AI Experiment - what would happen if?

[kipfizh]

Bandits report - Best and Worst

General

Stats

Finance Overview

New records:

Highest Transfer Fee Paid: 16.75m to Man City for Martyn Jones

This season:

Best player – Johnstone, 7.55

Top scorer – Finley, 25

Worst player – Dreyfus, 6.18

The Bandits remain the richest club in the world for the second season in succession.

Rich Clubs

[kipfizh]

Bandits report - First XI Summary

GK: Johnstone (29, 172/173) – 7.55

LWB: Mnguni (31, 167/175) – 6.77

CB: de Jong (28, 170/170) – 6.65

CB: Thomas (20, 151/173) – 6.88

CB: Fatih (26, 169/173) – 7.08

RWB: Corradini (27, 150/167) – 6.45

CM: Remy (26, 166/166) – 6.56

CM: Dreyfus (out of position) (32, 149/186) – 6.18

CM: Jones (out of position) (29, 163/183) – 6.19

ST: Martin (26, 178/178) – 6.59

ST: Finley (28, 168/169) – 7.23

Average age – 27.5 (down from last year’s 28.6)

Average CA – 163.9 (down from last year’s 164.2)

Average rating – 6.72 (down from last year’s 6.75)

Left Back 1 became the first Bandits manager in years to switch away from a rigid 4-4-2, moving to 5-3-2 with wingbacks. It seems a strange decision – he has plenty of decent wingers, and insists on playing two of them, Dreyfus and Jones, in the central midfield trio. It is no wonder that the pair are not playing very well.

The side gets a lot younger, mostly down to the introduction of 20 year old central defender Michael Thomas, who came through the academy only a couple of years ago and is now playing to a very decent level. But around him the age is still a little worrying, there are few others coming through with similar talent, and Left Back 1’s signings do not appear to be geared towards the long term.

With these players available, 4-4-2 still seems the best option. It has been an odd choice to switch.

[kipfizh]

Bandits report – Outside the first XI

Dropped:

Hansen (DR) – the 29 year old still plays a reasonable amount, but Corradini has pushed him out.

Pizarro (DC) – despite the move to 5-3-2, accommodating an extra CB, Thomas and Fatih have taken the spots.

Sanchez (LM) – wingers are no longer used frequently, and with Dreyfus on loan, Sanchez never got a game when they were. Now 32, he is on the way out.

Vincent (CM) – strangely, on loan left winger Dreyfus was picked ahead of him in central midfield, but may get more games next season.

Orlov (CM) – the arrival of winger Jones pushed him out, despite Jones being played out of position in central midfield.

Hernandez (RM) – with the move to 5-3-2, right wingers are not utilized, and Jones is the main man when they are.

Sold:

None

Prospects

Sayer (18, 105/174) gained 17 CA points, and with Finley just beginning to age he may end up arriving at the right time. Made only one substitute appearance, in Europe.

Last season there were four prospects listed, this time only one. In reality, there are still two, as Thomas has graduated into the first team, but Kyle Cox and Adam Williamson were sold, and this leaves the squad very thin of young talented players.

As for those who got dropped, some of them are on the wane now, but some will hope to play a bigger part again next season, depending on the formation the manager chooses.

Either way, the squad needs a bit of an overhaul. Is Left Back 1 the man to do it?

[kipfizh]

Competitions - Other stats

England reached the semi finals of the European Championships, before losing on penalties to Portugal. Left Back 1 was somewhat harshly sacked as a result, but then went on to manage the Bandits, returning home after forty years away. England, meanwhile, have opened their relatively simple World Cup qualifying campaign with four wins out of four.

Sheff Wed dominated the Premiership for the second season running, this time winning it by a massive fifteen points to confirm their status as the dominant side in the country. Derby did remarkably well to finish second, while two of the promoted clubs, Leyton Orient and Huddersfield, were joined by Leeds in relegation.

Down in the Championship, Man Utd finally clawed their way back up to the top flight after fourteen years away, gaining promotion via the playoffs. It will be interesting to see how much they strengthen in the summer.

Championship Chesterfield went on a fantastic run in the FA Cup, eventually lifting the trophy after defeating Spurs in the final, on penalties, having knocked out Arsenal and Chelsea in the previous two rounds. Kendal Town set an unwanted record – their qualifying round defeat was their tenth in succession, a losing streak that beat all that came before.

The League Cup was retained by Sheff Wed after all the big teams exited early. In fact, the other three semi finalists were all Championship teams, and it was Leicester who reached the final before being comfortably beaten. The winners also set a new record of nine consecutive wins, until they drew the opening leg of the semi final.

Last season, Sheff Wed won the Premiership and League Cup, but lost in the Champions League final. This season, they capped off an amazing season by becoming champions of Europe, defeating Barcelona in the final. They truly are a giant club right now. Meanwhile, Roma beat Milan in the UEFA Cup final, after knocking the Bandits out in the semis.

[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

2034-2047, West Ham (assistant manager), CA 162, PA 170

2047-, Bandits (assistant manager), CA 151, PA 170

Remains the Bandits’ assistant manager, as they struggle under the stewardship of Left Back 1, finishing ninth.

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

2043-2044, No Club, CA 170, PA 170

2044-2045, Arsenal (manager), CA 170, PA 170

2045-2046, No Club, CA 167, PA 170

2046-2048, Morecambe (manager), CA 163, PA 170

2048-, No Club, CA 161, PA 170

Was sacked by Morecambe after only two games of the season, with them sitting tenth, and has not found work since. Morecambe ended up fourth, but missed out on promotion, losing the playoff final on penalties to Man Utd.

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

2042-2048, England (manager), CA 90, PA 110

2048-, Bandits (manager), CA 88, PA 110

Did well in the European Championships, negotiating a tough group and reaching the semi finals, but the FA thought it a poor performance and fired him. Now manager of the Bandits, his transfer policy is in question as they struggled to ninth.

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

2043-2045, Milan (manager), CA 126, PA 130

2045-2047, Barcelona (manager), CA 124, PA 130

2047-, Sheff Wed (manager), CA 119, PA 130

Last season, he claimed the Premiership and League Cup with Sheff Wed, and reached the Champions League final. Just when you thought it couldn’t get better, he retained the Premiership and League Cup, before going one better and winning the Champions League. He is quickly becoming a legend with his new club.

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 103, PA 110

Continues his long term coaching job at Yeovil, who drop four places to seventeenth in League Two.

[kipfizh]

Premiership Analysis - Teams and Managers

Premiership

1 (1). Sheff Wed, Right Mid 1 (59, 119/130)

2 (13). Derby , Terry Arthur (61, 90/114) (new manager)

3 (3). Chelsea, Ben Clayton (55, 85/93) (new manager)

4 (10). QPR, Allen Mortimer (55, 113/114)

5 (2). West Ham, Danny Gamble (62, 97/120) (new manager)

6 (4). Liverpool, Wayne Heard (55, 114/120) (new manager)

7 (12). Man City, Ian Hare (53, 116/120)

8 (16). Crystal Palace, Scott Tait (52, 110/110) (new manager)

9 (5). Bandits, Left Back 1 (59, 88/110) (new manager)

10 (7). Newcastle, James Morgan (54, 126/130)

11 (8). Sunderland, no manager

12 (P). Burnley, Joey Kamara (50, 120/120)

13 (15). Barnsley, James Ainslie (43, 120/120)

14 (11). Arsenal, Gary Doyle (51, 120/120)

15 (17). Aston Villa, James Reynolds (51, 105/106) (new manager)

16 (6). West Brom, Adam Pullen (55, 112/120)

17 (14). Tottenham, Radim Kucera (47, 170/170) (new manager)

18 (9). Leeds, Eric May (49, 119/120) (new manager)

19 (P). Leyton Orient, Aaron Greenwood (60, 90/106)

20 (P). Huddersfield, Jamie Evans (49, 104/104)

Right Mid 1 had another fantastic season with Sheff Wed, retaining the Premiership, retaining the League Cup, and going one step further than last season by winning the Champions League. They truly are world giants at the moment.

Derby enjoyed a remarkable season under the stewardship of the experienced Terry Arthur, while the appointment of Ben Clayton is unlikely to have inspired Chelsea fans. Lower down, Tait enjoyed his season with Crystal Palace, while Left Back 1, second worst manager in the league (only Clayton has a lower CA), struggled in his first season with the Bandits.

At the bottom, Spurs finally have a decent manager, and haven’t avoided relegation they may improve next season, while Clayton took Leeds down before jumping ship to Chelsea.

Promoted from Championship

1 ®. Scunthorpe, Lewis Flanagan (57, 129/138) (new manager)

2 ®, Charlton, Adam Pearson (60, 93/109)

6 (7). Man Utd, Febian Brandy (60, 93/101)

Championship winners Scunthorpe have a decent manager, but Charlton and Man Utd may struggle. But the latter’s financial muscle will help them survive.

[kipfizh]

Premiership Analysis - Reputation

(league position in bold)

1 (1). Sheff Wed (1) – 9663 (-17)

2 (2). Chelsea (3) – 9149 (-326)

3 (9). QPR (4) – 8604 (+1160)

4 (5). West Ham (5) – 8332 (+170)

5 (4). Liverpool (6) – 8261 (-37)

6 (3). Bandits (9) – 8133 (-175)

7 (6). Sunderland (11) – 7779 (-219)

8 (10). West Brom (16) – 7446 (+65)

9 (7). Man City (7) – 7382 (-148)

10 (11). Leeds (18) – 7341 (+30)

11 (15). Newcastle (10) – 7198 (+326)

12 (12). Arsenal (14) – 7119 (-67)

13 (8). Aston Villa (15) – 7032 (-458)

14 (16). Derby (2) – 7002 (+178)

15 (13). Tottenham (17) – 6958 (-128)

16 (14). Barnsley (13) – 6726 (-171)

17 (17). Crystal Palace (8) – 6631 (-65)

18 (-). Burnley (12) – 6306 (+151)

19 (-). Leyton Orient (19) – 5549 (+138)

20 (-). Huddersfield (20) – 5543 (+147)

Promoted sides

Scunthorpe –6776 (+757)

Charlton – 7305 (+621)

Man Utd – 5995

Despite Sheff Wed winning three trophies in a remarkable season, their reputation was already so high that it actually drops a little. Their lead is increased though, as Chelsea fall further back. QPR make a surge up to third in the list after a fantastic season, while the Bandits slip three places to sixth.

Leeds remain in the top ten despite their relegation – they went on a bit of a UEFA Cup run and this has maintained their reputation – if they don’t get promoted next season it’ll drop like a stone.

Of the promoted sides, Charlton look well placed to stay up, but Man Utd, a giant from years ago, will struggle with their paltry reputation.

[kipfizh]

Premiership Analysis – Team Ability

(league position in bold)

1 (2). Liverpool (6) – 73.50 (-0.34)

2 (3). Sheff Wed (1) – 73.40 (+0.24)

3 (1). West Ham (5) – 73.14 (-1.08)

4 (5). Chelsea (3) – 73.05 (+0.67)

5 (4). Arsenal (14) – 73.00 (+0.09)

6 (6). Tottenham (17) – 71.94 (+0.29)

7 (7). Sunderland (11) – 71.63 (+0.30)

8 (8). Bandits (9) – 71.44 (+0.86)

9 (10). Aston Villa (15) – 71.19 (+1.47)

10 (11). Man City (7) – 70.83 (+1.13)

11 (13). Newcastle (10) – 70.15 (+0.96)

12 (15). QPR (4) – 69.53 (+0.75)

13 (9). Leeds (18) – 68.90 (-1.39)

14 (12). West Brom (16) – 68.75 (-0.51)

15 (14). Derby (2) – 67.67 (-1.21)

16 (16). Barnsley (13) – 67.61 (+0.13)

17 (20). Crystal Palace (8) – 66.52 (+2.48)

18 (-). Burnley (12) – 65.26 (+0.99)

19 (-). Huddersfield (20) – 63.77 (+1.00)

20 (-). Leyton Orient (19) – 63.20 (-0.04)

Promoted sides

Scunthorpe – 67.27 (+0.75)

Charlton – 67.92 (+1.19)

Man Utd – 66.17

Liverpool rise to the top despite their side getting a little weaker, due to West Ham’s big drop in team ability, which slips them down to third. Sheff Wed, the dominant side in the country, move up another spot to second.

Below the trio, there is little movement in the top ten, with only Leeds dropping significantly as they get relegated from the Premiership.

Of the sides getting promoted, Charlton again seem to have the upper hand, but none of the three sides are weak enough to be in big trouble, as long as they bring a handful of players in.

Overachievers : Derby, QPR

Underachievers : Arsenal, Tottenham

Title Prediction : Chelsea to break Sheff Wed’s stranglehold on English football

Relegation Prediction : Burnley, Spurs and Man Utd to fall

[kipfizh]

Summary

Left Back 1’s first season as manager of the Bandits was certainly up and down. With the fans not particularly enamoured by his signings, the club went on to have an extremely poor domestic season, one which leaves them without European football next season.

However, their run to the semi finals of the UEFA Cup was superb, as they beat some very decent sides along the way to announce their arrival on a bigger stage. It will hurt to miss out this season, but it means a good summer of transfers is required before the inevitable reputation drop.

The squad is really quite old now, with the exception of star centre back Thomas, who must be retained. Some talented kids would be welcome, but it doesn’t appear as if the manager has the long term in mind.

In fact, his tenure may be short lived – twice at the end of the season his position was under severe threat, with the board considering their options. Will he even make it to August?

For the second season running, Sheff Wed were utterly dominant in England, winning the league by fifteen points, retaining the League Cup, and storming through the Champions League to take that trophy home too. What’s next for the talented side led by Right Mid 1? Can anyone get near them?

One side who are simply glad to be back in the Premiership is Man Utd, who finally returned to the top slight after fourteen seasons away. They need to strengthen though if they are not to go straight back down again.

This summer is an important one for the Bandits – they need to turn their slump around. Can they?

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 became manager of West Ham last season, and led them to fifth in the Premiership.

Phil Edwards has retired.

Ben Clayton was sacked by Leeds, with them 19th in the Premiership, but it didn’t end up helping them, as they rose only one place to 18th and still went down. After the season ended, he was hired as Chelsea manager, practically ruling them out of challenging for the league anytime soon.

Stuart Davies has retired.

[kipfizh]

World View - Ones to watch

Your annual guide to the stars of tomorrow:

None – for the second season running, no player with a PA over 190 was generated.

Previous tips (some poor players have been cut)

Carlo Lupo (33, 156/198), the Italian centre back, lost another nine points of CA, yet there’s no stopping him as he averaged 7.67 for Barcelona. Class is permanent.

Patrick Schmidt (32, 135/184) the German right sided player, lost a massive 28 points of CA, but remains in favour with Valencia, although his performances are slipping.

Pereira (32, 137/187), the Portuguese defensive midfielder, lost another 17 CA points, and can no longer break into Bayern Munich’s side.

Tony Allison (29, 180/192), the winger and forward, lost just one point of CA, but his performances for West Ham simply aren’t what they were.

Ronnie Blundell (28, 187/195), the central midfielder, continued his slow crawl towards 190 CA, with a gain of two, but it is unlikely he will reach it now, while his performances for Real Madrid are not meeting expectations.

Hugues Guichard (27, 187/195), the French striker, loses eight points of CA at only 27. Last season’s best player in the world is declining early, and Bayern Munich incredibly decide that he isn’t a first choice striker anymore. He plays 12 games, scoring nine goals, but cannot break back into the team on a regular basis. What a turnaround.

Bjorn Strand (26, 193/193), the Norwegian striker, maintained his peak for the second season in succession, and ends his season with West Ham with an average of 7.84 and 29 goals, rated as the best player in the Premiership.

Ante Bacic (27, 187/189) the Croatian central defender, is another to slip from his peak at an early age, losing two points of CA at only 27, and his performances for Inter are also on the wane.

Henrik Berg (26, 178/188), the Norwegian left winger, rose another two points, but after scoring twenty goals for Inter last season, managed only one in a poor season.

Umit Abdulkadir (24, 197/199), the Turkish striker, gained another four points of CA to sit close to his enormous potential, and settled well at Real Madrid, where he scored 18 goals in 29 matches.

Sergey Sergienko (25, 190/193), the Russian central midfielder, gained three points to hit the 190 mark, but is still struggling for Inter.

Reiner Helbig (23, 183/199), the German defensive midfielder, only gained one point of CA, making his march towards his potential an unlikely target. Like so many that have come before, he is struggling badly at Chelsea.

Leonardo (22, 182/185), the Brazilian striker, moved four points closer to his potential, but yet again remained at Internacional, scoring ten goals in ten games at an average of 8.60. He needs to move on now.

Peter Schulz (24, 188/188), the German striker, remained at his peak for the second season in a row, having another awesome season for Hamburg, scoring 30 goals at an average of 7.86. He has also scored 27 times in 30 internationals.

Gary Cooper (23, 176/182), the English centre back, rose just one point of CA, and despite becoming a regular for Arsenal, he struggles.

Fabrizio Bucci (23, 193/199), the Italian striker, relentlessly storms towards his potential, gaining another seven points and breaking the 190 mark in the process. By his incredible standards (37 and 36 goals in his last two seasons), his return of 23 goals for Inter is a little disappointing.

Joe Galloway (22, 173/190), the English left back, gained another five points, and again played very well for West Ham, contributing another eleven assists with his awesome ability to deliver a corner.

Guillaume Charton (22, 182/194), the French goalkeeper, slows his rise down, gaining just two points, but at 22 has time on his side. Averaging 7.62 for Lyon, he has already become first choice for France.

Juan Perez (19, 160/194), the Mexican right winger, continues to improve at a remarkable rate, gaining 22 more points of CA, and remains at Chivas, where he is now starring, managing an average of 8.05, scoring 13 and gaining 15 assists. He is turning into quite the player.

Aaron Lomas (20, 145/198) the English striker, gained 16 points of CA, and Scunthorpe loaned him to non-league Goole, where he thrived, unsurprisingly.

Primoz Kercmar (20, 141/190) the Norwegian defensive midfielder, gained sixteen more points of CA in a season where Sunderland paid Fredrikstad 625k for him. His few appearances for his new club have been extremely poor.

Graham Thomas (18, 139/198), the English centre back, gained another sixteen points of CA, spending the season on loan from Arsenal, at League One Walsall, where he played reasonably.

Francisco Javier Rua (20, 142/192), the Spanish left winger, rose another 22 points of CA, and broke into Valencia’s first team, playing to an adequate standard without setting the world alight. His time should come.

[kipfizh]

World View - World beaters

With last year’s best player, Hugues Guichard, losing eight points of CA to fall back to 187 and out of this list entirely, it is now Umit Abdulkadir (24, 197/199) who takes over at the top, at the age of 24. Frigteningly, the Turkish striker is still improving, and scored 18 goals in an impressive first full season with Real Madrid. His skill and physical presence is awesome, but he has a slight issue with discipline, picking up four red cards in the season. Nonetheless, he is nothing short of awesome.

Umit Abdulkadir

Bjorn Strand (26, 193/193), the Norwegian striker, moves back up from fourth to joint second, after the decline of others. Once again, he has a tremendous season for West Ham, scoring 29 goals at an average of 7.84, but once again he wins nothing after the rest of the team struggle. His flair, technique and finishing are second to none, and his speed over short distances gives his a great advantage against even the best defenders.

Bjorn Strand

Joining him in second place is a new entry to the list, and the first of a trio of Inter players. Fabrizio Bucci (23, 193/199) has been impressing for years, and was once a top tip for the future, so it is somewhat ironic that he reaches the 190 mark in a season where his standards slip slightly. Having scored 73 goals in the previous two seasons, he manages 23 this, which for him is a disappointment. It is clear why he is so successful – adept at making the right runs, his first touch and finish is awesome, and he has the flair to beat a man if he has to. He is truly clinical.

Fabrizio Bucci

Dropping to joint fourth is Spanish striker Eduardo Castillejo (29, 190/198), almost definitely in his final season in the world beaters list. But the man is still an immense talent, and although his return for Inter was not what it might have been , he is still doing incredible things for Spain, with an international record that now boasts 41 goals in 36 caps.

Eduardo Castillejo

Also in joint fourth is another new entry, and another former ‘one to watch’. Sergey Sergienko (25, 190/193) breaks the monopoly of strikers on the list, as the Russian central midfielder supplies the deadly strikeforce of Bucci and Castillejo. But despite his physical presence and creative skill, Sergienko actually had a very poor season this time out, and will need to do more to avoid comparisons with another midfielder – Maia.

Sergey Sergienko

Imagine being a defender facing this Inter Milan team. While your strikers try to find a way past Ante Bacic, their centre back with a CA of 187, you have to contend with Sergienko supplying Bucci and Castillejo up front. It is incredible to think that they were only in the UEFA Cup this season, before being knocked out by Real Madrid.

But then, Umit Abdulkadir did score in both legs for Real. Quite a feast of football that must’ve been.

[kipfizh]

World View - Distribution of 180+ CA players

The clubs

Real Madrid – 5 (+1) (197, 188, 187, 181, 180)

Inter – 5 (-) (193, 190, 190, 187, 185)

Bayern Munich – 4 (+1) (187, 185, 185, 184)

Chelsea – 4 (-2) (184, 183, 181, 181)

Roma – 3 (+2) (184, 181, 180)

Milan – 3 (-) (184, 180, 180

West Ham – 2 (-1) (193, 180)

Valencia – 2 (-1) (184, 181)

Liverpool – 2 (-) (182, 181)

QPR – 1 (-) (188)

Hamburg – 1 (-) (188)

Deportivo – 1 (-) (187)

Lyon – 1 (-) (182)

Internacional – 1 (+1) (182)

Veracruz – 1 (-) (182)

Lazio – 1 (-) (180)

Arsenal – 0 (-2)

Schalke – 0 (-1)

Total – 37 (-2)

The number of 180+ players drops for the first time in years, as Real Madrid and Inter take over at the top. Real Madrid have the best player in the world, and four others above 180, but Inter boast five players of 185+, with three of them world beaters at 190+. Quite a team.

Arsenal complete their fade from dominant team to also rans as they no longer have a star player, their best player having 176 CA, lower than the Bandits striker Javier Esteban Martin.

Sheff Wed still dominate the English game though without having a single player here. It really is a team game.

The leagues

Italy – 12 (+2)

England – 9 (-5)

Spain – 8 (-)

Germany – 5 (-)

France – 1 (-)

Brazil – 1 (+1)

Mexico – 1 (-)

Total – 37 (-2)

There are now seven leagues in the list, compared to the usual four, and it is Italy that now lead the way with twelve. England suffer badly, losing five of their stars to drop to second, while Spain and Germany keep their usual place. France and Mexico keep their stars, while Brazil pick up their first, Leonardo refusing to leave Internacional.

The nationalities

France – 6 (-)

Spain – 5 (-)

Germany – 5 (+1)

England – 4 (-2)

Italy – 3 (-)

Holland – 2 (-)

Turkey – 1 (-)

Norway – 1 (-)

Russia – 1 (-)

Croatia – 1 (-)

Portugal – 1 (-2)

Czech Republic – 1 (+1)

Brazil – 1 (+1)

Chile – 1 (-)

Scotland – 1 (-)

Romania – 1 (-)

Peru – 1 (-)

Greece – 1 (+1)

Nigeria – 0 (-1)

Argentina – 0 (-1)

Total – 37 (-2)

France remain at the top, but it is now outright after England lose two players and drop to just four stars. It is the usual suspects at the top, however, although further down the list, there are new entries for the Czech Republic, Brazil and Greece.

[Grevenfhi]

can you post a screenshot of that chilean player (yes, im chilean)

not the best season for the bandits, i guess the best thing that can happen for the team (and not for the story) is sack the manager.

[Meitheisman]

Well, it looks like most people were right in worrying about the Bandits season it turned out pretty bad. Of course a UEFA Cup semi-final could be seen as a good achievement but when you're the richest team in the world for the second year in a row you expect CL football.

I'm amazed at how many bad choices Left Back 1 made as a manager, after a pretty bad transfer window he switched formation and failed to qualify for Europe, just terrible!

Also, I noticed that once again the Bandits board failed to show motivation by signing the manager with the lowest CA in the EPL even though the reputation of the club was at an all time high they chose to ignore all of the better yet available managers.

After so many seasons and so many managers I'm starting to think that sacking Left Back 1 won't help, the board will just higher another bad manager to replace him like they have done for years, I'm now hoping a board take over will happen soon. Is there any way for you to check how old the Chairman is Kipfizh?

Oh and as usual great update, congrats on the awesome work mate

[Marky Mark!]

It was a bit of a break between updates with the christmas break, but good to see your up and going again kipfizh!

Disapointing season, but what I cant believe is that we didnt nominate for the inter-toto cup! Why??

Hopefully, without europe to distract us, we can claim a top 4 spot next year and a vistit to the CL, if not the I think LB1 needs to be told to move on

[Guest]

strange to see Febian Brandy as the Man Utd manager, isn't he in their youth team at the moment?

[kipfizh]

Originally posted by Meitheisman:

I'm amazed at how many bad choices Left Back 1 made as a manager, after a pretty bad transfer window he switched formation and failed to qualify for Europe, just terrible!

The formation switch was a truly bizarre one. With a squad lacking in central midfielders and flush with wingers, playing such a narrow midfield formation was simply stupid.

Also, I noticed that once again the Bandits board failed to show motivation by signing the manager with the lowest CA in the EPL even though the reputation of the club was at an all time high they chose to ignore all of the better yet available managers.

Well, in this case Left Back 1 did have a massive reputation as a result of him being a successful England manager for six years. So in a way, the board can be credited with snapping someone up with a huge reputation, the problem was it was entirely misplaced.

His reputation, even after such a poor season, is 8048, the fourth best in the Premiership (Right Mid 1 leads the way with exactly 10000). It's just a shame because comparable managers are so much better.

After so many seasons and so many managers I'm starting to think that sacking Left Back 1 won't help, the board will just higher another bad manager to replace him like they have done for years, I'm now hoping a board take over will happen soon. Is there any way for you to check how old the Chairman is Kipfizh?

Andrew Wilson, the Chairman, is 66, and he is getting worse. Remember last time I did a staff update and he CA was pretty low? Well, now he's got a CA of a paltry 28, which is quite frankly pathetic. His directors are aged 46 and 47, with CAs of 96 and 44 respectively.

So yes, a board takeover would be nothing short of wonderful with that bunch of idiots at the helm!

[achilles elbow]

Excellent work as always Kip

The Bandits need to dip into their reserves and offer Sheff Wed a huge amount to get Right Mid 1 as manager!!

[Da Bird]

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 Da Bird:

Still nice work kipfizh!

I would like, if permitted, to add an idea to the potential FM09-project. Would it be an idea to run the new game with exact the same settings on two different computers?

I think this is a brilliant idea, Kipfizh should actually run the experiment on 50 different computers, that way it would take an entire real life year to get a report... </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Well isn't this a nice response, is your name kipfizh? Let us take a look... Meitheisman... not even close.

FYI kipfizh could ask someone here to use his savegame. I'd say two games running at the same time would be enough to see if the same start gives different outcomes.

[Ste93]

Not the best year ever =/

im begining to doubt we'll ever see the bandits top the table.

[Mravac Kid]

Originally posted by Da Bird:

FYI kipfizh could ask someone here to use his savegame. I'd say two games running at the same time would be enough to see if the same start gives different outcomes.

There have been numerous enquiries if he will give out the savegame.

The answers were always "no", because he doesn't want someone to move ahead and show future results.

[Meitheisman]

Originally posted by kipfizh:

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

Also, I noticed that once again the Bandits board failed to show motivation by signing the manager with the lowest CA in the EPL even though the reputation of the club was at an all time high they chose to ignore all of the better yet available managers.

Well, in this case Left Back 1 did have a massive reputation as a result of him being a successful England manager for six years. So in a way, the board can be credited with snapping someone up with a huge reputation, the problem was it was entirely misplaced.

His reputation, even after such a poor season, is 8048, the fourth best in the Premiership (Right Mid 1 leads the way with exactly 10000). It's just a shame because comparable managers are so much better. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I guess the reputation explains his hiring, you're right but the terribly low numbers of our Chairman clearly the reason why he keeps hiring managers with low CAs, he's able to tell if a manager is reputable or not but is completely useless when it comes to judging managerial abilities. So sad.

[Meitheisman]

Originally posted by Da Bird:

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">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 Da Bird:

Still nice work kipfizh!

I would like, if permitted, to add an idea to the potential FM09-project. Would it be an idea to run the new game with exact the same settings on two different computers?

I think this is a brilliant idea, Kipfizh should actually run the experiment on 50 different computers, that way it would take an entire real life year to get a report... </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Well isn't this a nice response, is your name kipfizh? Let us take a look... Meitheisman... not even close.

FYI kipfizh could ask someone here to use his savegame. I'd say two games running at the same time would be enough to see if the same start gives different outcomes. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

OMG. That's why you want to run the experience on 2 different computers? Let me tell you right now, every single day that goes by in the game will be different, there's no need for an experiment for that.

How do I know? Because I've been playing FM/CM for over 10 years and a fair number of times the game bugged and I had to replay games I had already played and guess what, it never went the exact same way.

Oh and you might also have a reading comprehension issue. I never talked about the time it would take to run the experiment on 2 different computers, did I? What I said was that it would take Kipfizh twice as much time to write the updates from 2 different computers. These are 2 very different things in case you didn’t notice.

Now if you're suggesting that someone else should write the updates then I firmly vote against it since in my opinion Kipfizh’s writing style is one of the main reasons why people follow this thread so closely. Nothing comparable to any of the other AI experiments available on this forum, there must be a reason for it, right?

Now if you have a legitimate and actually interesting reason to run this experiment on several computers and if you can justify it taking twice the time that it does now I will give you credits for it and shut the fcuk up. In the mean time I’ll ask you to please think a bit before you post, else you should expect responses like mine and not complain about them.

Last but not least, several people came in this thread since you made that suggestion and no-one commented on it. Kipfizh even came twice since. If I were you instead of ret@rdedly insisting I would just remain quiet for a bit until people forget about you.

[Meitheisman]

Originally posted by Mravac Kid:

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

FYI kipfizh could ask someone here to use his savegame. I'd say two games running at the same time would be enough to see if the same start gives different outcomes.

There have been numerous enquiries if he will give out the savegame.

The answers were always "no", because he doesn't want someone to move ahead and show future results. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Actually, I was wrong in my previous post. Not everyone ignored you, someone was nice enough to prove you wrong before I did...

[AB-forever]

Nice to see this running again

A shame that the information in the update wasn't very positive

KUTGW

[Jonzii]

Nice work as usual Kip

Not a very good season for the Bandits. As said before a board takeover could really push the bandits on to the next level.

Good to see my home town team winning the FA Cup though.

[kipfizh]

Originally posted by Grevenfhi:

can you post a screenshot of that chilean player (yes, im chilean)

MarioSoto

Quite the player, but he needs to play on a bigger stage.

As for the idea to run the experiment on two computers, as has alreayd been said you'd just get two completely different results. But then you'd get that if you ran them both on the same machine.

And if you ran it more than once, which one would you take as the official results, and how much would the story in that game be devalued by having half an eye on the other?

The next experiment will have more than one team to keep an eye on anyway There'll still only be one Bandits though. There just might be a.....less popular club.

[kipfizh]

Originally posted by Marky Mark!:

Disapointing season, but what I cant believe is that we didnt nominate for the inter-toto cup! Why??

I think the Intertoto offer gets made to clubs in order of league position, with a couple of games to go. Newcastle were above the Bandits until a late slump, so they were probably offered the spot first, and accepted.

[cms186]

Kip, if you dont mind me asking, how are Nottm Forest doing in your game, any success stories?

[kipfizh]

Originally posted by cms186:

Kip, if you dont mind me asking, how are Nottm Forest doing in your game, any success stories?

They've spent most of their time in League One, although two seasons ago they dropped down to League Two, before winning that division last season.

They won the FA Cup back in 2008, but no notable success since, and no rise to the Premiership at any point.

[Sazchu]

Since it seems to be request time right now, could you tell me how Scarborough has been doing these 40 years or so ?

thanks in advance.

ps. Great work kip.

[little rat]

may i make a request also and ask how stoke city have performed in your game?

cheers!

[ljdzsgffk]

Obviously disappointed that the Bandits failed to do well in the league, but I'm really happy that Man Utd are back where they belong. I predict in a few years time they will be the dominant force in the premier league

[TPA]

Originally posted by ljdzsgffk:

Obviously disappointed that the Bandits failed to do well in the league, but I'm really happy that Man Utd are back where they belong. I predict in a few years time they will be the dominant force in the premier league

Yep if they'll survive the next couple of seasons. Their reputation is shocking at the moment.

I'm not a ManU fan but I have to admit I'm glad to see them back in EPL

[Meitheisman]

Originally posted by kipfizh:

As for the idea to run the experiment on two computers...

Kipfizh being too modest and ignoring yet another compliment

Kipfizh’s writing style is one of the main reasons why people follow this thread so closely. Nothing comparable to any of the other AI experiments available on this forum

Admittedly it was in the middle of an angry rant

[Da Bird]

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 Da Bird:

Originally posted by Meitheisman:

Originally posted by Da Bird:

Still nice work kipfizh!

cut

OMG. That's why you want to run the experience on 2 different computers? Let me tell you right now, every single day that goes by in the game will be different, there's no need for an experiment for that.

How do I know? Because I've been playing FM/CM for over 10 years and a fair number of times the game bugged and I had to replay games I had already played and guess what, it never went the exact same way.

Oh and you might also have a reading comprehension issue. I never talked about the time it would take to run the experiment on 2 different computers, did I? What I said was that it would take Kipfizh twice as much time to write the updates from 2 different computers. These are 2 very different things in case you didn’t notice.

Now if you're suggesting that someone else should write the updates then I firmly vote against it since in my opinion Kipfizh’s writing style is one of the main reasons why people follow this thread so closely. Nothing comparable to any of the other AI experiments available on this forum, there must be a reason for it, right?

Now if you have a legitimate and actually interesting reason to run this experiment on several computers and if you can justify it taking twice the time that it does now I will give you credits for it and shut the fcuk up. In the mean time I’ll ask you to please think a bit before you post, else you should expect responses like mine and not complain about them.

Last but not least, several people came in this thread since you made that suggestion and no-one commented on it. Kipfizh even came twice since. If I were you instead of ret@rdedly insisting I would just remain quiet for a bit until people forget about you. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

One question to start with: who died and made you king?

I just asked a simple question. I don't want to get my hands on the savegame.

So why don't you remain quiet for a while instead of calling someone ******** for just asking a question. I don't know you, but I'm starting not to like you.

[Da Bird]

Originally posted by kipfizh:

As for the idea to run the experiment on two computers, as has alreayd been said you'd just get two completely different results. But then you'd get that if you ran them both on the same machine.

And if you ran it more than once, which one would you take as the official results, and how much would the story in that game be devalued by having half an eye on the other?

The next experiment will have more than one team to keep an eye on anyway There'll still only be one Bandits though. There just might be a.....less popular club.

Thanks for clearing that up. I see some valid arguments here. My main interest was to see how much the results would differ. That was all.

[kipfizh]

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 kipfizh:

As for the idea to run the experiment on two computers...

Kipfizh being too modest and ignoring yet another compliment

Kipfizh’s writing style is one of the main reasons why people follow this thread so closely. Nothing comparable to any of the other AI experiments available on this forum

Admittedly it was in the middle of an angry rant </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I never was any good at taking compliments

Much appreciated though

[kipfizh]

Originally posted by ljdzsgffk:

I'm really happy that Man Utd are back where they belong. I predict in a few years time they will be the dominant force in the premier league

*grins*

*sniggers*

*keeps quiet*

[ross8]

Originally posted by kipfizh:

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

I'm really happy that Man Utd are back where they belong. I predict in a few years time they will be the dominant force in the premier league

*grins*

*sniggers*

*keeps quiet* </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I hope they go straight back down

[Chilliconcarnie]

is there a screen shot of right mid 1's stats at all? i want to compare him to LB 1

[wrightinio]

Hey all, long time reader, first time poster.

Firstly want to congratulate Kipfizh on such an enthralling thread KUTGW

Secondly, just a thought that popped into my head... how many players have the Bandits PRODUCED that have gone on to be full internationals?

I know there was a revamp of the youth system within the past few years and was just wondering how effective having state-of-the-art facilities actually is

Thanks in advance

Oh and come on the Bandits!! Left Back 1 needs to move on and probably will if he's languishing in the lower half of the table around Christmas

[achilles elbow]

"Man Utd, a giant from years ago, struggle with their paltry reputation". - Kip quote

Kip and the rest of us - I know the experiment is around 40 seasons old, but given their high reputations/wealth etc in 2007, why have Man Utd fallen so far, and why have the likes of Sheff Wed risen so far (let alone Leyton Orient making the PL)??

We see IRL that success breeds success. Those below the "big four" in the PL struggle to break in, and Champions League wealth just adds to this as they can afford the best managers/players, and so retain their position in the top 4.

Equally, those falling down into the Championship have a good chance of bouncing back due to the parachute payments that give them a head start financially vs the other teams.

I appreciate that over decades changes do occur IRL (how often to Notts Forest win the European cup these days / would Blackburn be in the PL in 2008 if Jack Walker had never arrived?), but do you feel the AI has replicated real life well in this regard??

[deltablue]

I feel its an area where the AI has replicated something better than life.

[Skunner]

We need to bring the Bandits to reality.

[mknight84]

This has to be one of the best posts I have ever read.

I got in to this in the quite period running up to work. I check everyday now to see if there is an update.

Keep up the good work kipfizh!

Oh, any chance of a quick low down of Bristol City? are they reaching their real life dizzy hights?

[Meitheisman]

Originally posted by Da Bird:

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

As for the idea to run the experiment on two computers, as has alreayd been said you'd just get two completely different results. But then you'd get that if you ran them both on the same machine.

And if you ran it more than once, which one would you take as the official results, and how much would the story in that game be devalued by having half an eye on the other?

The next experiment will have more than one team to keep an eye on anyway There'll still only be one Bandits though. There just might be a.....less popular club.

Thanks for clearing that up. I see some valid arguments here. My main interest was to see how much the results would differ. That was all. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

And anyone above the age of 5 should have been able to figure out what Kipfizh said on their own, hence I’m allowed to believe that you're a ret@ard for asking a ret@arded question.

You want to see how much the results differ when repeating the same thing several time? I have a brilliant idea for you (about as brilliant as your question) throw a coin in the air 1,000 times and mark whether it fell on heads or tails. Repeat the process as many times as you want and see how much the results differ…

Ok now about your King comment, again you're having reading comprehension issues dude, where did I say I was the king? You asked a dumb question (if you think it has any intelligence whatsoever please explain how and where) and I sarcastically responded to it, you then managed to insist so I took the time to explain to you in details why your question was dumb… Admittedly, not in the nicer way ever but nonetheless it apparently still wasn’t enough.

Furthermore, you might not understand how internet forums work, when you post something anyone can see it and respond to it if they feel like it. If you don’t want anyone to read and answer your posts/questions then don’t comment on public places, you sound like a 14 year old gangster ordering people to not look at them on the street… pathetic! One more question, who the hell do you think you are to decide who’s allowed and who’s not to respond to your posts?

Oh and I don’t know you either and I’m actually glad I don’t. You’re a disgrace to the Eagles fans family, even T.O. wasn’t that much of an embarrassment.

so sorry for highjacking your thread Kipfizh but for some reason this guy got to me I couldn't help but respond

[Jambon]

Can i enquire if AFC wimbledon ever overtook MK dons?

[ross8]

QUOTE]Originally posted by achilles elbow:

"Man Utd, a giant from years ago, struggle with their paltry reputation". - Kip quote

Kip and the rest of us - I know the experiment is around 40 seasons old, but given their high reputations/wealth etc in 2007, why have Man Utd fallen so far, and why have the likes of Sheff Wed risen so far (let alone Leyton Orient making the PL)??

We see IRL that success breeds success. Those below the "big four" in the PL struggle to break in, and Champions League wealth just adds to this as they can afford the best managers/players, and so retain their position in the top 4.

Equally, those falling down into the Championship have a good chance of bouncing back due to the parachute payments that give them a head start financially vs the other teams.

I appreciate that over decades changes do occur IRL (how often to Notts Forest win the European cup these days / would Blackburn be in the PL in 2008 if Jack Walker had never arrived?), but do you feel the AI has replicated real life well in this regard??

Originally posted by deltablue:

I feel its an area where the AI has replicated something better than life.

I think most of us agree with delta blue on this one

All hail AI

[dniprofan]

Originally posted by Meitheisman:

so sorry for highjacking your thread Kipfizh but for some reason this guy got to me I couldn't help but respond

just let it go, Da Bird acknowledged you guys may be right and now you are continuing the arguement, I just don't see what was said that forced you to respond like you did.

And to kipfizh, I know it's been said umpteen times before, but it hasn't been said enough imo ; terrific thread