AI Experiment - what would happen if?

[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 – 5th, League Cup – Final

2048-49, English Premiership – 5th, UEFA Cup – Semi-Final

2049-50, English Premiership – 11th, League Cup – Final

2050-51, English Premiership – 6th

2051-52, English Premiership – 9th, League Cup – Winners

2052-53, English Premiership – 3rd

2053-54

English Premiership: (Pos 5), P 38, W 15, D 15, L 8, F 55, A 46, GD +9, Pts 60

(Media Prediction: 5th)

UEFA Cup: Semi-Final

FA Cup: Semi-Final

League Cup: Quarter-Final

2054-55

English Premiership: (Pos 6), P 38, W 18, D 7, L 13, F 64, A 57, GD +7, Pts 61

(Media Prediction: 5th)

UEFA Cup: Quarter-Final

FA Cup: 4th Round

League Cup: 3rd Round

2055-56

English Premiership: (Pos 6), P 38, W 16, D 9, L 13, F 61, A 54, GD +7, Pts 57

(Media Prediction: 4th)

FA Cup: 3rd Round

League Cup: 4th Round

2056-57

English Premiership: (Pos 14), P 38, W 13, D 9, L 16, F 61, A 60, GD +1, Pts 48

(Media Prediction: 4th)

UEFA Cup: 1st Round

FA Cup: 3rd Round

League Cup: 4th Round

2057-58

English Premiership: (Pos 12), P 38, W 13, D 13, L 12, F 54, A 52, GD +2, Pts 52

(Media Prediction: 10th)

League

FA Cup: 4th Round

League Cup: 2nd Round

[kipfizh]

Bandits report - Best and Worst

General

Stats

Finance Overview

The new manager, Cameron Banks, has all the cash he needs to completely revamp the squad.

New records:

None

This season:

Best player – Rubio, 7.59

Top scorer – Rubio, 19

Worst player – Joel, 6.48

The Bandits slip to second in the rich list, behind Barcelona.

Rich Clubs

[kipfizh]

Bandits report - First XI Summary

GK: McParland (28, 173/173) – 7.41

LB: Sadar (28, 174/174) – 7.03

CB: Griffin (31, 166/174) – 6.77

CB: Vujic (24, 168/178) – 6.89

RB: Constable (25, 162/168) – 6.94

LM: Harris (25, 178/178) – 6.61

CM: Diane (28, 161/170) – 6.80

CM: Birchall (30, 172/188) – 6.94

RM: Joel (24, 160/172) – 6.48

ST: Rubio (29, 171/184) – 7.59

ST: Messner (29, 163/175) – 7.09

Average age – 27.4 (down from last year’s 27.7)

Average CA – 168 (down from last year’s 169.7)

Average rating – 6.96 (down from last year’s 7.03)

It is a good thing that the Bandits finally have a manager who looks capable of rebuilding a squad, because they need it right now. Once again the ability of the side is falling, but the really worrying thing is that the stars that they have relied on for so long are fading too.

Dompig has been dropped because his CA is falling so rapidly, while the star striker duo of Rubio and Messner both fell from their peak, and lost 25 CA points between them. After third choice striker Bossu, who has a CA of 163, they don’t have anyone else above the 100 CA mark, which is remarkable given how traditionally strong they are up front. For once, they desperately need signings there.

Elsewhere, the story is similar. McParland, Vujic and Harris could be around for a while, but Griffin and Birchall are at their peak or beyond it, without having any young players looking to take their positions away.

The new manager needs to do two things – bolster the first team squad and buy for the future. It is a massive ask, and unlikely to be managed in one summer, so let’s hope he is given the time. He seems capable.

[kipfizh]

Bandits report – Outside the first XI

Dropped:

Fernandez (RB): Rightly dropped when Constable was bought, but still young enough to get back in the side.

Dompig (CB): Now fading badly, Dompig is not the player he was and has been replaced by Griffin, who at 31 will soon need replacing himself.

Sold:

Christie (CB): Moved on to Liverpool for a considerable sum and didn’t play well there.

Mora (LM): Loan expired, and wouldn’t have been needed anyway with the return of Harris.

Cox (RM): Earned the Bandits 29m, but was replaced by Joel, who isn’t particularly good, and now has a cruciate ligament injury.

Williamson (CM): Was rubbish anyway, so his sale was a relief.

Prospects

Machin (21, 161/177) – once again the Bandits are strong in goal, Machin providing excellent backup to McParland.

[kipfizh]

Competitions - Other stats

England entered the Confederations Cup last summer, reaching the final where then Bandit Kyle Cox scored, before Argentina equalised in the final minute and won on penalties. England put that disappointment behind them to win all ten of their World Cup qualifying games, and reach the tournament along with Ireland, who finished second. The two will meet again in the group stages, along with Mali and Brazil.

Sheff Wed continued their dominance in the Premiership, winning their fourth straight title, and eighth in eleven years. Chelsea managed a fine recovery to finish second, while Liverpool came in third. Wigan, Sunderland and Brentford went down.

In League One, newly promoted Welling managed a mid table finish, a remarkable rise for the ex-Conference South side since their FA Cup triumph.

Speaking of the FA Cup, it was won by Burnley, who beat Chelsea in the final, while Sheff Wed won another trophy by beating QPR in the League Cup final. Watford extended their winless run in the competition to eighteen games when they lost to Leyton Orient. It has been fifteen years since they last won a League Cup match.

Meanwhile, down in League Two, Welling confirmed that their rise was no blip, as they bounced straight back from relegation to go back up to League One.

Bayern Munich stopped Milan from winning their third straight Champions League, beating them on penalties in the final, while Spurs were the Premiership’s last contenders, reaching the semi finals. The UEFA Cup stayed in France, Marseille taking Lyon’s crown by beating Fenerbahce in the final.

[kipfizh]

Premiership Analysis - Reputation

(league position in bold)

1 (1). Sheff Wed (1) – 9583 (-117)

2 (2). Man Utd (10) – 8386 (-53)

3 (4). Tottenham (5) – 8092 (+277)

4 (3). Burnley (11) – 8085 (-217)

5 (7). Liverpool (3) – 7982 (+308)

6 (10). Chelsea (2) – 7739 (+305)

7 (6). West Ham (6) – 7669 (-68)

8 (8). Aston Villa (13) – 7563 (-63)

9 (9). QPR (9) – 7552 (-37)

10 (-). Newcastle (8) – 7373 (+10)

11 (5). Bandits (12) – 7362 (-424)

12 (11). West Brom (4) – 7185 (-235)

13 (12). Leeds (14) – 7144 (+25)

14 (14). Port Vale (17) – 7019 (-25)

15 (13). Arsenal (16) – 6973 (-110)

16 (17). Crystal Palace (7) – 6603 (+74)

17 (16). Chesterfield (15) – 6477 (-140)

18 (15). Sunderland (19) – 5967 (-963)

19 (-). Brentford (20) – 5590 (+129)

20 (-). Wigan (18) – 5557 (+174)

Promoted sides

Colchester – 7669

Nottm Forest – 6202

Man City – 6803 (+735)

Once again, Sheff Wed remain at the top by over a thousand points, Man Utd remaining in second spot. Spurs rise up to third, ahead of Burnley who had a poor season. Chelsea and Liverpool had great seasons to rise up the table, while promoted Newcastle find themselves set as a Premiership side.

The big losers this season were the Bandits, dropping back from fifth to eleventh and ensuring that the new manager will not be able to sign the players he wants to. He certainly has a challenge on.

Of the promoted sides, Colchester have a decent reputation, matching that of West Ham in seventh, while Man City could also survive. Nottm Forest, on the other hand, are in trouble.

[kipfizh]

Summary

It was another poor season for the Bandits, who finished in the bottom half of the Premiership for the second consecutive season, and not managing any sort of cup run. But the biggest news came after the final day, when Alan McDermott resigned and was replaced by Cameron Banks.

Banks is a man of serious pedigree, and even after two dismal seasons his arrival has risen the expectations around the club once again. The question is – can he deliver?

The Bandits have their manager, but they could also do with a board overhaul – Sheff Wed’s chairman, with a CA of 199, is proof of how useful they are, with the club now so dominant.

The fans are hoping for many signings this summer. Will they get them?

[kipfizh]

World View - World beaters (by CA)

Roberio (Marseille/Brazil, 24, 192/198, Winger: 78.90%), is a new entry on the list at pops his head out right on top, at least jointly. The 24 year old has six more points to gain yet, giving him plenty of opportunity to cement the position over the coming years. He plays pretty well for Marseille, but is yet to set the world alight in the way that world beaters are expected to.

Roberio

Graham Thomas (Liverpool/England, 27, 192/198, Centre Back: 78.11%), gains two points of CA to become the joint best player in the world in only his second season on the list. At 27, he is likely to lose Roberio in the distance next season, but he is a very solid defender for Liverpool, albeit not one playing as well as he did last season.

Graham Thomas

Mathieu Adam (Real Madrid/France, 28, 192/192, Goalkeeper: 76.63%), remains at his peak to become the third of the joint best players in the world. The Real Madrid and French goalkeeper has another astonishing season, and is practically an unbeatable presence between the sticks. How do you beat this guy?

Mathieu Adam

Guillaume Charton (Lyon/France, 31, 191/194, Goalkeeper: 77.04%), loses two points of CA and drops to fourth in the list, also falling behind his great rival Adam in the stakes of being the best French keeper. He is still a phenomenal keeper though, and will be for many years to come.

Gillaume Charton

Juan Perez, last season’s top player, drops off the list as his CA fell from 194 to 185.

[Sazchu]

Banks looks like he might be the one to get the Bandits back into europe and keep them there, making the club proper big.

oh, and you got a wrong screenshot for the 2058 league table :þ KUTGW

[kipfizh]

World Cup 2058

The World Cup got off to a flyer when holders Spain lost their opening game to tiny Guinea, and after then drawing with France, it looked like the holders were going out. But France put paid to Guinea's hopes of qualifying, smashing them by a record 11-0 margin to show just how embarrassing the Spanish defeat was, and Spain won their final match to sneak though, ego a little bruised.

Elsewhere, it was a group stage of tedious matches. Countless goalless draws included one day, where viewers sat and watched three matches back to back without seeing the ball hit the back of the net once.

If Spain had started slowly, they gathered momentum pretty quicker, knocking England and Scotland out on their way to the semi finals, where they would meet Italy. A Roberio-inspired Brazil and a Juan Perez-inspired Mexico clashed in the other semi.

Impressive performances by Brazil and Spain saw them through to the final that few would have predicted in the early stages of the tournament, but those who thought Spain's complete turnaround would be complete were disappointed, a penalty two minutes from time giving Brazil a 1-0 victory, and their first World Cup in 56 years.

And for once, a world beater takes a trophy - Roberio is a World Cup winner.

[kipfizh]

Whoops, season summary should've read:

2057-58

English Premiership: (Pos 12), P 38, W 13, D 13, L 12, F 54, A 52, GD +2, Pts 52

(Media Prediction: 10th)

League

FA Cup: 4th Round

League Cup: 2nd Round

Wrong screenshot!

[AB-forever]

Go mr. Banks

Kip, thanks for finally giving us our fix

I hope the next one won't leave us waiting as long

[coldkohmew]

Good to win the league cup!

Go Bandits!!!

[coldkohmew]

Opps,i meant brazil winning the world cup again...

[Berrern]

Wow, the Bandits are back! Thanks for the update Kip!!

The new manager looks very promising, maybe we're finally getting the break we've all been hoping for for so long?

[Meitheisman]

What a glorious Monday morning! Thank you Kipfizh, thank you! Great way to start the week, I was all tired and un-excited at the prospect of going to work today and now I’m all pumped up because the Bandits are back.

I was thinking about Sheff Wed's domination and steady success, is it possible for you to check what their chairman's stats are to see if this definitely is the key the Bandits miss please?

I believe so. Remarkably, the Sheff Wed chairman is a 44 year old with a CA of 199! The managing director and director of football are terrible, but I would wager that the chairman is the key.

Thanks. For how long has this chairman been in charge? Did a board take over initiate Sheff Wed’s success by putting this new chairman in charge? At 44 he couldn’t possibly have been there since the beginning of the experiment.

Never mind for the Manager’s Hall of Fame but thanks for looking into it.

Haha, France winning 11-0 is awesome. I believe our biggest victory ever was when we beat Azerbaijan 10-0 a few years before our World Cup iirc.

Good to see Welling stay in League One too, hopefully they have a better chairman than we do.

Mixed feelings about this update. 12th and no cup runs is disappointing for a team that’s been in the EPL for over 20 years now and with so much money, the lack of depth and players aging are also things to worry about, however, for the first time ever (I believe) the chairman hired a manager with a CA > 150 and on top of that he has good hidden stats. I really can’t wait, not only for next season but more for the following one, once Banks has recruited players that fit his style if they all gel we could have a very successful season.

[chopper99]

Finally, the Bandits have a decent manager. It's been so long since we've been able to say that!

It's great to see this thread back up and running, and I like the new report format, mainly because you've missed out all the bits that I just used to skim over anyway.

Hopefully this summer will be exciting. The manager looks like he has some skill in the transfer market, but the now low reputation of the Bandits may hinder him quite a bit. Hopefully it won't stop good young prospects from joining the club. He may just have to bolster the squad with decent first teamers, I can't see any stars joining next season.

[5ergio]

Banks seems like he can make the team take the needed steps upwards an onwards. Eagerly anticipating the transfer round up, which I believe will be an excited one.

[Walcott\'s Wonderkids]

Great read in the new condensed format.

Shame the Bandits couldn't do slightly better this season, but hopefully this new chap in charge can help turn things around and lead them back to near the top of the table again.

KUTGW

[chopper99]

I've just noticed that since the forum software changeover this thread's no longer linked in GD. I know it belongs in this forum but I always look out for updates on this while in GD and almost missed it this time around.

Any chance it can be linked in GD again Dafuge?

[dafuge]

I've just noticed that since the forum software changeover this thread's no longer linked in GD. I know it belongs in this forum but I always look out for updates on this while in GD and almost missed it this time around.

Any chance it can be linked in GD again Dafuge?

Unfortunately I can't seem to recreate the redirects that we had on the old forum software. I can move this into GD, then move it back here leaving a redirect in GD but the redirect link does not seem to update when someone posts in it, it will just slip down the forum.

[Wegason]

Unfortunately I can't seem to recreate the redirects that we had on the old forum software. I can move this into GD, then move it back here leaving a redirect in GD but the redirect link does not seem to update when someone posts in it, it will just slip down the forum.

Although I love this thread, I see no reason why this should be given the advantage of a placing in GD which no other threads in here have.

[chopper99]

No problem Dafuge, was just an idea.

@Wegason. This thread actually started in GD before it was moved here so a lot of people who regularly spend their time in GD got into it before it was moved and looked out for updates on it in GD. That's the only reason I'd have liked to see it linked in GD again

[Wegason]

No problem Dafuge, was just an idea.

@Wegason. This thread actually started in GD before it was moved here so a lot of people who regularly spend their time in GD got into it before it was moved and looked out for updates on it in GD. That's the only reason I'd have liked to see it linked in GD again

I did know that, I just see no reason why it needs to have a link restored. People who followed it in GD can come into CSE and look for it, who knows, they might find other threads here that they'll enjoy!

[Meitheisman]

This thread has several hundred thousands of views which means a bunch of people read it and enjoy it. The more exposure it gets the better, I don't see any advantage to NOT having this thread linked in GD. People who find it from the Challenge forum will still find it. All it can do is increase the number of people who will read and enjoy the Bandits' experiment.

As for it being unfair toward other experiments, it is, I agree. And? The more people read it the more exposure it gets. Think of this thread as the EPL if you want. It's quite normal that people all around the globe get to see the EPL but not the Hungarian League. Not that I have anything against Hungary but the EPL has proven to be of a higher standard and to interest people more hence it is broadcasted abroad; kind of like Kipfizh's thread being linked in other forums.

[williamshankley]

Thumbs up Meitheisman

[dafuge]

Like I've said, a link from GD to this thread in the way we had before isn't possible, the redirects we have on this software do not update when people post in the way that they used to.

[Meitheisman]

I know you've tried I read your post, I was just responding to Wegason as to why this thread's link in GD being restored would make sense imo.

[snootyjim]

Competitions - Other stats

England entered the Confederations Cup last summer, reaching the final where then Bandit Kyle Cox scored, before Argentina equalised in the final minute and won on penalties. England put that disappointment behind them to win all ten of their World Cup qualifying games, and reach the tournament along with Ireland, who finished second. The two will meet again in the group stages, along with Mali and Brazil.

Sheff Wed continued their dominance in the Premiership, winning their fourth straight title, and eighth in eleven years. Chelsea managed a fine recovery to finish second, while Liverpool came in third. Wigan, Sunderland and Brentford went down.

In League One, newly promoted Welling managed a mid table finish, a remarkable rise for the ex-Conference South side since their FA Cup triumph.

Speaking of the FA Cup, it was won by Burnley, who beat Chelsea in the final, while Sheff Wed won another trophy by beating QPR in the League Cup final. Watford extended their winless run in the competition to eighteen games when they lost to Leyton Orient. It has been fifteen years since they last won a League Cup match.

Meanwhile, down in League Two, Welling confirmed that their rise was no blip, as they bounced straight back from relegation to go back up to League One.

Bayern Munich stopped Milan from winning their third straight Champions League, beating them on penalties in the final, while Spurs were the Premiership’s last contenders, reaching the semi finals. The UEFA Cup stayed in France, Marseille taking Lyon’s crown by beating Fenerbahce in the final.

Sorry to nitpick, but I'm a bit confused by that Kip :s

[Wegason]

Premiership Analysis - Team Ability: I'll be honest, I'm not convinced by Genie Scout's rating of players, and for me, this team estimate tells us precisely nothing about a team. Too many times we've seen the Bandits decimated yet this rating goes up. So it's gone.

World beaters (by scouted rating): Again, this relies on Genie Scout's interpretation, and while this is okay, it isn't as good as CA. CA isn't everything, but I will still be giving screenshots of all the 190+ CA players, and we can judge for ourselves whether they're the dogs proverbials or not.

I would hazard an educated guess that the reason that the team ability is having little effect on where teams finish (if thats the conclusion) is due to the games not being run on full detail.

Regarding world beaters, could the lack of full detail in games be hindering the development of players and not allowing certain attributes to come into effect perhaps?

[Meitheisman]

Sorry to nitpick, but I'm a bit confused by that Kip :s

iirc Welling bounced right back from League 2 to League 1 so the correct statement is that they finished mid-table in League 1 this year. Kip probably just forgot to delete the Welling portion of the previous update.

[kipfizh]

Thanks. For how long has this chairman been in charge? Did a board take over initiate Sheff Wed’s success by putting this new chairman in charge? At 44 he couldn’t possibly have been there since the beginning of the experiment.

Simon Mehmet, Sheff Wed chairman, joined in 2055 just after they had won the Premiership back. They have not looked back since, and have now won five on the trot.

So they were actually very good even before his arrival. Unfortunately I don't have the previous guy's attribute but rest assured this sort of thing will be closely followed in Bandits II

[kipfizh]

It's great to see this thread back up and running, and I like the new report format, mainly because you've missed out all the bits that I just used to skim over anyway.

Yeah, that's what I figured - I don't think a lot of those sections were all that useful. Some will be again in a later experiment, some may permanently give way to a few new sections that analyse board level stuff, world stuff (when all leagues are on full detail) etc...

[kipfizh]

I would hazard an educated guess that the reason that the team ability is having little effect on where teams finish (if thats the conclusion) is due to the games not being run on full detail.

Regarding world beaters, could the lack of full detail in games be hindering the development of players and not allowing certain attributes to come into effect perhaps?

Quite possibly, yes - I have no idea if the training/matxh experience advancement model works in leagues not run. After all, some of the clubs have no fixtures because I'm not running the leagues, so it would make sense if the model falls down.

Every time these holes come up, I look forward to FM09 that little bit more, even though the Bandits will find themselves back in the regional leagues!

[kipfizh]

iirc Welling bounced right back from League 2 to League 1 so the correct statement is that they finished mid-table in League 1 this year. Kip probably just forgot to delete the Welling portion of the previous update.

Absolutely spot on - I just forgot to delete the old paragraph!

[kipfizh]

Season 2058-59

Bandits report - Transfers (summer)

For the first time in many years, there was real and tangible excitement among the Bandits’ fans, as they realised that their new manager had some serious pedigree, and had a reputation for spotting a needle in a haystack when it comes to transfers. With a squad desperately in need of an overhaul, they were hopeful that the club’s recovery would start this summer. With expectation so high, the transfer window opened.

Summer

Cameron Banks had a big summer ahead of him, and before he opened the chequebook he decided to clear out some of the players he didn’t want. Some youth players were released, soon followed by a pair of 33 year olds, Vladislav Kolev and Francisco Lopez. To the delight of the fans, that was it for exits, with no player of any note allowed to leave.

All their eyes turned to the new arrivals, knowing that any talent would improve the squad. The first name was a familiar one – Michael de Lange had left the club three years earlier to join Newcastle for 14.25m. Now 30, and with a CA of 161, the Dutch striker was brought back to the Bandits for 10.25m, with Banks clearly aware that Rubio and Messner had too much pressure on their shoulders up front. The issue of their age was yet to be addressed.

Next in was 22 year old central defender David Edwards, signed for 3.2m from arch rivals Spurs, where he had yet to make a serious impact. One for the future, his 158 CA could rise as high as 182 later on, making him an excellent signing.

The third man to arrive was Giuseppe Casali, a 25 year old Italian right winger. His signing was a strange one, and the first that caused the fans to doubt Banks’ ability, as Casali’s CA had already peaked at 137. Admittedly, the club was short of right wingers, but surely there were better options out there?

Banks then turned his attention to the goalkeeping situation, and despite already having two very good keepers, he decided to bolster the area by signing 23 year old Andy Edwards, paying Leeds 1.9m for his services. His CA of 163 can rise to 170, strengthening the depth of the squad nicely.

The fans were beginning to get a little disappointed. de Lange is a talent but aging, but otherwise David Edwards was the only signing likely to make an impact on the first team in the coming years, the rest just seemingly making up the numbers. They weren’t reassured by the next signing either, Juan Jose Rodriguez arriving from Real Madrid for 2.9m. The 27 year old Spanish left winger or central midfielder sounds glamorous, but in reality his CA will never rise above its current 150 level.

Banks then got his act together, and bought another talent for the future in Danny Howarth, an attacking midfielder signed from Celtic for 7m. Only 21, his CA is already 158 and can rise to 178 in time. The kid has talent.

He would make one final summer signing, and it would finally address the situation of the strikers being so old. Lars Larsen, a 22 year old Dane, was signed from Sunderland for 7.25m, and with his CA of 164 able to rise to 184, the Bandits had a potential world star on their books if they could keep him.

And with that, Banks prepared for the new season. The fans were certainly excited about the prospects of Edwards, Howarth and Larsen, but a little concerned that the first team would be largely the same as last season, when they failed so badly.

Now the test of Banks’ managerial ability begins.

[kipfizh]

Bandits report – Season report (part 1)

August-December

Cameron Banks had arrived with a great deal of fanfare, the board convinced that finally they had the man to take them up to the next level and start winning major trophies. His summer of signings didn’t exactly address the immediate problem of the weakness of the squad, with only a couple of players in and around the first team, and most of the better signings being players for the future.

Now was the litmus test – how good a manager is he? If he has the talent to take the group of players and make them perform, he could become a legend in these parts.

Pre-season did nothing to dampen the spirits of the fans, culminating in an impressive win against Bayern Munich, victims of the club’s finest hour, all those years ago in the Champions League. Could this be the season they make their triumphant return.

If they were to succeed, it would be a recovery, however, because when the real football began, their fortunes nosedived. An opening day loss to newly promoted Colchester was a very poor start, made even worse by the sole goalscorer in the match, ex-Bandit youth product Harry Harper, jettisoned because he wasn’t good enough. Harper would go on to have a successful first half of the season, securing him a big money move to Roma.

Next up were Chelsea, but despite two Michael de Lange goals, they went down 3-2 to remain without a point. Crystal Palace were an opportunity to get on the board, but when Borut Sadar was sent off early, their hopes faded and eventually lost 2-1 in the match they would normally have expected to win.

If three losses out of three was bad news, there was worse to follow, with rumours abound that new signing Michael de Lange and star midfielder George Birchall were not getting along, both feeling like the other’s attitude was letting the club down. With Birchall so vital in the centre of the park, and de Lange looking dangerous up front, the last thing they needed was the two to let their personal issues affect their form.

But affect them it did, and they came back from Man City humbled 3-0, and bottom of the league. To make matter even worse, their next game was at home to Arsenal, and Birchall took out his frustration on an opponent, getting him sent off in only the twelfth minute, and leaving his side exposed to another 3-0 hammering.

Five games in and the club were still without a point, and words were being exchanged on the training ground. This was a true test of Banks’ mettle.

Arsenal stayed in town for a League Cup game, and with Birchall suspended, de Lange was also benched, leaving a happier side to win 2-1 thanks to two Messner goals. At last they had something to celebrate. And with de Lange still left out in the cold, Messner repeated the trick against Newcastle in the league to secure their first win of the Premiership campaign.

Any thoughts that this was a turning point were quashed in the following game, a humiliating 4-0 defeat to Chesterfield, before a draw with Aston Villa and a loss to West Brom left them deep in the mire, rooted to the bottom of the league.

The League Cup would again provide some respite, a 4-1 win over Championship Leicester progressing them to the fourth round, but a 2-1 loss to Leeds in the league left Banks’ job insecure, the board now wondering whether they had made a huge mistake.

They finally got their second win of the Premiership campaign at Forest, before once again progressing in the League Cup, beating Man City in extra time. With the club still 19th, and with the injury situation making their prospects of escape look bleak, they would gladly swap their cup and league form around.

All in all, it was a bad time for champions Sheff Wed to arrive in town, but an early Rubio goal gave the Bandits hope. It was short-lived, however, because Sadar was sent off again and Sheff Wed ran out 2-1 victors with a late winner breaking Bandit hearts.

Injuries were causing problems, but red cards were amplifying them, and after the Bandits went 2-0 up at QPR in their next game, it was Slobodan Vujic who was given his marching orders, letting their opponents get back into the game and eventually come away with a 2-2 draw.

The press were full of rumours that it was make or break time for Banks. The club were 19th and some distance from safety, and despite decent cup form the fans were getting angrier. Wasn’t this guy supposed to save them? Injuries and suspensions were certainly not helping, but whatever the excuses, this wasn’t good enough.

After anther 2-2 draw, this time with Man Utd, the board acted, and fired Banks after only a few months in the job. No-one knew whether to be happy or sad – had Banks failed because of his players not settling, or bad luck with injuries and suspensions? Or had he really not been all he was cracked up to be?

Days later, their hearts sank further, when Danny Yates was hired as his replacement. The 56 year old has a pathetic 95 CA, with a PA only one points higher. To make matters worse, while he is good at judging the ability of players, which might help in the short term, his stat of one for spotting potential means that the lack of promising youths is likely to continue. All in all, he looks fairly hopeless, but then Banks looked excellent and failed miserably.

The only hope was that his short term ability to spot a good player means he can sign some immediate talent in January, and save this club from the drop. But the fans were afraid – for so many seasons they had been a Premiership club, but now, distance from safety and with a rubbish manager, they knew they were in the deepest of holes.

Danny Yates

One ray of optimism was that managers tend to have a honeymoon period, where players raise their game for a while, but like Banks before him, Yates got off to a terrible start, watching his charges go down 3-0 at home to Liverpool. Four days later, he took them to arch rivals Spurs and got destroyed 4-0, the players coming off the pitch with chants of ‘You’re not fit to wear the shirt’, as they slipped to the bottom of the table once again.

A 2-1 win over West Ham gave Yates his first points, and lifted the club back up to 19th, before the League Cup quarter final with Colchester came around, the players keen to avenge their defeat on the first day of the season. They would be disappointed, a weak Colchester side comfortably winning 3-0 to send the Bandits tumbling out of their favourite competition.

There was respite in the league, with goals from de Lange and Rubio giving them their first back to back Premiership victories with a win over Port Vale, before getting another chance to beat Colchester in the league. Rubio scored with a rebound from a penalty, but Peter Griffin was sent off two minutes later, and once again it would prove costly, Colchester beating the Bandits for the third time in the season, this time 2-1.

The final match of the calendar year saw a win 2-1 win over Crystal Palace, lifting them to a season high of 18th after 21 games, but they were still in enormous trouble, and the fans were skeptical that the new manager could bring in the talent they desperately needed to keep them up.

Were the Bandits to go down for the first time in their history?

[kipfizh]

Bandits report - Transfers (January)

Transfers In

Transfers Out

January

The tenure of Cameron Banks had been a disaster, and an unexpected one. He made some decent signings, but whether his managerial ability wasn’t up to scratch or whether he wasn’t given time to bed his players in wasn’t clear. What was abundantly clear was the Bandits were in massive trouble, with relegation a real possibility. The hire of Gary Yates looks completely uninspired, and the outlooks looks bleak. There is but one hope, and that is that Yates can bring in the right players for survival. His ability judgement is certainly good enough, even if his long term judgement is dreadful. What they need, for once, is a short term fix.

That short term fix probably didn’t include the sale of first teamers, but Yates seemed to have his own plan. First to leave was Jason Horton, a promising young central midfielder who had played quite a bit in the first half of the season, albeit not very well. When Leeds came in with a 4.7m offer, the 23 year was off.

Last season Slobodan Vujic had been a first team choice at centre back, but his five games in the first half of this season saw him average a dismal 5.80, so when Aston Villa offered 7m for the 25 year old, the money was snapped up despite how highly rated he is. It turned out to be a good decision, as soon after he ruptured his cruciate ligaments.

Next to leave was 28 left back Michael Boateng, who had also been struggling, along with the rest of the team. Spurs came in with an offer of 8m, and he was jettisoned.

The final sale really hurt. It had been so secret that new striker Michael de Lange and star midfielder George Birchall didn’t get along, but if the fans wanted Yates to get rid of one of them, it would be the Dutch striker. Instead, 31 year old Birchall moved to West Ham for 15m. It might seem like good money, but Birchall had always starred in midfield, and went on to play superbly for his new club.

All of this made the fans panic even more. They’d lost four players from in and around the first team, and the squad was even thinner than before. And they were already deep in the mire. Could Yates make the right signings?

He clearly thought the problem was the heart of the Bandits defence, as he made three signings in January, all of them being centre backs. The first was 27 year old Matt Ricketts, with an excellent CA of 171, which could rise another two points. His price was a hefty 20m from West Brom, but at this point such minor details didn’t matter to the fans. The guy had talent, and was around the peak of his career. In short, it was exactly the sort of signing they needed to escape the danger they were in.

Next in was 30 year old Michael Thomas, who had left the Bandits seven years ago for 3.6m. Now with a CA of 166 and falling, Yates paid 15m to West Ham for him, desperate to plug the gaps in the squad, if only in the short term.

The final signing was Belgian centre back Johan de Zeeuw, who at 29 is also at his peak, although his CA of 164 is good rather than exceptional. Costing 4.1m from Sheff Wed, he also arrives to bolster the back line.

So the Bandits have plenty of centre backs, but what about everywhere else? The midfield is missing its star, the full back positions have been weakened, and they are already in the deepest of holes. With a manager seemingly lacking in ability, can they escape?

[kipfizh]

Bandits report - squad

Top 20 in Squad (sorted by CA)

Name, Pos, Age, CA-PA

Harris, 26, 178-178 (-)

Rubio, ST, 30, 173-184 (+2)

Sadar, DL, 29, 173-174 (-1)

McParland, GK, 29, 173-173 (-)

Ricketts, DC, 27, 171-173 – new signing

Machin, GK, 22, 167-177 (-6)

Thomas, DC, 30, 166-173 – new signing

Messner, ST, 30, 165-175 (+2)

Larsen, FC, 22, 164-184 – new signing

de Zeeuw, DC, 29, 164-174 – new signing

Taylor, GK, 23, 163-170 – new signing

Fernandez, D RL, 23, 162-174 (+3)

Diane, MC, 29, 162-170 (+1)

Constable, D/WB R, 26, 162-168 (-)

Bossu, ST, 29, 162-165 (-1)

de Lange, ST, 30, 161-172 – new signing

Joel, AMR/ST, 25, 160-172 (-)

Mathis, AMR, 28, 160-169 (-4)

Griffin, DC, 32, 159-174 (-7)

Edwards, D RC, 22, 158-182 – new signing

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

Birchall, MC, 30, 172-188

Vujic, DC, 24, 168-178

Boateng, D/WB L, 27, 161-169

Horton, MC, 22, 154-178

Kolev, DC, 32, 150-153

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

Johnstone, GK, 39, 158-173 (-4)

Dompig, D/M C, 33, 147-170 (-6)

Harris remains at the top of the list, and behind him both Rubio, and further down Messner, recover some of their lost CA to improve again even though they are both past their prime. Ricketts is a decent signing for the here and now, while Larsen and Edwards and ones for the future.

The main problem is now the lack of stars – because the reputation has been quite low for a while now, they haven’t been able to bring in big names, and it is showing.

Notable others:

Howarth, AMC, 21, 158-178 – new signing

CA of X or above:

190 : 0 … 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0

180 : 0 … 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 1, 1, 0, 0

170 : 0 … 6, 9, 5, 6, 7, 8, 7, 5, 5

160 : 0 … 15, 17, 19, 18, 19, 11, 15, 16, 18

150 : 0 … 21, 23, 25, 27, 26, 21, 19, 20, 23

140 : 0 … 27, 29, 33, 29, 26, 22, 21, 20, 24

130 : 0 … 30, 32, 35, 30, 26, 24, 22, 21, 25

120 : 0 … 30, 35, 36, 31, 27, 25, 23, 21, 25

110 : 0 … 33, 37, 39, 31, 27, 25, 25, 23, 25

100 : 2 … 39, 36, 38, 41, 29, 27, 26, 23, 26

At the top end, the squad remains the same, with no world stars and five players with 170 CA. Below that, there is a small improvement thanks to some fairly decent purchases, if short term ones.

The squad of 26 100+ CA players is still too small, however.

[OrientMartin]

Oh dear, I really thought the appointment of Banks would herald a new era of dominace for the Bandits, but something went wrong and i'm not exactly sure where?

I still think we'll stay up just with Rubio and Messner just managing to cover up the flaws in the team.

[JRHaggs]

Ugh. This is freakin' brutal. I think the Bandits' fan base feels like we just woke up in a bathtub full of ice.

Lofty expectations dashed, once again, against the proverbial rocks.

I hope the phalanx of center backs is the solution...

Ugh.

[Wegason]

Seeing as they were losing heavily at times, it might work. A good defence should allow better results.

[emgergo]

This loooks bleak to say the least. But at least there is excitement in a relegation dogfight

Banks had the worst of luck it seems (regardless of his managerial talent/lack of it). The new manager looks absolutely hopeless...

[The Lambs]

Hurrah, just returned off holiday to find a Bandits update.

Wow, what a terrible season, I thought we had a manager to be proud of, but instead we are facing relegation in the face and the replacement manager has all the skills of the other lack luster managers before him.

Can we start the chant of sack the board again?

[AB-forever]

Wow, what a terrible season, I thought we had a manager to be proud of, but instead we are facing relegation in the face and the replacement manager has all the skills of the other lack luster managers before him.

Can we start the chant of sack the board again?

Exactly my thoughts

[Liu Chih Chiang]

An avid supporter of this thread

KUTGW......is the least I can say

I was expecting the bandits to finish in the top half at least

What has happen??

[chopper99]

I'm absolutely flabberghasted that Banks did so badly! He really did look like the manager we'd all been waiting for, what a dissapointment. I think Banks had the right idea with the young players he bought, the trouble is that the first team players he bought were no where near good enough. The team needs more quality first team players, and quite a few of them.

The new manager looks absolutely pitiful, this may be the season that sees the Bandits go down. If that happens, how long will it take to rebuild their reputation to the point where they can sign the type of players we all want to see?

[Sazchu]

I was expecting alot better things with Banks in control but it seems that he wasnt up to the task, just hope that the Bandits can save themselfs from relegation and do better next season.

[Meitheisman]

Waoh, I'm absolutely gutted. Just when I thought the board finally got its act together and hired a good manager they proceed to sack him after only a few months in charge. Granted he had a terrible season debut but it seems more due to bad luck (players personal conflict, red cards...) than his own fault.

Oh well, hopefully we get to stay in the EPL this season but if getting relegated means pressure on the board and greater chances of a take over going down might actually be a step forward, in the long run at least.

[Marky Mark!]

Devestating to see what has happened to the Bandits so far this season, but, after a bit of a break from this thread, I am once again hooked and can't wait to see what happens to them in the 2nd half of the season.

KUTGW Kipfizh!!