AI Experiment - The Bandits, The Sheriffs and FM12

[Biscotti]

This seems oddly familiar, refreshing this page multiple times per day... Isn't there a subscription feature or something like it?

Oh and if we are lucky Kipfizh will start this at post #101, A new update at the start of the page was how it use to go.

There is a subscription option. Got to Thread Tools > Subscribe

[kipfizh]

Season report – 2011/12 – Summer Transfer Window

In the inauspicious surroundings of the Southern League Division One South and West, the Bandits and the Sheriffs began their long road to an eventual target of world domination. Richer and with a greater set of talent at their disposal than anyone else in the league, or indeed in the two divisions above them, the media believed it inevitable that they would be the teams to rise out of the league, although one would require the playoffs since the league only has one automatic promotion spot.

After careful deliberation, the media tipped the Bandits for top spot, thanks to a sheer weight of numbers and a better attitude in the squad. The Sheriffs were predicted to come second, but will point to their superior manager (Mike Phelan has a CA of 155, while his Bandits counterpart – Tom Killick – has only 12 CA) and their own stars.

Neither club felt the need to sign any players during the summer transfer window, with both releasing a handful of players that were deemed to have no future at their level, so they both went into their first season with the generated squad they began with plus the starlets and idiots. How would it go?

Pre-season preparation for the Bandits was excellent – four wins against sides one division above them, and a 2-2 draw with Northampton of League Two, a full four tiers above the Bandits in the league structure.

Meanwhile, the Sheriffs opened with a 1-0 loss to Totton, from the division above, but followed that up with four comfortable friendly wins, also going into the season with a great deal of optimism.

The Sheriffs certainly started well, and were four goals up at half time in their opening match against Tiverton, with both Lazy Idiot Mid and Driven Idiot Mid chipping in with goals. But then came the moment that perhaps sums up the mind of those players – Driven Idiot Def launched into a reckless challenge and was sent off on debut, with the team cruising to victory. It didn’t deter them – Lazy Idiot Str and Lazy Idiot Def added further goals for a 6-0 triumph, but the seeds were sown. Mike Phelan fined the fool after the match, but instead of deterring him, he bleated to the press about unfair treatment and instructed his agent to find him a new club. Remarkable.

A 4-0 win followed over Yate, in a match with ten yellow cards (admittedly, four to Yate), before they had their first real test at home to Paulton. Not a strong opponent, but the Sheriffs handed them the initiative early, conceding a penalty and a lead in the second minute, before Jay Connors was sent off six minutes later for a two footed lunge.

By half time, it was ten against ten, but the Sheriffs were still behind, but in the second half, class eventually told, the Sheriffs eventually winning 3-1 against nine men, in another ill-tempered clash. A 6-0 win at Bideford ended August, and ensured that their status as promotion favourites remained intact.

Meanwhile, the Bandits were also starting in style, opening with a 4-0 win over Hungerford, Striker 1 scoring the club’s first competitive goal before Striker 3 added a brace. A remarkable five goal storm from Striker 1 followed in their next game, Stourport being destroyed 7-0, with Left Mid 1 adding the other two.

Striker 3 came back out of the limelight for their third and final match of the month, scoring his own hattrick in a 7-1 thumping of Cinderford, which left the Bandits third, only behind the Sheriffs and Gosport because they had only played three games.

Overall, both clubs could be delighted with their starts. Seven wins out of seven between them, and plenty of goals to celebrate. The Sheriffs have some serious disciplinary issues to sort out, but as long as they keep winning games it is unlikely to be a big issue for now.

[kipfizh]

Squad Analysis – Bandits (Sep 1 2011)

Top 20 in Squad (sorted by CA)

Name, Pos, Age, CA-PA (change)

Hay, 27, M RL, 112-115 (-)

Anderson, 28, DC, 111-115 (-)

Centre Back 1, 17, SW/DC, 105-200 (+5)

Centre Back 3, 17, SW/DC, 105-200 (+5)

Left Mid 1, 17, LM/LW, 105-200 (+5)

Attacking Mid 1, 17, CM/AM, 104-200 (+4)

Left Back 1, 17, LB/LWB, 104-200 (+4)

Right Back 1, 17, RB/RWB, 104-200 (+4)

Striker 1, 17, ST, 104-200 (+4)

Striker 3, 17, ST, 104-200 (+4)

Defensive Mid 1, 17, DM/CM, 103-200 (+3)

Goalkeeper 1, 17, GK, 103-200 (+3)

Right Mid 1, 17, RM/RW, 101-200 (+1)

Cox, 17, ML, 89-176 (+4)

Hawkins, 17, M LC, 89-173 (+2)

Centre Back 2, 17, SW/DC, 84-200 (+9)

Centre Back 4, 17, SW/DC, 82-200 (+7)

Yildirim, 24, AMC, 82-115 (-)

Attacking Mid 2, 17, CM/AM, 81-200 (+6)

Defensive Mid 2, 17, DM/CM, 81-200 (+6)

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

None

Players from last season’s top 20 who have dropped out:

None

Notable others:

The remaining starlets

The starlets are improving quickly, while Cox and Hawkins remain excellent prospects.

CA of X or above (excluding starlets and idiots):

190 : 0

180 : 0

170 : 0

160 : 0

150 : 0

140 : 0

130 : 0

120 : 0

110 : 2

100 : 2

90 : 2

80 : 6

70 : 8

60 : 11

[kipfizh]

Squad Analysis – Sheriffs (Sep 1 2011)

Top 20 in Squad (sorted by CA)

Name, Pos, Age, CA-PA (change)

Lazy Idiot GK, 17, GK, 150-200 (-)

Lazy Idiot Def, 17, SW/DC/LB/LWB/RB/RWB, 150-200 (-)

Lazy Idiot Mid, 17, DM/MC/AM/LM/LW/RM/RW, 150-200 (-)

Lazy Idiot Str, 17, ST, 150-200 (-)

Driven Idiot GK, 17, GK, 125-200 (-)

Driven Idiot Def, 17, SW/DC/LB/LWB/RB/RWB, 125-200 (-)

Driven Idiot Mid, 17, DM/MC/AM/LM/LW/RM/RW, 125-200 (-)

Driven Idiot Str, 17, ST, 125-200 (-)

Daley, 28, GK, 109-115 (-4)

Hamilton, 27, AMC, 108-115 (-)

Zabek, 27, D LC, 103-115 (-)

Holloway, 16, AM LC, 87-170 (+3)

Horlock, 17, ST, 76-152 (-)

Hajji, 16, D RLC, 75-156 (+5)

Mogg, 16, DM, 70-146 (+4)

Mansell, 17, M LC, 66-125 (+2)

Casey, 22, AM LC, 63-109 – new entry in top 20

Gape, 17, DR, 61-122 – new entry in top 20

Jones, 17, ST, 60-134 – new entry in top 20

Whittaker, 17, ST, 56-135 – new entry in top 20

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

None

Players from last season’s top 20 who have dropped out:

None

Notable others:

None

No change in the CA of either the driven set of idiots or the lazy set. It is important to bear in mind that their CAs are already considerably higher than those of the starlets, which may be a contributory factor in their lack of progress.

CA of X or above (excluding starlets and idiots):

190 : 0

180 : 0

170 : 0

160 : 0

150 : 0

140 : 0

130 : 0

120 : 0

110 : 0

100 : 3

90 : 3

80 : 4

70 : 7

60 : 11

[G_D_K]

Interesting to see all the Bandits have already started improving (of course, they have further to go) --- the Sherriffs, not so much. Still early though....will have to compare improvements at end of season---I suspect that the bandits will have a higher % of increase than the Sherriffs.

[Lord Sidious]

Yay! I think i like the Sherriffs more this time around, Again. What can i say the drama keeps me entertained. How long till our beloved teams face off?

[Scarman]

This is starting to look epic. You can count me as a Sheriffs fan, I love a bit of controversy The Idiots careers are going to be fun to follow

[kipfizh]

Yay! I think i like the Sherriffs more this time around, Again. What can i say the drama keeps me entertained. How long till our beloved teams face off?

Well that's an interesting one. They were due to clash on October 1, but that fell within an international break and some of the players attached to more minor nations are getting call ups (Striker 1 has actually been made Tahitian captain). As a result, the Bandits and Sheriffs have both played nine league games by the end of October, while the rest of the league has played twelve. Fixture pile up!

[shaggy61]

kip

i am so happy now to see you back, long the the bandits:)

[Braumiller]

(Striker 1 has actually been made Tahitian captain)

Hell's yeah!

a). Was it a friendly or part of an international competition?

B). Any chance of a screenshot of the two Tahitian players?

Side note for all players, did they start with any Player Preferred Moves?

-=Braumiller=-

Founder of the Tahitian Supporters Club, Bandit/Sheriff Universe

[yugo23]

Striker 1 on international duty.

[BuffaloPhil]

Interesting start!

One question kip, did you remove any backroom staff when converting Poole and Wimborne to the Bandits and Sheriffs respectively? Reason I ask is that Tom Killick is the real-life Poole manager (and coincidentally a Wimborne playing legend - scored two and assisted two in their Wembley FA Vase win of 1992, fact fans!) so wondered if he's just left over from the original DB?

[Thebaker]

I never followed the original threads but certainly going to follow this.

I predict Sheriffs to get 110 yellows and 20 reds for the season, it looks like its not just the idiots with poor temperment

[DB1]

Any transfer interest yet?

[G_D_K]

Double-take.... AGENTS!?!? That *is* new on this iteration...should provide some interesting changes to the transfer this time around. How many of the crew started with agents? It would be interesting to see how the agents react---they all have different personalities and such....a driven Idiot with a very active agent might be actively shopped...while one of the starlets with a more passive agent might be around for a bit before getting noticed by the scouts!

(You can find agent information for players on the overview-->information tab --- but have to check individually for each player I think).

Edit: Or you can create a custom squad view and add agent to that list to see the squad as a whole.

[Chutney132]

Delighted to see this up once again!

A little late to the party with the predictions, but I predict both sides will gain consecutive promotions all the way to the Premiership (unless there's any leagues where only one can be promoted, which I don't think there is), as their superior spending power will put them in good stead even after they lose the Starlets and Idiots. Based on the first months results, we could be seeing many records broken in the opening few seasons as well...

And as a lifelong fan of the 'heel', I'm pinning my colours to the Sheriffs mast!

[SpiderGuard]

Double-take.... AGENTS!?!? That *is* new on this iteration...should provide some interesting changes to the transfer this time around. How many of the crew started with agents? It would be interesting to see how the agents react---they all have different personalities and such....a driven Idiot with a very active agent might be actively shopped...while one of the starlets with a more passive agent might be around for a bit before getting noticed by the scouts!

(You can find agent information for players on the overview-->information tab --- but have to check individually for each player I think).

Edit: Or you can create a custom squad view and add agent to that list to see the squad as a whole.

The agent information is really interesting to me too. I wonder if they'll be more likely to fire their agents to fit their personalities? Or will the loyal Bandits stay with their agents (out of loyalty) potentially getting them shopped around a little more frequently?

[7Bestie7]

The Sheriffs have some serious disciplinary issues to sort out...

I don't dare believe it! Surely not!!!

[DB1]

Who are the captains for each team? Did the manager spot potential leader for the Bandits and have the Sheriffs risked it on an idiot?

[Kenco]

Yay Kip is back!!

I like the new twist with different CAs and the new idiots. I reckon The Sheriffs will pip The Bandits to the league title, meaning the Bandits have to contend with the playoffs, something which they have had problems with in the past if I remember correctly?

Interesting to see the manager choices, let's hope the Bandits Chairman doesn't hold them back by appointing rubbish managers like in 07.

Hopefully the starlets will stay longer than usual, but with such high CA for the league I can see the top ones leaving in January or at the end of the year. The second level of starlets will then step up but also rise quicker than the team and will leave within 3 years.

Idiots are going to be fun! Judging by the incident in the first game, I can see them all moving on within one season and then bouncing from club to club for their careers.

[leonavich]

Well my predictions are wrong... International caps in the first part of the opening season and captain! big stuff. I can see some of these smaller nations making waves in their relevant zones.

I wonder if the starlets who are international bound earlier due to the small nation they are playing for, have a reputation increase for playing internationally, even for such a small side as Tahiti. Interesting to see if the fact they play for smaller nations, gets them noticed on the international stage and thus boosts their reputation quicker than if they where representing a larger nation but didnt get a cap until they played in a more reputable league.

Can't wait for the next update Kip!

[Unknown Hacker]

Yay! Come on you Bandits...

[Swolo]

Just about to start reading entire thread so far Cannot wait

Regarding how long till the players leave, i wouldnt be extremely surprised to see one or two of the starlets stay at the bandits, tried a similar game mode starting in the blue square bet south with 11 "starlets", with a CA of 80 and PA of 200, one of the players has still not left the club (5 seasons in with promotion every season except the first) and is massively better than the club, but his loyalty has made him stay i guess, but i still predict the vast majority of the players to leave within 2 seasons.

[Jack Rudd]

I'm going to follow RB2 with particular interest. Trinidad and Tobago, yay.

[kipfizh]

a). Was it a friendly or part of an international competition?

Permanent captain. I think, a bit like choosing a club captain at the start of the season, international managers periodically choose their leaders. His installment is a permanent one.

Side note for all players, did they start with any Player Preferred Moves?

The starlets didn't, but all eight idiots dive, throw themselves into tackles and argue with officials.

[kipfizh]

Interesting start!

One question kip, did you remove any backroom staff when converting Poole and Wimborne to the Bandits and Sheriffs respectively? Reason I ask is that Tom Killick is the real-life Poole manager (and coincidentally a Wimborne playing legend - scored two and assisted two in their Wembley FA Vase win of 1992, fact fans!) so wondered if he's just left over from the original DB?

No - I left the staff exactly as they were. It might have been a better idea to remove them, to be honest, but that one slipped past. Will be interesting to see how Killick does, he might be a playing legend but he's a pretty mediocre manager in FM!

I remember that FA Vase win - was big news down this way.

[kipfizh]

Any transfer interest yet?

Not so far, although I did drop the reputation of all the created players to 1. Won't last, though, I'm sure.

The Bandits did put a handful of their 'second tier' starlets on the loan list in the summer, but no-one bit, and after a few weeks, they removed them from the list, sensibly.

[kipfizh]

Double-take.... AGENTS!?!? That *is* new on this iteration...should provide some interesting changes to the transfer this time around. How many of the crew started with agents? It would be interesting to see how the agents react---they all have different personalities and such....a driven Idiot with a very active agent might be actively shopped...while one of the starlets with a more passive agent might be around for a bit before getting noticed by the scouts!

(You can find agent information for players on the overview-->information tab --- but have to check individually for each player I think).

Edit: Or you can create a custom squad view and add agent to that list to see the squad as a whole.

I will certainly take a look at this - wasn't aware of the agent side of things....

[kipfizh]

I like the new twist with different CAs and the new idiots. I reckon The Sheriffs will pip The Bandits to the league title, meaning the Bandits have to contend with the playoffs, something which they have had problems with in the past if I remember correctly?

Absolutely. For anyone who isn't aware, I believe the Bandits record in playoffs is 0/7. The Sheriffs also screwed up in FM09 - the two clubs were dominant in the Conference South but the Bandits took the automatic promotion slot, and the Sheriffs contrived to lose in the playoffs in their first season.

Somehow will have to brave it...

[shaggy61]

Oh its started, posted on 23rd, checked again for update on 25th, get all excited with a Kip post on 26th, only to find its answering the questions:(.

Will start sweating by the 30th and throwing dummies out of pram by the 1st of April if no update?? (do you think i should calm down a bit?)

[kipfizh]

Season report – 2011/12 – August-December

Bandits

After three wins out of three before the summer transfer window closed, the Bandits continued their excellent form with some high scoring exploits at the start of September. Kidlington were dispatched 9-0 in an FA Cup preliminary round, before 10-0 and 9-0 wins in the league gave the rest of the division notice that the Bandits were finding their stride.

High flying Gosport gave them a much sterner test in their next game before the Bandits ran out 4-2 winners, and they followed up with a 7-0 with in the first qualifying round for the FA Cup, as their determination to make a mark on the bigger stage continued. The rest of September saw three more comprehensive league wins – 4-0, 9-0 and 9-1.

October began slowly, but purely because the Bandits weren’t playing matches – international callups for some of their youngsters (Striker 1 even became Tahitian captain) meant that a series of fixtures (including a scheduled clash with the Sheriffs) were cancelled, so their only two games in the first three weeks of the month were FA Cup qualifying rounds two and three, both of which were won 6-0.

With the international break over, the fixture pileup saw the club play every three days, but it didn’t slow their momentum, with a pair of 6-0 league wins being followed up by a 2-0 win over Abington in the first round of the Red Insure Cup, a competition open to every club in the regional leagues.

October ended with the fourth and final qualifying round for the FA Cup, and yet another comprehensive triumph, Southport being hammered 6-0. It meant that the Bandits would reach the full FA Cup, and face about the trickiest tie they could have drawn – away to Charlton in the first round.

However, that would have to wait – the tie itself was pushed back weeks beyond the rest of the round thanks to a combination of further international callups and fixture re-arrangements. Carry on like this and they will be playing every other day after Christmas.

Sheriffs

After starting positively in August, the Sheriffs also impressed in the early parts of the season, starting September with a 7-0 win in the FA Cup preliminary round. A thumping 6-0 win in the league was followed up by a much narrower win – 2-1 over Didcot. But the rest of September saw a return to comfortable victories – 3-0 in the FA Cup 1st qualifying round, and 7-0, 5-1 and 3-0 in the league.

The early October clash with the Bandits was postponed due to international callups, so their first two games of the month were, like the Bandits, the second and third qualifying rounds for the FA Cup, which were won 5-0 and 4-0. Perhaps more remarkably, it marked a month and a half without a single red card for the club that had begun the season with abysmal discipline.

The discipline couldn’t last. Lazy Idiot Str failed to turn up to training despite the high spirits within the club, and was promptly fined by the manager. Somewhat predictably, he didn’t take too kindly to the decision, and indicated his desire to leave. They don’t like criticism, these guys, do they?

It didn’t affect their form – a 5-0 away win in the league was followed by a pair of tough away games at impressive Gosport, one in the league and one in the first round of the Red Insure Cup. The former was won 3-0, the latter 4-1, and the month ended on another high with a 4-0 win over Braintree in the final qualifying round for the FA Cup, guaranteeing them a place in the main draw, and a winnable tie away at Hayes and Yeading.

November

November 16 was penned in as the date for the first clash between the Bandits and the Sheriffs, after the early October fixture was postponed due to international callups. And it seemed as if both clubs would go into the fixture with perfect records, as the Bandits opened November with three more wins – 5-0 and 7-0 in the league, and 5-0 over Shaftesbury in the Dorset Cup 2nd Round, a competition that surely one of the Bandits or Sheriffs will win, given that they are the only two clubs even at the eighth tier of league football involved.

The Sheriffs also opened November in style, with a 6-0 win away in the league, before a shock finally happened in the shape of dropped points – Halesowen escaping with a 0-0 draw thanks to some shocking finishing from the Sheriffs – none of their seventeen shots testing the Halesowen keeper.

The Sheriffs then had the perfect platform to bounce back, with an easy looking Dorset Cup game at home to Weymouth Reserves, but although their triumphed 3-1, the performance was anything but impressive. With the big clash imminent, their form was certainly the weaker.

But then, the international break struck once again, and the Bandits and Sheriffs were forced to wait yet further to face each other, with the game rearranged for January 11, a full three months after the original fixture was scheduled.

Moving on

The Bandits finally conceded after nine consecutive clean sheets, but still ran away with a 4-1 win over Taunton, before progressing emphatically in the second round of the Red Insure Cup with a 10-0 destruction of Yate. Then came the big one, an FA Cup first round tie away at Charlton of League One.

After a bright start by the Bandits, Charlton scored after 22 minutes, but the tie was still very even as the teams went into the break. The Bandits applied more pressure after the interval but couldn’t break their opponents down, and despite outshooting Charlton 9-7, they exited the cup by that solitary goal.

Meanwhile, the Sheriffs were thriving. 6-1 and 7-0 wins in the league sandwiched a 5-2 victory at Bedfont Town in the Red Insure Cup, as they regained some form ahead of their own FA Cup tie against Hayes and Yeading.

The tie was billed as a potential shock, with the Sheriffs three divisions below their opponents yet favourites in the eyes of many, but Hayes fought valiantly and held on to a goalless draw despite being camped in their half for the majority of the game. Sadly for them, it wasn’t to last until the replay, where the Sheriffs rediscovered their shooting boots to destroy their opponents 7-0, a remarkable scoreline given their respective leagues.

That triumph ensured that the Sheriffs had the FA Cup bragging rights over their fierce rivals for the first season in their history, and with a second round clash at home to Corby to come, they fancied their chances of mixing it with the big boys in round three.

Closing out the year

Now out of the cup, the Bandits focused on non-league matters in December, opening the month with a 3-0 league victory before dispatching Swanage 5-1 in the quarter finals of the Dorset Cup. Three more league wins – 6-0, 4-0 and 4-0, ensured that they ended 2011 with a perfect league record of eighteen wins from eighteen.

The Sheriffs had a far busier month, playing an extra league game as well as their second round tie in the FA Cup, but it didn’t faze them in the slightest – a 6-0 win over Dorchester Reserves in the Dorset Cup quarter final was followed by four thumping league victories, and a spectacular 7-0 demolition of Corby in the FA Cup to reach the third round, where they would face Burnley at home in an excellent test of their mettle.

As the year closes, the Sheriffs sat top of the league with eighteen wins and a draw from their nineteen games, with the Bandits a point behind with a game in hand and a better goal difference (+103 to +84). But with the pair still to face each other, everything is still to play for.

The Sheriffs do, however, have a few issues. In the latter stages of the year, Lazy Idiot Str was fined for missing training, and the pair of Lazy Idiot Mid and Driven Idiot Str were fined for reckless two footed challenges that earned them early baths. None of the three reacted well, and in addition both Driven Idiot Def and Driven Idiot Mid have indicated that they feel the time is right to move on the bigger things.

January could be interesting. The transfer window opens, and the first clash between the pair occurs on the 11th, four days after the Sheriffs’ big cup tie. In addition, the two were paired together in the Dorset Cup semi-final, so will face off at least three times before the season is over.

[DB1]

Fantastic update. Can't wait for the big clashes. Could be an interesting transfer window. Any interest in starlets or idiots yet?

[Lord Sidious]

This is intense. How is the Icelandic bandit doing? Who has been playing the best in the two teams? Could we see the top scorer-s lists and those things?

[glennuk]

Maybe a screenie of stats (Apps, Goals, Assists, MOM and AVg Rating)

[kipfizh]

Ok, will get some stats up now. No screenshots yet as that'll take forever, so some tables of numbers coming right up....

[kipfizh]

Mid season statistics - Bandits

Most appearances – 20+

Goalkeeper 1 – 27

Striker 1 – 25 + 1

Hay (RM) – 24

Striker 3 – 24

Left Back 1 – 24

Defensive Mid 1 – 23 + 1

Attacking Mid 1 – 22 + 1

Left Mid 1 – 22 + 1

Right Back 1 – 22 + 1

Hay is keeping Right Mid 1 out of the team on the right wing, and has been an outstanding performer. Otherwise, the premier tier starlets are the dominant players.

Goals – 5+

Striker 3 – 42 (28 games)

Striker 1 – 38 (25 + 1 games)

Left Mid 1 – 18 (22 + 1 games)

Hay (RM) – 15 (24 games)

Attacking Mid 1 – 9 (22 + 1 games)

Striker 4 – 8 (5 + 4 games)

Anderson (CB) – 5 (18 + 1 games)

Stunning goalscoring records for the starlet strikers, but Hay on the right wing has an exceptional record too, and Anderson is useful from set pieces.

Assists – 10+

Striker 1 – 22 (25 + 1 games)

Hay (RM) – 21 (24 games)

Striker 3 – 21 (24 games)

Left Mid 1 – 19 (22 + 1 games)

Defensive Mid 1 – 11 (23 + 1 games)

Striker 1 has 38 goals and 22 assists. Not too shabby.

Top Ratings, Min 10 games, 8.00 Rating

Striker 3 – 9.10 (24 games)

Striker 1 – 8.80 (25 + 1 games)

Left Mid 1 – 8.73 (22 + 1 games)

Hay (RM) – 8.70 (24 games)

Right Back 1 – 8.34 (22 + 1 games)

Left Back 1 – 8.22 (24 games)

Defensive Mid 1 – 8.18 (23 + 1 games)

Anderson (CB) – 8.13 (18 + 1 games)

No wonder Hay is keeping Right Mid 1 out of the team….

[kipfizh]

Mid season statistics - Sheriffs

Most appearances – 20+

Driven Idiot Str – 30

Zabek (CB) – 29

Lazy Idiot Def – 28

Lazy Idiot GK – 28

Driven Idiot Mid – 28

Lazy Idiot Mid – 27

Driven Idiot Def – 26 + 1

Lazy Idiot Str – 26

Hamilton (AMC) – 22 + 8

Holloway (AMC) – 21 + 4

Seven of the eight idiots appear, with Driven Idiot GK making only three appearances. Good to see 16 year old prospect Holloway getting games, although they are sticking him on the left wing.

Goals – 5+

Lazy Idiot Str – 30 (26 games)

Driven Idiot Str – 29 (30 games)

Lazy Idiot Mid – 17 (27 games)

Hamilton (AMC) – 11 (22 + 8 games)

Zabek (CB) – 11 (29 games)

Driven Idiot Mid – 9 (28 games)

Holloway (AMC) – 7 (21 + 4)

Lazy Idiot Def – 5 (28 games)

Although the idiots have good records, the standout figure there is centre half Zabek, who has powered home 11 goals already.

Assists – 10+

Driven Idiot Str – 18 (30 games)

Mogg (CM) – 17 (12 + 2 games)

Driven Idiot Mid – 15 (28 games)

Lazy Idiot Str – 14 (26 games)

Lazy Idiot Mid – 12 (27 games)

Lazy Idiot Def – 11 (28 games)

Hamilton (AMC) – 10 (22 + 8 games)

17 year old Matt Mogg stands out here, with 17 assists at more than one per game.

Top Ratings, Min 10 games, 8.00 Rating

Lazy Idiot Str – 8.41 (26 games)

Driven Idiot Str – 8.31 (30 games)

Lazy Idiot Mid – 8.25 (27 games)

Zabek (CB) – 8.22 (29 games)

Lazy Idiot Def – 8.16 (28 games)

Driven Idiot Mid – 8.02 (28 games)

Driven Idiot Def – 8.00 (26 + 1 games)

[leonavich]

Absolutely loving the start to this! Both teams are in dominant form, but I have to say that Bandits look stronger, putting in a solid performance against Charlton and winning every League game so far. I shooting for the Bandits to win 2 of the 3 matches they face with the sheriffs!

Love the stats too, the Bandits are well above the pack, but Hay has been an absolute beast. Will you be doing a tracking of ex-bandit players who pave a decent career, as I would like to track Hay's... He seems like he could have an interesting history to unfold.

[G_D_K]

Very nice start for both teams. Still picking the Bandits to go on top this season --- especially with not having the major cups to contend for any longer. Expect disciplinary problems for the Sheriffs to cause issues...if they're still with the team after the window.

And wow...80 goals between ST1 and 3 already --- good stuff from them...expect they'll be snatched up soon, along with 3-4 others from both teams!

[cswalk08]

Very interesting senario. I'm excited to see how it turns out at the end of the year

[5ergio]

Gotta love how the generated regens are having extraordinary time & stats in the first team. Lovely to see that the academies are working already! 2 wins vs the Sheriffs, 1 in the league and 1 in Dorset Cup will see us triumph over them for sure. Mon the Bandits!

[kipfizh]

Season report – 2011/12 – January

The window opens

With the transfer window open again, a lot of the focus was on who would still be around by the time the Bandits and the Sheriffs met on the 11th. Both clubs opened January with victories before the Bandits won their game in hand to maintain their perfect record and return to the top of the table.

Meanwhile, the Sheriffs were gearing up for their massive cup tie against Burnley, mid table in the Championship, some six divisions above them. In the early stages, Burnley looked a class apart, taking the lead after 14 minutes and holding out comfortably until half time. But after the break, the Sheriffs asserted themselves, and when Scott Hamilton equalised just before the hour it was no less than they deserved.

Both teams pushed for a victory, but none was forthcoming, so a replay was scheduled at Turf Moor. An impressive result indeed.

Meanwhile, both clubs were losing players. Tommy Hay, the surprise package on the right wing of the Bandits, joined Leicester for £210k, while Driven Idiot Mid decided not to stick around for the FA Cup replay, moving to Sunderland for £475k.

The first meeting

Both were concerned about their thinning squads when they finally came together for a meeting at the River Styx, home of the Sheriffs, for a fixture played three months after it was originally scheduled. The Sheriffs were hoping to claim the win that would return them to the top, but the Bandits blitzed them in a remarkable opening 16 minutes, going 3-0 up and leaving their opponents shellshocked. Lazy Idiot Str pulled one back before the half hour, but despite the match being even overall, the Sheriffs never recovered and the Bandits stretched their lead to five points.

Two days later, the Sheriffs lost another player, Driven Idiot Def joining his former teammate at Sunderland for £400k. The Bandits, meanwhile, took advantage of the Sheriffs’ cup exploits to go eight points clear with an 8-0 league win, before a 7-0 Red Insure Cup triumph took them into the quarter finals.

And the Bandits would continue to fire on all cylinders for the remainder of the month, with four more comfortable league victories taking their tally to 26 out of 26 when the transfer window slammed shut. They may have lost Hay, but they kept all their starlets and look good to push on to the league title.

Meanwhile, the Sheriffs had cup games to catch up on. A 3-0 win in the Red Insure Cup put them into the quarter finals, and they had room for one more league win before their clash with Burnley in the FA Cup replay.

This time, it was the Sheriffs that took the lead, stunning the home fans into silence with Lazy Idiot Str’s goal. Before half time their chances took a massive turn for the better when Burnley were reduced to ten men, and after the break Hamilton’s goal appeared to seal it. But the Championship side quickly got one back, and it quickly became a backs to the wall job as Burnley pressed on. Ultimately, though, the Sheriffs held on for a famous victory.

They were so far behind in their schedule that the fourth round tie was held just three days later, and in a cruel twist of irony they were drawn away to Sunderland, new home of the two idiots that had recently left. Both were cup tied, but it mattered little – Sunderland raced into a 3-0 lead by half time before easing off and settling for that scoreline. It had been a terrific cup run but it was now over.

All that remained in January was to pick up one more league victory, leaving the Sheriffs with the impressive record of only five points dropped all season – one draw and that loss to the Bandits. But with three games in hand on the Bandits, they were still a massive 14 points behind a team not looking like dropping any, and the playoffs look likely.

No more news on the transfer front, so two idiots leave, Hay leaves the Bandits, but the rest remain.

[Jpr]

I hope you keep track of Hay as well as the idiots. Was hoping the Sheriffs would win the FA cup, but maybe that was a bit too ambitious

[magicmastermind124]

Awesome update!

[DB1]

3-1, 3-1, 3-1, 3-1, 3-1, 3-1!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Come on the Bandits

Viva la Bandito's!!!!!!!!!!!!

[DB1]

Interesting that non of the starlets have left, if I remember the Bandits lost nearly all in 1st window on original. With them staying should hopefully see a quicker rise.

Shame to see Hay go, will be interested to see how he fairs.

Wonder how long the idiots last at Sunderland.

[yugo23]

Fantastic update. It's great that they kept majority of their players. Maybe it's even possible that some players will remain faithful to the Bandits (or less likely the Sherrifs) during their entire career?

[Kenco]

Quite impressed that only 2 idiots left and no starlets. Hay won't be a big loss for The Bandits as Right Mid 1 will now have the chance to flourish.

Judging by the results so far, both sides are probably the equivalent of low Championship / high League 1 teams already.

[7Bestie7]

I think one more idiot leaves in the summer but the Bandits are the ones who are going to really get hurt over the next two transfer windows and anything up to half of the starlets will be off within 12 months.

[G_D_K]

I suspect it was the lower starting CA that kept the starlets on the team through January. Don't expect it to last past summer though (but still a surprise).

Great result for the Sheriffs on the cup run! Don't think they've got it in them to catch the Bandits though...playoffs for them. No surprise on the Idiots leaving...though a bit of a surprise they ended up on the same team!