AI Experiment - what would happen if?

[ljdzsgffk]

Wow those are some incredible signings, I'm starting to think this manager has FM Scout.

[Scotty Walds]

Good stuff... I'd take a reasonable finish this season as the squad should mature in 2/3 seasons

[Maviarab]

Holy wonder transfers batman

Looks very promising indeed

[OrientMartin]

Excellent stuff kip, I think this might be the first Premiership title for the bandits.

One question, what effect does deterrmination have on a manager?

It's slightly concerning that Nicholson has a determination of only 1.

Would this affect his ambition in games, possibly settling for a draw in some games rather than bringing on subs to influence the match?

[kipfizh]

Mark Nicholson was never a player, and started his coaching career at Northampton in 2037, where he was unable to much affect the struggling Conference club. He then moved to another Conference side, Eastbourne Borough, and in his first full season won the Conference. Having got halfway through their following season, and having ensured their safety, he was poached by Derby, halfway up the Premiership (you will have seen him in the yearly reports back then).

He stayed at Derby for eight years, and had many highlights. After two seasons they finished seventh, and then reached the UEFA Cup quarter finals, before slipping back again and eventually getting relegated in 2046. But Derby stuck by him, and he got them promoted straight back into the big time, consolidating in 2048 and then flying on in 2049. In February 2049, with Derby only in their second season back in the Premiership but heading towards an incredible eventual second placed finish, he was headhunted again, this time by Deportivo, and moved over to try his luck in Spain.

After eighteen months in which he’d tasted Champions League action, reaching the knockout stages and spectacularly hammering dominant English champions Sheff Wed 4-0, he returned to the Premiership to take charge of Leeds, who had fallen to the Championship. He completed their successful Championship winning season, ending the campaign with 98 points, although having joined in April he cannot take much credit. The following year, he kept them up, finishing 17th, before leaving in the summer to join the Bandits.

So there have been many successes in his time – he took Derby onwards and upwards, and in the season he left they were destined to finish second. In the three seasons since, they haven’t finished higher than 15th, showing what a good job he had been doing. He’s tasted promotion with Eastbourne and Leeds, but one catch is that Leeds are having a fine season this time around (you’ll hear more about that later) after he left last summer.

But with his impressive record, the fact that he has time on his side (he turns 50 only this season), and his very impressive transfer ability, I’d suggest the Bandits hang on to him. Every other club he’s been at (with the possible exception of Northampton when he was learning his trade) has been better off when he left than when he arrived.

[Berrern]

Originally posted by OrientMartin:

It's slightly concerning that Nicholson has a determination of only 1.

Would this affect his ambition in games, possibly settling for a draw in some games rather than bringing on subs to influence the match?

I was thinking the same...

His playing style is also 'Very cautious' - not a good combination.

However - who can fail with all these great players at their disposal? I can't wait for the season update!!

[coldkohmew]

Hope they will rule the league!!!

Very cautious may mean that he will play the same tactics again too...

[DefoesRightBoot]

Wonder if Mark Nicholson is a descendant of the one and only Sir Bill Nicholson? Hopefully he can match his namesakes achievements in any case!

[5ergio]

Wow, that Nicholson guy looks like a good one, at least for a club like Bandits. About the determination, very cautious, motivating issue. I don't think we'll see Bandits play a high-tempo, direct passing but rather a slow-short passing, controlled game. Maybe even going for 1-2 man counter attacks but what bugs me is that Nicholson doesn't seem like he'll motivate the team and risk the game to come back from 2 or 3 behind. On the other hand, the players are talented for sure and they can change the game not depending on the manager's motivation. All in all a good one at helm atm, we can see some solid improvements from now on.

[emgergo]

Holy crap, a decent manager

Transfers in look quality too. I'm really curious how the season turns out to be.

[Snr Sarg]

The suspense is killing me

[CanaryLawn]

I have recently returned to the Bandit fold after a long and enforced absence. Glad to be back on board, feel this season could be the one...

[Meitheisman]

Great stuff as usual Kipfizh. The future pretty much looks as bright as can be, I mean sure, some will complain about an attribute here and there and what not but let's be realistic, what we have this year is awesome already and we have what it takes to improve in the coming years.

I can't wait for the season summary now

[snootyjim]

Goodness, I wasn't expecting a turn around like that for the Bandits! Great work by the new manager, if they make a few more smart signings, they could do extremely well...

[Phil Macklam]

Kip excellent stuff with this thread.

A reall great read, shame due to your own commitments you can't update quicker to give us fans a more regular fix.

Is it possible for you to at the begining and end of the season give us a screenshot of the bank balance with the transfer budget?

Thanks again for an excellent thread.

Come on you Bandits!!!

[kipfizh]

Originally posted by Phil Macklam:

Is it possible for you to at the begining and end of the season give us a screenshot of the bank balance with the transfer budget?

It's actually there already, although hidden away!

If you look at each full season report, there's a 'Bandits Report - Best and Worst' section, and in there is a link to the Finance Overview page, which gives the financial graph for the year, balance, transfer budget and wage budget.

[kipfizh]

Bandits report – Season report (part 1)

It was a turbulent summer, starting with the sales of three real talents, continuing with the appointment of a new manager, and ending with a couple of signings. With Nicholson not to make his stamp on the squad until January, he would largely be left with the squad he inherited, plus a few signings he himself had not hand picked.

Nonetheless, the fans were cautiously optimistic. They had a younger manager now, and one who had the reputation of making canny signings. Transfer dealings were his forte, and with an accomplished and experienced coach as his assistant manager, it was hoped that the club had the ideal pairing.

The season started well, Tom Finley confounding the critics who claimed he was past his best by scoring three times in the opening two matches, before a defeat at Liverpool set them back. That was to be the pattern of the opening ten games, impressive wins over Portsmouth, Leeds and Sunderland being cancelled out by defeats to Man City, Spurs and Chelsea. In fact, after fourteen games, they sat in midtable, with six wins, six defeat and two draws. Bad news was to follow – in the defeat to Spurs star player Pacheco had ripped his cruciate ligaments. His season was over almost before it had begun.

The League Cup was providing its usual respite, however, as they sailed past Brighton, Newcastle and Leyton Orient with the minimum of fuss to reach the quarter finals.

And then the team finally found some league form. The remaining eight games of the calendar year were navigated without defeat, and included six wins, with impressive ones against Arsenal, QPR and West Ham particularly enjoyed. To add to the joy, League One Swansea were beaten 3-2 in a thrilling League Cup quarter final. At the turn of the year, the Bandits were soaring, reaching the semi finals of the League Cup yet again, and were third in an incredibly tight Premiership.

The only downside was the form of previous world star Eduardo Castillejo. He had made a series of substitute appearances without impressing or scoring s single goal in his limited chances, and was moved down to the reserves, where he regularly destroyed sides. The fans desperately wanted him to recapture that form in the league.

The unbeaten run would come to an end on New Years Day, Liverpool completing the double over the Bandits with a 2-1 victory, but they remained third, surrounded by a resurgent Leeds (who had only just avoided relegation the previous year), champions Sheff Wed and Liverpool.

With Swansea coming to town again in the FA Cup third round, Nicholson opted to field some fringe players, including Castillejo, who was chronically short of form. Scott McDermott opened the scoring, but in the second half the Spanish legend sparked into life in spectacular style, scoring his first four goals for the club to rout the League One side 5-0. It was the first time any Bandit had scored four in a match, and a great way to announce himself.

Days later Spurs arrived for the first leg of the League Cup semi final, but despite leading twice, the Bandits were held 2-2, having to make substitutions because of early injuries and then ending the match with ten men. It was very much advantage Spurs.

Castillejo would continue his fine form against Portsmouth in the next league match, scoring both goals to lift the club up to second. Incredibly, after 23 games, there were four clubs on 40 points, with the Bandits joined by Leeds, Sheff Wed and Liverpool. How long could their challenge last?

A poor home defeat to West Brom knocked them back badly, and was the worst possible preparation for the second leg at White Hart Lane, but the Bandits have a superb record in League Cup semi finals, winning six of the seven they’d played before this season.

And the Bandits were to start well again, Hadziburic putting them ahead before half time to shock the home crowd. Martin added a second away goal shortly after the break, and even though Spurs got one back, they went down to ten men in their frustration to get the equaliser and fell short. The Bandits were into their seventh League Cup final, and fourth in their last six seasons. Having lost the previous two, they were determined to put things right.

The FA Cup was also going well, goals from Americo and Castillejo enough to see off Crystal Palace in the fourth round, but the league form was slipping, with defeats to title contenders Leeds and Man City dropping them far off the pace. Spurs would gain a measure of revenge for the League Cup defeat, inflicting the Bandits’ fourth successive Premiership loss in a fiery game at White Hart Lane. Finley gave the visitors a shock lead, but by half time Spurs were 2-1 up. The second half, however, was not about football, as two Bandits and one Spurs player were sent off, all straight reds, and two more Spurs players carried off on stretchers.

Both clubs were hauled before the FA to explain their actions, but having played each other four times already in the season, the rivalry was getting fiercer, especially with the two clubs both around the top six. So it was to the FA’s concern that only three days later, the Bandits would return to White Hart Lane for an FA Cup tie, their third match at the ground in less than a month.

Security was tightened even though many of the guilty parties were suspended, but in a repeat of the league game Finley scored an early goal for the Bandits and tension mounted around the ground. One bad tackle removed Bandit Gary Reid from the game, before another one went too far again, a wild challenge from Spurs’ Andrea Ferretti forcing the referee to give him a straight red, the fourth in three days between the clubs. The Bandits hung on to their solitary goal advantage to reach the quarter finals.

In five games between the clubs, the aggregate score was 7-7, the Bandits had shaded the red cards 4-3, with all seven straight reds and none of the five matches finishing with 22 men, while the Bandits suffered five injuries to Spurs’ three, including Pacheco’s season wrecker. It’s fair to say the two clubs won’t have sent many Christmas cards to each other over the festive season.

All this meant that the Bandits’ squad was decimated by suspension and injury leading into the League Cup final with Chelsea. With so many players missing, Chelsea were firm favourites, but they had problems of their own, struggling in the league and not mounting any sort of title challenge.

Part 2 and the rest of the report to follow tomorrow

[Chilliconcarnie]

Legendary as always Kip...

Damn, I would never have thought that Spurs woudl prove to be such a fierce rival.

Im rubbing my hands already for tomorrow!

After the FA cup game where Castillejo scored 4, did he move back into the first team squad?

[VonBlade]

Tense stuff. Good to see Castillejo finally adapting to life in the Premiership.

Mad few games against Spurs. Even between Spurs and the Arse I've never had anything close to a proper old derby game. Good to see 702 can still do it

Now let's bring that Trophy back.

[valencia]

good work Kip.

hopefully the bandits can at least get one of the cups!

good to see Leeds back in the fold. whats the story behind their remarkable revival? been a long time since their last league championship! (what a legend GK2 is!)

[OzY_Gooner]

LMAO my god its the 7th of march and kip is still goign all credit too you ive been readin this thread for the past 4 hours LMAO cant get my eyey off of it BRILLIAnt im only half way too

[The Lambs]

This thread is pretty addictive :-)

Since i found it a few weeks back, it changed the way I look at my team in my game. I find my self analysing them in Kipesq detail.

Great work, lets hope The Bandits get some (more) Silver wear.

[kipfizh]

Originally posted by The Lambs:

Since i found it a few weeks back, it changed the way I look at my team in my game. I find my self analysing them in Kipesq detail.

Ditto, actually - I've noticed that certain types of players aren't particularly effective, and it's made me very mindful of who I sign.

I pay a lot more attention to the fans not liking a player now, since the Idiots really did have a negative impact despite their ability, and I'll never play a defensive midfielder in central midfield if I want anything above a 6.10 rating....

[Maviarab]

Looking good Kip, great update as usual. Lets hope we can seal a Cl place with a good push at the end

[5ergio]

Originally posted by kipfizh:

I'll never play a defensive midfielder in central midfield if I want anything above a 6.10 rating....

Hmm I wonder who *cough*maia*cough* made you think that

[rubybell_99]

Originally posted by The Lambs:

... get I find my self analysing them in Kipesq detail.

...

I like it.

[ross8]

Not that you need to be told, but great update again.

Looking forward to the conclusion.

Just a quick question do you think Mark Nicholsons ability to spot a player will have any effect on the quality of players we see coming through the youth set up at the bandits?

[Phil Macklam]

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 Phil Macklam:

Is it possible for you to at the begining and end of the season give us a screenshot of the bank balance with the transfer budget?

It's actually there already, although hidden away!

If you look at each full season report, there's a 'Bandits Report - Best and Worst' section, and in there is a link to the Finance Overview page, which gives the financial graph for the year, balance, transfer budget and wage budget.

</div></BLOCKQUOTE>

D'OH!!

That will teach me that I should click on all screens and study them more.

Thanks for the reply Kip.

[AB-forever]

Originally posted by 5ergio:

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

I'll never play a defensive midfielder in central midfield if I want anything above a 6.10 rating....

Hmm I wonder who *cough*maia*cough* made you think that </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Actually it's more to do with the fact that some Bandits manager did it and as a result their rating were crap

[henryzz]

Originally posted by Maviarab:

Serdar...

Bandits Home Page

when is this gonna be updated and finished

[dirty1982dec]

finally. i catch up. i've been reading this for the last three days. never really looked into it even though i'd heard a bit on the grapevine and seen the thread pop up occasionally. i have a few things to say so here goes

Kip. you my man, are a true yarn spinner. this, although an experiment, has become better than any book i've read in a long time. i am now officially a bandits fan, and it is through your story telling ability that this is so.

the new man at the helm, looks the business, especially with a good ass man in goalkeeper 2. lets hope they keep up the promising start.

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

dirty out- a bandit for life

[aaarrrgggghhhhhh]

Stumbled across this thread 4 days ago and not a lot of work has been done since. It's been a great read so thanks Kip and all other posters. I have mixed emotions about finding it so far in to the experiment. On one hand it was great to have instant results to look at and many seasons to go through. On the other hand I do not feel like I have been through the ups and downs with the various managers and players.

It's made me look at the regens in a whole new light. I used to get bored after about ten seasons in my saves when all the original players were gone or to old. Now I am scouring for the new Castillejo instead of the new Rooney.

Looking at the current situation it looks to me like everything is place for a great couple of seasons now. A good squad with some great individuals, I just hope Pacheco can over come his injury and a few additions made at the end of season. I think the CL will be won within the next 4 years.

Not sure how you named the original Bandits Kip. Was it a case of

firstname: Central

surname: Mid1

If so have the originals had any offspring? Any Goalkeeper 1 jnr's or Adam Mid2? Also, is there any chance you could look up how my two teams are doing. Whats happened to Everton? Not seen them in the top flight for a while now. The second team is Stalybridge Celtic (I have a feeling they would have sunk in to obscurity many moons ago).

KUTGW

[kipfizh]

Bandits report – Season report

It was a turbulent summer, starting with the sales of three real talents, continuing with the appointment of a new manager, and ending with a couple of signings. With Nicholson not to make his stamp on the squad until January, he would largely be left with the squad he inherited, plus a few signings he himself had not hand picked.

Nonetheless, the fans were cautiously optimistic. They had a younger manager now, and one who had the reputation of making canny signings. Transfer dealings were his forte, and with an accomplished and experienced coach as his assistant manager, it was hoped that the club had the ideal pairing.

The season started well, Tom Finley confounding the critics who claimed he was past his best by scoring three times in the opening two matches, before a defeat at Liverpool set them back. That was to be the pattern of the opening ten games, impressive wins over Portsmouth, Leeds and Sunderland being cancelled out by defeats to Man City, Spurs and Chelsea. In fact, after fourteen games, they sat in midtable, with six wins, six defeat and two draws. Bad news was to follow – in the defeat to Spurs star player Pacheco had ripped his cruciate ligaments. His season was over almost before it had begun.

The League Cup was providing its usual respite, however, as they sailed past Brighton, Newcastle and Leyton Orient with the minimum of fuss to reach the quarter finals.

And then the team finally found some league form. The remaining eight games of the calendar year were navigated without defeat, and included six wins, with impressive ones against Arsenal, QPR and West Ham particularly enjoyed. To add to the joy, League One Swansea were beaten 3-2 in a thrilling League Cup quarter final. At the turn of the year, the Bandits were soaring, reaching the semi finals of the League Cup yet again, and were third in an incredibly tight Premiership.

The only downside was the form of previous world star Eduardo Castillejo. He had made a series of substitute appearances without impressing or scoring s single goal in his limited chances, and was moved down to the reserves, where he regularly destroyed sides. The fans desperately wanted him to recapture that form in the league.

The unbeaten run would come to an end on New Years Day, Liverpool completing the double over the Bandits with a 2-1 victory, but they remained third, surrounded by a resurgent Leeds (who had only just avoided relegation the previous year), champions Sheff Wed and Liverpool.

With Swansea coming to town again in the FA Cup third round, Nicholson opted to field some fringe players, including Castillejo, who was chronically short of form. Scott McDermott opened the scoring, but in the second half the Spanish legend sparked into life in spectacular style, scoring his first four goals for the club to rout the League One side 5-0. It was the first time any Bandit had scored four in a match, and a great way to announce himself.

Days later Spurs arrived for the first leg of the League Cup semi final, but despite leading twice, the Bandits were held 2-2, having to make substitutions because of early injuries and then ending the match with ten men. It was very much advantage Spurs.

Castillejo would continue his fine form against Portsmouth in the next league match, scoring both goals to lift the club up to second. Incredibly, after 23 games, there were four clubs on 40 points, with the Bandits joined by Leeds, Sheff Wed and Liverpool. How long could their challenge last?

A poor home defeat to West Brom knocked them back badly, and was the worst possible preparation for the second leg at White Hart Lane, but the Bandits have a superb record in League Cup semi finals, winning six of the seven they’d played before this season.

And the Bandits were to start well again, Hadziburic putting them ahead before half time to shock the home crowd. Martin added a second away goal shortly after the break, and even though Spurs got one back, they went down to ten men in their frustration to get the equaliser and fell short. The Bandits were into their seventh League Cup final, and fourth in their last six seasons. Having lost the previous two, they were determined to put things right.

The FA Cup was also going well, goals from Americo and Castillejo enough to see off Crystal Palace in the fourth round, but the league form was slipping, with defeats to title contenders Leeds and Man City dropping them far off the pace. Spurs would gain a measure of revenge for the League Cup defeat, inflicting the Bandits’ fourth successive Premiership loss in a fiery game at White Hart Lane. Finley gave the visitors a shock lead, but by half time Spurs were 2-1 up. The second half, however, was not about football, as two Bandits and one Spurs player were sent off, all straight reds, and two more Spurs players carried off on stretchers.

Both clubs were hauled before the FA to explain their actions, but having played each other four times already in the season, the rivalry was getting fiercer, especially with the two clubs both around the top six. So it was to the FA’s concern that only three days later, the Bandits would return to White Hart Lane for an FA Cup tie, their third match at the ground in less than a month.

Security was tightened even though many of the guilty parties were suspended, but in a repeat of the league game Finley scored an early goal for the Bandits and tension mounted around the ground. One bad tackle removed Bandit Gary Reid from the game, before another one went too far again, a wild challenge from Spurs’ Andrea Ferretti forcing the referee to give him a straight red, the fourth in three days between the clubs. The Bandits hung on to their solitary goal advantage to reach the quarter finals.

In five games between the clubs, the aggregate score was 7-7, the Bandits had shaded the red cards 4-3, with all seven straight reds and none of the five matches finishing with 22 men, while the Bandits suffered five injuries to Spurs’ three, including Pacheco’s season wrecker. It’s fair to say the two clubs won’t have sent many Christmas cards to each other over the festive season.

All this meant that the Bandits’ squad was decimated by suspension and injury leading into the League Cup final with Chelsea. With so many players missing, Chelsea were firm favourites, but they had problems of their own, struggling in the league and not mounting any sort of title challenge.

The Bandits battered their opponents for the course of the ninety minutes, but couldn’t get past the stubborn figure of Inacio in the Chelsea goal, the veteran Portuguese stopper keeping the score goalless up to extra time. The thirty minutes of added time then came and went, and the Bandits were left frustrated by a stunning performance to stop them winning outright. Now came the dreaded shootout.

Chelsea opened badly, missing their first penalty, and giving the Bandits an early advantage. Both sides scored their second, before Chelsea missed penalty number three. Man of the match Said Dompig has the chance to put the Bandits 3-1 up, but cruelly missed and the advantage remained slender.

Chelsea levelled things up with their fourth penalty, before Hadziburic restored the Bandits’ advantage. Starlet Raymond van Dijk had to score to keep Chelsea in it, and held his nerve to force the Bandits to win it themselves. It all came down to winger Robbie Clark, with a penalty to win the cup and send the club back into Europe. He smashed it into the corner to send the Bandits fans into raptures – for the third time in their history, they were League Cup champions.

After the high of lifting the trophy, it was perhaps unsurprising that the league form continued to stutter. After four consecutive Premiership defeats leading up to the final, they suffered two more 2-1 reverses against Charlton and Sunderland to continue their appalling run.

Once again, a cup tie came along when the Bandits were in dreadful league form, but the team had made a habit of defying that in one off matches, and were confident of repeating the trick against Arsenal in the FA Cup quarter final. But when Simon Cook was sent off after only three minutes, the outlook seemed bleak.

Castillejo had other plans, giving the Bandits the lead in the first half, but immediately after the break, Arsenal were level, and the eleven men eventually wore down their hosts, scoring the winner with only five minutes to play.

The Bandits were now left with only the league to play for, and the fixtures weren’t simple. Chelsea came to town and inflicted a humiliating 4-0 home defeat to extend their league losing streak to seven, and just when the fans thought that it couldn’t get worse in the Premiership, they travelled to Sheff Wed in the following game and lost by an even more emphatic 5-0. But even the scoreline doesn’t quite describe the humiliation – Sheff Wed had been down to ten men since the 19th minute, but scored all five goals in the second half, a man short.

The board were livid, and despite the recent League Cup success, Mark Nicholson found his job under severe threat. The board began to consider his position, not surprising given that as they entered April, the club hadn’t won a single Premiership point since January 13. At that time, they had been joint top. Now, eight defeats later, they were 11th.

The first match in April should’ve been the perfect tonic, against bottom of the table Derby. But Nicholson’s former club rallied, and went 2-0 up early, plunging the Bandits’ fans into despair. A ninth straight league defeat was finally avoided though, with a battling 2-2 draw. Looking back, the result was not so bad – Derby would lose only once for the rest of the season, as they staged a superb recovery to avoid relegation on the final day.

Nicholson was far from safe, and was desperate for a win, so it was agonising for him to see Villa mimic Derby in taking an early 2-0 lead in the next match. But the fighting spirit was back, and the Bandits fought back to impressively win 3-2. It would be a turning point in their season.

The run in saw a much improved club, staying unbeaten and eventually finishing ninth after a few late wins. That humiliating 5-0 defeat to ten man Sheff Wed would be their final reverse of a topsy turvy season.

When the curtain came down on the year, the fans were left bemused by the Jekyll and Hyde displays of their club. League Cup winners, they would be back in Europe next season, for the first time in four years, and having made a decent run in the FA Cup too, it was clear that the players could turn it on when they needed to.

Also, the first 23 games of the league season, and the last seven, were excellent, title challenging form in fact, but eight consecutive damaging defeats in between left them eventually sixteen points off the pace.

Mark Nicholson still finds his job under threat, but the fans are mostly behind him. They can see the squad he is building, and it seems that he simply signed too many players in January, completely upsetting the balance and stability of his squad. He will need a decent start to next season to keep his job, if he even makes it that far, but this fan in particular hopes the board give him the time he needs to rebuild. This is a long term project.

Honours: League Cup (2044, 2047, 2052)

[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 – 11th

2040-41, English Premiership – 14th

2041-42, English Premiership – 13th

2042-43, English Premiership – 11th

2043-44, English Premiership – 6th, League Cup – Winners

2044-45, English Premiership – 9th

2045-46, English Premiership – 3rd

2046-47, English Premiership – 2nd, League Cup – Winners

2047-48

English Premiership: (Pos 5), P 38, W 17, D 9, L 12, F 52, A 52, GD 0, Pts 60

(Media Prediction: 3rd)

Champions League: 1st Knockout Round

FA Cup: 3rd Round

League Cup: Final

2048-49

English Premiership: (Pos 9), P 38, W 13, D 15, L 10, F 50, A 49, GD +1, Pts 54

(Media Prediction: 5th)

UEFA Cup: Semi Final

FA Cup: 3rd Round

League Cup: 3rd Round

2049-50

English Premiership: (Pos 11), P 38, W 15, D 7, L 16, F 53, A 52, GD +1, Pts 52

(Media Prediction: 7th)

FA Cup: 5th Round

League Cup: Final

2050-51

English Premiership: (Pos 6), P 38, W 15, D 12, L 11, F 57, A 45, GD +12, Pts 57

(Media Prediction: 7th)

FA Cup: 5th Round

League Cup: 4th Round

2051-52

English Premiership: (Pos 9), P 38, W 16, D 7, L 15, F 56, A 51, GD +5, Pts 55

(Media Prediction: 6th)

League

FA Cup: Quarter Final

League Cup: Winners

[kipfizh]

Bandits report - Best and Worst

General

Stats

Finance Overview

The Bandits once again spent a fortune on players, but their financial income means that is registered barely a blip on their balance.

New records:

Highest Gate Receipts: 5.75m v Arsenal, FA Cup Quarter Final

Biggest Win: 5-0 v Swansea, FA Cup 3rd Round

Most Goals in Match: 4 by Eduardo Castillejo v Swansea, FA Cup 3rd Round

Highest Transfer Fee Paid: 22.5m to Stuttgart for David Schweinsteger (previous: 20m to Benfica for Pacheco)

Total Spending: 90m (previous: 82m)

Incredibly, the Bandits scored their first 5-0 win this season, perhaps an effect of not running all matches on full detail.

This season:

Best player – Dompig, 7.34

Top scorer – Martin, 18

Worst player – Thackeray, 6.31

The Bandits are now clear at the top of the rich list, with a value nearly twice as high as the next Premiership club.

Rich Clubs

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Bandits report - First XI Summary

GK: Johnstone (32, 171/173) – 7.29

LB: Simon (30, 166/166) – 6.57

CB: de Jong (31, 168/170) – 7.16

CB: Fatih (29, 172/173) – 7.16

RB: Haaland (29, 176/188) – 7.00

LM: Thackeray (29, 160/170) – 6.31

CM: Hadziburic (26, 172/179) – 7.17

CM: Dompig (26, 170/170) – 7.34

RM: Clark (27, 167/179) – 7.03

ST: Martin (29, 178/178) – 7.28

ST: Schweinsteiger (28, 173/173) – 6.97

Average age – 28.7 (up from last year’s 28.5)

Average CA – 170.3 (up from last year’s 166.9)

Average rating – 7.03 (up from last year’s 6.92)

It may seem that the squad is getting older, but in reality only the first team is, as Mark Nicholson bought a combination of players at their peak, and young stars for the future. If he stays, the next couple of seasons should see the average age drop, as some of his players break through.

Quality wise, the team is looking fantastic, breaking the 170 barrier for an average CA, for the very first time. This is quite astonishing – it wasn’t long ago that a single 170 CA player was considered a star. Now it is the average.

And the performances have improved too, largely because the two terribly performing central midfielders have been axed, and replaced by players who play properly.

One thing to note is the versatility of the team. It wasn’t easy putting together the first XI this season, because so many players can play in two or more positions. Haaland can play at either full back, Dompig is perhaps a better centre back than central midfielder, Schweinsteiger is perfectly adept slotting back into midfield – the list goes on.

There is no doubt about it – this squad is superb. Message to the board – don’t sack Nicholson just because they are all unsettled – it’ll take time for this lot to gel.

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Bandits report – Outside the first XI

Dropped:

Hansen (RB): After Jonas Haaland’s January arrival, Hansen was axed from the side.

Reid (CM): Had his place taken by the excellent Said Dompig, who averaged nearly a point a match better than Reid had last season.

Finley (ST): David Schweinsteiger took his place for most of the season, although Finley did still manage to play a decent amount as the strikers were rotated, and Schweinsteiger often slotted back into midfield.

Sold:

Beckford (LB): Was first choice and star performer until his sale in January, before new arrival Adrian Simon took his place.

Remy (CM): Was sold after losing his place anyway, to Vukasin Hadziburic. The cover in central midfield pushed him way down the pecking order.

Injured:

Pacheco (RM): Early in the season he ruptured his cruciate ligaments, one of Spurs’ many victims, putting him out for the season.

Prospects

Sayer (21, 149/174) gained another 12 points of CA, and was a cup regular. He is probably now a year or two away from first team action.

Ellis (19, 127/174) slowed his improvement down, gaining only nine CA points, and needs to work hard to get near the first team.

Harper (17, 131/181) gained 22 points of CA, and featured in a few cup games.

These are the best of the kids, but Nicholson has brought in a number of players who could improve and hit the 170 mark in time.

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Competitions - Other stats

England dominated their European Championship qualifying group, winning all tens games, and scoring 36 goals without reply. Their reward is a soft looking draw containing Bulgaria, Norway and Portugal.

Sheff Wed were denied a fifth straight Premiership title on the final day of the season – leading Leeds by a point going into the last round of matches, all seemed a cruise when Leeds conceded in the first minute and then Sheff Wed took the lead, but Leeds came back to win, and QPR ended up beating Sheff Wed 3-2 to condemn them to second place. Leeds win the Premiership, only one season after finishing 17th.

Arsenal continued their woeful few years, finishing bottom of the pile to drop down to the Championship for the first time – the record stint in the top flight is finally over. Charlton and Crystal Palace also dropped, with Man Utd struggling once again, but avoiding relegation. It’ll be a new look league next season, with Nottm Forest, Port Vale and Hull coming up (and perhaps going back down again).

There was an incredible story in the FA Cup, as a non-league club won it for the first time. Conference club Welling’s run started with a win over Tiverton in the fourth qualifying round, and they didn’t face league opposition until beating League One Boston 2-0 in the second round. Grays and Bristol City were then dispatched before a famous win at Upton Park to knock out West Ham and reach the quarter finals.

Barnsley and West Brom were then beaten, before they came up against an improved Aston Villa side in the final, as massive underdogs. But in a relatively even game, Welling took their chances to run out comfortable 3-0 winners and lift the FA Cup in remarkable circumstances. It was a good cup year for them, as they also reached the FA Trophy semi finals, but the distractions clearly had a negative impact on their league form, as they ended up getting relegated from the Conference. Despite the fact they’ll be playing in the Conference South next season, they’ll also appear in the UEFA Cup. Astonishing.

In their long run to the final, Welling broke the record for the most goals scored, managing 22 in their many ties.

The Bandits won the League Cup for the third time, defeating Chelsea on penalties in the final, while Carlisle’s Paul Walters became the youngest player in the competition’s history when he appeared against Wigan having just turned 16 three days earlier.

It was back to the traditional Real Madrid-Bayern Munich final in the Champions League, the eighth final between the two since the experiment began. Real Madrid won it on penalties to extend their record in the competition to 23 titles. Liverpool got the furthest of the Premiership clubs, reaching the semi finals.

Meanwhile, West Ham won the UEFA Cup, beating Ajax in the final, with a solitary goal from legend Bjorn Strand.

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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 139, PA 170

Is still assistant manager of the Bandits at 62, but his ability is fading. The Bandits finish ninth and win the League Cup.

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

2048-2049, No Club, CA 161, PA 170

2049-2050, Newcastle (manager), CA 154, PA 170

2050-2051, No Club, CA 152, PA 170

2051-, Charlton (manager), CA 151, PA 170

Was hired by Charlton, who were 18th in the Premiership at the time, but failed to save them from relegation, eventually finishing 19th. Has decided to retire at the end of next season, so will finish in the Championship.

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

2048-2049, Bandits (manager), CA 88, PA 110

2049-2051, No Club, CA 88, PA 110

2051-, QPR (manager), CA 82, PA 110

Continues as QPR manager, and they finish in the same spot as last season – 10th in the Premiership. Despite this, his job is now under threat from an expectant board.

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 111, PA 130

Misses out on a fifth consecutive Premiership crown on the final day, but still finishes a decent second. The huge expectations mean that he is feeling the pressure a little.

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

2040-2051, Yeovil (coach), CA 100, PA 110

After eleven years as the Yeovil coach, he retired last summer. With him, Yeovil suffered relegation from League One, finishing 23rd.

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Premiership Analysis - Reputation

(league position in bold)

1 (1). Sheff Wed (2) – 9337 (-125)

2 (4). Liverpool (3) – 8469 (+115)

3 (2). Chelsea (8) – 8447 (-165)

4 (3). West Ham (6) – 8157 (-206)

5 (6). Man City (5) – 8083 (+6)

6 (7). Leeds (1) – 8006 (+92)

7 (5). QPR (10) – 7877 (-362)

8 (8). Bandits (9) – 7875 (-7)

9 (12). West Brom (11) – 7610 (+231)

10 (16). Tottenham (4) – 7284 (+414)

11 (9). Sunderland (15) – 7237 (-359)

12 (14). Aston Villa (12) – 7133 (-4)

13 (-). Newcastle (13) – 7120 (-17)

14 (13). Derby (17) – 7028 (-269)

15 (-). Man Utd (16) – 6974 (+152)

16 (17). Burnley (7) – 6841 (+82)

17 (11). Charlton (19) – 6337 (1094)

18 (10). Crystal Palace (18) – 6313 (-1212)

19 (-). Portsmouth (14) – 6022 (+146)

20 (15). Arsenal (20) – 5880 (-1222)

Promoted sides

Nottm Forest – 5445

Port Vale – 5396

Hull – 6013

Sheff Wed retain their place at the top, by some distance, but their reputation drops as a result of their trophyless season. Liverpool move into second place after poor seasons from both Chelsea and West Ham.

The Bandits stay fairly static, while Newcastle and Man Utd consolidate their positions in the top flight, which is more than can be said of Portsmouth, who have a reputation lower than two of the relegated clubs.

Arsenal’s reputation takes a massive hit on the way down, and they may struggle to recover. Coming up from the Championship, playoff winners Hull have the highest reputation, while Nottm Forest and Port Vale are way off the required level and will struggle.

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Premiership Analysis – Team Ability

(league position in bold)

1 (6). West Ham (6) – 72.85 (+0.59)

2 (3). Liverpool (3) – 72.75 (-0.54)

3 (1). Chelsea (8) – 72.49 (-1.38)

4 (7). Tottenham (4) – 71.55 (-0.30)

5 (4). Sheff Wed (2) – 71.48 (-1.43)

6 (8). Sunderland (15) – 71.36 (+0.69)

7 (2). Arsenal (20) – 71.35 (-2.13)

8 (5). Bandits (9) – 70.88 (-1.75)

9 (9). Man City (5) – 70.82 (+0.43)

10 (11). Aston Villa (12) – 70.41 (+0.99)

11 (10). QPR (10) – 70.32 (+0.42)

12 (-). Man Utd (16) – 69.19 (+2.88)

13 (15). Leeds (1) – 69.12 (+0.48)

14 (13). Derby (17) – 69.05 (+0.21)

15 (-). Newcastle (13) – 68.71 (+0.78)

16 (14). West Brom (11) – 68.50 (-0.26)

17 (12). Charlton (19) – 66.60 (-2.28)

18 (16). Crystal Palace (18) – 66.35 (-1.80)

19 (17). Burnley (7) – 66.11 (-0.05)

20 (-). Portsmouth (14) – 64.59 (+0.59)

Promoted sides

Nottm Forest – 62.68

Port Vale – 60.80

Hull – 63.92

After one season away from the top, West Ham become the best side in the Premiership one more, with Liverpool improving yet again to challenge them. Chelsea’s squad is getting worse, while Spurs showed why they were back near the top with an improved ability level.

Previous dominant side Sheff Wed suffered a big ability hit, while Arsenal fall from second to seventh in a season where they are actually relegated. Leeds perform miracles in winning the league with a very well balance side.

Again, Hull seem best placed of the promoted sides to survive, while Port Vale especially look set to struggle.

Overachievers : Leeds, Burnley

Underachievers : Arsenal, Sunderland

Title Prediction : Sheff Wed to return to the top

Relegation Prediction : Nottm Forest, Hull and Portsmouth

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Summary

Another mixed season for the Bandits – a tremendous start, an equally impressive finish, and a League Cup triumph in between. But eight losses on the spin in the Premiership really hurt their campaign, turning a title challenge into a mid table finish.

The run coincided with the January transfer window, when Nicholson made a huge amount of sweeping changes to the squad. It is entirely possible that this unsettled the players and caused their severe dip in form. With the manager now under pressure, the fans are hoping that he is given the time to turn things around, as his transfer acquisitions have been superb. If he can now gel them together then the Bandits will be heading in the right direction.

And the good news is they’ll be playing in Europe next season, having missed out for the past three. Their third League Cup triumph, and impressive cup record overall, will have them confident of making a decent fist of it.

Let’s hope the board hang on to this very promising manager. He’ll have Pacheco back next season too, who missed practically the whole campaign with ruptured cruciate ligaments.

Elsewhere, Sheff Wed finally relinquished their Premiership crown, losing on the final day to hand the league to Leeds, who return after a long absence to lead the way again. Is this is end of the road for a dominant squad, especially with Right Mid 1 now approaching retirement age?

The first of the ex-Bandits has now retired, Centre Mid 1 calling time on his coaching career after a long stint at Yeovil. He never took the step into full management and leaves just four former Bandits behind. One, Goalkeeper 2, will retire next summer. It is the beginning of the end for those who started this experiment aged just 17.

There were two major stories in the football world this season. Normally, Arsenal’s relegation would’ve been the top story, having been in the top league since 1919, which is 133 years ago. But the true story this time is that of plucky Welling, who put the disappointment of Conference relegation behind them to incredibly lift the FA Cup. There will be a Conference South side playing in the UEFA Cup next season, and incredible story. I will follow their progress.

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 remains Real Madrid manager, and led them back to Champions League glory – an incredible story for the former Bandits manager. He will retire next summer, at the very top.

Phil Edwards has retired.

Ben Clayton is still out of work after his firing by Chelsea just over a season ago.

Stuart Davies has retired.

Left Back 1 is still the manager of QPR, although after another tenth placed Premiership finish his job is under threat. The fans are demanding more.

Neil Angus has retired.

Terry Arthur has retired.

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World View - Ones to watch

Your annual guide to the stars of tomorrow:

Olivier Texier (Lille/France, 19, 120/199, Winger: 58.27%) is a young left wing back or winger, who has come through the youth ranks of Lille. He is already a regular at Lille, but has played very poorly to date. Valencia have spotted something, however, and he is joining them in the summer when his contract expires.

Previous tips (legends, or players still with promise)

Carlo Lupo (Barcelona/Italy, 36, 112/198, Centre Back: 63.76%), lost another sixteen points of CA as his decline continued. Having barely made an appearance for Barcelona this season, he will finally retire next summer.

Hugues Guichard (Bayern Munich/France, 30, 167/195, Target Striker: 77.28%), lost another nine points of CA, and lost his regular slot in both the Bayern Munich and the French national team. He still scores freely when he does play, however.

Bjorn Strand (West Ham/Norway, 29, 183/193, Fast Striker: 82.07%), drops two points of CA, but sees his scouted rating rise above 80% to reach a new high, and make him the best player in the world by that reckoning. It seems experience counts for something. He scores 27 goals in another outstanding season, but West Ham struggle to sixth in the Premiership, although they did win the UEFA Cup.

Ante Bacic (Barcelona/Croatia, 30, 173/189, Centre Back: 71.98%), loses nine more points of CA as his decline accelerates. His scouting rating is now dropping alarmingly too, which is reflected in his performances as he registers just 6.43 as his average rating.

Umit Abdulkadir (Real Madrid/Turkey, 27, 199/199, Fast Striker: 79.08%), remains at his peak for the second successive year, but sees his scouted rating drop below the 80% mark. His performances for Real Madrid are still top class, however, as he scored 19 goals in 30 games at a playing average of 7.77.

Sergey Sergienko (Inter/Russia, 28, 193/193, Midfielder: 71.62%), stays at his peak for the third year in a row, while his scouted rating also remains static and unimpressive for a man with such a high CA. It seems the scouted rating is the one to go by, as his performances cannot be described as anything better than ordinary.

Reiner Helbig (Barcelona/Germany, 26, 186/199, Midielder: 74.36%), gained just one point of CA, and will now get nowhere near his stunning potential. He averages 7.20 for Barcelona after they paid 17.5m to end his Chelsea nightmare.

Leonardo (Internacional/Brazil, 25, 185/185, Fast Striker: 76.60%), remains at his peak for the third year running, but still refuses to test himself in a bigger league than the Brazilian one, where he scored fourteen goals in twelve matches at an average of 8.50. He is truly a huge fish in a small pond.

Peter Schulz (Bayern Munich/Germany, 27, 180/188, Target Striker: 76.48%), drops away from his potential by losing eight CA points, but had another spectacular season, scoring thirty goals for Bayern Munich as they reached the Champions League final.

Fabrizio Bucci (Inter/Italy, 26, 199/199, Target Striker: 76.15%) stays at his peak for the third season in a row, but sees his scouting rating rise 1.60%. An amazing striker, he scored 35 goals for Inter this season, and with 59 goals in 58 caps is set to be a star in this summer’s European Championships.

Joe Galloway (West Ham/England, 25, 183/190, Full Back: 78.61%), continues to improve his CA, rising two points, but falls off his perch as the best scouted player in the world, losing 2.20% of his rating. He has improved his performances for West Ham, though, now averaging 7.27, but is still considering his options.

Guillaume Charton (Lyon/France, 25, 191/194, Goalkeeper: 71.82%), gains five points of CA but inexplicably loses nearly 6% of his scouted rating as his attributes fall badly out of balance. With that falter, his performances drop a little, but after last season’s astonishing 8.13 average that was always likely, and he slips to a still very impressive 7.70. He will be difficult to beat this summer.

Juan Perez (Real Madrid/Mexico, 22, 188/194, Winger: 79.00%), continues to storm towards his potential, gaining nine points of CA and a considerable level of scouted ability. Real Madrid paid Chivas 11.25m for his services halfway through the season, and he settled in instantly to score and set up goals freely. This kid is a real star.

Aaron Lomas (Tottenham/England, 23, 178/198, Target Striker: 78.04%), gained another nine points of CA having moved from the Bandits to Spurs for 17.25m. He is settling in at his new club, scoring a few but still not getting the regular starts he is after.

Primoz Kercmar (Lyon/Slovenia, 23, 173/190, Midfielder: 64.01%) has disappointed his native country of Norway by choosing he second nation, Slovenia, over them. An apparently talented midfielder, who gained ten CA points this season, his scouting rating is a good indicator of the poor balance of his attributes, and he isn’t playing well for Lyon.

Graham Thomas (Sunderland/England, 21, 172/198, Centre Back: 74.52%) continues to improve, gaining seven CA points, and performing better for Sunderland, where he now averages over seven. He has also made his England debut, and has a very bright future.

Francisco Javier Rua (Chelsea/Spain, 23, 172/192, Winger: 73.07%) rose six points of CA, but impressive around 4.5% of scouted rating, indicating that he now turning into an excellent winger. But he is playing in the graveyard of stars at Chelsea, and averages just 6.18 – chances are they’re forcing him to play in central midfield. He is considering his options.

Andre Luis (Sheff Wed/Brazil, 21, 159/198, Attacking Midfielder: 69.79%) gained an impressive 12 CA points, and moved again, this time coming to the Premiership, joining Sheff Wed from Real Madrid for 10.5m. But he is playing even worse for his new club than he did in Spain, averaging an abysmal 5.80.

Raymond van Dijk (Chelsea/Holland, 20, 152/195, Full Back: 74.43%) gained an immense 28 CA points, and over 5% in scouted rating, after making the move from Ajax to Chelsea for 5.5m. He has only played three times for his new club, though, and has to wait for his chance. One of those appearances was in the League Cup final, where he scored in the shoot out.

Roberio (Flamengo/Brazil, 18, 122/198, Winger: 63.86%) gained a decent 23 CA and an astonishing 14% of scouted rating, as he moves towards being a seriously talented winger. He is yet to get much of a chance for Flamengo, but his time will come.

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World View - World beaters (by CA)

Fabrizio Bucci (Inter/Italy, 26, 199/199, Target Striker: 76.15%) continues to jointly lead the way, maintaining his amazing ability level of 199, and impressing with his performances, that see him hammer another 35 goals for Inter in a fantastic season. Watch for him this summer.

Fabrizio Bucci

Umit Abdulkadir (Real Madrid/Turkey, 27, 199/199, Fast Striker: 79.08%) remains joint top with Bucci, scoring freely for Real Madrid and approaching the peak of his career. Turkey have qualified for the European Championships so he will be able to play on the big stage this summer.

Umit Abdulkadir

Sergey Sergienko (Inter/Russia, 28, 193/193, Midfielder: 71.62%) remains on the list, but his scouted rating does not lie – he is not the player his CA suggests he should be. His stats do not suggest a 193 ability, and Inter will be disappointed that he isn’t the star some expect him to be.

Sergey Sergienko

Gillaume Charton (Lyon/France, 25, 191/194, Goalkeeper: 71.82%) is a new entry on the list, and is the opposite of Sergienko in that he truly is a star. His scouted rating is nearly 6% lower than this time last year, but last year’s was probably more accurate as this guy is the real deal. An outstanding goalkeeper, he will be incredibly difficult to beat this summer.

Gillaume Charton

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World View - World beaters (by scouted rating)

Bjorn Strand (West Ham/Norway, 29, 183/193, Fast Striker: 82.07%) is a former world beater in the CA section, but having dropped out of that as he fell over the peak, is now the best player in the world by scouted rating, and by some distance too, Wesley van Grinsven coming in second place with 79.95%. Strand is still an outstanding striker, as he showed in scoring 27 goals for a below par West Ham. Norway qualified for the European Championships, so he will be there this summer.

Bjorn Strand

Last year’s winner, Joe Galloway, is now seventh with a best rating of 78.61% at full back, while last season’s second placed Abdulkadir now sits fourth with a fast striker rating of 79.08%

Here are the best players in the world, in each position, by scouted rating:

Goalkeeper: Mathieu Adam (Inter/France, 22, 179/192, 75.33%)

Sweeper: Terry Hill (Bayern Munich/England, 24, 166/183, 76.92%)

Centre Back: Olivier Raffin (Bayern Munich/France, 32, 173/195, 79.15%)

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

Wing Back: Joe Galloway (West Ham/England, 25, 183/190, 77.72%)

Defensive Midfielder: Jochen Kunert (Chelsea/Germany, 29, 169/187, 74.31%)

Midfielder: Andrea Rossini (Real Madrid/Italy, 30, 175/188, 78.12%)

Attacking Midfielder: Ronald Diaz (Liverpool/Bolivia, 28, 172/177, 77.55%)

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

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

Target Striker: Bjorn Strand (West Ham/Norway, 29, 183/193, 81.93%)

Losing their place:

Gillaume Charton (GK), Joe Galloway (CB), Ronnie Blundell (CM), Umit Abdulkadir (FS)

As ever, the 80% level is harder to reach than 190 CA, with just one player making it, but interestingly, he makes it both as a fast and target striker. Watch out for Norway this summer.

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World View - Distribution of 180+ CA players

The clubs

Inter – 5 (+1) (199, 193, 183, 180, 180)

Bayern Munich – 4 (+1) (189, 181, 180, 180)

Real Madrid – 3 (+1) (199, 188, 184)

Milan – 3 (-) (187, 185, 185)

Lyon – 2 (+1) (191, 180)

Barcelona – 2 (+1) (186, 183)

West Ham – 2 (-) (183, 183)

Chelsea – 2 (-) (183, 181)

Arsenal – 2 (+1) (182, 182)

Roma – 1 (-1) (187)

Deportivo – 1 (-1) (186)

Internacional – 1 (-) (185)

Lazio – 1 (-) (183)

Liverpool – 1 (-) (181)

Tottenham – 1 (+1) (180)

Total – 31 (+5)

The number of star players goes back up to 31, and no club drops off the list, only Spurs coming on to the bottom with a 180 player. Inter lead the way from Bayern Munich, while Real Madrid also gain a star.

The leagues

Italy – 10 (-)

England – 8 (+2)

Spain – 6 (+1)

Germany – 4 (+1)

France – 2 (+1)

Brazil – 1 (-)

Total – 31 (+5)

Italy continue to lead the way, but it is an improved season for the Premiership, the English league moving to within two stars of Serie A. There are still six leagues on the list, as Lyon improved their squad again and Leonardo remained at Internacional.

The nationalities

England – 5 (+2)

Germany – 4 (-)

France – 3 (-)

Brazil – 3 (+1)

Turkey – 2 (+1)

Italy – 2 (+1)

Russia – 2 (-)

Portugal – 2 (+1)

Holland – 2 (-)

Mexico – 1 (+1)

Greece – 1 (-)

Argentina – 1 (+1)

Norway – 1 (-)

N. Ireland – 1 (+1)

Spain – 1 (-2)

Croatia – 0 (-1)

Peru – 0 (-1)

Total – 31 (+5)

England surge to the top of the list in European Championship summer, but that statistic is a little misleading, as all five of their stars are towards the bottom of 180+ bracket, the highest CA being 183. Germany and France are strong as ever, but it is a surprise to see Spain right down the bottom, with only one star, and him having exactly 180 CA as well. They may struggle this summer.

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Couple of quick things:

1) I know there's a few questions for me to answer above that report - don't think I'm ignoring you, I was just racing to get the report done before I have to disappear. I'm flying to the States on business this weekend so although I won't be around the next couple of days, I will be back online after that and will answer properly (when I'm not in the hotel bar, that is).

2) Serious one - this experiment has been limited by the fact that not all games have been run on full details. The detail level is default, so not even the Premiership games are run on full detail.

This, I believe, gives regular 'average' results, and doesn't results in freakish scoreline which we should've seen in a 45 year experiment. This is highlighted by the fact that the Bandits have just broken their biggest win record, by winning 5-0. That's their biggest win in 45 years!

So here's the question: Shall I turn the game on to full detail, across the board? It will make for a more accurate experiment, as every match will be run properly, but it may result in the first season seeing some side benefit from the change while others suffer.

This would mean that many records become defunct, as I would predict the odd mad scoreline, while it'll be difficult to compare players' scoring ratios to before the change. If I am to make a change, we must only compare players playing in the same era[/b}, for fairness.

I'm for making the change, as it'll provide a new experiment angle - just what does the detail level affect? And by running all matches on full detail, the most accuracy is ensured.

That said, I'm leaving this one open to the vote. If you want it, I'll do it, if you don't, I won't, simple as.

Please vote.

[dirty1982dec]

it feels good to be back in europe again, hopefully next season will bring more silverware and a higher league position. c'mon bandits, lets push on!

[dirty1982dec]

i'm all for a more accurate experiment

[VonBlade]

Firstly, before we even get to the Bandits, awesome job by Welling. Historic moment and something I never, ever, thought I'd see happen in FM. Amazing.

Brilliant to get another cup under our belts, even if we (Bandits) are looking like us (Spurs) in being a perennial cup team with poor league form.

Hopefully the lack of glaring weaknesses in the team will mean a more settled transfer window. Which will mean a more settled club. Which should lead to the league challenge we've started to expect.

We definitely need a moments silence for the retirement of Lupo. Quite fitting that he should retire just before the real-life Lupo, Maldini, does the same.

Sad to see Danny Gamble go too. Somehow he always feels like the Dario Gradi of the Bandits. Other managers may come and go, he might manage elsewhere, but he'll always be the manager I think of when I think of the Bandits.

Now let's stuff some people in friendlies, get that squad settled and finally take our rightful place in history!

VB