Britain and India Challenge

[Sidnv]

My season is now underway.

Now for some great news and some horrifying news.

The good news is that in my first match i won

4-0 due to SBT getting 2 red cards in 5 mins.

The bad news is that i am 8.5k over my wage budget. This is due to the fact that i have 65 players in my squad.

[crouchaldinho]

OK gentlemen, I am ready to give this challenge another go. Hopefully I will be more successful this time.

I was hoping for Hindustan Aeronautical Sports Club to come up, just for the name! But the two sides that were promoted were SC Goa and Mumbai FC.

I had decided that I wanted to start my career in India outside the footballing hotbeds of Calcutta and Goa. Therefore, Mumbai FC were the only choice for me.

Some information about Mumbai:

Mumbai , formerly Bombay, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. With an estimated population of thirteen million it is the second most populous city in the world.

Mumbai lies on the west coast of India and has a deep natural harbour. Its port handles over half of India's seagoing passenger traffic and a large proportion of her maritime cargo.Mumbai is the commercial and entertainment center of India. The city also houses India's Hindi film and television industry, known as Bollywood.

Mumbai's business opportunities, as well as its high standard of living, attract migrants from all over India and, in turn, make the city a potpourri of many communities and cultures.

Cricket is the most popular sport in the city with Football as the second most popular sport in Mumbai.

The Football World Cup is one of the most widely watched television events in Mumbai. The Mumbai FC (Mumbai Football Club) is one of the renowned Indian football clubs based in Mumbai.

The information about the football club is interesting - what with it being a recently established club.

Mumbai FC is an Indian football club based in Mumbai. Their home ground is the Thakur College ground in Kandivali.

It is a recently launched club (2007), by the Essel group and they have roped in big names, such as manager Henry Menezes and India international striker Abhishek Yadav.

Mumbai FC, the concept, was born in the minds of a few sports-minded individuals, who felt the dire need for a community based football club to unleash the huge fountain of untapped talent in the city. The concept was shared and liked and the next step was putting together a pool of management talent that passionately believed in the same. Once this was achieved, the next logical step was setting up a team with a mixture of youth and experience and getting an experienced coach to guide the team’s fortunes.

These objectives were achieved in record time, so to say, and Mumbai FC was launched amidst great fanfare and pomp in the city on May 28, 2007. Current Indian international Abhisehk Yadav leads a bunch of talented players that has amongst its ranks internationals like Khalid Jamil, Noel Wilson, Lolendro Singh, Kalyan Choubey and exciting youngsters like Dane Pereira and Bengkok under the tutelage and guidance of renowned coach David Booth.

In the words of Amit Goenka, Director Essel Group, “Mumbai FC was launched with the credo that "every Mumbaikar who feels he or she has the talent to play football, in the age group of 8 years to 40 years, will get a chance to participate in the development of football culture in Mumbai".

This sounds like a really good base with which to start the challenge.

It sounds as thought Mumbai FC could eventually be a challenger to the bigger clubs in Calcutta.

I feel a bit more confident starting out with Mumbai FC as it seems I already have quite a few players, although only three are of decent quality. However, I am hopeful that I can bring in one or two players and have a team capable of staying in the division this season.

You know how I was wishing for a target man to take advantage of the physically poor defences in the IFL in a previous post? Well, I nearly cried with joy when I saw a target man in my squad with fantastic jumping, heading, strength and not a bad first touch. Then I cried in agony when I realised that he was due to move to Mahindra United in the next transfer window. Boo hiss!

I've still got one half decent looking striker, which is more than I had last time I tried this challenge with New Delhi Heroes. Having someone who can put the ball in the back of the net could make all of the difference.

I'll probably be a bit slower playing this season as I am busy with study and work but I will update you as I progress.

Hope the challenge is going well for you guys.

C.

P.S. Check wikipedia for your team - most of the Indian sides are on there bar one or two and their histories can be quite interesting! It adds another element to the game in my opinion.

[crouchaldinho]

I had to share this brilliant club website with you guys.

This is the website for my new team, Mumbai FC:

Mumbai FC Website

They have great sections on Football History and Indian Football, including a list of venues and team profiles for the NFL.

Plus the wallpaper section is great - I think I am going to download some of these and try and put them into the game as my stadium and club background - am I sad or what?

The NFL seems to be quite well covered on the internet. If you search around, you are bound to find some details about your club and maybe even a club website. It all adds a bit of excitement and additional interest to the game in my opinion. Maybe I am a big nerd but I love to know a little about my club when managing in the game.

Post up any of the club sites you find for teams that you are managing on this challenge thread. I, for one, would be interested and it adds something to the challenge if we know more about Indian football.

C.

[Sidnv]

If you need strikers, i could lend you some .

I have 15 of them.

[corinthiano]

Originally posted by Sidnv:

My season is now underway.

Now for some great news and some horrifying news.

The good news is that in my first match i won

4-0 due to SBT getting 2 red cards in 5 mins.

The bad news is that i am 8.5k over my wage budget. This is due to the fact that i have 65 players in my squad.

How did you manage that?!

[corinthiano]

I obviously mean the 65 players not the 4-0 against SBT...

[Sidnv]

Before the window opened, i kept buying players (especially strikers). Wage budget didn't increase. So i kept buying more.

And now i have 65 players and i'm probably gonna get sacked.

[corinthiano]

Lol, brilliant!! Not that you might get sacked obviously, but that you managed to accumulate a whole village in your squad!!

I ve been really picky with the players I ve brought in as I ve foten found that my own youth products are either already better than the players my scouts have found or have the potential to be way better in a year or so...

[Sidnv]

Seriously what do i do?

I never realised how many players i was buying.

I got scared cause my orignal players are so crap.

[corinthiano]

How much is your bank balance? If it is high I would release a few players, if you havent got much cash in hand I would pray for results to compensate the financial loss!!

[crouchaldinho]

Originally posted by Sidnv:

Seriously what do i do?

I never realised how many players i was buying.

I got scared cause my orignal players are so crap.

There isn't much call for rotation in the NFL is there? What with there being only 18 games and all.

I suggest you free transfer any that are on short-term contracts. Also, try to offer some of the players you don't want to other clubs.

Otherwise you could ring up the Indian Football Association and ask them if you can field another three teams in the football league!

Seriously thouh, the key question is are the players any good? If you can over achieve with this squad, that might get you off the hook despite your financial problems.

C.

[Sidnv]

Lol. My bank balance is -15k. And my wages are 18k p/w.

[Sidnv]

I can't free transfer em. I bought 45 players in the transfer window.

The players are good. I got a striker who is a leading star for the NFL and 10 who are good players. Likewise my new keeper is 10x better than the old one. I might even win the league with this team.

It happened on my career game. I bought players in and won D2. Didn't buy 60 of them though.

I'm worried ill get the sack even with good results. No attendance means i lose about 1m a year.

1m is more than this team would earn in 10 years. Can't even get a parent club for money.

I'm toast.

Anyways i'm done for the day. Gonna watch Manu vs Barca.

[crouchaldinho]

Originally posted by Sidnv:

The players are good. I got a striker who is a leading star for the NFL and 10 who are good players. Likewise my new keeper is 10x better than the old one. I might even win the league with this team.

How on earth did you find so many good players?

I don't mean to be rude, it's just that I found absolutely nobody who would sign for me when I was New Delhi Heroes manager.

My scouts returned about 4 players who would be 'decent' or 'good' players in NFL. I searched and searched with those scouts. I even had them scout the free transfers to see if there was any hidden talent there.

So I don't understand how you managed to find so many good signings?

You are signing only players that you can scout aren't you Sidnv?

Perhaps I am doing something wrong?

C.

C.

[Sidnv]

By scout u mean i can use the search feature right? I only signed players i could scout in india. But not all were players my scout suggested.

Well i looked around. Checked the top teams and made my scout do reports for millions of players. Anyone is better than the orignials so i bought everyone.

[crouchaldinho]

Originally posted by Sidnv:

By scout u mean i can use the search feature right? I only signed players i could scout in india. But not all were players my scout suggested.

QUOTE]

Yes you can use the search feature but you must only sign players you can scout, just as you said.

Well, I must have had rubbish scouts because I literally only found 4 or 5 players who were decent and would actually sign for me! Hopefully I will have better luck with my new team, Mumbai FC.

I'm glad your not in charge of the team I support Sidnv, signing every player under the sun! At least it will be exciting for your fans trying to guess who will be playing this week! Just teasing!

C.

[Sidnv]

I usually don't do this.

Usually since the trans window is there from the start i can keep track of my players.

I follow the same tactics for my Northwich team and i won promotion from BSP to L2 and now after 12 games they are at the top of L2 by 6 pts.

[Gypsum]

A mini-update for my second season so far. Now in to the 15th game, I have 13 points. The same amount I survived with last season, but it isn't enough as I sit in 9th place. Churchill Bros sit 1 point ahead of me in 8th and SC Goa are 2 points ahead in 7th place. My final three games are against mid-table sides, where my improved squad stand a chance of getting some points having been more competetive than last year, but we are still struggling in defence. Fortunately the two teams above me both face one of the two competing for the NFL championship.

[crouchaldinho]

Good luck Gypsum - I hope you stay up. It sounds like you have a good chance!

I'm just getting into my Mumbai FC game but it will be ages before I play a game as I have to get everything set up how I like it and try to find some players and staff!

C.

[Gypsum]

Getting ready for my next game and I have SEVEN players away on international duty!

[Gypsum]

And despite international call ups, a second string team including two strikers in midfield, I won 5-2! 4 goals from Okolie! What a result!

Now we've moved up to 7th. 1 point clear of 9th place and 1 point behind 6th. But I have by far the best goal difference in the bottom half, and that could come in to play.

[Gypsum]

Season 2 update

So it went down to the wire again. Final game of the season I was 1 point clear of the relegation spot occupied by SC Goa. A win in my final game would complete a run of 5 games without defeat and secure Mohammedan SC's place in the NFL next season. But we made a poor start and couldn't recover, eventually going down 3-2. So I had to wait for the result of the SC Goa - Mahindra Utd match the next day. Fortunately, Goa were steamrollered in a 6-0 defeat. A result which secured my place in the NFL for next season!

Salgocar won the league on the final day as reigning champions, second place East Bengal lost the top spot, losing to third place Mohun Bagan in a battle of attrition.

Stars of the season

Odafe Onyeka Okolie- Nigerian striker signed from CHurchill Bros at the beginning of the season for £110k, he has been worth every penny. 11 goals in 18 starts and a 7.28 rating.

Olushola Ogundare- Another nigerian striker who I signed at the beggining of the previous season on a free. Netted 11 in 19 starts with 4 assists and a 7.21 rating. Good little player, especially in partnership with countryman Okolie.

Manju- 21 year old Indian defender who I signed from Salgaocar for £65k at the beginning of the season. Has been a rock in the defence, also helping out with 5 goals and a 7.11 rating in 19 starts. Needs a betted DC partner and GK for next season to match his ability.

Joseph Fernandes- 18 year old Indian regen MC. Good creative player and a hard worker and decent all-round stats, only let down on the physical side. Scored 2 with 7 assists in 19 starts with a 7.00 rating.

Finances and club news

An average attendance of 42,825 for the season has helped push my bank balance up to £2.8 million. Unfortunately my healthy transfer budget struggles to get spent as few top players in India are willing to leave the big clubs. The board have upgraded my training facilities to adequate, and youth facilities to basic. But further appeals have seen them agree to improve the youth facilities further. I see a good youth system as an integral part of any future ambitions for Mohammedan.

[corinthiano]

Well done on surviving the relegation battle

Amazing that you managed to spend £110k on a player!! I was surprised when I spent £30k!! 2.8 million is also a nice sum, if the money keeps rolling in you ll surely be catching up with the big clubs soon.

[Gypsum]

Can I ask for some clarification on the rules? I know we can't sign a player without scouting them first, but what if we can offer them a trial? I recall that on a previous challenge it was ok to sign them if you could have them over on trial, even though you couldn't scout them.

[corinthiano]

From what i understood in the rules it is only players which you can scout, meaning it would only be players playing in India in most cases as I dont think anyone can scout outside India yet. Nothing was said about trials though, so maybe the rules from dafuge's and Gundo's challenge could pe applied.

I play LLM when it comes to signing players so havent been in the same situation, unfortunately am not of great help here then...

[crouchaldinho]

Originally posted by corinthiano:

I play LLM when it comes to signing players so havent been in the same situation, unfortunately am not of great help here then...

Hey guys - this is also my perspective on signing players. I play a mild version of the LLaMa rules. Basically, I believe in trying to play the game in a close to real life way.

In my opinion, every player that you sign should be scouted first of all. If you were a real manager you wouldn't just sign a player without having him scouted first. Plus it makes good sense to scout him - that way you can find out some hidden detail about him. For instance, after scouting a player 3 or 4 times you often get further information, such as whether or not the player is good in big game situations etc.

However, I am not totally LLaMa because I tend to use the player search screen to find players who I then I ask my scout to look at. But I religiously scout every player before signing him.

This trial business is new to me and I don't know much about it. What you seem to be saying is that you have found a player who you can offer a trial to, but you cannot scout.

In this case, I would say that I have no hard and fast rule for this one. The key, in my opinion, is the following mantra: is it realistic? Could you explain it in a real life context?

Therefore, I would tentatively say yes to your question, so long as you are intending to trial him first.

I could imagine a situation where you have heard of a player, possibly from word of mouth, who is playing in another Asian league and whom is now a free agent. In that case, I would say that it is fine to offer him a trial and get your coaches to assess him before signing him up.

I would prefer that everyone plays the challenge in a mild kind of the LLaMa spirit really. You know, make your own tactics and training, use the scouting facilities for signing players, don't exploit the match engine with a ridiculous tactic and don't do really unrealistic things. However, while I would stress the rules I have set out in my initial posting, my idea is to say 'play the challenge in a way that you feel is fair and will make you feel a sense of achievement'.

I hope that clarifies my thinking on this type of issue.

C.

C.

[crouchaldinho]

I have just thought - surely you wouldn't be able to see this players attributes if he is outside of India, unless he is very famous or you have scouting knowledge about his country?

Therefore, I think the trial is fine by me for the following reasons:

1) If he is famous and you don't know his attributes, then it is realistic that you would want to trial him.

2) If he is within your 'scouting knowledge' and therefore you can see his attributes, then it could be that your scout or coach has recommended him from their own knowledge (if you catch my drift). Again, this would explain to me why you wanted to trial him.

3) If you can't see his attributes, then maybe you have just heard a name and trialing him will be a gamble anyway because he could be absolutely crap! So that would be fine too.

Hope I have explained myself properly.

C.

[corinthiano]

I only trial players if my scout has spotted a free agent as I like the coach reports I get.

However I feel that if you use the player screen to find players and then scout them, it could be considered realistic to find a player on the search screen, trial them and then get a coach report for them.

[crouchaldinho]

Originally posted by corinthiano:

However I feel that if you use the player screen to find players and then scout them, it could be considered realistic to find a player on the search screen, trial them and then get a coach report for them.

Yes Corinthiano, this is my feeling too.

Unless there is something realy unusual and strange about it then I would agree with it in principle as per my other posts.

C.

[taifun]

...there's a worrying lack of cohesion among our players....

There's also a worrying lack of funds.

A lack of proper signings.

A lack of a defence.

But fortunately no lack of goals. It's Oct 24. 2009 and we're 3rd in the league.

[crouchaldinho]

Well, I only managed to play for a little while last night but I already feel more confident than I did last time I attempted this challenge.

My scouts have already found me about four players who are both good players at this level and, crucially, will actually sign for my team. This means that I will have far more talent than I had last time out.

Seeing as I was quite unlucky with New Delhi Heroes, I feel as though, with more talent in my Mumbai FC squad, I should be capable of avoiding the drop.

One thing that I have noticed is that Mumbai FC have the same team gelling report as my last team, i.e. 'some way short of operating as a unit', and this is before I have even signed anyone. This is curious to me because normally, when taking over a side in England, they start with a minimum of 'has a good understanding'.

Is anyone else experiencing this? I guess that perhaps all of my players have a low adaptablity or perhaps it is related to the team work attribute? It might even be a result of the fact that India is not a big footballing nation or the level of the players and their abilities. Any thoughts on this would be appreciated.

Could the team gelling be the key to succeeding in India? In previous games, I have found that team gelling can have quite a big effect on results and the effectiveness of your team.

Any thoughts on this?

C.

[crouchaldinho]

Originally posted by taifun:

...there's a worrying lack of cohesion among our players....

Join the club!

See my previous post.

There's also a worrying lack of funds.

A lack of proper signings.

A lack of a defence.

That sounds familiar!

I am growing to love Indian football though, despite the hardships. It's so fun!

But fortunately no lack of goals. It's Oct 24. 2009 and we're 3rd in the league.

Now that is one that I don't know about.

Are you sure this isn't some kind of bug? Maybe you should contact SI about this in the bugs forum. I don't want anyone having any success in this challenge.

You must all struggle painfully through the season conceeding as many goals as possible and looking totally incompetent. Oh wait, that's just me then?

C.

[taifun]

Originally posted by crouchaldinho:

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

...there's a worrying lack of cohesion among our players....

Join the club!

See my previous post.

</div></BLOCKQUOTE>

That's my actual message though. It's improved to your level just now.

Had some playing time just now so here's a short progress report:

Halfway through 2nd season we're 5th, and only 3 pts off the pace. 11 pts down to the drop is a comforting thought too. Most of our debt were wiped out through the 25k home game with East Bengal. Pity there's only one a year. I have three players in the India U21 squad + one in the U19's. The tree U21s are drawing interest from the entire league, but seems happy to stay so far.

But since we're not supposed to do this well, I'll go make my season collapse now :-)

[crouchaldinho]

I would be grateful if you could all indicate what team you are playing as when posting updates, whether they are mini-updates, quick messages or full season updates. My memory is rubbish so it will help me!

Originally posted by taifun:

That's my actual message though. It's improved to your level just now.

So your team gelling has just changed to 'some way short of acting as a unit'?

What on earth was your team gelling report before? 'Do not recognise each other' or maybe 'still learning each others names'?

But since we're not supposed to do this well, I'll go make my season collapse now :-)

I hope not! Go for it - it sounds like after another season you will be able to seriously challenge for the title.

C.

[phnompenhandy]

I'm sorry, I've just discovered this thread after being off-line for sometime.

I lived in Calcutta for a while (making pals with the FM Indian researcher) and subsequently played the Indian league a few times.

I have a query about this challenge: although IRL the legend and Indian captain Baichung Bhutia did get a permit to play in England (for Bury reserves), I think India are too far down the FIFA list to be eligible for work permits. So, I don't know if anyone's got far enough into the challenge yet, but I fear that you won't be able to get work permits for ANY Indian players unless they have dual-EU nationality. Sorry, and I hope I'm proved wrong.

[Sidnv]

Well, I think i could really challenge for the title with my squad. Board would probably sack me first.

Oh and i always scout before i sign. But i dont only buy those players my scouts suggest from scouting trips.

I really hope i can get through till the next window and then get rid of the dead wood.

[crouchaldinho]

As you say, Baichung Bhutia signed for Bury, so I figured that it should work.

The main solution I can think of is that when you are a Premiership club, you affiliate with another club on the continent and send any Indian players out on loan until they are qualified to play in the Prem.

Also, surely if you take India to a tournament and take them up the rankings, then that will improve your chances of getting work permits for Indian players?

I don't understand how work permits work but I thought that it was just a case of a player being a regular international.

I would have thought that it is possible to get at least one Indian player at a Premiership club? Surely, if you picked out one of the international players?

I will have to look up on the Internet about work permits - does anyone have a good link?

C.

[crouchaldinho]

Right, regarding this work permit situation, I have found plenty of details on the net and phnompenhandy is right for most part.

The initial application for a work permit will be denied if the player in question is from a country that is below 70th place in the international listings.

However, an appeal may be made on the following basis:

Where an application does not meet the published criteria, a club may request a panel to consider the player's skills and experience.

The panel's terms of reference are:

To consider whether the player is of the highest calibre.

To consider whether the player is able to contribute significantly to the development of the game at the top level in United Kingdom.

The panel will make a recommendation to the UK Border Agency whose decision will then be relayed to the club.

Therefore, it may be quite difficult to get an Indian player in the squad BUT it is possible according to work permit laws. Basically, he is going to have to be a quality player. There are only one or two quality players in India (!) so that will be challenging.

Furthermore, you should be able to take India up the Fifa rankings during your time with them at Level 2. If you can take India up the ranking charts above 70th place then, assuming this detail is programmed into the game, you should make your life easier.

(I would be interested to hear from SI or Sega as to how detailed their programming of work permit applications are).

A quick search on google provided a whole load of players who are outside the top 70 fifa nations and who have managed to move to European clubs on appeal.

Thus, my answer to this question is that if it is possible in real life (which it clearly is) then it should be possible in the game.

It will no doubt be a challenge but I can see no reason why you would not be able to achieve the challenge objective of having at least one Indian in your team.

C.

[taifun]

Originally posted by crouchaldinho:

I would be grateful if you could all indicate what team you are playing as when posting updates, whether they are mini-updates, quick messages or full season updates. My memory is rubbish so it will help me!

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

That's my actual message though. It's improved to your level just now.

So your team gelling has just changed to 'some way short of acting as a unit'?

What on earth was your team gelling report before? 'Do not recognise each other' or maybe 'still learning each others names'?

</div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Well, it's changed again, now it's "blending well together" :-)

It started out at "...worrying lack of cohesion" then went to "someway short of acting as a unit" then something else I can't remember, and suddenly it's all good, took a season and a half++ though.

United Sports Club Player profiles

While slowly finishing up the season I thought I'd share some player info. I think part of the reason I'm doing fairly well is that I found some real nuggets at the start of season one.

Norbert Babu - The 18-year old left winger from Jalandahar signed on a free at 16 then went straight into the 1st team. His excellent pace and crossing ability makes him a template winger. Played 14 games in his first season scoring 4 and assisting on 4. He's looking to top that this season.

Ryan Dey - Like Babu, this 18-year-old signed on a free at 16. Born in Ludhiana he exhibits a lot of the same qualities as Babu, except on the right wing, and may be just a touch weaker than his mate. 3 goals in 12 games in his first season, but his form is much improved for the second.

Sameer Kumar - Aslo born in Jalandahar, also signed on a free at 16, Sameer is a talented right back with marvellous pace. Coaches seems to think he's our best centre-back, but at 175cm and nearly no jumping ability I don't think so. Had a poor debut season with the fans nagging him all the way. Much improved this time around, and he is the only consistent performer in my crumbling defense.

Manjit Singh - Our only international signed from Mahindra Utd for zilch. Aged only 23 he's already one of the veterans of the team. His above average physical and mental skills more than counter his lack of technique, and 8 in 16 in his first season, then already 8 in 12 in the second makes him our leading scorer by far.

David Bikim - I worried about a lightweight midfield at the start of the first season, then I came across David, and his partner Ogba. David is 27, and a proper centre midfield hardman (for this level at least)

Ogba Kalu Nnanna - I like those names. Ogba is 26 and partners David Bikim in midfield. Although not as physical as his partner, he makes up for it with pace and determination. Not quite as talented as Bikim though.

Just a couple of games left of the season, and I'm losing to Vasco, eff... Can't promise another update yet though, time is short.

[taifun]

Ok, found some time:

Chirag United Sports Club NFL 2009/10 Summary

Another season of relative success. Relegation was easily avoided, the two new sides (Amity and Mumbai) totally tanked, and finished the season with 8 and 7 points respectively. We didn't improve our league standing though, and that was somewhat disappointing. We were only nine points off repeat champions East Bengal though. I have some hopes for the future, my young side is improving with age, and I've managed to pick up the Indian U21 goalie K.V. Vipin on a free from Salgaocar.

Full facts:

09/10 6th 18 6-8-4 32-30 +2 26

08/09 6th 18 6-3-9 34-46 -12 21

Fun facts:

- Average attendance was 5125,again!? Once again the local derbies with East Bengal and Mohun Bagan providing financial relief. I'm hoping Mohamadan is promoted next season for another local derby.

- Money is actually a problem, I'm running at a loss throughout the season, only abated by the two local home games. The Durand cup was a disappointment, only 1500 people for a home game with East Bengal.

- My U18s won the youth cup! They only managed 11th in the league though, finishing behind feeder club George Telegraph.

- The takeover went through without drama. No new managers, no new cash.

- Mahindra Utd won the Federation cup, East Bengal won the Durand. These two are turning into the dominant forces in Indian football. I need to do something about that.

- Manjit Singh was Attacker of the year, ahead of Bhutia!

- There's a striker named Soccer Velho, how's that for dedication?

- I've signed a feeder club arrangement with the Oil&Natural Gas Corporation, they should have some cash to throw around?

[crouchaldinho]

Originally posted by taifun:

Well, it's changed again, now it's "blending well together" :-)

It started out at "...worrying lack of cohesion" then went to "someway short of acting as a unit" then something else I can't remember, and suddenly it's all good, took a season and a half++ though.

Is it just me or is this the first time you have seen these comments?

When I was managing Hitchin Town, I bought a whole new starting XI one season and still only went down to 'have a good understanding' or something like that.

Does it take Indians longer to get to know each other for some reason? I suppose there are so many different languages, cultures and religions in India that maybe it does!

C.

[crouchaldinho]

Really good update by the way Taifun - enjoyed reading it.

You are making me jealous. I wish I was on FM today instead of at work. I won't get to have a major session until the weekend as I have plenty of studying to do but I think I will treat myself to an hour tonight.

Anyway, keep up the good work!

C.

[crouchaldinho]

I just found a good explanation of Work Permits on another thread, which I have attached below.

QUOTATION TAKEN FROM ANOTHER THREAD WRITTEN BY BONGO BONGO:

To get a work permit, a player needs to have played in 75% of their national sides games over the past two years. This only takes into account games they have been able to play in. Their nation also needs to be in the top 70 in the FIFA World Ranking.

If the permit is rejected, clubs are then given the oppurtunity to appeal. This decision will then come down to a number of factors. If the player is likely to be considered a important part of the first team, then there is a chance the deal can be comleted. If the player is considered an exciting talent, then there is also an increased possibility that the appeal will succeed, much like how Man Utd were able to sign Anderson. In the case of Zarate, it is likely that he was deemed an exceptional talent, whilst it is likely that Carvalho's importance to you was deemed to be minimal. A method to get around this is to set the players status as Key when offering a contract. It won't always work, but it does sometimes.

In order to re-apply for a work permit, you must offer the player a contract. This applies even if the player has previously been granted a work permit, unless the player has since adopted an EU nationality.

This seems to confirm that it will be possible to get Indian players playing in the Premiership but they will need to have good potential and by offered a key position at your club.

The answer is that you CAN sign Indian players but they will need to be deemed to be an exceptional talent or an important potential member of your squad.

C.

[crouchaldinho]

Found another thread that confirms my thoughts about work permits:

quote:

Originally posted by SWaRFeGa:

quote:

Originally posted by Law_Man:

As far as I'm aware, you are still completely free to sign a non-EU national, but he won't be able to play for you until he:

either fulfills the criteria for a work permit i.e. international caps etc

or gains EU nationality by residing in an EU member state for the required period.

IIRC the maximum is 5 years (e.g. the UK) but if you send players to other countries such as Belgium, they will gain EU nationality in a shorter period - 3 years.

So to answer your question, if you have a Belgian or Polish (might be other countries too) feeder club, then sign him and send him their for 3 years and he'll gain EU nationality thereby allowing you to play him. If you don't have a feeder club, then you can still sign him and let him reside in the UK and/or if you get a Belgian or Polish feeder club later on, you can still send him there.

Of course, FM doesn't get into all the deportation etc business that has recently been highlighted with Al Bangura....

I don't think you can buy him at all if you're not granted a work permit.

If declined, you can then appeal once.

Then you may fail again.

After this the only way he can sign is if you definitely have the feeder club already in place.

Otherwise the transfer is cancelled.

Law_Man is quite correct actually. I'm playing as Liverpool and I've got two players at my Belgian feeder club, one from Chile the other Ivory Coast.

C.

[crouchaldinho]

Just to give a definitive answer to this work permits discussion and conclude:

1) You should be able to sign Indians with high potential or who are deemed key to your team however you will have to appeal on the initial decision in order to get the panel to look at other circumstances.

2) Even if this is not the case, as long as you have a 'work permit feeder club' you can easily get around this problem by buying a player and then loaning him out to your feeder club to make him eligible that way.

3) It is also possible that by improving India's national team you may increase their fifa ranking and therefore make their players more likely to pass the initial work permit stage.

Problem solved.

C.

[Gypsum]

Originally posted by crouchaldinho:

I have just thought - surely you wouldn't be able to see this players attributes if he is outside of India, unless he is very famous or you have scouting knowledge about his country?

Therefore, I think the trial is fine by me for the following reasons:

1) If he is famous and you don't know his attributes, then it is realistic that you would want to trial him.

2) If he is within your 'scouting knowledge' and therefore you can see his attributes, then it could be that your scout or coach has recommended him from their own knowledge (if you catch my drift). Again, this would explain to me why you wanted to trial him.

3) If you can't see his attributes, then maybe you have just heard a name and trialing him will be a gamble anyway because he could be absolutely crap! So that would be fine too.

Hope I have explained myself properly.

C.

The reason I ask is because I noticed the India U-19 (or 21) team get hammered by Bangladesh. And when I went to look at their players I realised I could trial them, so just thought i'd raise the question.

They wouldn't sign for me anyway!

[taifun]

Originally posted by crouchaldinho:

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

Well, it's changed again, now it's "blending well together" :-)

It started out at "...worrying lack of cohesion" then went to "someway short of acting as a unit" then something else I can't remember, and suddenly it's all good, took a season and a half++ though.

Is it just me or is this the first time you have seen these comments?

When I was managing Hitchin Town, I bought a whole new starting XI one season and still only went down to 'have a good understanding' or something like that.

Does it take Indians longer to get to know each other for some reason? I suppose there are so many different languages, cultures and religions in India that maybe it does!

C. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I've seen "someway short" quite a lot, but "worrying lack" is new to me.

As for playing time, it's just a stroke of luck for me, as my work today required a lot of waiting around for stuff to finish itself. Won't have as many chances later on.

[crouchaldinho]

Not having much time to play this week thanks to my postgrad studies getting in the way so this is just another mini-mini-update.

Anyway, my career with Mumbai FC has got off to a good start - an undeafeated pre-season, which is an absolute rarity to me.

Having said that, I have always found pre-season to be very misleading. I hope in this case it is a sign of things to come.

I have only been signing players who will improve the squad rather than worrying about depth or covering certain positions. My tactics and formation will have to be adapted to the side I have got. As a result of this approach, there are only 5 players due to join at the start of October but they all have potential or are decent players.

My scouts are not finding me anything else worthwhile at the moment though, although I still have quite a while to find some players before the transfer window starts. I still have no idea how Sidnv managed to sign 60ish players because nobody decent wants to come to Mumbai FC!

Looking forward to playing the first few games of the season tonight if I get a chance!

C.

[davidmcain]

Hey lads, looks a good challenge, and will look to take part in the near future, i've played a game as East Bengal before, looking to make India a powerhouse in the process and develop a few stars. Anyways, good news regarding the work permit thing, a fella in my team called Mohammed (of course) Hussain was sold to Pachuca of Mexico, and then to Spurs in the EPL, the transfer went through and all was good.

Anyways, perserverance is the key in India, if you hang int there, the money will come, the facilities will improve, and the youth will develop. Keep up the good work lads, and hope to join u soon

[crouchaldinho]

Originally posted by davidmcain:

Anyways, perserverance is the key in India, if you hang int there, the money will come, the facilities will improve, and the youth will develop. Keep up the good work lads, and hope to join u soon

Thanks for sharing your experiences davidmcain - like you say, the potential is really there in India!

Hope to see you taking part in the challenge soon.

C.