007 wow! after 5 days of reading this in installments,(which i think is quite sensible) i now think the bandits could make the premiership, and eventually win it. i reckon they might lose O'Neill to a premiership club though, he seems a great player Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TB36 Posted July 20, 2007 Share Posted July 20, 2007 How could you do this to us Kip! When's the next update coming? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
waz_nufc_awk Posted July 20, 2007 Share Posted July 20, 2007 Aaarrggghhhhh.......tears hair out with the suspense. Realises he hasn't got any to start with so chews nails. Nope no nails either...... looks for something to indicate suspenseful tension. Finds Carlos Tevez transfer hanging in the balance and uses that as a synonym. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
VonBlade Posted July 20, 2007 Share Posted July 20, 2007 I vote for option 1. Because the Villa job is too precise to just be a blind and the detail in the post regarding the Bandits is too precise as well. Also in option 2 he have a replacement who is "even worse". But we all know Danny Gamble is great and the epithet "worse" has never been applied to him. So this must be false. If Kip had said his replacement was as bad as Perry or Lawton then I'd believe it. VB - Master of Holmesian logic. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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