AI Experiment - what would happen if?

[kipfizh]

Player reports – the original Bandits

Goalkeeper 1 – Retired from playing 03/07/2032

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

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

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

Remains happy to stay assistant manager at West Ham, who fall one place to second but still have an excellent season.

Goalkeeper 2 – Retired from playing 27/06/2032

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

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

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

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

After eight years as assistant manager at his favourite club, he finally achieves the dream, becoming manager at the club he played for over twenty years. Already a club legend, he had an excellent first season in charge, lifting Leeds up from twelfth to sixth.

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

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

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

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

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

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

2042-, England (manager), CA 104, PA 110

After just one season in full time management, he resigns from his Spurs post to take up the mantle of England manager. He has won his only three competitive games so far, admittedly in a very easy European Championship group, but greater tests lie ahead.

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

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

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

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

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

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

2042-, No Club, CA 130, PA 130

After a poor start to the season, his Chelsea managerial position was in serious jeopardy, but a good win over Leeds rose his team back up the fourth in November. It wasn’t enough to save his job, and he was fired afterwards. The talented Turgay Tufan took over and won the league for Chelsea, while Right Mid 1 hasn’t seen work since.

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

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

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

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

2040-, Yeovil (coach), CA 107, PA 110

Remains Yeovil coach, as they rise up three places to sixteenth in League Two.

[kipfizh]

Premiership Analysis - Teams and Managers

Premiership

1 (7). Chelsea, Turgay Tufan (48, 156/156) (new manager)

2 (1). West Ham, Paul Moore (60, 109/120) (new manager)

3 (11). Arsenal, Danny Gamble (56, 115/120)

4 (5). West Brom, Michael Chopra (59, 102/103)

5 (3). Sunderland, Stuart Davies (60, 89/113)

6 (12). Leeds, Goalkeeper 2 (53, 170/170) (new manager)

7 (4). Sheff Wed, Oliver Norwood (52, 107/107) (new manager)

8 (15). Man City, Artur Krysiak (53, 114/122)

9 (-). Morecambe, Tomas Rozsypal (55, 123/130) (new manager)

10 (6). Liverpool, David Bullimore (51, 109/110) (new manager)

11 (13). Bandits, Ben Clayton (49, 93/93)

12 (2). Aston Villa, Chris Sedgwick (63, 89/113) (new manager)

13 (16). Chesterfield, Adam Pullen (49, 120/120)

14 (10). Tottenham, Wayne Heard (49, 120/120) (new manager)

15 (8). Reading, Joey Kamara (44, 120/120)

16 (9). Derby , Mark Nicholson (41, 119/119)

17 (17). Coventry, Terry Arthur (55, 110/114)

18 (14). Scunthorpe, Eric May (43, 120/120) (new manager)

19 (-). Crystal Palace, Ryan Herron (36, 120/120)

20 (-), Aldershot, Matthew Sadler (41, 131/131)

With Right Mid 1 struggling at Chelsea, he was fired and replaced by the excellent Turgay Tufan, who turned the club’s fortunes around and won them the league. Champions West Ham fell back to second, under their fading manager, while Danny Gamble had a much better season taking Arsenal back into the top three.

Behind them was the notable rise of Goalkeeper 2, an outstanding but unambitious manager who has finally stepped into full time management as his favourite club. Under his guidance, Leeds rose up to sixth, can we expect their rise to continue?

Elsewhere, Morecambe’s Tomas Rozsypal guided them to a top half finish on their return to the Premiership, while Chris Sedgwick is losing his touch with age – Aston Villa fell back ten places to twelfth.

Ben Clayton is a poor manager, no doubt about it – imagine what could happen with a more talented man in charge? There are some relegated managers with talent, who could step into the breach, like the young Matthew Sadler, who found keeping Aldershot up too much this time around.

Promoted from Championship

1 ®. QPR, Joel Lynch (55, 112/113)

2 (P). Barnsley, Gary Doyle (45, 120/120)

4 ®. Newcastle, Adam Pearson (54, 104/109)

Gary Doyle led Barnsley to their second successive promotion, while QPR and Newcastle stuck by their managers following their relegation, and both are rewarded with an instant return to the top flight. Newcastle beat Man Utd in the playoff final, on penalties.

[kipfizh]

Premiership Analysis - Reputation

(league position in bold)

1 (1). Chelsea (1) – 8264 (+28)

2 (2). West Ham (2) – 8199 (+47)

3 (3). Aston Villa (12) – 7682 (-184)

4 (8). West Brom (4) – 7625 (+150)

5 (9). Sunderland (5) – 7521 (+115)

6 (4). Arsenal (3) – 7516 (-193)

7 (7). Sheff Wed (7) – 7491 (+3)

8 (6). Tottenham (14) – 7226 (-295)

9 (11). Liverpool (10) – 7204 (+11)

10 (5). Man City (8) – 7179 (-370)

11 (13). Leeds (6) – 6949 (-51)

12 (14). Reading (15) – 6905 (-40)

13 (12). Derby (16) – 6800 (-273)

14 (15). Chesterfield (13) – 6658 (-265)

15 (16). Coventry (17) – 6582 (-274)

16 (18). Bandits (11) – 6514 (-17)

17 (-). Morecambe (9) – 6486 (+139)

18 (-). Aldershot (20) – 6183 (+800)

19 (10). Scunthorpe (18) – 5958 (-1303)

20 (-). Crystal Palace (19) – 5579 (+149)

Promoted sides

QPR – 7255 (+447)

Barnsley – 5396

Newcastle – 6218 (+714)

No change in the top three, although Chelsea and West Ham are now streets ahead of everyone else and should attract most of the available talent. West Brom and Sunderland gain plenty of places, while it is a disappointing season for the North London pair of Arsenal and Tottenham.

Man City take a massive reputation hit despite finishing a respectable 8th, due to their lack of European football, but the most dramatic fall is Scunthorpe, losing well over a thousand points following their relegation. Of the other relegated clubs, Aldershot have the best shout at a return.

The Bandits slip down a small way in terms of reputation, and with QPR returning to the top flight, one of the promoted teams is unlikely to be near relegation. Newcastle are also no pushovers, so the Bandits find themselves 17th in those that remain in the league. Barnsley have a long hard season ahead of them.

[kipfizh]

Premiership Analysis – Team Ability

(league position in bold)

1 (2). Chelsea (1) – 74.92 (+1.55)

2 (1). Arsenal (3) – 74.28 (+0.40)

3 (3). Man City (8) – 72.55 (-0.61)

4 (5). West Ham (2) – 72.52 (+0.29)

5 (4). Liverpool (10) – 72.51 (+0.23)

6 (9). Tottenham (14) – 71.08 (+1.36)

7 (6). Leeds (6) – 71.04 (+0.05)

8 (8). Derby (16) – 70.34 (+0.31)

9 (12). Sheff Wed (7) – 70.09 (+0.88)

10 (11). Bandits (11) – 69.74 (+0.28)

11= (13). Aston Villa (12) – 68.67 (+0.11)

11= (16) West Brom (4) – 68.67 (+0.65)

13 (18). Scunthorpe (18) – 68.35 (+0.41)

14 (14). Coventry (17) – 68.04 (-0.32)

15 (7). Sunderland (5) – 67.99 (-2.06)

16 (17). Reading (15) – 67.89 (-0.10)

17 (19). Chesterfield (13) – 67.57 (+0.83)

18 (-). Morecambe (9) – 65.74 (+2.30)

19 (-). Crystal Palace (19) – 63.24 (-0.24)

20 (-). Aldershot (20) – 63.18 (+0.56)

Promoted sides

QPR – 68.67 (+0.61)

Barnsley – 62.82

Newcastle – 67.79 (-1.80)

The Premiership got considerably harder this season, with fifteen sides improving their first teams, as Chelsea rose back to the top of the table. Arsenal improved but dropped to second, while Tottenham made huge strides without performing well in the league.

Man City finally moved into the top half of the league with their excellent squad, while Morecambe’s top half finish was made even more impressive by their relatively poor squad.

The Bandits are still going in the right direction – if they can address the balance issues in their squad they can really push forward.

As for the promoted sides, QPR and Newcastle will probably be fine, but Barnsley are going to struggle.

Overachievers : West Brom, Morecambe

Underachievers : Tottenham, Derby

Title Prediction ; Chelsea to become the first club to retain the Premiership in 17 years

Relegation Prediction : Barnsley to be joined by Morecambe and Coventry

[kipfizh]

Around the clubs - Man Utd watch

Man Utd got so close to promotion this season, reaching the playoff final before losing a penalty shoot out to Newcastle, but a miss is as good as a mile and they will spend another season in the Championship.

Their loan debt is dropping sharply, from 88m to 63m, and their value went up from 86m to 87m, so the have the makings of a big club again once the debt has been fully paid off. They’ll be back one day, surely.

Reputation – 5177 (+298) (9th in Championship)

They rise four places in the Championship reputation stakes, to ninth, after an excellent season in which they so nearly returned to the Premiership.

FM Genie Scout Rating – 65.69 (+1.60) (4th)

They remain fourth in the Championship, but with a much improved squad. They struggled this year, because QPR and Newcastle especially were extremely strong, but next season’s Championship looks like one they might get promoted from.

Finances – 21.9m (-15.7m) balance (2nd), 30.6m (-0.9m) transfer fund (1st)

For once, they aren’t the richest club in the Championship, with Newcastle having 62m in the bank, but they’re now back in the Premiership so normality can be restored. The balance is still dropping, thanks to the loan interest and the wage bill, which exceed gate receipts these days. They could really do with that promotion.

[kipfizh]

Summary

The Bandits now definitely have serious signs of promise – a young and vibrant side with bags of potential. The only problem is the balance – at full back especially they are exceptionally weak and need reinforcement. If they can sort that out, then a top half finish should be achieved.

Finley and McDermott make an excellent front pairing, so goals are not going to be in short supply, while all the way up the spine of the team there is depth.

Next season will be trickier, however, with decent sides coming up from the Championship – QPR and Newcastle make an immediate return, the latter at the amusing expense of Man Utd, who remain in the Championship for yet another year.

So the question is – what happens now? Will Clayton keep the starlets and address the balance, giving the squad a powerful base to move forward from? Or will he dismantle the team again, unaware of the potential at his disposal?

Chelsea won the Premiership for the first time in many years, while West Ham, in coming second, managed to become the first Premiership champions in years not to follow up their triumphant year with a disaster.

The cup story was all about Stoke – the Championship side were drawn against Premiership opposition in all of their six rounds, and still managed to clinch the FA Cup in May, denying Chelsea the double. They will embark on a well deserved European journey next season.

Speaking of the Championship, the two big clubs that were relegated, QPR and Newcastle, bounced straight back, and with the division apparently weaker this season, the resurgent Man Utd have a great chance to finally make it back to the Premiership – can they?

The ex-Bandits are finally moving into management – Right Mid 1 is currently without a job after being fired by Chelsea, but Left Back 1 somehow managed to become England manager after just one season of club management. A legendary player for his country, can he lead them well into the European Championships next summer?

Also in management is Goalkeeper 2, who with a CA of 170 is the best manager in the Premiership. Expect Leeds to continue their revival – his 35 year love affair with the club continues.

And what of poor Ryan Morley? A legend for club and country, he is now being jettisoned by both – is there room for him guiding the kids at the Bandits?

Bandit’s former manager watch

Justin Edinburgh has retired.

Steve Brackstone has retired

Gary Perry has retired.

Dean Glover has retired.

Martin Lawton has retired.

Danny Gamble had a much better season than last year, taking Arsenal back up from eleventh to third.

Phil Edwards has retired.

[kipfizh]

World View - Ones to watch

Your annual guide to the stars of tomorrow:

Peter Schulz (16, 116/188) is a young German striker with an extremely low reputation. His club, Hamburg, have kept him very quiet, not yet giving him a debut, but the Leverkusen scouts are already aware of him.

Gary Cooper (17, 133/182) is an English centre back who has been a regular starter for Gillingham all season. It is surely only a matter of time before he moves to a bigger club.

Previous tips

Carlo Lupo (27, 198/198) was one of the stars of last season’s World Cup, helping his Italian defence to four clean sheets before they were cruelly knocked out on penalties. Didn’t have the best of seasons for Milan, however.

Toni Halonen (27, 186/187), the Finnish centre back, still can’t get a regular game for Chelsea, where he isn’t playing all that well and isn’t fulfilling his massive potential.

Patrick Schmidt (26, 184/184) the German right sided player, followed a set of poor performances in the World Cup with a poor season for Valencia. Needs to improve.

Marian Badea (26, 175/189), the Romanian left wing back, may not ever reach his true potential, but he had an outstanding season for Inter, averaging 7.62 as a dangerous creative source. He will hope Romania qualify for the European Championships so he can show off his skills on the international stage.

Pereira (26, 187/187), the Portuguese defensive midfielder, was a star of the World Cup, being named in the tournament dream team, but he couldn’t replicate that form for Bayern Munich, where he struggled to fit into their system.

Aleksandras Stazys (25, 184/186), Lithuania’s left back, is finally a regular at Arsenal after struggling to break into the team, but still needs to improve his performances.

Tony Allison (23, 176/192), the winger and forward, couldn’t quite replicate last season’s form, where he scored 25 goals, but he still managed sixteen as he helped West Ham finish second.

Barry Low (24, 166/195), gained five points of CA, which isn’t quick enough to suggest he’ll reach his massive potential of 195, but he has now broken into the West Ham side, where he is struggling.

Ronnie Blundell (22, 172/195), the central midfielder, moved from relegated QPR to Arsenal after just one season there, for 11.75m. At the Emirates, he gained an excellent 13 points of CA to move closer to his huge potential, and played a good number of games for his new club, without setting the world alight.

Hugues Guichard (21, 173/195), the French striker, gained 13 points of CA this season, leaving Marseille for Fiorentina last summer. He has made a prolific start to his career in Italy, scoring nine goals in thirteen appearances.

Bjorn Strand (20, 172/193), the Norwegian striker, rose another 10 points of CA, and became a regular at West Ham, where he scored twenty times. A real starlet.

Ante Bacic (21, 175/189) the Croatian central defender, is still improving quickly, gaining another 12 CA points after he moved from Lokomotiv Moscow to Werder Bremen for 4.5m last summer. He has started reasonably at his new club.

Henrik Berg (20, 142/188), the Norwegian left winger, added another 16 points to his CA, playing extremely well for Rosenborg when he can get a game. He looks like a real talent from his stats.

Henrik Berg

Luke Hallett (20, 139/184), the centre back or central midfielder, spent the season on loan at Hearts, where he gained 12 points of CA. He will look to break into the Bandits team this season, although competition is fierce in the centre of the park.

Luke Hallett

Umit Abdulkadir (18, 150/199), the Turkish striker, gained another 26 points of CA and is well of course to being the best player in the world in five years’ time. He scored fifteen times for Trabzonspor in an impressive season, and it is surely only a matter of time before he breaks into the Turkish national side and moves on to a bigger club.

Sergey Sergienko (19, 140/193), the Russian central midfielder, rose another fourteen points of CA, moving from Zenith Peterburg to Dinamo Moscow for 1.3m, where he has started well.

Reiner Helbig (17, 117/199), the German defensive midfielder, gained an impressive 26 CA points, and made his first two appearances for Leverkusen, averaging only a five. Nevertheless, he has enormous potential, and will surely improve.

Leonardo (16, 109/185) the Brazilian striker, gained a massive 43 points of CA as he moved through his teens, but is yet to make his debut for Brasiliense.

[kipfizh]

World View - World beaters

Carlo Lupo (27, 198/198) remains top of the pile for the third successive year, and despite an excellent World Cup, where he helped Italy not concede a goal, he did not have the best of seasons for Milan. At 27, he should now be in his fearsome peak – can he come back strongly next year?

Carlo Lupo

Hector Ceballos (28, 192/192), the Argentine centre back, remains in second place for the third successive year, but in the complete opposite to last year, it is he, not the Italian, who is setting the world alight for Real Madrid. His 7.97 average rating is remarkable.

Hector Ceballos

Max Trehkopf (33, 191/191), Barcelona’s veteran German keeper, remains in third place, and he is still in fine form for the Spanish side, showing no signs of slowing down.

Max Trehkopf

The only other player with a CA of 190 is Maia (25, 190/199), a newcomer to the list, and a Portuguese central midfielder playing in front of Lupo at Milan. They have a frighteningly good spine to their team, and the 25 year old may challenge Lupo for top spot in this list over the next couple of seasons. Signed for 21m from Boavista two summers ago, he is taking his time to settle in.

Maia

The number of 190+ players in the world remains at four, and none of them play in the Premiership.

[kipfizh]

World View - Distribution of 180+ CA players

The clubs

Chelsea – 7 (-) (188, 187, 186, 185, 183, 181, 181)

Barcelona – 4 (-) (191, 184, 184, 181)

Milan – 3 (-) (198, 190, 187)

Real Madrid – 3 (-1) (192, 185, 183)

Arsenal – 3 (-1) (187, 185, 184)

Valencia – 3 (+1) (185, 184, 182)

Werder Bremen – 1 (+1) (188)

Bayern Munich – 1 (-) (187)

Sunderland – 1 (-) (184)

Leeds – 1 (-) (181)

Juventus – 1 (+1) (180)

QPR – 0 (-1)

Inter – 0 (-1)

Benfica – 0 (-1)

Man City – 0 (-1)

Total – 28 (-3)

The number of star players dips below thirty this season, with four clubs losing the only one they had. They are now spread around only eleven clubs.

Chelsea continue to head the list, with seven, while Barcelona move into second outright after both Arsenal and Real Madrid lost a star. Valencia join them and Milan on three each, while Werder Bremen and Juventus join the list.

The leagues

England – 12 (-3)

Spain – 10 (-)

Italy – 4 (-)

Germany – 2 (+1)

Portugal – 0 (-1)

Total – 28 (-3)

England take the hit of the loss of three star players, and all 28 now play in the big four leagues – England, Spain, Italy and Germany, as Portugal lose their representative.

The nationalities

Spain – 5 (-1)

Portugal – 4 (-)

England – 4 (+1)

Germany – 3 (-)

Italy – 2 (+1)

Argentina – 1 (-)

France – 1 (-2)

Finland – 1 (-)

Nigeria – 1 (-)

Lithuania – 1 (+1)

Serbia – 1 (-)

Brazil – 1 (-1)

Turkey – 1 (+1)

Paraguay – 1 (-)

Ireland – 1 (-)

Mexico – 0 (-1)

Belgium – 0 (-1)

Norway – 0 (-1)

Total – 28 (-3)

Two remarkable statistics here – firstly, France had six stars two years ago, now they only have one, and secondly, Belgium no longer appear on this list despite winning the World Cup last year – that really was an excellent achievement.

Spain still lead the way, with Portugal and England closing in on them, so next year’s European Championships should again be a close contest. Only four of the 28 stars are non-European.

[Alurny]

Thanks Kip! Amazing thread/posts as always!

[foxmad]

Awesome my friend!

Can I point out that the number of interested players may not be an accurate representation. Due mainly to the fact that the total number of players that appear on the player search is dependant on how good the club's knowledge is.

Therefore maybe a percentage or fraction would be a more accurate representation.

But K U T G W Kip

[CanaryLawn]

Excellent update as usual Kip, one question though, how have Man Utd's attendences held up after 9 years in the Championship?

[kipfizh]

Originally posted by CanaryLawn:

Excellent update as usual Kip, one question though, how have Man Utd's attendences held up after 9 years in the Championship?

They've held up pretty well - they still get around 50k to each match, so their gate receipts are massive for the Championship.

Their trouble is - so are their wages (because they're a rich club, players demand more), and the loan interest is killing them. In a few years, that loan will be no more, and they should be fine.

foxmad - good point, the 'total unfiltered' number does vary from year to year, and even then that's only about 80% of the players in the database.

Originally, I used the figure as a reputation marker, but now that Genie Scout shows you reputations it's probably a little redundant.

[AB-forever]

Finally got my fix

I hope they keep going forward like this

But I'm surprised that Clayton can't see the obvious holes on the sides. Sure he isn't too good but he should still be able to see it.

KUTGW!!

[magicmastermind124]

Originally posted by kipfizh:

foxmad - good point, the 'total unfiltered' number does vary from year to year, and even then that's only about 80% of the players in the database.

Originally, I used the figure as a reputation marker, but now that Genie Scout shows you reputations it's probably a little redundant.

Perhaps for future reference when you post the number of interested players, could you please also give the number of players in the game? And also could you tell us which country the Bandit's have knowledge in? It's in the scouting menu, i'm sure you've seen it. A screenshot would suffice.

[01everton]

Kipfizh will you be continuing the experiment when FM 08 is out?

Or are you gonna start again by doing it on FM 08?

[Benjaminoo]

Been following this for abit. It's amazing. Very interesting, and I hope you continue this, or do it again when FM 08 comes out.

Well done Kip.

[nick...]

Noooo!

Don't let the club die!

Run it alongside your 08 game.

Or failing that the new club will have to start at the bottom as AFC Bandits...

[rtik-1-one]

Kip please run this alongside your 08 save.

Ive read it through since page 1 and i would be heartbroken to see the Bandits fall into nothingness.

[kipfizh]

Folks...don't worry, this experiment will continue until it reaches a natural conclusion (i.e. when it becomes redundant to the point of showing us nothing).

In the beginning, I was learning about the AI of unambitious talents, unambitious managers, players with ideas above their station but dislikes for all the clubs that could fulfil them.

Now, we're learning about relative managers' ability to balance squads, ability of managers to phase out the older players in favour of younger ones, the effect of reputation (a huge factor in the game), and so on, all with a story attached.

I'm still enjoying it, and there still seems to be an audience....so it continues

[williamshankley]

Originally posted by kipfizh:

Folks...don't worry, this experiment will continue until it reaches a natural conclusion (i.e. when it becomes redundant to the point of showing us nothing).

In the beginning, I was learning about the AI of unambitious talents, unambitious managers, players with ideas above their station but dislikes for all the clubs that could fulfil them.

Now, we're learning about relative managers' ability to balance squads, ability of managers to phase out the older players in favour of younger ones, the effect of reputation (a huge factor in the game), and so on, all with a story attached.

I'm still enjoying it, and there still seems to be an audience....so it continues

Excellent

[mark24cde]

whs

[VonBlade]

I was about to suggest that maybe the amount of players interested is dropping because the amount in the database is dropping. The amount of superstars in the game is gradually ebbing so perhaps the Bandits are about right, there are just less to pick from.

Anyway, let's hope that Right-Mid makes a triumphant return to the Bandits. Although his lack of ambition might be a problematic factor. Hmmm.

Still, the Bandits get some good safe mid table stuff going on and as the young superstars improve they could finally clinch the UEFA spot that would help keep those same superstars at the club.

Awesome Kip.

Maybe (maybe) with the advent of 08 around the corner you could finally see what a super-ambitious young interfering Chairman could do with the BanditsV2. Maybe the tweaked way of regen-ing would give better performance. Plus of course starting from the day of release(ish) would give us 365 days of Banditry

Perhaps the retirement of Morley would be the end of the things we could learn from this initial experiment? Either that or you'll be playing forever lol.

VB

[Meitheisman]

Finally managed to catch up with the 2 pages I missed. It's great to see that the Bandits are going the right way, hopefully the squad keeps improving and the Bandits can push for a top table finish next season.

As for Morley's retirement being the end of the experiment I beg to differ, I want to see the Bandits with a good manager and with the reputation of the club improving this slow it could be quite a few years until we get a top 5 manager and play in Europe every season.

[stevereay]

Kipfizh. The only natural end to this is when the bandits have won the major trophies.

[Chilliconcarnie]

I can not stay away from this thread kip

I'm looking forward to the FM08 version, although I'm loving this incarnation too much! Bandits for European football! And then the premiership!

[Dreaded Walrus]

I'm intrigued... can we get a look at/summary of their feeder clubs? I'm interested in seeing how many feeders/parents they have, who they are, and what role they serve, considering this season they made a profit of almost £50m.

[kipfizh]

Season 2043-44

Bandits report - Transfers

Transfers In

Transfers Out

Summer

With a squad full of promise and plenty of hot prospects in tow, last season ended promisingly for the Bandits, with some of the older players moved on and replaced with youngsters with enormous potential. Before the summer, many optimistic fans predicted that next season, the team could finally break into the top ten and maybe even push for a European place.

Those same fans recognised the main issues – at full back their team was weak, but throughout the remainder of the side, there was both quality and huge potential, and in Luke Hallett a true star in the making.

So it was with increasing dismay that those same fans watched as one by one, players left the club over the course of the summer. First to leave was German Nunez, first choice centre back for six years, for a cut price 2.2m, swiftly followed by the supremely talented youngster Karl Reeve, who at 24 was already in the club’s top three players. With a PA over 170, there was great disappointment to see the first choice right winger move on to QPR, even for 7.25m.

The full back problems were soon added to by the departure of first choice left back Martijn van der Vall. He wasn’t a great talent, but with no other options he had to be retained. With 22 year old left winger Craig Williamson, another of the club’s star talents, following him out of the door, again to QPR, for 5.75m, the wide positions were looking abysmally weak.

Another couple of squad players left, before the real kicker for the fans. Those who thought Luke Hallett would step into the breach opened by Nunez’s departure would be sadly disappointed. He indicated to the press that he wanted to leave, and days later Chelsea had snapped him up for only 2.1m.

After all these sales, the fans were beginning to turn on the manager. He had to act quickly, and decisively, to plug the gaps in the squad which now gaped wider than ever before. But only four signings were made.

The first was Pablo Jose Coto, a left back who wasn’t even good enough to start a league match for the Bandits all season. He was followed by Iain Lennon, who became the first choice left winger without ever setting the world alight. A fairly uninspiring start.

Right back Ali Bell arrived in August, but only played sporadically, so the only signing to make an impact on the first team was the final one – 32 year old left wing back Steve Lancaster.

When September 1 rolled around, the Bandits’ faithful couldn’t believe what they’d witnessed. Three of their first teamers and several more of their hottest prospects had left, to be replaced by an aging wing back and a left winger. All the wide positions looked weak, and the stars of tomorrow had gone.

January

With the squad decimated in the summer, many were imploring the manager to strengthen fully in January, to reverse his apparent destruction of the side. Would he?

The answer was simple – no. Incredibly, the left winger who’d arrived in the summer, Iain Lennon, and become first choice, moved on only months later, Liverpool paying 7.25m for him, for a quick profit. He was joined at the exit door by Phil Thompson, the first choice central midfielder, who moved to Man City for 5m.

Meanwhile, the only signing was Ralph Wright, a left winger signed as replacement for Iain Lennon, but who never managed to play a single league game.

The season in total saw five signings totaling 16m, most of which appeared to be overpriced. But fourteen players left for a total sale of 32.5m.

The squad is smaller, the squad seems to be weaker from all of this. They still have a small collection of star players - do the Bandits have enough strength in depth to get away with Clayton’s destruction of their squad? Or are they doomed to fall back down the league?

Will the consolation of a bad season be the end of Clayton’s reign at the club?

[kipfizh]

Bandits report - squad

Top 20 in Squad (sorted by CA)

Name, Pos, Age, CA-PA

Morgan, DC, 31, 173-173 (+9)

Finley, ST, 22, 169-169 (+2)

Vincent, MC, 25, 162-181 (+6)

McDermott, ST, 26, 159-159 (0)

Gibbs, M LC, 28, 158-158 (0)

Ivic, AM L, 31, 157-161 (0)

Spicer, ST, 28, 156-156 (0)

Brand, ST, 22, 155-165 (+5)

Watts, DR, 22, 155-165 (+3)

Pichet, DC, 23, 155-161 (+4)

Pearson, ST, 22, 154-168 (+6)

Beckham, GK, 24, 153-161 (+1)

Paris, GK, 27, 153-156 (+2)

Dixon, D/M C, 24, 151-157 (+2)

Watt, MC, 24, 151-156 (+2)

Wade, GK, 22, 149-158 – new entry in top 20

Small, D/DM C, 27, 148-167 – new entry in top 20

Lancaster, D/WB L, 32, 147-178 – new signing

Peacock, DM, 23, 147-161 – new entry in top 20

Barcelo, AM C, 24, 147-147 – new entry in top 20

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

Reeve, AM R, 24, 160-171

Nunez, DC, 31, 156-158

Thompson, D/M C, 25, 154-169

Williamson, AM L, 22, 151-165

Walker, MC, 26, 151-157

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

None

After Finley became the best ever player at the club last season with a CA of 167, he was beaten this season by Charlie Morgan, despite improving further. Morgan’s dramatic rise to his potential at the age of 31 makes him the first 170 CA players the club has ever had.

The top of the list looks excellent, with three stars in particular still improving. In fact, no-one in the top twenty is getting worse, so can these improvements mask all the sales? The bottom three in the top 20 would not have made the list last season, and it is disappointing to see five of last season’s top 20 disappear, while only one signing is made this time, and only at 18th.

Clayton doesn’t seem to have made good signings at all, and having sold many first teamers, plus talents such as potential world star Luke Hallett, he is relying on the improvement of what is left behind. Can they live up to the pressure?

CA of X or above:

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

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

170 : 0 … 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1

160 : 0 … 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 3, 2, 3, 3, 3

150 : 0 … 3, 6, 10, 13, 15, 13, 11, 15, 17, 15

140 : 0 … 9, 9, 14, 19, 27, 25, 22, 27, 27, 24

130 : 0 … 10, 11, 22, 28, 32, 31, 28, 33, 34, 29

120 : 0 … 16, 15, 29, 37, 38, 36, 30, 34, 36, 30

110 : 0 … 21, 22, 39, 42, 39, 36, 30, 36, 36, 31

100 : 2 … 29, 27, 43, 45, 40, 36, 32, 39, 40, 34

Although there is a new bracket, with 173 CA Charlie Morgan becoming the first player to reach the 170 mark, most of what is below him is considerably worse.

A lot rest on the shoulders of Finley and McDermott, the strike pairing, Morgan, the central defensive leader, and Vincent, the central midfielder. It is a strong spine, but all the way down both flanks, they are very weak. Can they manage?

Top players by reputation

Reputation (CA in brackets):

Morgan (173) – 7310 (+586)

Finley (169) – 7140 (+234)

Vincent (162) – 6477 – new entry in top ten

McDermott (159) – 6320 (-)

Gibbs (158) – 6241 (-)

Ivic (157) – 6158 (+19)

Paris (152) – 5850 – new entry in top ten

Beckham (153) – 5732 (-44)

Spicer (156) – 5522 (-160)

Lancaster (147) – 5370 – new signing

Last season the Bandits’ reputation fell to 6514, which still only Finley and Morgan exceed, but both are now streets ahead of where their club was a year ago.

So the question is – has the club kept up? Can they keep their stars?

[VonBlade]

Wow.

Stunned.

What a staggering disappointment. Having a couple of seasons of this idiot I was just starting to believe that maybe he wasn't the feeble-minded fool we'd thought. Sadly it appears he was.

Fingers crossed that he got the sack, but what hope is there for the Bandits now that the core of the side and the core of the bench have been moved on without replacement.

Sickening.

VB

[waz_nufc_awk]

agreed VB.

nightmare scenario..

[emgergo]

What the hell...

*prays for a sacking*

[kipfizh]

Well, after that piece of depressing news, I thought I'd cheer you up.

In absence of the full report, which is on the way, let me tell you that the Bandits' stars carried the team this year - the strike partnership of Finley and McDermott yielded hatfuls of goals, and Morgan was awesome at the back.

Had any of the three been injured, the team would've been utterly screwed.

As it was, they reached their third League Cup final, against Villa, and after briefly topping the Premiership halfway through the season, fell back to a more normal position, going into the final day eighth.

The league is tight on the final day, a win could see them finish as high as sixth, a loss and they could drop out of the top ten, which would be cruel bearing in mind they've spent the whole season in the top eight.

Unfortunately, the final game is away to Arsenal. If they win, they've got a good chance of qualifying for Europe. A draw, and they've got an outside chance, maybe through the Intertoto, a loss, and they're out of it.

Of course, if they won the League Cup they'd be in Europe anyway.

The squad is still as weak as it looks, but have the stars somehow carried the club into Europe (which would have the neat benefit of raising next season's expectation levels to a point where Clayton might be sacked - hurrah!)?

Answers on a postcard....

[5ergio]

Wanted: Dead or Sacked!

||| Ben Clayton |||

~~ Misusing his powers in Bandits' management

~~ Making most of us believe he is at least a decent manager

~~ Possible role of commissioner in transfers

~~ Fool the board of (looser) directors by keeping the finances high

Award: Pure satisfaction

If you happen to see him by any chance just call 1-800-BANDITSFANS. We'll take care.

[TPA]

Thank you Kip for that info

After reading the previous update I was almost 100% certain were going to see some Championship football again next season.

[VonBlade]

Phew. I'll get down off this chair then.

Can't believe the Bandits have the lure of a trip to Gdansk dangling in front of them! Wowsers.

Fingers crossed they end up sixth and Clayton gets sacked after about 3 games of the new season. Or the Chairmen suddenly sees gold in them thar hills and wants a manager to match the club and he's gone before the transfer window opens.

VB

[Guest]

My goodness. I've just spent the last hour and a bit reading through the entire thread (and i should add speed reading!). Excellent stuff kip, fantastic thread. Waiting for the next updates!

[kipfizh]

Originally posted by TPA:

After reading the previous update I was almost 100% certain were going to see some Championship football again next season.

Believe me, when I saw the summer clearout sales, I thought exactly the same thing.

I still can't believe that after a few years of building up such a promising squad, he proceeded to throw the vast majority of it away in two months.

We can't get too excited about this season (much better than expected as it is). They only did so well because of precisely four players - their four best players, who all stayed injury free and performed magnificently.

In other words, they carried the team. Reckon they can do it twice? I don't.

[VonBlade]

Reckon they wont get sold in the transfer window? I don't.

Ok I'm nicking your final sentence, but I think it's much more likely my way.

[DefoesRightBoot]

Carlsberg don't do threads on FM message boards, but if they did, they'd probably be the best threads in the world.

Remarkable achievement kipfizh, read all through this since finding it last night, and very interested to find out how things go.

As a Spurs fan, it seems to me that following the Bandits is somewhat similar to following Spurs! Hopefully they can make the ascension to the very top in the not too distant future!

And good luck to LB 1 in the England job, although disappointed to see him leave Spurs as I was hoping he would be the man to get us back to the top!

[foxmad]

Come on Bandits

Still can't believe this might end soon. Kip, you have been bloody fantastic

[RavenVW]

Originally posted by DefoesRightBoot:

Carlsberg don't do threads on FM message boards, but if they did, they'd probably be the best threads in the world.

Fantastic.

[Dreaded Walrus]

Originally posted by RavenVW:

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

Carlsberg don't do threads on FM message boards, but if they did, they'd probably be the best threads in the world.

Fantastic. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I think we need a new one now, too.

"Kipfizh doesn't do beers. But if he did, they'd probably be the best beers in the world."

[kipfizh]

Bandits report – Season summary

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

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

2008-09, English National Conference – 7th

2009-10, English National Conference – 9th

2010-11, English National Conference – 6th

2011-12, English National Conference – 18th

2012-13, English National Conference – 5th

2013-14, English National Conference – 1st

2014-15, English League Two – 21st

2015-16, English League Two – 21st

2016-17, English League Two – 6th

2017-18, English League Two – 6th

2018-19, English League Two – 7th

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

2020-21, English League Two – 10th

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

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

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

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

2025-26, English League One – 18th

2026-27, English League One – 17th

2027-28, English League One – 14th

2028-29, English League One – 20th

2029-30, English League One – 1st

2030-31, English Championship – 14th

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

2032-33, English Championship – 12th

2033-34, English Championship – 8th

2034-35, English Championship – 21st

2035-36, English Championship – 2nd

2036-37, English Premiership – 17th

2037-38, English Premiership – 12th

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

2039-40

English Premiership: (Pos 11), P 38, W 13, D 9, L 16, F 50, A 61, GD -11, Pts 48

(Media Prediction: 18th)

FA Cup: 3rd Round

League Cup: 3rd Round

2040-41

English Premiership: (Pos 14), P 38, W 11, D 15, L 12, F 52, A 62, GD -10, Pts 48

(Media Prediction: 16th)

FA Cup: 3rd Round

League Cup: 2nd Round

2041-42

English Premiership: (Pos 13), P 38, W 14, D 9, L 15, F 55, A 55, GD 0, Pts 51

(Media Prediction: 18th)

FA Cup: 3rd Round

League Cup: 3rd Round

2042-43

English Premiership: (Pos 11), P 38, W 15, D 7, L 16, F 58, A 68, GD -10, Pts 52

(Media Prediction: 15th)

FA Cup: 3rd Round

League Cup: 3rd Round

2043-44

English Premiership: (Pos 6), P 38, W 16, D 9, L 13, F 47, A 47, GD 0, Pts 57

(Media Prediction: 14th)

League

FA Cup: Quarter-Final

League Cup: Winners

After a summer of turmoil, the Bandits’ faithful were not in the slightest bit confident about the season ahead, even about meeting the media prediction of 14th, let alone breaking into the top half, which last season’s squad appeared to be heading towards.

Shorn of so much of the first team, there was immense pressure from the start on a few players – the star quartet of Tom Finley and Scott McDermott up front, Fabien Vincent in midfield, and Charlie Morgan in central defence. Fitness and form were required from the four otherwise the team would be a disaster.

The season started better than expected, with them sitting neatly in mid-table, before a long unbeaten streak took them surprisingly into the top six. While this was happening, they were embarking on their first serious cup run in years, knocking Chesterfield and West Brom out of the League Cup (both of which finished in the Premiership top five), before meeting Chelsea in the quarter-finals.

Taking a ten match unbeaten run into the match, the Bandits took an early lead, and despite a Ryan Morley equalizer, Scott McDermott hammered a winner to take the home side to the first semi-final in five years.

Chelsea got their revenge in the league, ending the unbeaten record at twelve matches, but at the halfway stage, the Bandits sat top of an incredibly congested league, based largely on the strike partnership of Finley and McDermott, and the defensive pairing of Morgan at centre back and Owen Paris, making the goalkeeping jersey his own for the first time.

The league cup semi final against Morecambe followed soon after, and a 2-2 away draw was a great start, Finley and McDermott again getting the goals. The home leg started badly, with Morecambe going in front, but after Tom Finley had equalized, and ex-Bandit German Nunez had been sent off for Morecambe, there was no coming back, and after extra time the Bandits reached their third League Cup final on away goals.

With a run to the quarter finals of the FA Cup also being achieved, their league form soon deteriorated, and they fell out of the top six quickly before the final came around. With Aston Villa impressing in the league, it was to be a tough test. With their league form faltering, could this be their route into Europe?

Scott McDermott sent the Bandits’ fans into heaven with a first half goal, but Jahic equalized before half time, and a really tight second half produced no more goals. As the first half of extra time completed, both manager urged fifteen minutes more hard work from their tiring teams, but it was to be the Bandits’ day, Tom Finley popping up after 108 minutes to score the winner, and secure their first major trophy and a route into Europe for the very first time.

With Morecambe getting their revenge over the Bandits in the FA Cup quarter final and the league, the League Cup winners went on a terrible run towards the back end of the season, and fell down to eighth going into the final day. A loss at the Emirates on the final day could cruelly put them out of the top ten entirely and deny them their highest ever finish. Europe was no longer a concern after the League Cup victory, but how could they end the season?

The answer was in style – Tom Finley scored the only goal of a polished performance to defeat Arsenal 1-0 and lift the club back up to sixth.

The season of success was built on the stars – Finley and McDermott scored 45 goals between them, while Charlie Morgan averaged 7.34 at the back. The surprise star was keeper Owen Paris, who, after coming into the side for the first time, averaged 7.45 in a stunning season.

In reality, the Premiership goals tally of 47 was poor, their worst in years (only three teams in the league scored less), but they got away with it because of their defensive record, also standing at 47, the third best in the division.

With two cup runs stretching the squad, the results dipped badly, and injuries to any of the stars would be disastrous. But let’s get some perspective – the Bandits are now the League Cup champions, and are in Europe for the very first time. Their reputation and expectations will rise as a result, and either Clayton will bring in better players, or chances are he’ll fail next season and get sacked. Either scenario is good.

Smile. Europe beckons.

Honours: League Cup (2044)

[kipfizh]

Bandits report - Best and Worst

General

Stats

Finance Overview

New records:

Highest League Position: 6th in Premiership (previous: 11th in Premiership)

Highest Gate Receipts: 4.9m v Morecambe, FA Cup Quarter Final

Total Transfer Income: 27m

This season:

Best player – Paris, 7.45

Top scorer – McDermott, 23

Worst player – McNeil, 6.70

The Bandits remain in second place in the rich list.

Rich Clubs

[kipfizh]

Bandits report - The ‘Ryan Morley’s of the world

At 33, Ryan Morley is fading fast, with his CA dropping from 157 to 131 this season. He still manages to score 11 goals for Chelsea in his thirteenth season with them, but is largely out of favour. His international career seems over despite his superb record.

Paul Dove continues to improve, moving up from 165 to 167 CA, just four short of his potential. He is still struggling to break into the Arsenal side though, making just eight starts, but scoring an impressive five goals.

21 year old Luke Hallett progressed to 150 CA after move to Chelsea, still 34 short of his huge potential, but failed to impress in his few appearances for the club.

[kipfizh]

Bandits report - Team analysis

Goalkeepers

Owen Paris (27, 153/156) took over from Bill Beckham (24, 153/161) this season, and had a stunning season, playing a huge part in the Bandits’ successful season. Beckham got the odd start, but Paris was undoubtedly number one.

Chris Wade (22, 149/158) provides further backup.

Summary: Owen Paris had an amazing season, and is well backup up by younger keepers.

Genie Scout’s Suggestion: Owen Paris (GK)

Defenders

Last season’s first choice left back, van der Vall, was sold in the summer, but in stepped new signing Steve Lancaster (32, 147/178), who played reasonably without setting the world alight. West McAusland (23, 137/152) remains backup, along with another new signing, Pablo Jose Coto (22, 138/153).

On the right, Robbie Watts (23, 155/165) stepped into the breach left behind when Wilson returned to Derby after his loan deal. Ali Bell (25, 141/152) backs him up, but they are the only two players capable of playing at right back.

The centre of defence was dominated by the impressive Charlie Morgan (31, 173/173), who played superbly all season to marshall an inexperienced back line. His partner was more often Thibault Pichet (23, 155/161) than Phil Dixon (24, 151/157).

Gary Small (27, 148/167) provides another option in the middle, although he doesn’t look like reaching his potential, and there is little cover elsewhere.

Summary: The sales of Nunez, Thompson and Hallett really hit their depth in the centre, and if Morgan got injured they’d be in trouble. They need cover both here and on the right.

Genie Scout’s Suggestion: Steve Lancaster (LB), Robbie Watts (RB), Charlie Morgan (CB), Phil Dixon (CB)

Midfielders

Danijel Ivic (31, 157/161) continued at left wing, playing decently, but with Williamson sold he has next to no competition, with only Ralph Wright (23, 143/152) anywhere near the level required.

After the sale of star right winger Karl Reeve, Stephen McNeil (28, 137/137) was somewhat oddly preferred to Ross White (30, 142/152), but again the backup is pathetically weak.

Shaun Gibbs (28, 158/158) continued in the centre, but with his partner Thompson sold, Fabien Vincent (25, 162/181) stepped in and showed glimpses of his huge potential.

They are backed up by defensive midfielder Lee Peacock (23, 147/161), Peter Watt (24, 151/156) and the aging Adrien Grosjean (32, 144/158).

Further forward, there are two attacking midfield prospects in David Barcelo (24, 147/147) and Paul Donaldson (21, 137/150).

Summary: The sales of Thompson, Reeve and Walker hit the midfield hard, and new players are desperately needed on both wings.

Genie Scout’s Suggestion: Shaun Gibbs (LM), Stephen McNeil (RM), Shaun Gibbs (CM), Lee Peacock (CM)

Strikers

The season’s success was built primarily on the star strike pairing of Tom Finley (23, 169/169), who scored 22 goals this season, eclipsing last year’s total by one, and Scott McDermott (26, 159/159), who sailed past his debut total of fifteen, managing 23 this time around.

Both players were crucially available for most of the season, but in any case they were backed up by Paul Spicer (28, 156/156), the emerging Peter Brand (22, 155/165) and Mark Pearson (22, 154/168), who despite his promise is being allowed to join Leeds at the end of the season for a club record fee of 12.5m.

Summary: Finley and McDermott make an excellent pairing, but with Pearson leaving they could do with a star for the future.

Genie Scout’s Suggestion: Scott McDermott (ST), Tom Finley (ST)

Last season’s shopping list:

Left Back – signed (Lancaster, Coto, but van der Vall sold)

Right Back – signed (Bell, but not good enough)

Left Winger – signed (Wright, but Williamson sold)

At left back and left wing, the players signed were worse than those sold, while at right back, the player simply wasn’t good enough.

Summer shopping list: Left Back, Right Back, Centre Back, Left Winger, Right Winger

Everything they needed before, they still need, but with three centre backs sold they need another player there, and with their best right winger also sold, they need a new one. Many gaps to fill.

[kipfizh]

Bandits report - First XI Summary

GK: Paris (27, 153/156) – 7.45

LB: Lancaster (32, 147/178) – 6.88

CB: Pichet (23, 155/161) – 6.73

CB: Morgan (31, 173/173) – 7.34

RB: Watts (23, 155/165) – 6.85

LM: Ivic (31, 157/161) – 6.90

CM: Vincent (25, 162/181) – 6.98

CM: Gibbs (28, 158/158) – 7.06

RM: McNeil (28, 137/137) – 6.70

ST: McDermott (26, 159/159) – 7.41

ST: Finley (23, 169/169) – 7.40

Average age – 27.0 (up from last year’s 26.0)

Average CA – 156.8 (up from last year’s 154.8)

Average rating – 7.06 (up from last year’s 6.99)

While the side gets older due to the introduction of Lancaster, amongst others, the ability improves greatly on last season – an average of two points of CA per player. This is due both to the balance in the defence being partially addressed, and the improvement of several players, not least Morgan.

However, their average rating (which has jumped considerably) may be an overachievement – their stars really played well, and if they don’t next season, there’ll be trouble ahead.

[kipfizh]

Competitions - Other stats

England won their European Championship qualifying group in familiar style – eight wins out of eight and no goals conceded. Their group in the summer is tricky, with Italy, Serbia and Croatia laying in wait.

Chelsea retained the Premiership, becoming the first side to do so in many years, with Sheff Wed finishing second after an excellent season. Morecambe repeated their impressive top half finish, while West Ham, Arsenal and QPR disappointed. Liverpool skirted close to relegation, but Newcastle’s return to the top flight was short lived, as they finished bottom, going down along with Reading and Barnsley.

Chelsea’s 21st title was a record, while the Bandits again extended their average attendance record from 100673 to 102647.

Down in the Championship, Man Utd were among the favourites to gain promotion from a weak league, but finished tenth and never challenged, while Scunthorpe bounced straight back from their relegation to win the league.

Sheff Wed completed an excellent season by winning the FA Cup, defeating Liverpool in the final after extra time. Because of their second place finish in the league, Liverpool take the European place. No lower league side got anywhere close to emulating Stoke’s fantastic winning campaign from last season.

As we already know, the Bandits clinched their first major trophy, winning the League Cup, beating Aston Villa after extra time. Liverpool beat the record for the longest unbeaten streak, managing fifteen games before losing to Chelsea. Meanwhile, Aston Villa’s Saso Jahic did not deserve to lose the final, setting two new records in his campaign, scoring eight goals and winning four man of the match awards.

In Europe, the Champions League final was Bayern Munich against Real Madrid for the third successive year, but this time the Spaniards came out on top after a penalty shoot out. It was a better season for the English sides, with all four reaching the knockout stages, but only Chelsea made it to the last four. Real Madrid’s win was their 21st, extending their own record.

It was a good season for La Liga, with the UEFA Cup final being an all-Spanish affair, last season’s losing finalists Atletico beating Valencia. No English team even made it to the last sixteen, with Stoke’s reward for the shock FA Cup win being a first round exit to Lokomotiv Moscow.

[kipfizh]

Player reports – the original Bandits

Goalkeeper 1 – Retired from playing 03/07/2032

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

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

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

Remains West Ham assistant manager, as they slip down the table to eighth.

Goalkeeper 2 – Retired from playing 27/06/2032

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

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

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

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

2043-, No Club, CA 170, PA 170

With Leeds 15th in the Premiership, Goalkeeper 2 was cast out, after spending three decades at his favourite club. The club ended up 12th, and he has yet to find further work.

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

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

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

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

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

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

2042-, England (manager), CA 98, PA 110

The England manager won all eight qualifying matches, but the real test lies ahead, with a full tournament to oversee. His CA is dropping fast though, so can he raise his own game in the summer?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2043-, Milan (manager), CA 129, PA 130

Moved back to Italy to take charge of Milan, who reached the Champions League quarter finals, before losing to his former club Chelsea.

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

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

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

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

2040-, Yeovil (coach), CA 104, PA 110

Stasis as he remains Yeovil coach, and they remain sixteenth in League Two.