Blog Postings
Brighton fans were amazed when their 'Gulls app squawked twice within minutes. This seasons it hasn't squawked much at all. Fans were greeted with the news that the club had parted ways with soon-to-be-a-superstar-somewhere-else Takao Soma (FW), then moments later saw the team shuffled Ahmed Usman (MF) to the Wanderers. Both deals were cash heavy, with the Soma deal sending Breno Freda (MF) to Amex Stadium. No one will be surprised if another player is shipped out as these types of things tend to happen in 3's.
Brighton & Hove Albion sends Ahmed Usman (IV/11 Mf; 270k)
to Wycombe Wanderers for 625k
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Brighton & Hove Albion sends Takao Soma (II/13 Fw; 550k)
to Watford for 1150k, Breno Freda (IV/7 Mf; 150k)
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Weston-super-Mare AFC sends 500Kk
to Dorchester Town for Torben Thygesen (III/10 Fw; 320k)
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Weston-super-Mare AFC sends 500Kk, James Aminu (I/10 Df; 480k)
to Leicester City FC for Sven Skog (I/12 Fw; 600k)
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Cardiff City FC sends John Kosowski (APP/6 Gk; 280k)
to Brentford FC for 500k
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Southend United sends Kenzie McDonald (V/5 Fw; 60k)
to Northampton Town FC for 200k
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Watford sends 192k
to Swansea City AFC for Maximillian Hoffmann (V/3 Fw; 20k)
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Southend United sends Claes Östberg (V/2 Mf; 0k)
to Wycombe Wanderers for 200k
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Wycombe Wanderers sends 625k
to Carlisle United for Ben Ince (V/2 Mf; 0k), Jorge Diaz (V/2 Fw; 0k), Duško Kolomyets (V/2 Mf; 0k)
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Tranmere Rovers sends 200k
to Carlisle United for Noah Zimmermann (V/2 Fw; 0k)
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Hereford United FC sends 220k
to Carlisle United for Damir Vasilj (V/3 Df; 20k)
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Brighton & Hove Albion sends 190k
to Nottingham Forest for Kian Clarke (V/4 Fw; 40k)
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Carlisle United sends Owen Sansom (V/2 Df; 0k)
to Crewe Alexandra FC for 30kJoshua Samed (I/Coach; 160k)
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The following teams receive a bonus for Season 49:
| TEAM | BONUS | BANK TOTAL |
| Weston-super-Mare AFC | 660 | 1798 |
| Southend United | 495 | 3078 |
| Nottingham Forest | 475 | 1348 |
| Swansea City AFC | 435 | 1473 |
| Queens Park Rangers | 410 | 3388 |
| Port Vale FC | 405 | 2031 |
| Brentford FC | 325 | 2207 |
| Bristol City FC | 310 | 2406 |
| Watford | 295 | 3873 |
| Oldham Athletic AFC | 205 | 1691 |
| Lewes FC | 205 | 1208 |
| Preston North End FC | 190 | 3886 |
| Cardiff City FC | 145 | 370 |
| Dagenham & Redbridge | 135 | 2707 |
| Chesterfield FC | 100 | 3677 |
| Brighton & Hove Albion | 60 | 2926 |
| Hereford United FC | 60 | 1017 |
| Dorchester Town | 55 | 1087 |
| Sheffield United | 45 | 2495 |
| Plymouth Argyle FC | 40 | 1840 |
| Wycombe Wanderers | 40 | 2719 |
| Leeds United | 40 | 1317 |
| Crewe Alexandra FC | 40 | 2783 |
| Northampton Town FC | 40 | 1993 |
| Tranmere Rovers | 25 | 3707 |
| Derby County | 25 | 185 |
| Carlisle United | 10 | 1722 |
| Lincoln City FC | 5 | 3490 |
| Coventry City | 0 | 1915 |
| Blyth Spartans AFC | 0 | 2125 |
| Swindon Town FC | 0 | 2011 |
| Leicester City FC | 0 | 850 |
Bonuses are given for division and tournament finishes along with top division scorer, weekly prediction league winner, and season prediction league winner. See the rules for more details. You can also check your teams page and choose the Team/Player Log tab to see what you earned a bonus for from the prior season.
The Tax Man visited Lincoln City and was able to pry away 369k this week...
Surely it might help calm his nerves as he seems somewhat stressed of late 🫣
Weston-super-Mare AFC sends 250k, José Drummond (APP/6 Mf; 310k)
to Lewes FC for Valentyn Tymoshenko (SBY/3 Gk; 100k)
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Dorchester Town sends Reuben Lennon (V/7 Gk; 100k)
to Plymouth Argyle FC for 200k
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Brighton & Hove Albion sends 180k
to Dorchester Town for Simon Schmidt (V/4 Fw; 40k)
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If anyone needs an APP/5 FW, I have one who is surplus to requirements. Looking for a reserve GK or cash.
Weston-super-Mare AFC sends 50k, Javier Jimenez (III/9 Fw; 280k)
to Carlisle United for Kristoffer Lagerbäck (III/10 Df; 320k)
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Bristol City FC sends 1786k
to Tranmere Rovers for Gavin Wright (II/14 Fw; 600k)
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I don't know if BRB for less than 200k it's a given... but I just wanted to help. The Nottingham manager came crying. His club was allegedly almost bankrupt! What was I supposed to do ? ;-)
Rob says it's a bad thing that BRBs are going for less than 200k but there's only been five needed so far (there's been 7 but one reversed and another wasn't needed really) and there's hardly any more teams needing any.
I had three surplus age V so needed to lower the price to get sales.
I still have one but might keep my GK just in case.
Nottingham Forest sends Moez Mhedhebi (V/7 Df; 100k)
to Cardiff City FC for 190k
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Nottingham Forest sends Josh Watson (V/4 Fw; 40k)
to Oldham Athletic AFC for 190k
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Weston-super-Mare AFC sends Martin Rodríguez (I/10 Df; 480k)
to Bristol City FC for 800k
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Looking at Chris Sutton's Key Events it looks like he was converted to a BRB before he was traded to me based on the order these are shown in his Events. I checked other players and they were traded first then converted.
I assigned 3 of my 6 eligible players to BRBs and put the other 3 age V/VI up for sale. Hazel offered a trade, which I didn't read too closely and accepted (it looked odd the way it was worded but didn't click and I never noticed he wasn't my player). Today I noticed I had 7 BRBs, two coaches. I didn't assign two coaches.
I went back to the trade and noticed it looks like Hazel sent me 190k and Chris Sutton and got nothing in return. Sutton was a Leicester player last season. I can't tell if my k went up 190k or not as I can't find way to check. I still have the three age V/VI
Hazel now has a full set of BRBs as she bought two others (I commented on the fact that she could have bought all she wanted from me buyt "spread the love").
As it would be rather complicated to give Leicester one of my players, then trade back one of their BRBs, I'm happy to give Hazel the 190k back. The extra BRB I have doesn't help me at all.
I'd still like to sell mine however...
Crewe Alexandra FC sends Osvaldo Raphinha (V/2 Df; 0k)
to Hereford United FC for 190k
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Tranmere Rovers sends 200k, Maciej Piechniczek (IV/11 Gk; 270k)
to Weston-super-Mare AFC for Wayne Carroll (IV/12 Gk; 300k)
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Crewe Alexandra FC sends John Taylor (V/2 Sw; 0k)
to Wycombe Wanderers for 190k
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I still have 2 for sale as Hazel decided to spread the love.
Leicester City FC sends 190k
to Bristol City FC for Bryan Deshayes (V/2 Fw; 0k)
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Leicester City FC sends 190k
to Dorchester Town for Ayrton Bielsa (V/4 Fw; 40k)
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I have three BRBs for sale. Willing to provide a bulk discount.
Leicester City FC sends 190k, Barry Sutton (V/2 Fw; 0k)
to Nottingham Forest for
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The following teams receive a bonus for Season 48:
| TEAM | BONUS | BANK TOTAL |
| Bristol City FC | 790 | 4171 |
| Brighton & Hove Albion | 745 | 1468 |
| Dorchester Town | 505 | 965 |
| Crewe Alexandra FC | 445 | 2542 |
| Watford | 325 | 3223 |
| Queens Park Rangers | 305 | 3422 |
| Cardiff City FC | 260 | 2665 |
| Lewes FC | 240 | 1870 |
| Lincoln City FC | 220 | 3350 |
| Port Vale FC | 215 | 1567 |
| Plymouth Argyle FC | 210 | 1946 |
| Weston-super-Mare AFC | 200 | 1865 |
| Southend United | 180 | 2674 |
| Chesterfield FC | 155 | 3574 |
| Leicester City FC | 75 | 1041 |
| Brentford FC | 75 | 2386 |
| Wycombe Wanderers | 60 | 2804 |
| Nottingham Forest | 55 | 1643 |
| Northampton Town FC | 55 | 2171 |
| Sheffield United | 35 | 2681 |
| Tranmere Rovers | 30 | 4170 |
| Oldham Athletic AFC | 25 | 3257 |
| Derby County | 20 | 2665 |
| Carlisle United | 0 | 702 |
| Swansea City AFC | 0 | 1390 |
| Blyth Spartans AFC | 0 | 2125 |
| Coventry City | 0 | 1915 |
| Preston North End FC | 0 | 3683 |
| Swindon Town FC | 0 | 1973 |
| Leeds United | 0 | 2160 |
| Dagenham & Redbridge | 0 | 2494 |
| Hereford United FC | 0 | 1961 |
Bonuses are given for division and tournament finishes along with top division scorer, weekly prediction league winner, and season prediction league winner. See the rules for more details. You can also check your teams page and choose the Team/Player Log tab to see what you earned a bonus for from the prior season.
Our first World Cup tournament is complete. Everyone can (hopefully) view details of the tournament at the link below:
https://www.olmec.org/mswl-united-wc/index.php
Cheers Brian, feels rather odd to have secured the title with a session to spare when all my previous wins have gone down to the final game.
The Robins haven't had a particularly good league season but Olmec seems to have taken against James (possibly after a certain someone's kiss of death - thank you Al) and Alon's GK getting completely wiped out (thank you Colin) removed Tranmere from the equation.
Best of luck in your promotion push / multiple trophy chase!
I am terrible at math, but I think it's time to congratulate Roger on his third consecutive league title.
Well done Roger!
Tax Man comes to Tranmere.
Tranmere's balance is reduced by 439.
Germany had so many chances that were so short of the goal. I am devastated once again. I really just wanted a semifinal appearance. Fingers crossed '26 will be far better.
Lewes FC sends Fredrik Engberg (APP/7 Fw; 350k)
to Nottingham Forest for 490k
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I had an idea for when/if we implement one or more new BRB's: Perhaps we only add one and let it play out for one to two seasons. We can then evaluate its impact and decide how to move forward with a second new BRB.
Winning!
Swansea City AFC sends Arwyn Collins (IV/11 Gk; 270k)
to Dorchester Town for 700k
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Brighton & Hove Albion sends 170k
to Leicester City FC for Van Gullit (IV/6 Mf; 120k)
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Brighton & Hove Albion sends 750k
to Derby County for William Gomez (I/10 Mf; 480k)
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Leeds United sends Daniel Becker (V/5 Fw; 60k)
to Brentford FC for 201k
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Dagenham & Redbridge sends Dag Hansen (V/4 Fw; 40k)
to Brentford FC for 201k
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Some quick adds tonight if you click Auctions then the Auction 1 or Auction 2 tab.
- Added the player name
- Added the flag of the player's nationality (thanks to Brian for getting me all of those)
- Added the logo of the winning team.
All cosmetic stuff, but trying to give it some visual appeal.
Brentford FC sends 201k
to Watford for Oribe Arellano (V/6 Mf; 80k)
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Oldham Athletic AFC sends Kyle Hughes (V/4 Mf; 40k)
to Chesterfield FC for 200k
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Swansea City AFC sends 200k
to Plymouth Argyle FC for Hayden Kerr (V/4 Fw; 40k)
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Swansea City AFC sends 200k
to Cardiff City FC for Maksym Kovalchuk (V/5 Gk; 60k)
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If anyone is feeling generous this season, please feel free to start your lowest SL players against BHA. It will be greatly appreciated, and I suspect other managers will applaud your efforts. If you have any questions about this process, message me.
I see a lot of deals have happened during the week. Plymouth still have 2 Brb-eligible players for sale. First come, first serve.
Weston-super-Mare AFC sends 560k
to Oldham Athletic AFC for Rik Schipper (III/11 Fw; 360k)
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Bristol City FC sends 250k, Hwangbo Min-sung (APP/5 Fw; 225k)
to Leeds United for Mbark Sabiri (I/10 Fw; 480k)
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Tranmere Rovers sends 1000k
to Wycombe Wanderers for Santiago Ramos (I/10 Sw; 480k)
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Bristol City FC sends 100k
to Dorchester Town for Ashley Brown (IV/4 Df; 60k)
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Bristol City FC sends 100k
to Dorchester Town for Sean Marshall (IV/4 Gk; 60k)
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Wycombe Wanderers sends 400k
to Weston-super-Mare AFC for Filip Gustafsson (V/4 Sw; 40k), Andrew Young (V/4 Df; 40k)
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Wycombe Wanderers sends 425k
to Dorchester Town for Jurica Rapaic (V/3 Mf; 20k), Ferjani Marzouki (V/5 Mf; 60k)
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Brighton & Hove Albion sends 325k, Reuben Lennon (IV/12 Gk; 300k)
to Dorchester Town for Jonas Lien (III/13 Gk; 440k)
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Bristol City FC sends 800k
to Weston-super-Mare AFC for Dafydd Chapman (I/10 Fw; 480k)
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Hi everyone, Bristol are on the look out for any unwanted players. I'll pay more than NL value. All ages and skill levels considered.
Carlisle United sends Alexander Schwarz (V/3 Fw; 20k), Dafydd King (V/2 Fw; 0k)
to Nottingham Forest for 420k
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The following teams receive a bonus for Season 47:
| TEAM | BONUS | BANK TOTAL |
| Brentford FC | 785 | 3975 |
| Bristol City FC | 560 | 3066 |
| Plymouth Argyle FC | 530 | 1696 |
| Weston-super-Mare AFC | 450 | 1380 |
| Chesterfield FC | 400 | 2339 |
| Dorchester Town | 300 | 1439 |
| Watford | 270 | 2218 |
| Port Vale FC | 250 | 2143 |
| Swansea City AFC | 235 | 1574 |
| Preston North End FC | 170 | 3613 |
| Tranmere Rovers | 160 | 3674 |
| Queens Park Rangers | 150 | 3664 |
| Crewe Alexandra FC | 150 | 2794 |
| Wycombe Wanderers | 115 | 2132 |
| Derby County | 110 | 1934 |
| Brighton & Hove Albion | 105 | 1074 |
| Lincoln City FC | 100 | 3616 |
| Leeds United | 80 | 2854 |
| Oldham Athletic AFC | 75 | 2573 |
| Dagenham & Redbridge | 65 | 2750 |
| Leicester City FC | 60 | 907 |
| Southend United | 60 | 2212 |
| Cardiff City FC | 45 | 2306 |
| Northampton Town FC | 40 | 1855 |
| Lewes FC | 35 | 1251 |
| Nottingham Forest | 10 | 3708 |
| Sheffield United | 10 | 2927 |
| Carlisle United | 5 | 1097 |
| Hereford United FC | 5 | 752 |
| Coventry City | 0 | 1915 |
| Swindon Town FC | 0 | 2001 |
| Blyth Spartans AFC | 0 | 2125 |
Bonuses are given for division and tournament finishes along with top division scorer, weekly prediction league winner, and season prediction league winner. See the rules for more details. You can also check your teams page and choose the Team/Player Log tab to see what you earned a bonus for from the prior season.
Our 'Gulls rank 29th in money at 969k. We might not be able to buy even one decent player this coming season. ??
Elliot Wilkins brings home my first Golden Boot! Very exciting.
Just ask Phil. And Ian.
After Reuben Lennon suffered a near career ending injury in a 8-0 win over Oldhan Athletic, Brighton were forced to bring up an untested youngster to finish out the season: Ko Endo. While expectations were low for a SL2 keeper, Endo was able to put together a respectable 1-2-1 record. Go figure.
...but found Nottingham Forest JUST under the 3500 taxation level (at 3478) and thus no tax was levied... ?
Cardiff City FC sends 287k
to Watford for Arouna Geremi (APP/5 Fw; 210k)
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Nottingham Forest sends 150k
to Cardiff City FC for Salomon Ngono (IV/5 Sw; 90k)
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Bristol City FC sends Damien Watkins (IV/12 Gk; 300k)
to Hereford United FC for Marco Vedder (III/11 Gk; 360k)
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Lewes FC sends 140k
to Carlisle United for Jefferson Marquinhos (V/3 Fw; 20k)
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Brighton & Hove Albion sends 90k
to Plymouth Argyle FC for Samuel Rooney (IV/2 Mf; 0k)
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Brighton & Hove Albion sends 150k
to Swindon Town FC for Matthew Hill (IV/3 Df; 30k), Luke McCarthy (IV/5 Fw; 90k)
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Leeds United sends 20k, Brynmor Harding (APP/5 Gk; 210k)
to Wycombe Wanderers for Hayden Redmayne (APP/5 Mf; 210k)
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Brighton & Hove Albion sends 160k
to Dorchester Town for Frank Dohm (IV/6 Mf; 120k)
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Bristol City FC sends 200k
to Oldham Athletic AFC for Pablo Luna (V/2 Mf; 0k)
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Watford sends 210k
to Swansea City AFC for Alexander Öberg (V/7 Fw; 100k)
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Brentford FC sends 315k
to Brighton & Hove Albion for Alberto Mariani (IV/6 Mf; 120k), Leon Martin (V/3 Sw; 20k), Jean Mbengue (V/4 Mf; 40k)
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Brighton & Hove Albion sends 315k
to Brentford FC for Alberto Mariani (IV/6 Mf; 120k), Leon Martin (V/3 Sw; 20k), Jean Mbengue (V/4 Mf; 40k)
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Brentford FC sends 202k
to Carlisle United for Jean Mbengue (V/4 Mf; 40k)
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Brentford FC sends 202k
to Carlisle United for Leon Martin (V/3 Sw; 20k)
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Brighton & Hove Albion sends Domingo Crespo (III/10 Fw; 320k)
to Bristol City FC for Victor Araújo (III/10 Mf; 320k)
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Southend United sends 210k
to Carlisle United for Paul Benjamin (V/2 Df; 0k)
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Nottingham Forest sends Radamel Cardenas (V/3 Gk; 20k)
to Brentford FC for 200k
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Lewes FC sends Lucas Harvey (V/2 Df; 0k)
to Tranmere Rovers for 200k
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Bristol City FC sends 750k
to Cardiff City FC for Mario Rojas (I/10 Df; 480k)
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Southend United sends 210k
to Queens Park Rangers for Nigel Lennon (V/2 Fw; 0k)
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Bristol City FC sends 800k
to Weston-super-Mare AFC for Armand Songo'o (I/10 Fw; 480k)
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Port Vale FC sends Mael Davies (II/10 Fw; 400k)
to Hereford United FC for 50k, Ivan Renteria (II/10 Mf; 400k)
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Bristol City FC sends 45k
to Hereford United FC for Takeshi Maeda (III/3 Fw; 40k)
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Crewe Alexandra FC sends Roberto Herrera (V/6 Fw; 80k)
to Hereford United FC for 195k
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Crewe Alexandra FC sends Douglas Souza (V/3 Fw; 20k)
to Hereford United FC for 195k
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Bristol City FC sends 750k
to Leeds United for Steven Simons (I/10 Mf; 480k)
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Preston North End FC sends 200k
to Dorchester Town for Mael Pearson (V/4 Mf; 40k)
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Bristol City FC sends 700k, Jacob Gray (V/2 Df; 0k), Ederson Santos (V/2 Mf; 0k)
to Dagenham & Redbridge for Alberto Flores (I/10 Gk; 480k)
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The following teams receive a bonus for Season 46:
| TEAM | BONUS | BANK TOTAL |
| Lincoln City FC | 575 | 3448 |
| Bristol City FC | 540 | 4131 |
| Sheffield United | 515 | 2936 |
| Queens Park Rangers | 455 | 3945 |
| Leeds United | 410 | 2115 |
| Port Vale FC | 360 | 1159 |
| Brentford FC | 355 | 3156 |
| Tranmere Rovers | 310 | 3990 |
| Southend United | 285 | 2923 |
| Dorchester Town | 240 | 1016 |
| Preston North End FC | 180 | 2834 |
| Crewe Alexandra FC | 170 | 2390 |
| Plymouth Argyle FC | 165 | 1071 |
| Swansea City AFC | 145 | 1500 |
| Northampton Town FC | 115 | 2632 |
| Watford | 85 | 3374 |
| Leicester City FC | 85 | 640 |
| Weston-super-Mare AFC | 55 | 2035 |
| Nottingham Forest | 55 | 3177 |
| Wycombe Wanderers | 40 | 2453 |
| Chesterfield FC | 40 | 1210 |
| Cardiff City FC | 40 | 3496 |
| Brighton & Hove Albion | 40 | 1200 |
| Oldham Athletic AFC | 25 | 2186 |
| Dagenham & Redbridge | 25 | 3499 |
| Lewes FC | 25 | 1077 |
| Carlisle United | 5 | 1327 |
| Hereford United FC | 0 | 1410 |
| Blyth Spartans AFC | 0 | 2125 |
| Coventry City | 0 | 1915 |
| Swindon Town FC | 0 | 1867 |
| Derby County | 0 | 900 |
Bonuses are given for division and tournament finishes along with top division scorer, weekly prediction league winner, and season prediction league winner. See the rules for more details. You can also check your teams page and choose the Team/Player Log tab to see what you earned a bonus for from the prior season.
No, what is rude is that the Pilgrims went W-D-L-D-L in our final 5 games. The floor totally fell out from underneath us. There was a huge Olmec conspiracy that allowed Swansea to overcome 10 points and Dorchester to run away with things.
I had 5 wins this year - that might be a record!
...to point out that Rob came third in his two horse race? ?
Andy's Dorchester just leads the I-Man for now.
But I like this view! Also, I was told Olmec doesn't like John? What happened Mr. Holden?
Coming down to the final 2 sessions and it seems like it's going to be a 2-horse race in D3. Plymouth (35pts) and Dorchester (34pts) have been neck and neck all season long. They'll meet for the 2nd time this session in Match 35 in what might be the D3 championship match. The entire league is invited to Home Park to watch the spectacle.
I have not yet heard the screech of rusty knives on metal, but I suspect that's right around the corner. Some highlights from Session seven that illustrate our absolutely pathetic season:
TOTAL ATTACKS: 62
TOTAL SHOTS: 28
TOTAL SHOTS ON TARGET: 18
TOTAL GOALS: 1
In case you are curious, that comes out to ~6% success rate from our SOT.
?
...Dave and Ian are already part of the league ?, but I agree it would be good to see the real Evil Empire managers give TMVL a whirl. I must admit I prefer it over United and I still don't understand volleyball.
If only we could persuade 1or 2 of the next 3 managers to apply for a TMVL team.
Anyone else noticed that the top of Division 1 looks almost exactly the same as the top of the Big 8 in TMVL?
Weston-super-Mare AFC sends Roger Compton (I/10 Fw; 480k)
to Cardiff City FC for 800k
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Our Brighton Seagulls have scored 12 goals in 12 matches, while giving up...wait for it...are you ready...are you sure...ok...25 goals. Yep, that's a -13 in 12 matches. Ugh. ?
Cardiff City FC sends 400k
to Brentford FC for Carlton Fox (III/11 Sw; 360k)
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Coaches Poll should function reasonably well after some changes I made this evening. The only To Do I have is to add the media bonus. It is on my list, but I'm not sure yet when I'll knock it out. I believe I have it setup in TMVL as 5 (k in this case) to vote and 5 to comment. Again though, its not there yet. I'll let you know when it is.
Deadline will now show at the top of the page for each session.
The new stats page I worked on recently will be, for now, called NEW STATS and appear in the 2nd menu at the top in lighter gray. That also will have a 5k media bonus for comments. Hoping to add that media bonus piece soon.
Once I get that in place I'll probably do a pause on updates for United for a bit.
Bristol City FC sends 290k
to Dorchester Town for Adam Miles (III/9 Df; 280k)
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Watford sends Ederson Santos (IV/7 Mf; 150k)
to Bristol City FC for Luke Taylor (V/2 Mf; 0k)
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Swansea City AFC sends 210k
to Port Vale FC for Sean Cameron (V/6 Sw; 80k)
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Bristol City FC sends 600k, Sean Brees (APP/5 Sw; 240k)
to Cardiff City FC for Reece Gregory (I/11 Sw; 540k)
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Brighton & Hove Albion sends 210k
to Dorchester Town for Thomas Bakken (IV/6 Gk; 120k)
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Brighton & Hove Albion sends 200k, Dag Hansen (III/13 Fw; 440k)
to Dagenham & Redbridge for Ryan Brady (II/13 Mf; 550k)
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Bristol City FC sends Krystian Zewlakow (APP/5 Fw; 210k)
to Weston-super-Mare AFC for 500k
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Brian. try the Option A or Option B link in Green (I think)
Does anyone else see a problem with the orders page? Only about half my team is shown.
Leeds United sends 60k, Cássio de Oliveira (APP/5 Sw; 210k)
to Hereford United FC for Steven Simons (APP/5 Mf; 240k)
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Wycombe Wanderers sends 200k
to Oldham Athletic AFC for Alf Eriksson (V/5 Df; 60k)
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The rules say you cannot trade a BRB.
Here's the reality. You can. This comes up every few years. I believe the original intent was that we didn't necessarily want people swapping like "Age II" BRBs or something.
The trade page does allow it. I'm not interested in manually enforcing it. Automating it would take me 10+ hours of changes/testing the trading page which I have absolutely no interest or priority in doing. Right now I'm working in the background to add some more U1/U2 features (something I haven't done in years) and I'm not keen on being derailed by something like this. So...trading BRBs is now allowed officially from this moment in time forward! ?
Who has some occasional time and an excellent attention to detail to take ownership of the rules set so we can update things like this and I can post the updates on the website. The rules can be worked on if you have Google docs or MS Word, either should work. I need a volunteer.
Thanks!
Wycombe Wanderers sends 600k
to Plymouth Argyle FC for Jørgen Dahl (V/4 Sw; 40k), Giovanni Marino (V/4 Fw; 40k), Ryan Ryan (V/7 Mf; 100k)
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Lewes FC sends 400k
to Plymouth Argyle FC for Oscar Mason (V/3 Df; 20k), Samuel James (V/2 Fw; 0k)
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Hereford United FC sends 585k
to Watford for Laise Robertson (V/7 Df; 100k), Ze'ev Azulai (V/3 Df; 20k), Cameron Kelly (V/4 Fw; 40k)
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Weston-super-Mare AFC sends Vincent Monin (V/2 Fw; 0k)
to Hereford United FC for 190k
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Wycombe Wanderers sends 200k
to Dorchester Town for Cameron MacKay (V/3 Fw; 20k)
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Wycombe Wanderers sends 200k
to Carlisle United for Nathan Brudenell (V/2 Fw; 0k)
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Aires, I think you will get 2.5 wins, most likely in the last 2-3 sessions. Make it happen!
Will Wycombe get 2? 3? 4? - we will be happy with 1
Bristol City FC sends 800k
to Weston-super-Mare AFC for Tyler Page (I/10 Mf; 480k)
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Bristol City FC sends 825k
to Nottingham Forest for Marcus Bergman (I/10 Df; 480k)
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The 'Gulls will only sign three SBY's this season. If anyone is interested in an additional SBY with a QNL of 1, please message me with your offer, and let me know what position you would like. Cheers.
Tranmere Rovers sends 200k, Cole Brown (V/9 Gk; 140k)
to Weston-super-Mare AFC for Laurence Ludley (V/5 Mf; 60k)
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Brighton & Hove Albion sends 190k
to Nottingham Forest for José Pacheco (V/4 Fw; 40k)
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Crewe Alexandra FC sends Frans De Vlieger (V/4 Df; 40k)
to Cardiff City FC for 190k
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The following teams receive a bonus for Season 45:
| TEAM | BONUS | BANK TOTAL |
| Nottingham Forest | 530 | 3053 |
| Tranmere Rovers | 505 | 4119 |
| Lincoln City FC | 450 | 3796 |
| Bristol City FC | 430 | 3930 |
| Watford | 375 | 3274 |
| Lewes FC | 345 | 1345 |
| Carlisle United | 300 | 1339 |
| Preston North End FC | 285 | 3711 |
| Queens Park Rangers | 280 | 3408 |
| Crewe Alexandra FC | 265 | 2402 |
| Dorchester Town | 210 | 928 |
| Derby County | 200 | 850 |
| Dagenham & Redbridge | 115 | 3156 |
| Chesterfield FC | 110 | 1837 |
| Brentford FC | 80 | 3041 |
| Sheffield United | 80 | 2749 |
| Leicester City FC | 75 | 447 |
| Blyth Spartans AFC | 75 | 2125 |
| Brighton & Hove Albion | 60 | 1019 |
| Northampton Town FC | 60 | 1862 |
| Swansea City AFC | 55 | 1540 |
| Weston-super-Mare AFC | 50 | 2512 |
| Leeds United | 45 | 2006 |
| Southend United | 40 | 3476 |
| Port Vale FC | 20 | 774 |
| Plymouth Argyle FC | 15 | 1049 |
| Swindon Town FC | 0 | 1617 |
| Wycombe Wanderers | 0 | 2843 |
| Hereford United FC | 0 | 1991 |
| Oldham Athletic AFC | 0 | 909 |
| Coventry City | 0 | 1915 |
| Cardiff City FC | 0 | 2466 |
Bonuses are given for division and tournament finishes along with top division scorer, weekly prediction league winner, and season prediction league winner. See the rules for more details. You can also check your teams page and choose the Team/Player Log tab to see what you earned a bonus for from the prior season.
Half the league has responded to the recent Workd Cup poll. Please be sure to respond before the poll closes this weekend. Thanks!
This season I have noticed that my keeper is not having the best of seasons. In some games he seems incapable of stopping anything. Notably stopping 1 out of 6 against Port Vale last session (not injured or sent-off). I checked the Golden gloves and he is indeed ranking near the bottom and certainly the worst of any SL 15+ GK with just 64% save rate.
I am trusting that regression to the mean will result in some magnicient performancs in the run-in...
John - The answer is nothing. This happens once every 2-4 seasons. Sometimes a couple of teams are above 3500. It is fairly infrequent.
I wouldn't be surprised if those funds go to one of the Big Four/Five via a Swiss bank account.
Or maybe not. ?
What does the league do with that additional funding Al?
Bristol's balance was at 3589 at the conclusion of session 8 and taxed at 10% of that balance.
Bristol's new balance is 3230.
If any managers have questions on how the taxation works please let me know. Thank you!
Weston-super-Mare AFC sends 675k
to Cardiff City FC for José Sánchez (APP/8 Fw; 450k)
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Weston-super-Mare AFC sends
to Cardiff City FC for 675k
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Weston-super-Mare AFC sends 675k
to Cardiff City FC for
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Lewes FC sends 500k, Carlos Viana (SBY/3 Fw; 100k)
to Cardiff City FC for Juan Carlos Parra (APP/8 Fw; 450k)
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Northampton Town FC sends 675k
to Cardiff City FC for Frank Wheeler (APP/8 Mf; 450k)
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Weston-super-Mare AFC sends Lachlan Brown (III/9 Gk; 280k)
to Hereford United FC for 220k
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Weston-super-Mare AFC sends 280k
to Hereford United FC for Lachlan Brown (III/9 Gk; 280k)
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Coaches, be sure to get your chequebooks out this session. Sure Ian has two Gk's.
But he wants BOTH of those II/13 Gk's.
And frankly he'd prefer two IV/12 Gk's instead, but here we are...
Brighton & Hove have a seriously challenging session this coming weekend. First we travel to The Dripping Pan to face Lewes who are sitting at #2 in table. Next we host Tranmere's Rovers who are currently #3 in Division One. Yep, you read that right - #4 BHA play the second and third teams in D1. Two huge matches that can go either way. ?
Brighton & Hove Albion sends 800k, Federico Acuña (APP/5 Gk; 240k)
to Cardiff City FC for Reuben Lennon (I/10 Gk; 480k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Preston North End FC sends 200k
to Chesterfield FC for Frank Marsh (V/4 Fw; 40k)
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Brighton & Hove Albion sends 175k
to Dorchester Town for Ze'ev Bisk (V/6 Mf; 80k)
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Brighton & Hove Albion sends 450k
to Oldham Athletic AFC for Jermaine Birks (V/5 Sw; 60k), Benjamin Anderson (V/6 Df; 80k), Derek Bate (IV/3 Mf; 30k)
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Brentford FC sends 200k
to Chesterfield FC for Aaron Moore (V/3 Fw; 20k)
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Bristol City FC sends 35k
to Swindon Town FC for Vincent Begue (IV/3 Mf; 30k)
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Bristol City FC sends Sean Marshall (I/9 Gk; 420k)
to Dorchester Town for 575k
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Lewes FC sends 20k
to Weston-super-Mare AFC for Marcos Cruz (SBY/2 Gk; 15k)
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Lewes FC sends 375k, Reece Gregory (APP/5 Sw; 240k)
to Cardiff City FC for Geoffrey Pilkington (I/10 Sw; 480k)
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Oldham Athletic AFC sends Filippo Bruno (V/2 Fw; 0k)
to Queens Park Rangers for 200k
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Bristol City FC sends 400k
to Lewes FC for Jørn Nielsen (APP/5 Fw; 210k)
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Hi Al,
There's something wrong with the homepage. I don't see the issue with other pages.
Brighton & Hove Albion sends 875k
to Weston-super-Mare AFC for Domingo Crespo (I/10 Fw; 480k)
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Oldham Athletic AFC sends Frank Marsh (V/4 Fw; 40k)
to Chesterfield FC for 200k
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Oldham Athletic AFC sends Eduardo Marin (V/2 Mf; 0k)
to Brentford FC for 200k
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Carlisle United sends Paolo Parisi (V/2 Fw; 0k), Danny Terry (V/2 Df; 0k), Gregg Scott (V/2 Mf; 0k)
to Weston-super-Mare AFC for 540k
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Brighton & Hove Albion sends 200k
to Dorchester Town for Corey Parker (V/5 Df; 60k)
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The following teams receive a bonus for Season 44:
| TEAM | BONUS | BANK TOTAL |
| Preston North End FC | 585 | 3346 |
| Bristol City FC | 580 | 3470 |
| Lewes FC | 460 | 1762 |
| Brentford FC | 335 | 3291 |
| Tranmere Rovers | 330 | 3948 |
| Brighton & Hove Albion | 310 | 2427 |
| Weston-super-Mare AFC | 300 | 1957 |
| Carlisle United | 230 | 2321 |
| Port Vale FC | 225 | 1745 |
| Plymouth Argyle FC | 220 | 2692 |
| Sheffield United | 210 | 1479 |
| Chesterfield FC | 175 | 1751 |
| Leeds United | 170 | 926 |
| Watford | 160 | 3574 |
| Dorchester Town | 155 | 1010 |
| Northampton Town FC | 140 | 1934 |
| Leicester City FC | 115 | 721 |
| Lincoln City FC | 90 | 3386 |
| Nottingham Forest | 65 | 3448 |
| Oldham Athletic AFC | 50 | 476 |
| Southend United | 50 | 2569 |
| Dagenham & Redbridge | 20 | 2896 |
| Cardiff City FC | 20 | 507 |
| Hereford United FC | 20 | 1490 |
| Crewe Alexandra FC | 20 | 2238 |
| Swansea City AFC | 10 | 1151 |
| Queens Park Rangers | 10 | 3594 |
| Wycombe Wanderers | 10 | 1903 |
| Swindon Town FC | 5 | 1367 |
| Coventry City | 0 | 1915 |
| Blyth Spartans AFC | 0 | 2050 |
| Derby County | 0 | 3281 |
Bonuses are given for division and tournament finishes along with top division scorer, weekly prediction league winner, and season prediction league winner. See the rules for more details. You can also check your teams page and choose the Team/Player Log tab to see what you earned a bonus for from the prior season.
Lewes FC sends 200k
to Brighton & Hove Albion for Sean Turner (SBY/4 Fw; 140k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Brighton & Hove Albion sends 450k, Julio Gutiérrez (IV/9 Fw; 210k)
to Leeds United for Lewis Sutton (III/12 Fw; 400k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Lewes FC sends 200k
to Plymouth Argyle FC for Kian Munro (IV/7 Mf; 150k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
It's part of his 10 year rebuilding plan.
How did Dr Dohm get relegated?!
Correct, Brian.
Is this current:
An Age I player may be raised a maximum of 5 Skill Levels in a season.
Older players may be raised a maximum of 3 Skill Levels in a season.
New to me so I want to be sure.
PS Thanks for the welcome, Vinny!
Welcme back, Brian! BRI continued totorture LIN in your absence, inclduing beating us out of our best-ever shot at a league title a couple of seasons back.
Not long to go now! Hope you enjoy your first season back!
Cheers Rob. It's good to be back. I see Alon has continued his dominance while I was away. History repeats itself.
Glad to see you back Brian! Welcome back to the inner rings of Olmec's inferno!
Hereford United FC sends 200k
to Oldham Athletic AFC for Marty Forster (V/4 Mf; 40k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Hereford United FC sends 400k
to Carlisle United for Guang Liáng (V/2 Mf; 0k), Taylor Gibson (V/2 Mf; 0k)
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I've only been back a couple of weeks and I'm already checking in on the league a couple of times each day, and itching to start the season. Seems I missed this more than I thought.
Nottingham Forest sends Ariza Fita (V/4 Fw; 40k)
to Hereford United FC for 200k
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Wycombe Wanderers sends 200k
to Preston North End FC for Jed Clarke (V/3 Mf; 20k)
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Wycombe Wanderers sends 200k
to Weston-super-Mare AFC for Greg Gordon (V/2 Df; 0k)
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Tranmere Rovers sends 950k
to Weston-super-Mare AFC for Algernon Rooney (I/10 Sw; 480k)
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Cheers e-Friends!
I'm excited to return to United, and even more excited to get back to Brighton. Think of me as the Ted Lassso of the league: I have very little experience and I know just about nothing of football (what's an RNG?!).
Let's have some fun.
- Beer
P.S. The rivalry is renewed, Mr Dohm.
Brighton & Hove Albion sends 200k
to Nottingham Forest for Manuel Hernández (V/5 Fw; 60k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
The following teams receive a bonus for Season 43:
| TEAM | BONUS | BANK TOTAL |
| Watford | 645 | 2999 |
| Tranmere Rovers | 610 | 4254 |
| Bristol City FC | 610 | 3130 |
| Dorchester Town | 575 | 1318 |
| Brentford FC | 500 | 2153 |
| Port Vale FC | 350 | 1816 |
| Northampton Town FC | 330 | 1995 |
| Weston-super-Mare AFC | 310 | 2052 |
| Chesterfield FC | 200 | 864 |
| Nottingham Forest | 185 | 2739 |
| Swansea City AFC | 165 | 1631 |
| Queens Park Rangers | 100 | 2634 |
| Sheffield United | 95 | 2646 |
| Carlisle United | 85 | 1601 |
| Southend United | 75 | 3526 |
| Brighton & Hove Albion | 65 | 3730 |
| Dagenham & Redbridge | 65 | 3654 |
| Leeds United | 50 | 1926 |
| Preston North End FC | 25 | 3665 |
| Oldham Athletic AFC | 20 | 617 |
| Lincoln City FC | 20 | 3208 |
| Lewes FC | 20 | 1360 |
| Cardiff City FC | 20 | 2278 |
| Crewe Alexandra FC | 20 | 3127 |
| Plymouth Argyle FC | 10 | 1416 |
| Wycombe Wanderers | 0 | 1308 |
| Swindon Town FC | 0 | 993 |
| Blyth Spartans AFC | 0 | 2050 |
| Hereford United FC | 0 | 740 |
| Leicester City FC | 0 | 686 |
| Coventry City | 0 | 1915 |
| Derby County | 0 | 2631 |
Bonuses are given for division and tournament finishes along with top division scorer, weekly prediction league winner, and season prediction league winner. See the rules for more details. You can also check your teams page and choose the Team/Player Log tab to see what you earned a bonus for from the prior season.
Here's the table:
Compo leads.
Phil and Roy are level on points in 2nd with Phil getting the differential nod.
Diamond Dave and Tim are in the hunt.
Will Compo be lifting the 3rd Division trophy?
Or will it be Phil or Roy or Dave or Tim?
Is there a 3rd Division trophy?
There's a lot of questions to be settled today...
...and then I saw that Mr. James Tucker's team has won 17 (SEVENTEEN) matches this season...
Methinks the Hornets are thriving with the adversity... ?
I have never known a season like this. You expect the odd injury, but my forward line has had a torrid time. 9 injuries for a fitness loss of 24. That 24 is spread over just 4 top players. A new definition for Targetted Attack!?
The rest of the team has 3 injuries for a loss of -3.
Cardiff City FC sends Ruairi Nolan (II/13 Df; 550k)
to Lincoln City FC for 1100k
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
If folks could stay away from the auction this week, I would appreciate it. There are a few lots I plan on bidding on. I plan on bidding high, so you won't win anyway, so why even bother. just skip this auction, okay? Great, thanks!
Plymouth Argyle FC sends Juan Manuel Marin (III/11 Df; 360k)
to Sheffield United for Michael O'Neil (III/11 Sw; 360k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Cardiff City FC sends 775k
to Weston-super-Mare AFC for Michael Simpson (I/10 Fw; 480k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Oldham Athletic AFC sends Nicolas Fuentes (V/4 Gk; 40k), Takeshi Ishikawa (V/2 Df; 0k), Randy Mendoza (V/2 Mf; 0k)
to Swindon Town FC for 525k
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Southend United sends 175k
to Oldham Athletic AFC for Gerry Scott (IV/7 Gk; 150k)
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Brentford FC sends Gabriel Rodriguez (V/2 Fw; 0k)
to Queens Park Rangers for 190k
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Carlisle United sends Javier Gallardo (V/2 Fw; 0k), Leon Newton (V/2 Fw; 0k)
to Queens Park Rangers for 380k
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Bristol City FC sends 325k
to Wycombe Wanderers for Joe Murray (I/7 Fw; 300k)
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...Roger. ?
U1 and U2 are identical with the code base that runs the games.
There might be a couple of minor differences with some web pages but its pretty small.
The big difference can be with data (like teams at that 18 player minimum can throw things off/create some side effects). Other than the items I dealt with at this end of season aging (and with the new approach I think they should no longer be an issue) they are pretty much the same though.
Northampton Town FC sends 380k
to Dagenham & Redbridge for Jae-Sun Jang (V/3 Mf; 20k), Luiz Ribeiro (V/4 Fw; 40k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Cardiff City FC sends Bryan Boivin (V/3 Df; 20k)
to Tranmere Rovers for 189k
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Hi Al, reading your post (because I care ?) it made me wonder whether U1 and U2 are identical games or slightly different in some ways. I just assumed they were the same.
One of the issues I had in the end of season processing was a mundane, boring (except it would break things) detail that was annoying. Essentially I have some code in the database (a function) that gets called everytime a player is added or has stats updated. That caused me a lot of U2 headaches. I've moved the code from the DB to a web page so that should help keep it up to date and avoid these weird DB issues I get (and have to police) where teams might drop below (or just near) 18 players after end of season aging.
Again, you won't care about this update, but it should prevent issues like the U2 "had to fix the RSD and QNL" thing. More updates/improvements to come as I have time.
Swansea City AFC sends 190k
to Dorchester Town for Yael Adrei (V/7 Mf; 100k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Brighton & Hove Albion sends 200k
to Lewes FC for George Cole (V/4 Mf; 40k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Crewe Alexandra FC sends Geoffrey Fox (V/2 Mf; 0k), Felix Mayer (V/2 Fw; 0k)
to Bristol City FC for 390k
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
The following teams receive a bonus for Season 42:
| TEAM | BONUS | BANK TOTAL |
| Tranmere Rovers | 690 | 4047 |
| Plymouth Argyle FC | 565 | 2806 |
| Brentford FC | 505 | 2493 |
| Brighton & Hove Albion | 505 | 4500 |
| Nottingham Forest | 350 | 3828 |
| Watford | 340 | 2376 |
| Southend United | 310 | 1949 |
| Bristol City FC | 280 | 3943 |
| Lewes FC | 275 | 1181 |
| Preston North End FC | 245 | 3338 |
| Northampton Town FC | 240 | 1751 |
| Weston-super-Mare AFC | 235 | 3792 |
| Lincoln City FC | 150 | 3644 |
| Crewe Alexandra FC | 100 | 2705 |
| Queens Park Rangers | 80 | 3080 |
| Dagenham & Redbridge | 70 | 3363 |
| Dorchester Town | 45 | 1679 |
| Chesterfield FC | 30 | 1884 |
| Cardiff City FC | 20 | 1701 |
| Sheffield United | 20 | 658 |
| Port Vale FC | 15 | 1644 |
| Carlisle United | 10 | 1614 |
| Hereford United FC | 5 | 504 |
| Wycombe Wanderers | 5 | 1077 |
| Swansea City AFC | 5 | 996 |
| Leeds United | 0 | 2830 |
| Blyth Spartans AFC | 0 | 2050 |
| Coventry City | 0 | 1915 |
| Leicester City FC | 0 | 718 |
| Swindon Town FC | 0 | 868 |
| Oldham Athletic AFC | 0 | 408 |
| Derby County | 0 | 1981 |
Bonuses are given for division and tournament finishes along with top division scorer, weekly prediction league winner, and season prediction league winner. See the rules for more details. You can also check your teams page and choose the Team/Player Log tab to see what you earned a bonus for from the prior season.
I am doing a pool if you are interested you can reach out for info at [email protected]
Such a poor finish to the season by SU. One win in the last ten matches including two semifinal cup defeats and a slow slide down the division one table. What happened.
Strangely this slide coincided with SU hitting the top of the rankings and SU are still 5th on that table. Bizarre.
We'll be back!
With 2 away matches in the final season, Plymouth have zero hope. That's 18 SL we have to make up. And our top DF is injured. We're toast.
One of these two managers is getting promoted to 1st Division football. Which one will it be?
They are 3rd/4th place respectively.
Level on 26 points.
Plymouth is +1 and John is -2 on Goal Differential. The + is only there because John suggested I do it. And it was a good suggestion.
Because we're all victims and should always feel as such let's look at session 10:
Rob is away vs. Leicester (8th) and Bristol (2nd). Hazel and Roger aren't interested in doing Rob any favo(u)rs.
John is at home versus Cardiff (4th) and Nottingham Forest (1st).
Maybe the design committee can mandate no more than 1 home and 1 away match per session?
Who do you like?
Speaking of victims, let me tell you a story about Graham Wilkes.
Graham and Cardiff are not in the subject line and have had very little mentions in this post so far. So Graham is also a victim.
BUT, Cardiff are 5th on 23 points (3 behind Rob and John) and with a +6 goal differential.
Graham is at Port Vale (4th) and home versus Dorchester Town (7th).
Oh and here's another victim: Steve Turner
Steve has won 10, tied 6 and lost 0 (that's ZERO) in league play. Why aren't we talking about Steve?
Good luck Rob, John, and Graham...
Clearly Steve does not need any luck...
An increase in the rate of tax is clearly due!
The following teams were taxed these amounts for end of session 8 banks above 3500:
BHA (-414) DAG (-352) FOR (-363) TRA (-350)
Northampton Town FC sends 865k
to Cardiff City FC for Cameron Ferdinand (APP/8 Fw; 465k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
It's no surprise to any manager that's been around a few seasons... I covet the Youth Cup. Getting knocked out in the first round is disappointing to say the very least. Having to play my youth players in league matches is devastating to our promotion chances.
Here's hoping the rest of the league takes it easy on us the rest of the season!
Am I to believe there will now be several star SWs featured in upcoming U1 auctions, where I don't need an SW ?
I asked Ian for javascript coding help this week. My expectation was that he would just write it for me and make it work. ?
Sadly, he did not. I've had something I've been puzzing over (to the tune of spending 2-3 evening hours on it for 2 weeks with no results) in TMVL to enhance a viewer that has frustrated me.
Please allow myself to let me be perfectly clear. Ian did not fix the issue (as I hoped). ?
However he did have some inspiring/helpful words that allowed me to rethink a couple of things. I had a breakthrough on this today and made some good progress.
What does that mean to you and why do you care? Good Karma may mean the shackles are coming off the code that has prevented Sweepers from showing up in any auctions. Maybe.
Cardiff City FC sends 219k, Andrés Martínez (III/9 Mf; 280k)
to Dagenham & Redbridge for Nahuel Ramos (III/10 Sw; 320k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Rob and John asked about the SL for one of the non-league teams.
In the past these teams were always manually updated by me (meaning before aging I'd bump a player up from like 5 to 9 or something so after aging they would not auto-retire). They don't use CP, so without manual intervention each season they would have otherwise aged off too many players resulting in more headaches.
It was always a pain in the neck and meant I had to allocate extra time to run end of season. That in turn meant I didn't always have a large block of time to run end of season so we'd delay 1, 2, or 3 weeks for example.
The NMR teams are now automated to the extent that I don't have to touch them each season which is a big win for me (and speeds up the delay between seasons).
I'll take a look at the current approach and see about tweaking the numbers/growth a bit.
From a T-11 overall perspective I'd say the non league teams are better than they used to be but still near the bottom:
U1 - #28-#29
U2 - #25-#26
It's broke, Al. Shows CHF in D-III.
Click the tables link at the top menu for an update to the League Tables page.
You'll get to see:
- Team Nicknames
- The lines representing relegation/promotion
- League form (most recent result is on the far right; I looked that up at a couple sites to see what was consistently done). This will eventually show the last 5 LEAGUE matches.
Watford sends 30k, Kai Henderson (IV/8 Df; 180k)
to Crewe Alexandra FC for Oscar Lewis (IV/9 Gk; 210k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Lewes FC sends 175k
to Brentford FC for Ricardo Costa (V/2 Df; 0k)
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Lewes FC sends 175k
to Plymouth Argyle FC for Sean Garcia (V/3 Mf; 20k)
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Much appreciated!
That is correct at SL2s are worthless, but if you have a youth player who has been partially trained at SL2, they're worth 15k*the number of points towards their next level.
The formula for working out NL sales value is (7-age) x (SL - 2) x 10k. As anything multiplied by zero is zero, I take this to mean that any SL2 player - whatever their age - is valued at zero. Can anyone confirm if this is correct please?
Many thanks in advance.
Weston-super-Mare AFC sends Dominic Hall (III/13 Gk; 440k)
to Leeds United for 340k, Devon Ruby (IV/12 Gk; 300k)
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Bristol City FC sends Ryan Cockayne (APP/5 Gk; 210k)
to Weston-super-Mare AFC for 40k, Rafael Santos (III/9 Fw; 280k)
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Lewes FC sends 199k
to Brentford FC for Billy Gill (V/2 Mf; 0k)
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Dorchester Town sends 200k
to Brentford FC for Luke Murphy (V/2 Fw; 0k)
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Hereford United FC sends 200k
to Bristol City FC for Fred Bailey (V/3 Gk; 20k)
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The following teams receive a bonus for Season 41:
| TEAM | BONUS | BANK TOTAL |
| Brighton & Hove Albion | 945 | 4612 |
| Brentford FC | 585 | 1886 |
| Nottingham Forest | 440 | 2171 |
| Lewes FC | 420 | 2013 |
| Lincoln City FC | 325 | 3794 |
| Southend United | 250 | 3573 |
| Leeds United | 240 | 2743 |
| Dorchester Town | 240 | 1498 |
| Weston-super-Mare AFC | 225 | 1425 |
| Chesterfield FC | 205 | 2051 |
| Plymouth Argyle FC | 185 | 1775 |
| Bristol City FC | 160 | 3460 |
| Preston North End FC | 115 | 3372 |
| Watford | 100 | 1978 |
| Crewe Alexandra FC | 100 | 2053 |
| Cardiff City FC | 95 | 863 |
| Leicester City FC | 90 | 899 |
| Northampton Town FC | 40 | 3390 |
| Swansea City AFC | 30 | 1110 |
| Hereford United FC | 20 | 150 |
| Derby County | 20 | 1547 |
| Dagenham & Redbridge | 20 | 3452 |
| Port Vale FC | 20 | 2125 |
| Carlisle United | 10 | 864 |
| Tranmere Rovers | 5 | 4655 |
| Queens Park Rangers | 5 | 3136 |
| Sheffield United | 0 | 3050 |
| Wycombe Wanderers | 0 | 1307 |
| Coventry City | 0 | 1915 |
| Blyth Spartans AFC | 0 | 2050 |
| Swindon Town FC | 0 | 840 |
| Oldham Athletic AFC | 0 | 1143 |
Bonuses are given for division and tournament finishes along with top division scorer, weekly prediction league winner, and season prediction league winner. See the rules for more details. You can also check your teams page and choose the Team/Player Log tab to see what you earned a bonus for from the prior season.
Early notice that I'll have both a APP GK SL5 and an age V level 2 for sale when the transfer market opens for next season. Drop me a message with an offer if you're interested in either.
Turns out I was only talking dirty
There is a dirty play option?
I don't see anything in the rules about DP carrying over to the next season and I don't believe it does.
Suspensions though do carry over to the next season.
And as a Public Service Announcement...
Leicester and Swindon: any injuries you incur from your Bristol City match will not carry over to next season.
..do DPs earned in the final session carry forward to the next season? Or is it just suspensions?
Brighton & Hove Albion sends 200k, Nathan Quinn (IV/6 Df; 120k)
to Plymouth Argyle FC for Harrison Hunter (IV/7 Mf; 150k)
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Watford sends 200k, Reuben Richardson (II/8 Mf; 300k)
to Southend United for Simon Burton (APP/7 Df; 350k)
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Your commish is temporarily tied tof first in the prediction league. Can all the teams I predicted to win please ensure they try to win? I know some teams (like Lewes) might try to lose just to spite me. But, for this week, I'm supporting BOTH Outlaw Dave AND the I-Man. Get those Ws gentlemen...
Weston-super-Mare AFC sends Saburo Nishimura (I/10 Df; 480k)
to Tranmere Rovers for 800k
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Cheers Al, that makes sense.
Three division one teams and us.
Definitely the group of death for Dorchester.
Hey Roger, you can use all of them. The Forum and Team News allow you to do posts that will get discussions going on topics. Random comments are good for the Blog or Comments Wall.
Chesterfield FC sends 200k
to Oldham Athletic AFC for Zachary Duckworth (V/4 Gk; 40k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
...the Forum and the Blog? And I have I put this question in the right place?
well its good to know you are on a par with Blythe and Coventry at least!
...to OLMEC for posting the bonus amounts and making sure to list the teams that received a bonus of ZERO. Yes, thank you for reminding some of us that, as OLMEC lines the pockets of some peoples, there are others of us that earned ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.
Thank you again. Thanks for NOTHING.
:-)
Similar to our U2 squad, Crewe have a weak squad and will also have to make captures in the early Auctions.
Nottingham Forest sends 400k
to Carlisle United for Oscar Cox (V/2 Df; 0k), Cesar Ibañez (V/2 Fw; 0k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Brighton & Hove Albion sends 200k
to Dorchester Town for Patrick Terry (V/2 Df; 0k)
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Northampton Town FC sends Alex Burgess (V/3 Fw; 20k)
to Weston-super-Mare AFC for 200k
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The following teams receive a bonus for Season 40:
| TEAM | BONUS | BANK TOTAL |
| Lewes FC | 560 | 1975 |
| Tranmere Rovers | 530 | 4176 |
| Queens Park Rangers | 530 | 3095 |
| Southend United | 405 | 2814 |
| Brighton & Hove Albion | 380 | 4190 |
| Weston-super-Mare AFC | 325 | 1854 |
| Cardiff City FC | 275 | 3784 |
| Port Vale FC | 250 | 1421 |
| Northampton Town FC | 240 | 2218 |
| Sheffield United | 210 | 1645 |
| Watford | 175 | 3561 |
| Crewe Alexandra FC | 160 | 3060 |
| Oldham Athletic AFC | 150 | 1745 |
| Plymouth Argyle FC | 110 | 1430 |
| Leicester City FC | 95 | 1649 |
| Brentford FC | 50 | 3198 |
| Nottingham Forest | 30 | 3101 |
| Derby County | 20 | 2381 |
| Dorchester Town | 20 | 1670 |
| Preston North End FC | 15 | 1556 |
| Bristol City FC | 10 | 3271 |
| Carlisle United | 0 | 3150 |
| Coventry City | 0 | 1915 |
| Wycombe Wanderers | 0 | 953 |
| Dagenham & Redbridge | 0 | 3391 |
| Swindon Town FC | 0 | 1511 |
| Blyth Spartans AFC | 0 | 2050 |
| Chesterfield FC | 0 | 1807 |
| Hereford United FC | 0 | 2532 |
| Leeds United | 0 | 2445 |
| Lincoln City FC | 0 | 3477 |
| Swansea City AFC | 0 | 956 |
Bonuses are given for division and tournament finishes along with top division scorer, weekly prediction league winner, and season prediction league winner. See the rules for more details. You can also check your teams page and choose the Team/Player Log tab to see what you earned a bonus for from the prior season.
Lewes FC sends 700k
to Cardiff City FC for Henry Wood (APP/8 Fw; 450k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Be forewarned! Forewards GALORE in this week's auction. I expect a bloodbath!
Watford sends 875k
to Cardiff City FC for Noah MacKenzie (I/11 Df; 540k)
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Cardiff City FC sends Paul Guibert (I/10 Fw; 480k)
to Carlisle United for 750k
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Fixtures
Always assume the commish is trying to pit managers against each other when you perceive any scheduling shenanigans.
Remember, the schedule is always "random"... ????
Predictions
Big start for Cowboy Carl Oakes and Mr. Andy Shaw this week as they are your U1 prediction league pacesetters...well done gentlemen!
Follow the money Vick! Who could benefit from us clashing so much. Here's a hint... he's always trying to pit managers against each other...
Olmec is clearly trying its best to stuff Rob Peterson and me by pitting us against each other in both cups in both MSWL 1 1 and 2. One wonders what the statistics of such an outcome are. It all seems very suspicious!
Weston-super-Mare AFC sends 693k
to Leeds United for Théo Levasseur (II/12 Sw; 500k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Northampton Town FC sends 190k
to Plymouth Argyle FC for Florian Maier (V/5 Fw; 60k)
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Northampton Town FC sends 190k
to Leeds United for Napoleon Ferry (V/4 Gk; 40k)
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Oldham Athletic AFC sends 200k
to Southend United for Nuno Botelho (V/3 Df; 20k)
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Queens Park Rangers sends 400k
to Plymouth Argyle FC for Jose Angel Ramos (V/4 Df; 40k), Dave Williamson (V/2 Fw; 0k)
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Southend United sends Lucas Chaffersey (V/3 Fw; 20k)
to Swindon Town FC for 195k
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Lewes FC sends Alexander Payne (II/12 Df; 500k), Kong Li (IV/12 Gk; 300k)
to Watford for 100k, Gianluca Lombardo (II/13 Df; 550k), Pedro Salas (V/10 Gk; 160k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Carlisle United sends Federico Garcia (V/2 Fw; 0k)
to Bristol City FC for 190k
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One day I will get out of the basement one day!!
Brighton & Hove Albion sends 195k
to Carlisle United for Harvey Williamson (V/2 Fw; 0k)
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Watford sends 190k
to Nottingham Forest for Thomas Smith (V/3 Mf; 20k)
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Crewe Alexandra FC sends 380k
to Nottingham Forest for Tristan Bouchet (V/5 Df; 60k), Jed Begum (V/4 Fw; 40k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Weston-super-Mare AFC sends Stewart Lee (V/4 Df; 40k)
to Watford for 200k
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Dorchester Town sends 200k
to Weston-super-Mare AFC for Isak Hermansson (V/3 Fw; 20k)
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Dorchester Town sends 200k
to Weston-super-Mare AFC for Manuel Pérez (V/4 Fw; 40k)
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The following teams receive a bonus for Season 39:
| TEAM | BONUS | BANK TOTAL |
| Plymouth Argyle FC | 725 | 2437 |
| Brighton & Hove Albion | 535 | 4098 |
| Brentford FC | 435 | 1379 |
| Lincoln City FC | 365 | 3884 |
| Preston North End FC | 330 | 3630 |
| Lewes FC | 280 | 1650 |
| Southend United | 270 | 2837 |
| Port Vale FC | 255 | 807 |
| Queens Park Rangers | 250 | 3000 |
| Chesterfield FC | 245 | 1449 |
| Nottingham Forest | 225 | 2895 |
| Leicester City FC | 220 | 1695 |
| Watford | 215 | 3315 |
| Weston-super-Mare AFC | 190 | 1855 |
| Sheffield United | 140 | 2043 |
| Dagenham & Redbridge | 95 | 3559 |
| Cardiff City FC | 95 | 2837 |
| Leeds United | 90 | 3627 |
| Northampton Town FC | 60 | 3142 |
| Bristol City FC | 55 | 2833 |
| Dorchester Town | 40 | 540 |
| Derby County | 20 | 3517 |
| Hereford United FC | 5 | 597 |
| Tranmere Rovers | 5 | 3695 |
| Wycombe Wanderers | 0 | 2615 |
| Coventry City | 0 | 1915 |
| Blyth Spartans AFC | 0 | 2050 |
| Swindon Town FC | 0 | 1547 |
| Carlisle United | 0 | 2425 |
| Oldham Athletic AFC | 0 | 735 |
| Swansea City AFC | 0 | 602 |
| Crewe Alexandra FC | 0 | 768 |
Bonuses are given for division and tournament finishes along with top division scorer, weekly prediction league winner, and season prediction league winner. See the rules for more details. You can also check your teams page and choose the Team/Player Log tab to see what you earned a bonus for from the prior season.
Yep that's the new Lincoln crest. Actually went to watch them play yesterday and thought I saw C-Ball, but it was just Poacher:
...not so deep...
Again, congratulations to the winners, you know who you are!
I see the 1st Division will be welcoming back Mr. John Holden despite the total lack of respect from Olmec. Good luck John!
Thank you Abe, David, and Outlaw Dave for the praise. Praise and thanks are always appreciated.
Back to Mr. Holden...which crest is that John for the Imps? This one: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/f1/Lincoln_City_FC_logo.svg/1200px-Lincoln_City_FC_logo.svg.png
It is really hard to win this league. Tranmere, Lewes and Preston have a monopoly on this title so nice to see so nice to see Rob win it in a hard fought campaign. As we are now back in division two we will cheer them on next year for back to back wins!
PS: Rob how much do you want for Harley Drinkwater?
Well done Rob.....hats off to Plymouth
If you made teams pay in SL you would have fewer violations...
As my right honorable colleague Mr. Blair pointed out there seems to be a void as to where the taxation money went to.
Please rest assured that it has gone to the Al Has Yourmoney fund...
Thank you!
????
If all else fails, Allan, Mossley are happy to bank the cash you have suddenly found yourself with... :-)
Due to Bank Balances over 3500k these two clubs have been hit with a 10% tax:
- Lincoln City is taxed 364k
- Dag & Red is taxed 369k
I hav on occassion resorted to 10 hardness on Evil Empire Teams. IMPACT-NEGLIBLE. In fact it was worse as the stretchers only caame out for my players!
0 penalties 39.7%
1 penalty 37.6%
2 penalties 16.8%
3 or more 5.9% (near enough to 100 for me)
I believe the chance of giving up a penalty when not playing hard is 5%. So what are the chances of giving up three in 18 games?
If you're "Olmec" Steve it appears to be 100%
Only for Evil Empire teams, Al.
Check out the Evil Empire Team Rosters (Tranmere, Lewes, and Preston). They have basically all their players at FIT 2.
And that's why its so important that you injure their players.
Is it time to make the FIT a max of 1 instead of 2?
It is really two quotes I guess...from the Watford at Lewes FA Cup Quarterfinal (Rooks won 2-nil):
Watford fans have sewn him a headbrace to help aid his recovery. Wait a minute they forgot to embroider in any eye sockets....
Love the whole Vick getting in Dave's business for a match Vick's team isn't in. I love it!
And then Dave pointing out a Weston player his team injured last weekend is a great response.
This is a brewing rivalry and BOTH managers have November 20th circled on their calendar...I've already commented on it!
https://www.olmec.org/mswl-united/match_report.php?schedule_id=72&type=preview
Just thinking that your comment about C-Ball gets you a payment. Good on you - now I should be getting my last payment for this one. I love the participation. :-)
You all (or as some would say "y'all") are doing a great job with all the posts this season. I am enjoying it.
My favorite post of the day (and there were may) was C-Ball in the Lewes - Preston North End matchup:
Well done Mr. C-Ball!
Watford sends 50k, Lincoln Whelan (II/12 Gk; 500k)
to Dagenham & Redbridge for Tomas Molina (II/13 Mf; 550k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Southend United sends 300k
to Cardiff City FC for Nuno Botelho (IV/8 Df; 180k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Brighton & Hove Albion sends 900k
to Cardiff City FC for Noah Albrechtsen (I/11 Fw; 540k)
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Lewes FC sends 250k, Kenny Wood (I/10 Fw; 480k)
to Cardiff City FC for Lucas Lamour (II/13 Fw; 550k)
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Weston-super-Mare AFC sends 1123k
to Cardiff City FC for Jonas Bauer (II/12 Gk; 500k)
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Current V/10 Gk David Docherty for Vick's Weston-super-Mare is closing in on the most match appearances in the illustrious 39 seasons of MSWL U1 football. Can he get in enough matches before he retires to a BRB role?
Watford sends Mehdi Lacaze (IV/7 Mf; 150k)
to Bristol City FC for 50k, Jeff Bennett (V/7 Sw; 100k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Hereford United FC sends 220k
to Leeds United for Lennard Mayer (V/6 Mf; 80k)
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Brentford FC sends 385k
to Dorchester Town for Ellis Ruby (I/8 Mf; 360k)
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Hereford United FC sends 200k
to Dorchester Town for Arthur Evans (V/2 Df; 0k)
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Hereford United FC sends 200k
to Dorchester Town for Lennard Hartmann (V/5 Df; 60k)
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Oldham Athletic AFC sends Oscar Lindberg (V/5 Gk; 60k)
to Hereford United FC for 200k
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Brentford FC sends 205k
to Dorchester Town for Eric Flores (V/5 Gk; 60k)
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Coming off arguably our best season in MWSLU1 History, the Argyles saw their end season bonus total 50% of their bank. That's CRAZY!
Lewes FC sends Zachary Barmby (IV/12 Gk; 300k)
to Bristol City FC for 500k, Emile Harrison (IV/5 Df; 90k)
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Oldham Athletic AFC sends Fernando Cáceres (V/4 Df; 40k)
to Tranmere Rovers for 200k
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Tranmere Rovers sends 1000k
to Southend United for Ashley Coleman (I/10 Gk; 480k)
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Weston-super-Mare AFC sends 380k
to Carlisle United for Burr Halvorsen (V/2 Fw; 0k), Luca Clark (V/2 Fw; 0k)
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Sheffield United sends 200k
to Oldham Athletic AFC for Harold Baldwin (V/4 Mf; 40k)
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Sheffield United sends 200k
to Brighton & Hove Albion for Chung-Hee Lim (V/3 Fw; 20k)
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Swansea City AFC sends 400k
to Oldham Athletic AFC for Jay Trickelbank (V/2 Df; 0k), Greg Hanny (V/2 Df; 0k)
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Brentford FC sends 201k
to Oldham Athletic AFC for David Chen (V/2 Sw; 0k)
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The following teams receive a bonus (Season 38 Financial Bonuses):
BRE (345) BHA (465) BRI (145) CRD (175) CAR (125) CRE (200) DAG (40) DER (20) DOR (145) LEI (190) LEW (525) LIN (240) NOR (45) FOR (220) OLA (140) PLY (850) PV (100) QPR (250) SHU (220) SU (240) SWA (20) TRA (700) WAT (370) WES (75)
Thank you Stewart for compiling this!!
Lewes FC sends 578k, Ignacio Alvarez (V/7 Gk; 100k)
to Derby County for Kong Li (II/13 Gk; 550k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
So this pops up in my email today. I think I sent it to the I-Man a month ago. Glad he's processing those offers quickly. I assume he was just waiting to May the 4th though...
From: Ian Lindsay
Date: Tuesday, May. 4th, 2021 at 2:54 PM
Subject: Rejected Trade
Message:
Automated Notification:
The following trade offer was rejected:
Brentford FC sends 201k
to Preston North End FC for Logan Hayes (V/3 Df; 20k)
Southend United sends William Mitchell (V/7 Gk; 100k)
to Queens Park Rangers for 220k
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
The following teams receive a bonus (Sponsorship, Rules, and Prediction League volunteer work):
BRI (50) CHF (50) WES (50)
Wycombe Wanderers sends 237k
to Swansea City AFC for Jean Pasquier (V/7 Gk; 100k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Leeds United sends Edvin Lundgren (V/4 Mf; 40k)
to Wycombe Wanderers for 200k
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Leeds United sends Luca Watson (IV/4 Sw; 60k)
to Lewes FC for 100k
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Crewe Alexandra FC sends 400k
to Preston North End FC for Robbie Graham (V/4 Fw; 40k), Logan Hayes (V/3 Df; 20k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Plymouth Argyle FC sends Jannick Weber (V/4 Fw; 40k)
to Oldham Athletic AFC for 200k
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Carlisle United sends Stewart Hanny (V/3 Fw; 20k)
to Lewes FC for 200k
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Brentford FC sends 201k
to Carlisle United for Rory Kennedy (V/2 Fw; 0k)
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Lewes FC sends 50k
to Dorchester Town for Carlton Humphreys (IV/2 Df; 0k)
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Tranmere Rovers sends 210k
to Southend United for Fabio Bruno (V/6 Fw; 80k)
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Dorchester Town sends 200k
to Bristol City FC for Robert Edwards (V/6 Df; 80k)
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Watford sends 200k
to Bristol City FC for Luca Whelan (V/5 Mf; 60k)
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Dorchester Town sends 200k
to Brighton & Hove Albion for Joel Charlton (V/4 Sw; 40k)
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Dorchester Town sends 200k
to Southend United for Carleton Jackson (V/5 Fw; 60k)
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Weston-super-Mare AFC sends Euan Alexander (V/3 Mf; 20k)
to Dorchester Town for 180k, Nick Kaiser (III/3 Mf; 40k)
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Season 37 Financial Bonuses:
BRE (183) BHA (400) BRI (208) CRD (500) CHF (100) DAG (168) DER (200) DOR (4) HER (104) LEE (4) LEI (14) LEW (550) LIN (4) FOR (600) OLA (300) PLY (225) PV (398) PNE (100) QPR (150) SU (133) SWA (114) TRA (675) WAT (75) WES (625) WYC (100)
The prize money won by each club for Season 27, in alphabetical order, is given in the table below:
| Club | Prizes | Sponsors | Prediction | Totals |
| Brentford | 150 | 33 | 183 | |
| Brighton | 300 | 100 | 0 | 400 |
| Bristol City | 75 | 125 | 8 | 208 |
| Cardiff | 400 | 100 | 0 | 500 |
| Carlisle | 0 | 0 | ||
| Chesterfield | 100 | 0 | 100 | |
| Crewe | 0 | 0 | ||
| Dagenham & R | 25 | 125 | 18 | 168 |
| Derby | 50 | 150 | 0 | 200 |
| Dorchester | 4 | 4 | ||
| Hereford | 100 | 4 | 104 | |
| Leeds | 4 | 4 | ||
| Leicester | 14 | 14 | ||
| Lewes | 550 | 0 | 550 | |
| Lincoln | 4 | 4 | ||
| Northampton | 0 | 0 | ||
| Nottingham F | 450 | 150 | 0 | 600 |
| Oldham | 200 | 100 | 0 | 300 |
| Plymouth | 225 | 0 | 225 | |
| Port Vale | 250 | 125 | 23 | 398 |
| Preston NE | 100 | 0 | 100 | |
| Queens Park R | 150 | 0 | 150 | |
| Sheffield Utd | 0 | 0 | ||
| Southend | 125 | 8 | 133 | |
| Swansea | 100 | 14 | 114 | |
| Swindon | 0 | 0 | ||
| Tranmere | 675 | 0 | 675 | |
| Watford | 75 | 0 | 75 | |
| Weston -S-M | 500 | 125 | 0 | 625 |
| Wycombe | 100 | 0 | 100 |
Please let me know if you think I have made an error.
The Sponsorship table has now been completed for MSWL1. So you can all see how well you (or not) you did! If anyone thinks they should have got their money but are not liseted as doing so then let me know. Forest just claimed their cash with a final session league shut out against Sheffield so congrats to them. Lewes also secured a third away league shut out against Champions Tranmere. Sadly they needed 4 so it was not quite enough, but an impressive end to the season at least.
Please find a list of each team and how much additional awards money earned this season. This does not include prediction league as I don't know if that's manual or automated. If a team had more than one award it's listed in the parentheses next to their name so you can check my workings, apologies if there's an error
B&H=300
BRC=75
CAR=400 (200 200)
DAG=25
DER=50
LEW=550 (150 400)
NOT=450 (200 250)
OLD=200
PLY=225 (200 25)
PNE=100
PV=250
QPR=150 (75 75)
SWA=100
TRA=675 (500 150 25)
WAT=75
WES=500 (300 200)
Please help out Colin if you are able to as a caretaker...
John: I think you are advocating for the "B1G Ten Basketball" rule of giving the title to the team that had the best winning percentage...well...I went to Illinois, so... And plus, no one ever lets the commish win anything! 
Roy: Thank you. And yes, John and your prediction league results are pretty amazing. Nice work gentlemen.
Guys, as you know I run Sanctuary League and our season has just kicked off but one of the lads has had to pull out for a while. I'm not sure for how long but I suspect he will out for the season. So I am looking a volunteer to caretake his team until his return. As we have just started it would be over the close season here at United but if, as suspected, he won't be back before the end of the season I would be looking for someone to be in a position to caretake until June.
If you can help me out that would be great and you can either message me here or email scootieATe-mile.co.uk
Thanks just for reading this, Colin
Congratulations to Al for winning the league - persistance pays off
Kudos to John though - he will have to have predicted his own Port Vale to win in each round and they haven't had the best season.
Percentage of correct results - this is something that is being done over in SESL (along with not having to predict your own team winning) but it takes a lot of work to run whereas here in MSWL Utd it's simpler - and let's face it -if you've put your orders in it doesn't take long to put a set of predictions in as well.
If we've learned anything from COVID, it's that you have to do prediction league winners based on percentage or points per game and not overall wins!
I feel like Phil is complimenting me, but in a backhanded slap across the face way! 
And its not just the talented Mr. Holden right behind us. It is also Mr. Rolsten who also decided to give us a free session's head start.
We don't normally win anything in United, so it will likely be a race between John, Roy, Stewart, Vick, Jeff, and Hazel.
Flash Poll...do you like Suited Phil or Cowboy Phil?
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Excellent Prediction League battle going on as we wrap us this season. Al Sellers has a slim lead over John Holden, as seven manager are within two points of the top spot. Interesting that Mr. Holden sat out a session but still is pressing Al for the title...
Phil
You can never have too many keepers.
I make it a 0.11% chance of that happening - pretty high for me.
Over in SESL I did once get a shot whilst stalling. The shot chance said 0% but my OFF was a smidge more than Colin's DUM's GP. Turned out to be a 1 in 10,000 chance. Just a pity we didn't score.
Has there ever been a season where there haven't been any keepers in the Auctions?
We didn't get a single one in the 8 auctions this season.
With 8 players available in each one that's 64 players with a 10% chance each of being a keeper
Last season there were 3.
Leeds United sends 200k
to Oldham Athletic AFC for Paul Werner (V/7 Gk; 100k)
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Watford sends Ryan McAdam (APP/5 Gk; 240k), Bradley Miller (II/8 Fw; 300k)
to Swindon Town FC for Giovanni Marino (I/6 Gk; 240k), Hayden Davies (APP/5 Fw; 210k)
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Port Vale FC sends Paul East (II/12 Sw; 500k)
to Hereford United FC for 135k, Edvin Nyberg (I/9 Sw; 420k)
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Watford sends 1200k, Bruno Ramírez (IV/11 Gk; 270k)
to Bristol City FC for Pedro Salas (II/13 Gk; 550k)
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Southend United sends 200k
to Plymouth Argyle FC for Roger Nicholson (V/2 Sw; 0k)
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Brentford FC sends 190k
to Dagenham & Redbridge for Samuel Britt (V/2 Fw; 0k)
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Port Vale FC sends 804k
to Derby County for Reece Milner (I/10 Df; 480k)
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Watford sends Mats François (V/4 Df; 40k)
to Swindon Town FC for 200k
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Port Vale FC sends 200k
to Carlisle United for John Fletcher (V/2 Df; 0k)
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Leeds United sends 700k
to Port Vale FC for Ben Atkinson (APP/5 Fw; 225k)
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Brentford FC sends 201k
to Carlisle United for Tom Ball (V/2 Fw; 0k)
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Brentford FC sends 202k
to Weston-super-Mare AFC for João Valente (V/4 Df; 40k)
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Brentford FC sends 202k
to Oldham Athletic AFC for Joe Miller (V/5 Df; 60k)
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Lewes FC sends Denis Marshall (V/2 Fw; 0k)
to Leeds United for 150k, Gustavo Carvalho (IV/2 Mf; 0k)
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The following teams receive a bonus (Season 36 Financial Bonuses):
BRE (170) BHA (95) BRI (225) CAR (125) CHF (250) CRE (175) DAG (210) HER (175) LEE (175) LEI (125) LEW (675) LIN (65) NOR (170) FOR (620) PV (175) PNE (115) QPR (400) SHU (250) SU (345) SWA (40) TRA (300) WAT (225) WES (1010) WYC (100)
Thank you Ellis for compiling all of this!!
Southend United sends 250k
to Oldham Athletic AFC for Jake Daly (IV/7 Fw; 150k)
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Derby County sends Alfonso Villalobos (I/10 Mf; 480k)
to Swindon Town FC for 800k
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Lewes FC sends 650k, Domingo Torres (IV/12 Gk; 300k)
to Derby County for Zachary Barmby (I/14 Gk; 720k)
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Wycombe Wanderers sends Diego Azevedo (APP/4 Sw; 170k)
to Watford for 225k
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Watford sends 140k, Ian Byrne (IV/8 Df; 180k)
to Bristol City FC for Ellis McAdam (IV/11 Sw; 270k)
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Sheffield United sends Jack Brennan (V/2 Fw; 0k)
to Wycombe Wanderers for 200k
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Plymouth Argyle FC sends Aidan Barry (V/2 Df; 0k)
to Hereford United FC for 200k
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Derby County sends 595k
to Port Vale FC for Emilio Testa (APP/5 Df; 240k)
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Weston-super-Mare AFC sends 270k
to Leeds United for Bailey Begum (IV/9 Mf; 210k)
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Carlisle United sends Reis Bar (V/2 Df; 0k), Craig McDonald (V/2 Fw; 0k), Jonathan Black (V/2 Mf; 0k)
to Wycombe Wanderers for 500k
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Derby County sends 177k
to Preston North End FC for Sean Davis (V/4 Df; 40k)
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Watford sends 200k
to Oldham Athletic AFC for Zak Lorimar (V/3 Fw; 20k)
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Brentford FC sends 176k
to Bristol City FC for Lennon McMillan (V/2 Mf; 0k)
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Brentford FC sends 176k
to Bristol City FC for Lennard Fischer (V/2 Fw; 0k)
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Brentford FC sends 176k
to Bristol City FC for Arthur Johnson (V/2 Fw; 0k)
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Please click Sponsors for more info. Deadline is September 12.
Brentford FC sends 531k
to Lewes FC for Arthur Gil (APP/5 Gk; 225k)
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The following teams receive a bonus (Season 35 Financial Bonuses):
BRE (360) BHA (457) BRI (223) CRD (50) CAR (387) CHF (23) COV (25) DAG (123) DER (23) LEE (84) LEI (322) LEW (469) LIN (99) NOR (390) FOR (405) OLA (40) PLY (319) PV (47) PNE (403) QPR (87) SHU (78) SU (744) SWA (23) TRA (696) WAT (625) WES (742) WYC (100)
Dag & Red loses 362 for a balance over 3500 (3621).
Southend United sends 125k, Finn Dunn (IV/6 Gk; 120k)
to Brentford FC for Jonas Jensen (APP/5 Mf; 225k)
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Just noticing that the PL for this week that I posted Sunday night are not showing up on the site. Probably user error, but I will get that re-posted during lunch. Sorry for the delay!
Phil
Funny you should say that, because your photo is a dead ringer for a local lawyer!
Is Phil a corporate lawyer or an estate agent? Whichever he looks smart I will give him that ????
Expect MSWL UNITED 1 Prediction League selections to go up in about 8 hours following this post. I try to hit these on Saturday or early Sunday, but Micki had a softball tournament yesterday and there's some household chores to tackly this afternoon and evening. I appreciate your patience!
Head To Head Meetings
• Crewe Alexandra FC and Chesterfield FC have met 32 times with 1 of those occurring in the AP Cup.
• Chesterfield FC have won 20, lost 3 and drawn 9 of 32 matches against Crewe Alexandra FC.
• Crewe Alexandra FC has a 22 game winless streak in this fixture, having lost their last 5 in a row.
Does Bill have the lads ready to end the streak today?
Watford sends 440k
to Weston-super-Mare AFC for George Durman (II/10 Fw; 400k)
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While Vick's right the auction doesn't look that great, it's 109th out of the 273 auctions in Olmec history in average auction price by minimum bid.
The worst of all time, Season 13 Auction 8, also had the second-lowest amount of money spent on it:
| Yr | A | Bid | PL | Sk | Pos | Name | Nat | Club | Min | Bid |
| 13 | 8 | 1 | 1 I | 10 | Gk | Bryan Parsons | ENG | Weston-super-Mare AFC | 480 | 552 |
| 13 | 8 | 2 | 1 I | 8 | Df | Tony Hawkins | ENG | Leicester City FC | 360 | 362 |
| 13 | 8 | 3 | 3 III | 10 | Df | Mark Compton | USA | Brighton & Hove Albion | 320 | 351 |
| 13 | 8 | 4 | 4 IV | 11 | Df | Wayne Hammond | ENG | Crewe Alexandra FC | 270 | 421 |
| 13 | 8 | 5 | 4 IV | 10 | Sw | Alberto Ricci | ITA | Dagenham & Redbridge | 240 | 250 |
| 13 | 8 | 6 | 4 IV | 9 | Fw | Ross McKenzie | SCO | Brentford FC | 210 | 217 |
| 13 | 8 | 7 | 0 APP | 5 | Mf | John Wilkinson | ENG | Hereford United FC | 210 | 237 |
| 13 | 8 | 8 | 0 APP | 4 | Fw | Juan Marin | ESP | Lewes FC | 140 | 141 |
Season 18 auction 7 takes the cake as the auction with the lowest amount of money spent though, as three of the five players went for the minimum bid and the other two went for two dollars over the minimum bid - a record which will be very hard to beat!
This sessions auction does not look particulary mouth watering. Three under par age 1 players who will not be setting th world alight are little more than two season CP fodder buys, whilst the apprentice is a renowned delinquent who missed his training sessions as a schoolboy after being detained for drink driving in his bubble car. The age 3 FW has some potential but is likely to be a one season wonder, whilst the level 12 midfielder is maybe the one player worth paying a little over the odds for. Even then he is perhaps no more than an average journeyman. A Nicky Butt/Sammy Lee type of player. Manager Hall has confirmed his team won't be making any bids for this dross. QPR and PNE will be particularly dissappointed not to have anyone to spend their giant warchests on.
No, it wasn't just you Paul, I saw an anomaly too. I believe I have corrected it back to the proper matches for selection/review.
Al
Is there a problem with the Prediction League or is it just me?
Brentford FC sends 203k
to Carlisle United for Harley Morrissey (V/3 Fw; 20k)
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Brentford FC sends 191k
to Crewe Alexandra FC for Tim Baumann (V/3 Sw; 20k)
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Oldham Athletic AFC sends Riley Holland (V/4 Gk; 40k)
to Brentford FC for 200k
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Lewes FC sends 185k
to Crewe Alexandra FC for Ignacio Gomez (V/3 Df; 20k)
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Oldham Athletic AFC sends Thomas Veart (V/4 Df; 40k)
to Leeds United for 200k
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Wycombe Wanderers sends 325k
to Dagenham & Redbridge for Nico König (V/2 Df; 0k), Fernando Vazquez (V/2 Df; 0k)
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Port Vale FC sends 205k
to Dagenham & Redbridge for Joe Santiago (V/2 Fw; 0k)
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Oldham Athletic AFC sends Reece Curtis (V/3 Mf; 20k)
to Sheffield United for 200k
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Nottingham Forest sends 400k
to Watford for Owen O'Brien (V/3 Mf; 20k), Joe Lennon (V/4 Fw; 40k)
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Oldham Athletic AFC sends Harvey Charlton (V/2 Df; 0k)
to Northampton Town FC for 200k
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Lewes FC sends Aaron Coppell (V/3 Gk; 20k)
to Northampton Town FC for 100k, Jamie Jackson (IV/6 Fw; 120k)
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The following teams receive a bonus (Season 34 Financial Bonuses):
BRE (83) BRI (12) CHF (325) DAG (108) DER (4) HER (150) LEE (75) LEI (47) LEW (754) LIN (56) NOR (104) FOR (422) PLY (75) PNE (300) QPR (150) SHU (200) SU (262) SWA (200) TRA (400) WAT (204) WES (295)
Taxation from session 8
Dorchester at 3955. Taxed 396.
QPR 4410. Taxed 441.
Tranmere 4588. Taxed 918.
Nice tribute by Dave Dohm.
Rest in peace Dave Dowson. We'll remember you.
I am trully saddened to hear of Dave's passing. Dave was a great player in the league and showed enthusiasm for the MSWL and other football leagues. At one point he tried to recruit me into some other leagues, but I declined due to time constraints. When I first joined the MSWL I quickly employed the hardness strategy that Dave thouroghly enjoyed using. It was soon after that I was compared to "Dr. Death" and it was fun to try and challenge Dave for the hoodlum award in those early years. I quickly learned that it was hard (pun intended) to win consistently playing that style, but it was fun. I am all for naming the "hoodlum" award after Dave Dowson.
My thoughts and prayers are with Dave's family. I know he will look down on the MSWL this weekend and smile the next time someone gripes about the hardness strategy being deployed against them.
Be safe everyone!
Northampton Town FC sends 400k, Reuben Carroll (III/10 Mf; 320k)
to Oldham Athletic AFC for Curtis Cunningham (APP/9 Mf; 490k)
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Lewes FC sends Brandon Brady (APP/7 Df; 350k)
to Leicester City FC for 475k
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Last session was a bit of a struggle for the side and saw some mised fortunes. The worst of it being knocked out of the FA cup by Lewes. Games against members of the unholy trinity are never easy and Lewes in particular can never be underestimated. Lewes have a formidable Sweeper/Keeper formation and with keeper Torres ramped up to 23, getting anything past him was not going to be easy, even with a bountiful 52 attacks. Our own aged keeper was slightly easier to score against alas. Still the team came back from this demoralising setback to knock Sheffield United out of the running for the Alan Parr Cup. The cup efforts also weakend our sides put out in the league games and one point from two games firmly establises us for mid table obscurity again, especially with two hard away games coming up. On the positive side young Docherty's performances in goal seem to be improving since his move from Lewes and he looks set to become a star performer in years to come.
Lewes FC sends David Docherty (APP/6 Gk; 280k)
to Weston-super-Mare AFC for 120k, Paul Compton (III/6 Df; 160k)
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| COACH | W | L |
| Allan Sellers | 7 | 3 |
| Vick Hall | 7 | 3 |
| Simon Compton | 6 | 4 |
| Ian Lindsay | 6 | 4 |
| Abe Hamdali | 6 | 4 |
| Mike Cabral | 5 | 5 |
| James Tucker | 5 | 5 |
| Dave Dohm | 5 | 5 |
| Steve Turner | 4 | 6 |
| Jeff Hawker | 4 | 6 |
| Graham Wilkes | 4 | 6 |
| Hazel Hawker | 4 | 6 |
| Roy Rolsten | 4 | 6 |
| Dave Dowson | 3 | 7 |
Hereford United FC sends 180k
to Brentford FC for Kieran Lloyd (V/3 Fw; 20k)
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Lewes FC sends 700k, Kapolcs Simon (IV/12 Gk; 300k)
to Leicester City FC for Domingo Torres (II/13 Gk; 550k)
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Selection of Cup matches for your delictation Gentlemen
Game on
Leeds United sends Aaron Mitchell (V/2 Fw; 0k)
to Wycombe Wanderers for 200k
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Derby County sends Logan Jackson (APP/5 Fw; 210k)
to Leeds United for 650k
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Watford sends 190k
to Carlisle United for Noah Carroll (V/3 Fw; 20k)
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Wycombe Wanderers sends 175k
to Southend United for Edward Johnson (V/3 Fw; 20k)
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Wycombe Wanderers sends 437k, Reece Charlton (APP/5 Df; 210k)
to Leeds United for Marvin Krüger (I/10 Sw; 480k), Kian Hamilton (V/3 Df; 20k), Tony Begum (V/3 Df; 20k)
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Watford sends 390k
to Weston-super-Mare AFC for Patrick Porter (V/3 Df; 20k), Jake Shrimpton (V/7 Fw; 100k)
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Southend United sends Finlay Neville (V/3 Fw; 20k)
to Swansea City AFC for 200k
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Southend United sends Filippo Costa (V/2 Fw; 0k)
to Swansea City AFC for 200k
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We have 3 Ready BRB's for sale. Don't start the season without your full compliment of Backroom Stakk it will be very detrimental to your teams fortunes this season! Several Teams need to bring in some BRB's so check your trade page or send me a trade deal for 1,2 or 3 BRB's ASAP
Don miss the bus on this deal!
Going.....Going........
The following teams receive a bonus (Season 33 Financial Bonuses):
BRE (500) BRI (154) CHF (54) CRE (200) HER (23) LEE (448) LEW (929) LIN (41) FOR (154) PLY (125) PNE (8) QPR (250) SU (29) SWA (100) TRA (300) WAT (350) WES (525)
Thank you Steve for documenting the financials!!
League - Lewes (Crocodile Tears wins ANOTHER league crown) get #11
FA Cup - Lewes gets FA Cup # 7
FA Shield - Brentford gets their first title in 30 (THIRTY!) seasons. And I thought this was the "Mostly Sellers Wins League"... 
AP Cup - Weston wins #4
Youth Cup - Leeds gets their first title.
Congratulations to the winners.
It's for golden boot not team total.
Sorry Alon
Hi Steve
Thanks for all the work .
I think I found a tiny mistake.
Even thoiugh Lewes has the best Goal difference the award for most goals scored should go to Tranmere who scored 33 as opposed to Lewes 32.
so 25K from Lewes to Tranmere if I am correct?
Totals
LEW 929
TRA 300
WAT 350
BRE 500
LEE 448
PLY 125
CRE 200
SWA 100
CHF 54
QPR 250
WES 525
BRI 154
FOR 154
SU 29
LIN 41
HER 23
PNE 8
(I've given 15 for 2nd and 3rd= in prediction league above)
Div 1 LEW 500 TRA 300 WAT 150
Div 2 BRE 300 LEE 200 PLY 100
Div 3 CRE 200 SWA 100 CHF 50
FA Cup LEW 400 QPR 250 WAT 200 WES 200
AP Cup WES 250 BRI 150 LEE 75 FOR 75
FA Shield BRE 200 FOR 75
Youth Cup LEE 150 WES 75
Leading scorers LEW PLY SU 25 each
Prediction LEW 4 LIN 16+25 LEE 8+15 (13) HER 8+15 (13) SU 4 CHF 4 FOR 4 BRI 4 PNE 8
Weston-super-Mare AFC sends Itzhak Chen (I/10 Df; 480k)
to Southend United for 650k
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| TABLE | AFTER | 6 RNDS |
| COACH | W | L |
| Ellis Simpson | 36 | 24 |
| David Blair | 35 | 25 |
| Mike Cabral | 35 | 25 |
| Allan Sellers | 34 | 26 |
| Abe Hamdali | 33 | 17 |
| Vick Hall | 32 | 28 |
| Dave Dowson | 31 | 29 |
| Phil McIntosh | 30 | 30 |
| Jeff Hawker | 29 | 31 |
| Hazel Hawker | 29 | 31 |
| Dave Dohm | 27 | 13 |
| Ian Lindsay | 19 | 21 |
| Simon Compton | 18 | 22 |
| Steve Turner | 17 | 23 |
| Roy Rolsten | 17 | 23 |
| Graham Wilkes | 12 | 18 |
| COACH | W | L |
|---|---|---|
| Abe Hamdali | 33 | 17 |
| Mike Cabral | 32 | 18 |
| Ellis Simpson | 32 | 18 |
| Allan Sellers | 31 | 19 |
| David Blair | 29 | 21 |
| Jeff Hawker | 28 | 22 |
| Dave Dohm | 27 | 13 |
| Dave Dowson | 27 | 23 |
| Hazel Hawker | 27 | 23 |
| Vick Hall | 27 | 23 |
| Phil McIntosh | 25 | 25 |
| Simon Compton | 18 | 22 |
| Steve Turner | 17 | 23 |
| Ian Lindsay | 15 | 15 |
| Roy Rolsten | 15 | 15 |
| Graham Wilkes | 12 | 18 |
| TABLE | AFTER | 4 ROUNDS |
|---|---|---|
| COACH | W | L |
| Abe Hamdali | 28 | 12 |
| Mike Cabral | 27 | 13 |
| Dave Dohm | 27 | 13 |
| Allan Sellers | 26 | 14 |
| Ellis Simpson | 26 | 14 |
| David Blair | 24 | 16 |
| Jeff Hawker | 24 | 16 |
| Vick Hall | 23 | 17 |
| Dave Dowson | 22 | 18 |
| Hazel Hawker | 22 | 18 |
| Phil McIntosh | 21 | 19 |
| Simon Compton | 18 | 22 |
| Steve Turner | 13 | 17 |
| Ian Lindsay | 12 | 8 |
| Roy Rolsten | 12 | 8 |
| Graham Wilkes | 9 | 11 |
| TABLE | AFTER | 3 ROUNDS |
|---|---|---|
| COACH | W | L |
| Abe Hamdali | 23 | 7 |
| Allan Sellers | 21 | 9 |
| Mike Cabral | 21 | 9 |
| Dave Dohm | 21 | 9 |
| Ellis Simpson | 20 | 10 |
| Jeff Hawker | 19 | 11 |
| David Blair | 18 | 12 |
| Hazel Hawker | 17 | 13 |
| Vick Hall | 17 | 13 |
| Dave Dowson | 15 | 15 |
| Phil McIntosh | 14 | 16 |
| Simon Compton | 13 | 17 |
| Steve Turner | 7 | 13 |
| Roy Rolsten | 6 | 4 |
| Graham Wilkes | 5 | 5 |
| Ian Lindsay | 4 | 6 |
|
AFTER 2 ROUNDS COACH |
W | L |
|---|---|---|
| Mike Cabral | 16 | 4 |
| Dave Dohm | 16 | 4 |
| Allan Sellers | 14 | 6 |
| Abe Hamdali | 14 | 6 |
| Jeff Hawker | 13 | 7 |
| Ellis Simpson | 13 | 7 |
| Vick Hall | 12 | 8 |
| David Blair | 11 | 9 |
| Hazel Hawker | 11 | 9 |
| Phil McIntosh | 10 | 10 |
| Dave Dowson | 9 | 11 |
| Simon Compton | 9 | 11 |
| Steve Turner | 7 | 13 |
| Graham Wilkes | 5 | 5 |
| Ian Lindsay | 4 | 6 |
Brentford FC sends 201k
to Cardiff City FC for Ahmed Akhrif (V/2 Fw; 0k)
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Hereford United FC sends 200k
to Dagenham & Redbridge for Bailey Ruddle (V/2 Fw; 0k)
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Wycombe Wanderers sends 300k
to Dagenham & Redbridge for Harvey Bishop (V/7 Mf; 100k), James Thompson (V/2 Mf; 0k)
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Hereford United FC sends 195k
to Carlisle United for Filippo Negri (V/2 Fw; 0k)
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Watford sends 2k
to Hereford United FC for 280k
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Watford sends 140k, John MacDonald (V/7 Sw; 100k)
to Hereford United FC for Thomás Futre (IV/6 Mf; 120k)
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Leicester City FC sends
to Watford for 200k, Fionn Quinn (V/5 Fw; 60k)
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Hereford United FC sends 200k
to Dagenham & Redbridge for Benjamin Rowbotham (V/2 Df; 0k)
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Northampton Town FC sends 200k
to Lincoln City FC for Abe Austin (V/7 Fw; 100k)
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Plymouth Argyle FC sends Jakob Halvorsen (V/2 Fw; 0k)
to Northampton Town FC for 200k
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Oldham Athletic AFC sends Greg Pastor (V/6 Mf; 80k)
to Northampton Town FC for 200k
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Leeds United sends 380k
to Oldham Athletic AFC for Tomer Ayalon (V/5 Mf; 60k), Carl Henriksson (V/2 Fw; 0k)
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Leeds United sends 185k
to Crewe Alexandra FC for Victor Jensen (V/6 Fw; 80k)
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Brentford FC sends 202k
to Carlisle United for Kyle Bruce (V/2 Fw; 0k)
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Brentford FC sends 201k
to Carlisle United for Gregg Birks (V/2 Df; 0k)
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Brentford FC sends 189k
to Crewe Alexandra FC for Felix Falk (V/5 Df; 60k)
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Brentford FC sends 211k
to Nottingham Forest for Mason Mitchell (V/3 Mf; 20k)
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Swansea City AFC sends 400k
to Oldham Athletic AFC for Thomas Murray (V/6 Df; 80k), Logan Martin (V/2 Mf; 0k)
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The following teams receive a bonus (Season 32 Financial Bonuses):
BRE (35) BHA (12) BRI (155) CAR (112) HER (106) LEE (63) LEI (104) LEW (592) LIN (79) NOR (670) FOR (104) OLA (204) PLY (310) PV (200) PNE (504) QPR (206) SHU (50) SU (9) SWA (29) TRA (253) WAT (665) WES (58)
Northampton Town FC sends 550k
to Weston-super-Mare AFC for Gerry Ellis (I/10 Fw; 480k)
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Brentford FC sends 350k
to Weston-super-Mare AFC for Fernando Lebre (II/8 Df; 300k)
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As in MSWL2, I'm inaugurating a new cup competition. It's called the Olmec Cup. You win it by being knocked out of any other cup competition, and by suffering a worse reversal - against the odds - than any other team.
I'll start things off.
AP Cup. Carlisle United v Bristol City.
Both teams use 0 hardness. No penalties, so 0-0.
Carlisle generate 1 attack against a GK/SW pairing of 14/13. They score! So, 1-0.
Bristol generate 17 attacks against a GK/SW pairing of 12/12. The SW stops 11 attacks. 0 are off target. The GK saves 6. So, 1-0.
Carlisle go to 7 points in the AP Cup table. Bristol stick on 3 and go out of the AP Cup thanks to Olmec. (A win for Bristol would have reversed those fates.)
Can anyone do 'better'?
|
COACH |
W | L |
|---|---|---|
| Tim Batth | 5 | 5 |
| Dave Dohm | 5 | 5 |
| Ellis Simpson | 4 | 6 |
| Abe Hamdali | 4 | 6 |
| Roy Rolsten | 4 | 6 |
| Allan Sellers | 4 | 6 |
| Ian Lindsay | 4 | 6 |
| Simon Compton | 4 | 6 |
| Mike Cabral | 4 | 6 |
| David Blair | 4 | 6 |
| Vick Hall | 3 | 7 |
| James Tucker | 2 | 8 |
| Paul Cockayne | 2 | 8 |
| Hazel Hawker | 2 | 8 |
| Dave Dowson | 2 | 8 |
| Jeff Hawker | 2 | 8 |
Queens Park Rangers sends 444k
to Carlisle United for Mason Carter (V/2 Fw; 0k), Paul Bunyan (V/2 Mf; 0k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Bristol City FC sends Harley Bentinck (V/3 Fw; 20k)
to Leicester City FC for 200k
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Brentford FC sends 227k
to Carlisle United for Nigel Nicholson (V/2 Fw; 0k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Derby County sends Barry Barry (I/9 Gk; 420k)
to Leeds United for 358k, Clifton Hart (IV/4 Fw; 60k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Southend United sends Simon Forsberg (V/3 Fw; 20k)
to Oldham Athletic AFC for 200k
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Plymouth Argyle FC sends Ben Kahn (V/2 Df; 0k), John Wilson (V/2 Fw; 0k)
to Nottingham Forest for 480k
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Lewes FC sends 1100k, Eduardo Parra (V/11 Gk; 180k)
to Hereford United FC for Kapolcs Simon (II/13 Gk; 550k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Leeds United sends 30k, Finlay Heskey (APP/5 Gk; 210k)
to Wycombe Wanderers for James Roberts (APP/5 Df; 240k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
The following teams receive a bonus (Season 31 Financial Bonuses):
BRE (355) BHA (61) BRI (104) CAR (73) DAG (28) DER (23) DOR (3) HER (304) LEE (146) LEI (33) LEW (246) LIN (391) NOR (229) FOR (138) PLY (26) PV (6) PNE (310) SHU (5) SU (496) SWA (85) TRA (662) WAT (626) WES (697)
| COACH | W | L |
|---|---|---|
| Abe Hamdali | 49 | 31 |
| Allan Sellers | 48 | 32 |
| Jeff Hawker | 48 | 32 |
| Mike Cabral | 47 | 33 |
| Roy Rolsten | 47 | 33 |
| Vick Hall | 46 | 34 |
| Paul Cockayne | 46 | 34 |
| Dave Dowson | 41 | 29 |
| Dave Dohm | 41 | 29 |
| Hazel Hawker | 39 | 21 |
| Ellis Simpson | 39 | 41 |
| Ian Lindsay | 36 | 44 |
| Mike Parnaby | 34 | 46 |
| James Tucker | 33 | 27 |
| Tim Batth | 33 | 47 |
| Steve Turner | 24 | 16 |
| Simon Compton | 19 | 31 |
Prediction League Table After 7 Rounds
| COACH | W | L |
|---|---|---|
| Abe Hamdali | 44 | 26 |
| Jeff Hawker | 43 | 27 |
| Allan Sellers | 42 | 28 |
| Mike Cabral | 42 | 28 |
| Paul Cockayne | 41 | 29 |
| Roy Rolsten | 41 | 29 |
| Vick Hall | 40 | 30 |
| Dave Dohm | 37 | 23 |
| Dave Dowson | 36 | 24 |
| Ellis Simpson | 36 | 34 |
| Hazel Hawker | 33 | 17 |
| Ian Lindsay | 33 | 37 |
| James Tucker | 28 | 22 |
| Mike Parnaby | 28 | 42 |
| Tim Batth | 28 | 42 |
| Steve Turner | 19 | 11 |
| Simon Compton | 15 | 25 |
CONGRATULATIONS MR JEFF HAWKER FOR CORRECTLY PREDICTIMG ALL 10 OF TODAYS MATCHES
AWESOME!
| COACH | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mike Cabral | 4 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 8 | - | - | - | - | 38 |
| Abe Hamdali | 4 | 7 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 6 | - | - | - | - | 38 |
| Allan Sellers | 5 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 4 | - | - | - | - | 37 |
| Jeff Hawker | 5 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 10 | - | - | - | - | 37 |
| Dave Dohm | 5 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 3 | - | - | - | - | 37 |
| Roy Rolsten | 3 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 6 | - | - | - | - | 36 |
| Paul Cockayne | 4 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 8 | - | - | - | - | 36 |
| Vick Hall | 4 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 6 | - | - | - | - | 35 |
| Hazel Hawker | - | 5 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 9 | - | - | - | - | 33 |
| Ellis Simpson | 4 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 6 | - | - | - | - | 32 |
| Ian Lindsay | 5 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 5 | 3 | - | - | - | - | 30 |
| Dave Dowson | 5 | 5 | - | 6 | 5 | 7 | - | - | - | - | 28 |
| Tim Batth | 3 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 3 | - | - | - | - | 25 |
| Mike Parnaby | 2 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 6 | - | - | - | - | 24 |
| James Tucker | 5 | 5 | - | - | 6 | 7 | - | - | - | - | 23 |
| Steve Turner | - | 7 | - | - | 7 | - | - | - | - | - | 14 |
| Simon Compton | 5 | - | - | 5 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | 13 |
The base table, which I think may be the most accurate record of which teams Olmec loves, likes and hates is based on additional points won and lost on what should have happened in each game. The adjusted version of the table adds and subtracts a few additional points, based on injuries, penalties, red cards, home cup draws and drawing non-league teams.
It's interesting to note that the 3 teams with the best T11 are in the bottom 7 of the Olmec table. So clearly Olmec is not fond of teams that are just too good!
| Chesterfield | 8 | 5 |
| Cardiff | 5 | 8 |
| Watford | 5 | 8 |
| Leeds | 5 | 7 |
| Lincoln | 4 | 3 |
| Northampton | 3 | 6 |
| Southend | 2 | 7 |
| Hereford | 2 | 4 |
| Brentford | 2 | 2 |
| Brighton | 2 | 2 |
| Plymouth | 1 | 2 |
| QPR | 0 | 5 |
| Dagenham | 0 | 4 |
| Weston S Mare | 0 | 2 |
| Bristol | 0 | 0 |
| Wycombe | 0 | 0 |
| Notts Forest | 0 | -1 |
| PNE | 0 | -1 |
| Crewe | 0 | -2 |
| Port Vale | 0 | -2 |
| Carlisle | -2 | 0 |
| Swindon | -2 | 0 |
| Derby | -2 | -3 |
| Lewes | -2 | -3 |
| Oldham | -3 | -1 |
| Dorchester | -4 | -2 |
| Swansea | -5 | -2 |
| Leicester | -5 | -6 |
| Tranmere | -6 | -1 |
| Sheffield | -8 | -4 |
Bristol City FC sends Noah Godart (IV/9 Gk; 210k)
to Watford for 285k
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Oldham Athletic AFC sends Ethan Chambers (V/5 Gk; 60k)
to Chesterfield FC for 200k
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Dorchester Town sends 190k
to Dagenham & Redbridge for Charles Harper (V/2 Fw; 0k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Thinking caps on guys
Its Prediction time again ....
Brentford FC sends 240k
to Northampton Town FC for Joaquin Báez (IV/9 Sw; 210k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Queens Park Rangers sends 370k
to Dagenham & Redbridge for Vicente Castillo (V/2 Df; 0k), Louis Oliver (V/2 Mf; 0k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Leeds United sends 360k
to Oldham Athletic AFC for Douglass Ford (V/3 Df; 20k), Carlton Bailey (V/2 Mf; 0k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Swindon Town FC sends 180k
to Swansea City AFC for Tommaso Bruno (V/2 Fw; 0k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Tranmere Rovers sends 350k
to Nottingham Forest for Michael Stretch (V/4 Gk; 40k), Joseph Smalls (V/5 Sw; 60k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Swindon Town FC sends 200k
to Weston-super-Mare AFC for Harley Stephenson (V/3 Df; 20k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Weston-super-Mare AFC sends Rodrigo Alves (V/2 Fw; 0k)
to Swindon Town FC for 200k
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
The following teams receive a bonus (Season 30 Financial Bonuses):
BRE (25) CRD (200) CHF (200) DAG (10) DER (50) LEE (15) LEI (25) LEW (900) LIN (100) FOR (200) PV (400) PNE (375) QPR (75) SHU (100) SWA (200) TRA (500) WAT (325) WES (475)
Thank you Ellis for putting in the finances!
Al
Here is my attempt. I am not sure about bonuses for contributions (postings etc). Are they awarded throughout the season?
MSWL 1 Financials
LEAGUE
Lewes - 500
Tranmere - 300
Preston North End 150
Port Vale - 300
Nottingham Forest - 200
Lincoln City - 100
Chesterfield - 200
Sheffield Utd - 100
Derby County -50
FA CUP
Lewes - 400
Weston-super-mare - 250
Swansea - 200
Preston North End - 200
AP CUP
Watford - 250
Weston-super-Mare - 150
Port Vale - 75
Queens Park Rangers - 75
FA SHIELD
Cardiff - 200
Watford - 75
YOUTH CUP
Tranmere - 200
Weston-super-Mare - 75
LEADING SCORER
Preston North End - 25
Port Vale - 25
Leicester - 25
PREDICTIONS
Brentford - 25
Leeds - 15
Dagenham & Redbridge - 10
TOTALS
Brentford - 25
Cardiff - 200
Chesterfield - 200
Dagenham & Redbridge - 10
Derby County -50
Leeds - 15
Leicester - 25
Lewes - 900
Lincoln City - 100
Nottingham Forest - 200
Port Vale - 400
Preston North End - 375
Queens Park Rangers - 75
Sheffield Utd - 100
Swansea - 200
Tranmere - 500
Watford - 325
Weston-super-Mare - 475
I thought it might be interesting to have a little look at the amount of gpp's that were played against other teams in the top flight and then relate the amount used for and against to the actual league position. This is just one factor of many but it's interesting to compare how teams actually did in relation to gpp's used in the league.
| Leaugue Position | Gpp's For | GPP's Against | Effect | League Position based on GPP Effect |
| Lewes | 11 | 15 | 0.73 | 5th |
| Tranmere | 2 | 12 | 0.17 | 8th |
| PNE | 4 | 9 | 0.44 | 6th |
| Cardiff | 2 | 8 | 0.25 | 7th |
| Carlisle | 15 | 7 | 2.14 | 3rd |
| Dorchester | 23 | 4 | 5.75 | 1st |
| Brentford | 1 | 7 | 0.14 | 9th |
| Weston | 0 | 19 | 0 | 10th |
| Plymouth | 12 | 10 | 1.20 | 4th |
| QPR | 20 | 7 | 2.86 | 1st |
You can see that the biggest underperformers based on gpp's used and agains were QPR who should have been top of the table but ended up bottom, but to be fair they used their 20 gpp's in the last few matches at which point they were already rooted to the bottom of the table. Plymouth and Dorchester were the next biggest underperformers, followed by Carlisle, whilst everyone else overperformed. Tranmere show the biggest overperformance by 6 places with Lewes on 4 and Preston and Cardiff on 3 places. From this it's possible to conclude that had Tranmere spent as many gpp's in the league as Lewes then the league title would most likely have been theirs! Dorchester's use of gpp's did swing a few games their way including a good early away win at QPR, but the trickle approach of using 2-3 gpp's in games overall failed them. Plymouth can also feel agrieved about using 12 gpp's but only garnering 1 drawn point in those games. Carlisle also used a lot of gpp's and did not get a good return for their use. In their early game against Tranmere where they used 5 gpp's they were unlucky, but other times the use was wasted. Still they stayed up so overall the strategy ultimately paid off for them. Weston can (and do) feel aggrieved at having 19 points of gpp's played against them. The highest in the league! Only Lewes and Tranmere (the league leaders) came close to this number (15 and 12 respectively) played against them. Dorchester suffered the fewest gpp's used against them, despite the amounts they were piling on everyone else. Even so they might have had more than Brentford as only Lewes and Preston were not afraid to use gpp's against them and risk the wrath of Olmec.
| COACH | W | L |
|---|---|---|
Allan Sellers |
51 |
39 |
| Vick Hall | 50 | 40 |
| Jeff Hawker | 48 | 42 |
| Mike Cabral | 47 | 43 |
| Abe Hamdali | 47 | 43 |
| Roy Rolsten | 46 | 44 |
| Hazel Hawker | 46 | 44 |
| Ellis Simpson | 45 | 45 |
| Tim Batth | 41 | 49 |
| Dave Dowson | 39 | 41 |
| Mike Parnaby | 39 | 51 |
| Phil McIntosh | 37 | 53 |
| Dave Dohm | 36 | 34 |
| Ian Lindsay | 36 | 44 |
| Simon Compton | 28 | 32 |
| James Tucker | 26 | 24 |
| Graham Wilkes | 26 | 34 |
| Steve Turner | 20 | 30 |
| Paul Cockayne | 15 | 15 |
| Christer Kallin | 9 | 1 |
| Aires Martins Jr. | 5 | 5 |
|
|
|
|
| COACH | W | L |
| Allan Sellers | 47 | 33 |
| Vick Hall | 47 | 33 |
| Abe Hamdali | 45 | 35 |
| Mike Cabral | 43 | 37 |
| Jeff Hawker | 42 | 38 |
| Roy Rolsten | 41 | 39 |
| Hazel Hawker | 41 | 39 |
| Ellis Simpson | 40 | 40 |
| Dave Dowson | 37 | 33 |
| Tim Batth | 37 | 43 |
| Dave Dohm | 36 | 34 |
| Mike Parnaby | 35 | 45 |
| Phil McIntosh | 35 | 45 |
| Ian Lindsay | 32 | 38 |
| James Tucker | 26 | 24 |
| Simon Compton | 23 | 27 |
| Graham Wilkes | 21 | 29 |
| Steve Turner | 14 | 26 |
| Paul Cockayne | 11 | 9 |
| Christer Kallin | 9 | 1 |
| Aires Martins Jr. | 5 | 5 |
|
|
|
| COACH | W | L |
|---|---|---|
| Vick Hall | 41 | 29 |
| Allan Sellers | 40 | 30 |
| Abe Hamdali | 40 | 30 |
| Mike Cabral | 39 | 31 |
| Roy Rolsten | 38 | 32 |
| Ellis Simpson | 37 | 33 |
| Jeff Hawker | 37 | 33 |
| Hazel Hawker | 36 | 34 |
| Tim Batth | 34 | 36 |
| Dave Dowson | 33 | 27 |
| Phil McIntosh | 33 | 37 |
| Dave Dohm | 31 | 29 |
| Mike Parnaby | 31 | 39 |
| Ian Lindsay | 28 | 32 |
| Graham Wilkes | 21 | 19 |
| James Tucker | 20 | 20 |
| Simon Compton | 18 | 22 |
| Steve Turner | 11 | 19 |
| Christer Kallin | 9 | 1 |
| Aires Martins Jr. | 5 | 5 |
| Paul Cockayne | 5 | 5 |
Southend United sends Arjen Hogarth (SBY/4 Mf; 155k)
to Leeds United for 400k
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Thanks to Dancin' Dave for running the predictions league and keeping it fair to the extent that your beloved (?) commissioner is tied for first!
| COACH | W | L |
| Allan Sellers | 37 | 23 |
| Abe Hamdali | 37 | 23 |
| Vick Hall | 37 | 23 |
| Mike Cabral | 35 | 25 |
| Roy Rolsten | 35 | 25 |
| Jeff Hawker | 35 | 25 |
| Hazel Hawker | 34 | 26 |
| Ellis Simpson | 31 | 29 |
| Dave Dowson | 29 | 21 |
| Tim Batth | 28 | 32 |
| Ian Lindsay | 28 | 32 |
| Phil McIntosh | 28 | 32 |
| Mike Parnaby | 27 | 33 |
| Dave Dohm | 25 | 25 |
| Graham Wilkes | 21 | 19 |
| James Tucker | 16 | 14 |
| Simon Compton | 14 | 16 |
| Steve Turner | 11 | 19 |
| Christer Kallin | 9 | 1 |
| Aires Martins Jr. | 5 | 5 |
No you are not Halucinating !
El Presidente is TopOf the League!
What happens if you don't have 8? It doesn't allow you to play the other games?
| COACH | W | L |
|---|---|---|
| Jeff Hawker | 33 | 17 |
| Vick Hall | 33 | 17 |
| Abe Hamdali | 31 | 19 |
| Hazel Hawker | 31 | 19 |
| Allan Sellers | 31 | 19 |
| Mike Cabral | 30 | 20 |
| Roy Rolsten | 30 | 20 |
| Dave Dowson | 29 | 21 |
| Dave Dohm | 25 | 25 |
| Ellis Simpson | 25 | 25 |
| Mike Parnaby | 23 | 27 |
| Phil McIntosh | 23 | 27 |
| Ian Lindsay | 22 | 28 |
| Tim Batth | 22 | 28 |
| Graham Wilkes | 19 | 11 |
| James Tucker | 16 | 14 |
| Simon Compton | 14 | 16 |
| Steve Turner | 11 | 19 |
| Christer Kallin | 9 | 1 |
|
|
|
|
Derby County sends Gregg St.Hubbins (APP/7 Fw; 380k), Tristan Lemaire (APP/4 Gk; 185k), Charlie Gascoigne (SBY/3 Fw; 100k)
to Wycombe Wanderers for 1k, Baptiste Lemmens (SBY/3 Fw; 70k), Dave Fields (I/8 Mf; 360k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
| COACH | W | L |
|---|---|---|
| Vick Hall | 27 | 13 |
| Jeff Hawker | 26 | 14 |
| Mike Cabral | 26 | 14 |
| Abe Hamdali | 26 | 14 |
| Roy Rolsten | 25 | 15 |
| Hazel Hawker | 24 | 16 |
| Allan Sellers | 24 | 16 |
| Dave Dowson | 23 | 17 |
| Dave Dohm | 21 | 19 |
| Ian Lindsay | 20 | 20 |
| Ellis Simpson | 20 | 20 |
| Graham Wilkes | 19 | 11 |
| Phil McIntosh | 18 | 22 |
| Tim Batth | 18 | 22 |
| Mike Parnaby | 17 | 23 |
| James Tucker | 16 | 14 |
| Christer Kallin | 9 | 1 |
| Simon Compton | 9 | 11 |
| Steve Turner | 8 | 12 |
Watford sends Ollie Baker (IV/12 Gk; 300k)
to Dorchester Town for 200k, Lee Daugherty (IV/9 Fw; 210k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
| COACH | W | L |
|---|---|---|
| Vick Hall | 21 | 9 |
| Jeff Hawker | 20 | 10 |
| Mike Cabral | 19 | 11 |
| Roy Rolsten | 19 | 11 |
| Abe Hamdali | 18 | 12 |
| Hazel Hawker | 18 | 12 |
| Allan Sellers | 17 | 13 |
| Dave Dowson | 17 | 13 |
| Dave Dohm | 16 | 14 |
| Ellis Simpson | 15 | 15 |
| Graham Wilkes | 13 | 7 |
| Ian Lindsay | 13 | 17 |
| Phil McIntosh | 13 | 17 |
| James Tucker | 12 | 8 |
| Mike Parnaby | 12 | 18 |
| Tim Batth | 12 | 18 |
| Christer Kallin | 9 | 1 |
| Steve Turner | 6 | 4 |
| Simon Compton | 4 | 6 |
Standings after Round 2
| COACH | W | L |
| Jeff Hawker | 14 | 6 |
| Graham Wilkes | 13 | 7 |
| Mike Cabral | 13 | 7 |
| Vick Hall | 13 | 7 |
| Dave Dowson | 13 | 7 |
| Roy Rolsten | 13 | 7 |
| Hazel Hawker | 12 | 8 |
| Abe Hamdali | 11 | 9 |
| Allan Sellers | 11 | 9 |
| Dave Dohm | 10 | 10 |
| Ellis Simpson | 10 | 10 |
| Phil McIntosh | 10 | 10 |
| Christer Kallin | 9 | 1 |
| Ian Lindsay | 9 | 11 |
| Mike Parnaby | 8 | 12 |
| Tim Batth | 8 | 12 |
| Steve Turner | 6 | 4 |
| James Tucker | 6 | 4 |
Lewes FC sends 180k
to Wycombe Wanderers for Rayan Baudin (IV/7 Gk; 150k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Round 1 Results
| COACH | W | L |
| Christer Kallin | 9 | 1 |
| Vick Hall | 8 | 2 |
| Mike Cabral | 7 | 3 |
| Dave Dowson | 7 | 3 |
| Roy Rolsten | 7 | 3 |
| Jeff Hawker | 7 | 3 |
| Hazel Hawker | 6 | 4 |
| Graham Wilkes | 6 | 4 |
| Abe Hamdali | 5 | 5 |
| Allan Sellers | 5 | 5 |
| Dave Dohm | 5 | 5 |
| Ian Lindsay | 4 | 6 |
| Ellis Simpson | 4 | 6 |
| Mike Parnaby | 4 | 6 |
| Phil McIntosh | 3 | 7 |
| Tim Batth | 3 | 7 |
Crewe Alexandra FC sends William Gascoigne (V/2 Df; 0k), Mohamed Gil (V/3 Sw; 20k)
to Derby County for 390k
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Wycombe Wanderers sends 310k
to Carlisle United for Tobias Mayer (V/2 Fw; 0k), Douglas Rodrigues (V/2 Mf; 0k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
For your deictation gentlemwn
Enjoy
Sheffield United sends 200k
to Plymouth Argyle FC for Glenn Heskey (V/2 Df; 0k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Derby County sends Joseph Lane (APP/5 Mf; 210k)
to Leeds United for 420k
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Lewes FC sends Cliff Cooke (APP/2 Gk; 0k)
to Brentford FC for 10k
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Leeds United sends 250k
to Wycombe Wanderers for Stephen King (IV/7 Df; 150k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Weston-super-Mare AFC sends 175k
to Preston North End FC for Ellis McAllister (V/4 Fw; 40k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Weston-super-Mare AFC sends 175k
to Preston North End FC for Toby Barnes (V/4 Fw; 40k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Southend United sends Nuri Peretz (V/3 Fw; 20k)
to Dorchester Town for 190k
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Leeds United sends Nigel Cox (I/10 Fw; 480k)
to Cardiff City FC for 550k
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Leeds United sends Alexander Isaksen (V/3 Df; 20k)
to Wycombe Wanderers for 175k
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Leeds United sends Ollie Butcher (I/10 Fw; 480k), Carlos Allen (V/3 Fw; 20k)
to Wycombe Wanderers for Arthur Annesleyy (APP/5 Fw; 210k), Cong Yáng (II/6 Sw; 200k), Lincoln Collins (II/6 Df; 200k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Leeds United sends Thibault Lafon (V/3 Fw; 20k)
to Derby County for 175k
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Leeds United sends Finley Lowe (APP/2 Sw; 30k), Jake Sharp (APP/3 Fw; 100k), Rayan Baudin (IV/7 Gk; 150k)
to Wycombe Wanderers for 100k, Thibault Lafon (V/3 Fw; 20k), Carlos Allen (V/3 Fw; 20k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Wycombe Wanderers sends Jake Sharp (APP/3 Fw; 100k), Finley Lowe (APP/2 Sw; 30k), Rayan Baudin (IV/7 Gk; 150k)
to Leeds United for 100k, Thibault Lafon (V/3 Fw; 20k), Carlos Allen (V/3 Fw; 20k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Swansea City AFC sends 210k
to Cardiff City FC for Jed Butler (V/4 Fw; 40k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Brentford FC sends 195k
to Southend United for Jack Harrison (V/2 Fw; 0k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Oldham Athletic AFC sends 200k
to Cardiff City FC for Jack Norman (V/5 Mf; 60k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
The following teams receive a bonus (Season 29 Financial Bonuses):
BRE (489) BRI (325) CRD (527) CAR (62) CHF (400) CRE (75) DAG (75) DER (59) DOR (12) HER (137) LEE (68) LEI (200) LEW (348) LIN (340) NOR (300) FOR (184) OLA (100) PLY (349) PV (28) PNE (242) QPR (412) SHU (3) SU (36) TRA (12) WAT (12) WES (349) WYC (3)
Prediction League Results
| COACH | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vick Hall | 6 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 7 | - | 60 |
| Allan Sellers | 8 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 4 | - | 51 |
| Mike Cabral | 6 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 5 | - | 48 |
| Hazel Hawker | 7 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 5 | - | 47 |
| Ellis Simpson | 8 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 4 | - | 46 |
| Jeff Hawker | 8 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | - | 45 |
| Christer Kallin | 9 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 8 | 3 | - | 45 |
| Roy Rolsten | 5 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 6 | - | 43 |
| Dave Dohm | 5 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 4 | - | 3 | - | 41 |
| Abe Hamdali | 8 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 3 | - | 4 | - | 40 |
| Mike Parnaby | 3 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | - | 39 |
| Dave Dowson | 7 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 5 | - | 39 |
| Tim Batth | 7 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 7 | - | 5 | 2 | - | 39 |
| Graham Wilkes | 6 | 4 | 5 | 5 | - | 4 | 4 | 6 | 2 | - | 36 |
| Ian Lindsay | 6 | 6 | 3 | 4 | - | 4 | 4 | - | 4 | - | 31 |
| Simon Compton | - | 7 | 4 | 3 | 3 | - | 3 | - | - | - | 20 |
| Steve Turner | 8 | 4 | - | - | - | 4 | 3 | - | - | - | 19 |
| James Tucker | - | 5 | 3 | - | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | 11 |
| Rob Baptiste | - | 7 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7 |
| Matt White | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 5 |
| Aires Martins Jr. | - | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3 |
Table after 8 ROUNDS
COACH
Vick Hal l53
Allan Sellers 47
Mike Cabral 43
Ellis Simpson 42
Christer Kallin 42
Hazel Hawker 42
Jeff Hawker 40
Dave Dohm 38
Tim Batth 37
Roy Rolsten 37
Abe Hamdali 36
Mike Parnaby 35
Graham Wilkes 34
Dave Dowson 34
Ian Lindsay 27
Simon Compton 20
Steve Turner 19
James Tucker 11
Rob Baptiste 7
Matt White 5
Aires Martins Jr. 3
COACH
Vick Hall 46
Allan Sellers 40
Dave Dohm 38
Hazel Hawker 37
Mike Cabra 37
Abe Hamdali 36
Ellis Simpson 35
Jeff Hawker 35
Christer Kallin 34
Tim Batth 32
Roy Rolsten 31
Mike Parnaby 30
Dave Dowson 29
Graham Wilkes 28
Ian Lindsay 27
Simon Compton 20
Steve Turner 19
James Tucker 11
Rob Baptiste 7
3Matt White 5
Aires Martins Jr .3
It is a shame that Dave Dohm will not respond to a fair and balanced trade deal from Vick "Monty" Hall...
SAD!
Parra prefers to stay in the top divison ;)
Weston today made a shock bid for unsettled Lewes keeper Eduardo Parra. It seems the Lewes stopper has been unhappy with the extensive training regime he has been placed on and feels his talents and abilities would be more appreciated at the relaxed seaside base at Weston. Angel Rodriguez has been offered as part of the deal in an attempt to prize Parra lose!
Derby County sends Matty Ruby (III/2 Gk; 0k), Arthur Annesleyy (SBY/3 Fw; 100k)
to Wycombe Wanderers for Tristan Lemaire (SBY/2 Gk; 15k), Daniel Dias (III/5 Mf; 120k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Plymouth Argyle FC sends 50k, Rory Smith (III/9 Df; 280k)
to Preston North End FC for Rhys MacDonald (V/10 Gk; 160k)
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Plymouth could be interested in aquiring a backup GK. Any Age, SL 9-11 desired.
| COACH | W | L |
|---|---|---|
| Vick Hall | 16 | 4 |
| Christer Kallin | 15 | 5 |
| Allan Sellers | 14 | 6 |
| Abe Hamdali | 14 | 6 |
| Ellis Simpson | 13 | 7 |
| Tim Batth | 13 | 7 |
| Dave Dohm | 13 | 7 |
| Ian Lindsay | 12 | 8 |
| Hazel Hawker | 12 | 8 |
| Roy Rolsten | 12 | 8 |
| Steve Turner | 12 | 8 |
| Mike Parnaby | 11 | 9 |
| Jeff Hawker | 11 | 9 |
| Mike Cabral | 11 | 9 |
| Dave Dowson | 10 | 10 |
| Graham Wilkes | 10 | 10 |
| Simon Compton | 7 | 3 |
| Rob Baptiste | 7 | 3 |
| James Tucker | 5 | 5 |
| Matt White | 5 | 5 |
| Aires Martins Jr. | 3 | 7 |
Round 3 Matches up & ready for your selections
Chesterfield FC sends 220k
to Watford for Luís Silva (V/7 Fw; 100k)
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Weston-super-Mare AFC sends Edinson Castillo (V/7 Fw; 100k)
to Brighton & Hove Albion for 300k, Xavier Martin (IV/2 Df; 0k)
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After an apalling opening session that saw the SEVENTEEN participating managers score a Grand combined total of 8 Correct from 170 predictions forecast 
Who knows what will happen this week
Ive tried to make it easier guys!
By choosing all Final games in AP CUP Group round
Sheffield United sends 200k
to Carlisle United for Noah Thomson (V/2 Mf; 0k)
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Swindon Town FC sends 450k
to Watford for Derek Fox (V/4 Df; 40k), Zachary Pastor (V/2 Df; 0k)
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Swindon Town FC sends 250k
to Tranmere Rovers for Ezequiel González (V/2 Fw; 0k)
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Good luck all
Iv gone for 10 FA CUP 1ST ROUND MATCHES TO START US OFF!
Crewe Alexandra FC sends Kian Hamilton (APP/5 Df; 240k)
to Leeds United for Harrison Holland (APP/5 Gk; 210k)
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Wycombe Wanderers sends 300k, Tony Begum (APP/5 Df; 210k), Aaron Mitchell (APP/5 Fw; 240k)
to Leeds United for Stephen King (III/11 Df; 360k), Leonid Bogdanov (III/12 Sw; 400k)
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Swindon Town FC sends Diogo Ventura (I/10 Gk; 480k)
to Dorchester Town for 700k, Mark Patel (V/10 Gk; 160k)
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Lewes FC sends 180k
to Southend United for Tiago Quaresma (III/6 Mf; 160k)
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Lewes FC sends 175k
to Cardiff City FC for Ashley Duckworth (V/2 Df; 0k)
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Oldham Athletic AFC sends Archie Harewood (I/10 Gk; 480k)
to Tranmere Rovers for 750k, Matías Abreu (IV/12 Gk; 300k)
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Leeds United sends 200k
to Cardiff City FC for Dmitriy Golubev (V/2 Mf; 0k)
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Leeds United sends 220k
to Dagenham & Redbridge for Paul Robertson (V/4 Mf; 40k)
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Brentford FC sends 204k
to Dagenham & Redbridge for Leif Tveit (V/3 Fw; 20k)
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Brentford FC sends 203k
to Dagenham & Redbridge for Darren Evans (V/2 Mf; 0k)
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Brentford FC sends 201k
to Weston-super-Mare AFC for Alistair Mason (V/2 Fw; 0k)
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Southend United sends 200k
to Weston-super-Mare AFC for Giles Turner (V/2 Fw; 0k)
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Hereford United FC sends 200k
to Dagenham & Redbridge for Steve Fisher (V/2 Mf; 0k)
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The following teams receive a bonus (Season 28 Financial Bonuses):
BRI (4) CRD (325) CAR (575) CHF (258) CRE (125) DAG (8) DOR (300) LEE (208) LEI (75) LEW (286) LIN (23) NOR (200) OLA (18) PLY (250) PV (25) PNE (8) QPR (75) SU (4) SWA (4) TRA (650) WAT (200) WES (608) WYC (4)
Thanks Dave van Dohm!
TRA 650
WST 608
CAR 575
CRD 325
DOR 300
LEW 286
CHF 258
PLY 250
LEE 208
NOR 200
WAT 200
CRE 125
QPR 75
LEI 75
PV 25
LIN 23
OLD 18
PNE 8
DAG 8
WYC 4
SU 4
BRI 4
SWA 4
As always....check me
Please help with financials and I'll then try to get the next season turned around soon.
Congratulations to Dave Gittens on the 1st Division title!
Congratulations to Sandbaggin' Dave Dohm on the AP Cup Title! The 4th for the Rooks.
Congratulations to Vick and Weston on the FA Cup Title (their 2nd).
Congratulations to Alon and Tranmere on the FA Shield title (#4).
And finally...
Congratulations to Boston Rob Peterson on the Pilgrims 2nd Youth Cup Title. Please donate some of those 63 CP points to me please.
Al
Whos gonna Win ther Predicto Champions Crown? Dave Dohm's to lose....
| COACH | W | L |
| Dave Dohm | 44 | 46 |
| Mike Cabral | 40 | 50 |
| Tim Batth | 39 | 51 |
| Vick Hall | 38 | 52 |
| David Blair | 37 | 53 |
QPR fined 10% (392) on a 3917 bank account.
Hi guys
Some of you may know I am Commissioner for an OLMEC SOFTWARE based Footie Manager game (OASL) OnLine Americam Soccer League.
The current seasopn is 3 games in & we are short of one manager.The role involves managing two teams a Parent team in Division 1 or 2 & a Youth(Feeder) Team in Division 3. The vavancy is ast Minnesota Thunder & their Youth Team Golden Gophers. We play games twice a week, one on a Sunday afternoon (15.00 BST) the other on a Wednesday evening(21.00 BST).
If anybody is interested in taking the role please e-mail me ASAP ([email protected])
Its a competitive Free to play league with a good community spirit & active participation by most coaches.
I did get Al's permission to advertise in here.
Hope to hear from somebody soon
( First come first served but I will keep any surplus applications on record for future appointments.
Cheers
Dave Dowson
Hereford United FC sends 48k, Noah James (IV/7 Df; 150k)
to Crewe Alexandra FC for Valentin Antoine (IV/8 Gk; 180k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Wish I could get a new player in!
I LOVE the outrage Mr. Dowson!
WHY OH WHY OH WHY
AM I NOT IN THE TOP 5 HOODLUMS LIST????
ITS ABSOLUTYELY SCANDALOUS SORT IT OUT AL
IM OUTRAGED!
Carlisle United sends Louis McIntosh (V/2 Fw; 0k)
to Chesterfield FC for 180k
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Tranmere Rovers sends 800k, Louie Parsons (IV/12 Gk; 300k)
to Brentford FC for Matías Abreu (III/13 Gk; 440k)
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Leeds United sends Douglas Araújo (SBY/2 Mf; 0k)
to Derby County for 35k
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Weston-super-Mare AFC sends Douglas Araújo (SBY/2 Mf; 0k)
to Leeds United for 30k
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Lewes FC sends Robert O'Neil (III/13 Gk; 440k), Jack Byrne (IV/9 Mf; 210k)
to Leeds United for Max Chapman (II/13 Mf; 550k), Louis Kerr (IV/3 Mf; 30k)
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Brentford FC sends 200k
to Queens Park Rangers for Mason Hall (V/2 Fw; 0k)
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Lewes FC sends Seiichi Nakagawa (V/4 Fw; 40k)
to Wycombe Wanderers for 200k
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Matches for session 1 are up & Live
Good Luck All
DD
Plymouth Argyle FC sends Mason Anderson (V/2 Fw; 0k)
to Wycombe Wanderers for 200k
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Dorchester Town sends 200k
to Plymouth Argyle FC for Kieran Parker (VI/4 Gk; 20k)
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Brentford FC sends 200k
to Nottingham Forest for Freddie Gray (V/2 Df; 0k)
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Plymouth Argyle FC sends David Russell (V/2 Mf; 0k)
to Oldham Athletic AFC for 175k
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Leeds United sends Owen Murphy (V/4 Fw; 40k)
to Leicester City FC for 200k
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Weston-super-Mare AFC sends 500k, Ryan Thomas (IV/8 Gk; 180k)
to Oldham Athletic AFC for Luis Ángel Rodríguez (III/12 Gk; 400k)
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Oldham Athletic AFC sends 600k
to Crewe Alexandra FC for Magnus Johansen (V/4 Mf; 40k), Giles Hussain (V/5 Fw; 60k), Gerald Smith (V/3 Fw; 20k)
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Derby County sends 648k
to Leeds United for Arthur Lepage (VI/2 Gk; 0k), Nathan Lampton (V/3 Fw; 20k), Daniel Williamson (V/3 Fw; 20k)
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Dagenham & Redbridge sends Alfie Thomas (V/2 Mf; 0k), Cristian Orlando (V/2 Fw; 0k), Jared Harewood (V/2 Fw; 0k)
to Wycombe Wanderers for 400kk
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Derby County sends Christopher Blair (IV/4 Mf; 60k), Bailey Gerrard (IV/4 Fw; 60k)
to Weston-super-Mare AFC for 144k
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Brentford FC sends 775k
to Oldham Athletic AFC for Tom Lang (I/10 Gk; 480k)
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Dorchester Town sends 40k
to Hereford United FC for Axel Jönsson (V/3 Mf; 20k)
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The following teams receive a bonus (Season 27 Financial Bonuses):
BRE (200) BHA (5) BRI (10) CRD (135) CAR (100) DAG (5) DOR (575) LEE (15) LEI (5) LEW (870) LIN (310) NOR (300) OLA (10) PLY (200) PNE (555) QPR (150) SHU (55) SU (355) TRA (25) WES (345) WYC (10)
LEW 870
DOR 575
PNE 555
SU 355
WES 345
LIN 310
NOR 300
PLY 200
BRE 200
QPR 150
CRD 135
CAR 100
SHF 55
TRA 25
LEE 15
WYC 10
OLD 10
BRI 10
BHA 5
LEI 5
DAG 5
Watford sends Victor Silva (V/10 Gk; 160k)
to Wycombe Wanderers for 325k
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Weston-super-Mare AFC sends Daniel Dias (I/10 Mf; 480k)
to Wycombe Wanderers for 600k
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Dorchester Town sends 500Kk
to Cardiff City FC for Evan White (APP/7 Fw; 350k)
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Lewes FC sends Oscar Ford (I/10 Sw; 480k)
to Swansea City AFC for 625k, Tyrone Mills (IV/2 Mf; 0k)
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Tranmere Rovers sends 199k
to Dorchester Town for Thomas Kristoffersen (V/4 Mf; 40k)
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Oldham Athletic AFC sends Mattéo Babin (V/6 Df; 80k)
to Tranmere Rovers for 200k
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Tranmere Rovers sends 950k, Fearghas King (IV/13 Sw; 330k)
to Cardiff City FC for Pedro Muñoz (I/10 Sw; 480k)
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Sheffield United sends 200k
to Weston-super-Mare AFC for Stephen Brown (V/4 Mf; 40k)
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Crewe Alexandra FC sends Alistair Mason (III/11 Fw; 360k), Giles Turner (III/11 Fw; 360k)
to Weston-super-Mare AFC for Matthew Watson (V/6 Fw; 80k), Trevor Armstrong (V/5 Df; 60k), Giles Hussain (IV/10 Fw; 240k)
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Tranmere Rovers sends 350k, Valentin Antoine (III/12 Gk; 400k)
to Crewe Alexandra FC for Louie Parsons (III/13 Gk; 440k)
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Southend United sends 200k
to Hereford United FC for Shay Page (VI/2 Fw; 0k)
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Northampton Town FC sends 200k
to Carlisle United for Jordi Alonso (V/2 Sw; 0k)
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Willing to pay 200k
Send me a trade proposal or message ASAP please
Cheers
DD
Southend United sends 200k
to Swansea City AFC for Walter Bailey (V/6 Gk; 80k)
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The following teams receive a bonus (End of Season 26 Financial Bonuses):
BRI (205) CRD (165) CRE (200) DAG (10) DOR (275) LEE (30) LEI (40) LEW (510) LIN (100) NOR (655) PLY (200) PV (275) PNE (305) QPR (225) SU (75) SWA (110) TRA (425) WAT (85) WES (255)
Any news on when new season is starting ?
NOR 655
LEW 510
TRA 425
PNE 305
PV 275
DOR 275
WST 255
QPR 225
BRi 205
PLY 200
CRE 200
CRD 165
SWA 110
LIN 100
CHF 100
WAT 85
SU 75
LEI 40
LEE 30
DAG 10
Southend United sends 360k
to Leeds United for Calum Hughes (APP/5 Gk; 240k)
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Weston-super-Mare AFC sends Alex Campbell (I/9 Gk; 420k), Valeri Golubev (I/10 Mf; 480k)
to Swindon Town FC for 680k, Jay Spencer (I/9 Gk; 420k)
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Brentford FC sends 225k
to Hereford United FC for Daragh Johnston (V/5 Sw; 60k)
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Leeds United sends Jeremy Peters (V/2 Mf; 0k)
to Cardiff City FC for 220k
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Carlisle United sends Frank Bunyan (V/4 Mf; 40k)
to Dorchester Town for 225k
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Cardiff City FC sends Gordon Lowe (I/10 Fw; 480k)
to Dorchester Town for 600k
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Lewes FC sends Victor Legras (V/6 Fw; 80k)
to Brentford FC for 250k
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Lewes FC sends 240k, Luiz Silva (APP/5 Gk; 240k)
to Cardiff City FC for Robert O'Neil (I/10 Gk; 480k)
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Crewe Alexandra FC sends Filippo Rossi (I/9 Mf; 420k)
to Watford for 520k
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Dorchester Town sends 410k
to Leeds United for Shawn Scott (V/2 Df; 0k), Adam McLachlan (V/3 Gk; 20k)
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Lincoln City FC sends 225k
to Lewes FC for Andrew Quinn (V/4 Fw; 40k)
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Brighton & Hove Albion sends 255k
to Tranmere Rovers for Kevin Conner (V/4 Fw; 40k)
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Cardiff City FC sends 380k
to Dorchester Town for Pedro Muñoz (APP/5 Sw; 210k)
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Carlisle United sends Elias Möller (V/2 Mf; 0k), Christopher Maguire (V/2 Fw; 0k)
to Oldham Athletic AFC for 400k
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Brighton & Hove Albion sends 225k
to Dagenham & Redbridge for Diego Herrera (V/4 Fw; 40k)
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Tranmere Rovers sends Benjamin Green (V/5 Fw; 60k)
to Oldham Athletic AFC for 200k
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Watford sends 400k
to Southend United for Harold Lucas (V/7 Df; 100k), Raphael Moshe (V/6 Fw; 80k)
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The following teams receive a bonus (Season 25 Financial Bonuses):
BRE (20) BRI (100) CRD (25) CAR (100) CHF (205) DAG (5) DER (200) DOR (200) LEE (175) LEI (50) LEW (745) NOR (350) FOR (510) PV (500) PNE (255) SU (100) TRA (375) WAT (5) WES (285) WYC (5)
LEW 745
NOT 510
PV 500
TRA 375
NOR 350
WST 285
PNE 255
CHF 205
DER 200
DOR 200
LEE 175
BRI 100
SU 100
CAR 100
LEI 50
CRD 25
BRE 20
WAT 5
DAG 5
WYC 5
As always, please check my Math.
We had such a great season but at the end of it all have nothing to show for our endeavours.
Got 6 points anda shed load of goals from last two league games but Leicester beat Cardif 4-2 in Wales and that was good enough to hold on to 3rd place and go up ¬!
Threw everything at Phils Chesterfield in FA TROPHY FINAL with 46 Attacks resulting in 15 shotrs but his Sweeper & Keeper were on Fantastic form and they beat us 3-0
Cest la vie !
Lewes FC sends 330k
to Watford for Percy Morgan (APP/6 Mf; 295k)
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Brentford FC sends 400k
to Cardiff City FC for Zachary Johnson (APP/6 Sw; 310k)
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Dorchester Town sends 200k
to Cardiff City FC for Nathan Conner (V/2 Fw; 0k)
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Dorchester Town sends 200k
to Carlisle United for William Dixon (V/2 Mf; 0k)
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Dagenham & Redbridge sends Adam McLachlan (IV/8 Gk; 180k)
to Leeds United for 360k
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Southend United sends 80k, Ewan Davidson (III/10 Gk; 320k)
to Lincoln City FC for Leo Burroughs (II/10 Df; 400k)
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Weston-super-Mare AFC sends 180k
to Dagenham & Redbridge for Ramon Vidal (V/5 Df; 60k)
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Weston-super-Mare AFC sends Finley Williams (I/10 Df; 480k)
to Carlisle United for 700k
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Brentford FC sends 500k
to Cardiff City FC for Matías Abreu (APP/5 Gk; 225k)
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Brentford FC sends 200k
to Plymouth Argyle FC for Lennon Duncan (V/5 Gk; 60k)
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Leicester City FC sends 120k
to Dagenham & Redbridge for Joshua Perez (V/2 Mf; 0k)
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Southend United sends 200k
to Plymouth Argyle FC for Ellis Collins (V/2 Mf; 0k)
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Lewes FC sends 345k
to Cardiff City FC for Liam Neville (APP/5 Df; 210k)
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Southend United sends 205k
to Sheffield United for Jens Müller (V/4 Df; 40k)
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Nottingham Forest sends Max Anderson (V/2 Df; 0k), Luca Schulz (V/2 Mf; 0k)
to Crewe Alexandra FC for 415k
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The following teams receive a bonus (Financial Awards for Season 24):
BHA (205) BRI (5) CRD (5) CHF (335) DAG (85) DOR (155) HER (225) LEE (300) LEI (15) LEW (405) LIN (10) FOR (275) OLA (5) PLY (275) PV (175) PNE (500) QPR (350) SU (25) SWA (5) TRA (300) WAT (130) WES (430)
Thanks to Dave Dohm for compiling these!
PNE 500
WST 430
LEW 405
QPR 350
CHF 335
TRA 300
LEE 300
PLY 275
NOT 275
HER 225
BHA 205
PV 175
DOR 155
WAT 130
DAG 85
SU 25
LEI 15
LIN 10
CRD 5
BRI 5
OLD 5
SWA 5
Congratulations to Ian and Preston NE on their 3rd league title. I can remember a time when certain negative people would talk about Ian never winning a league title. I can't remember who those people were...
Dave's Lewes overcame James' QPR in the PK Shootout to take the AP Cup.
QPR came back to take the Shield though in a 1-0 win over John's Port Vale.
Paul's Dorchester club defeated Steve's Nottingham Forest 2-1 to take the Youth Cup. Paul's rebuilding plans seem to be working with two teams in the Youth Cup finals.
Vick's Weston-super-Mare took the FA Cup Final over Phil's Chesterfield 1-nil on an 88th minute goal. Sadly for Ian he predicted a draw.
Lewes FC sends 40k, Louie Parsons (APP/5 Gk; 240k)
to Crewe Alexandra FC for Viggo Håkansson (II/7 Gk; 250k), Louie Morris (IV/3 Fw; 30k)
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Lewes FC sends Magnus Andersen (IV/12 Gk; 300k), Barry Kennedy (I/10 Sw; 480k)
to Swansea City AFC for Nikolai Semyonov (II/13 Gk; 550k), Francesco Mazza (IV/8 Mf; 180k)
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Watford sends Felix Schultze (IV/8 Fw; 180k)
to Swindon Town FC for 30k, Domingo Vicente (IV/7 Gk; 150k)
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Northampton Town FC sends 150k
to Southend United for João Pena (V/3 Fw; 20k)
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Hereford United FC sends Kai McLaughlin (SBY/2 Df; 0k), Liam Neville (SBY/2 Df; 0k)
to Cardiff City FC for 125k
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Weston-super-Mare AFC sends 120k
to Dagenham & Redbridge for Nyék Vörös (V/2 Fw; 0k)
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Message me ASAP
Dorchester Town sends 175k
to Carlisle United for Diogo Costa (V/2 Mf; 0k)
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Weston-super-Mare AFC sends Zachary Johnson (SBY/2 Sw; 0k)
to Cardiff City FC for 70k
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Dorchester Town sends Fabio Donati (SBY/2 Sw; 0k)
to Cardiff City FC for 70k
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Brentford FC sends 210k
to Dagenham & Redbridge for Freddie Miller (V/2 Mf; 0k)
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Cardiff City FC sends 75k
to Weston-super-Mare AFC for Gordon Lowe (SBY/2 Fw; 15k)
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Cardiff City FC sends 75k
to Brighton & Hove Albion for Geoffrey Pearson (SBY/2 Mf; 15k)
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Cardiff City FC sends 850k
to Brighton & Hove Albion for Leo Brady (III/14 Fw; 480k)
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Southend United sends Don Rooney (V/2 Df; 0k)
to Brentford FC for 150k
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Crewe Alexandra FC sends 325k
to Wycombe Wanderers for Jay Ross (V/4 Gk; 40k)Harrison Clarke (II/Physio; 80k)
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Brentford FC sends 175k
to Brighton & Hove Albion for Robin Van Zandt (V/4 Mf; 40k)
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Oldham Athletic AFC sends 400k
to Brighton & Hove Albion for Luiz Oliveira (V/5 Fw; 60k), Sang Kyu Jeon (V/6 Fw; 80k)
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Weston-super-Mare AFC sends Oscar Pagett (VI/2 Gk; 0k)
to Oldham Athletic AFC for 200k
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The following teams receive a bonus (Season 23 Financial Bonuses):
BHA (19) BRI (193) CAR (50) CHF (512) DER (200) DOR (4) HER (550) LEE (4) LEI (4) LEW (308) NOR (475) FOR (108) PV (150) PNE (150) QPR (250) SWA (29) TRA (525) WAT (404) WES (287)
Thanks to Dave Dohm for putting the financial totals together!
These financials can't be right... PLY isn't listed.... ... ... 
HER 550
TRA 525
CHF 512
NOR 475
WAT 404
LEW 308
WST 287
QPR 250
DER 200
BRI 193
PNE 150
PV 150
FOR 108
CAR 50
SWA 29
BHA 19
DOR 4
LEI 4
LEE 4
Hereford United FC sends 600k
to Brighton & Hove Albion for Stansislav Lebedev (IV/12 Gk; 300k)
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Brentford FC sends 489k
to Port Vale FC for Oleg Volkov (APP/5 Fw; 225k)
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Dorchester would like to swap a FW app for either MF, DF or GK. Straight swap - level 4 or 5. Anyone interested?
Lewes FC sends 300k, Nigel Jones (IV/12 Gk; 300k)
to Northampton Town FC for Magnus Andersen (III/13 Gk; 440k)
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Bristol City FC sends 225k
to Plymouth Argyle FC for Leonardo Ferrara (V/3 Df; 20k)
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Brighton & Hove Albion sends 585k
to Cardiff City FC for Luke O'Brien (APP/5 Df; 225k)
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Does anyone have a level 4 apprentice they would sell me.....?
Craig has resigned at Leeds. I hope you come back down the road Craig.
We've filled the opening with Abe Hamdali who has managed Leeds for most of their history in U1.
Welcome back Abe!
Brentford FC sends 205k
to Cardiff City FC for Gabin Nicolas (V/3 Fw; 20k)
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Maybe Just Maybe In fact a big maybe i can win something this season
Brentford FC sends 225k
to Dagenham & Redbridge for Calum Lynch (V/2 Fw; 0k)
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Brentford FC sends 205k
to Brighton & Hove Albion for Bradley Butcher (V/5 Mf; 60k)
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Lewes FC sends 205k
to Brighton & Hove Albion for Jake Wilson (V/3 Fw; 20k)
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The following teams receive a bonus (Season 22 Financial Bonuses):
BRE (4) BHA (575) BRI (258) DAG (37) DER (200) DOR (4) HER (250) LEE (225) LEI (237) LEW (554) LIN (169) NOR (154) FOR (97) OLA (4) PLY (43) PNE (500) SHU (4) SU (275) SWA (14) TRA (150) WAT (204) WES (304) WYC (15)
Thank you Dave!
Check me as usual.................
BHA 575
LEW 554
PNE 500
WST 304
SU 275
BRI 258
HER 250
LEI 237
LEE 225
WAT 204
DER 200
LIN 169
NOR 154
TRA 150
NOT 97
PLY 43
DAG 37
WYC 15
SWA 14
OLD 4
DOR 4
BRE 4
SHF 4
Brentford was taxed at 20% of 4975 for exceeding the 3500k threshold.
Apologies for the NMR. I was absolutely 100% sure I had put the orders in, that I didn't check the e-mails. A valuable lesson there!
Costly mistake though; thrashed in the league, harming my goal difference, and a thrashing in the youth cup, which leaves a hole in the youth development programme androids of avoiding the drop back to Division 3. Avoiding relegation being a priority, but very tight indeed.
Live and learn.
Brian - Click History then the "All" tab and it shows the competition and the season and who won each season.
Al,
Where is the history that shows how many cups teams have won, e.g. who has won the FA Cup, AP Cup, etc.?
Queens Park Rangers sends 150k
to Dagenham & Redbridge for Hayden Jones (V/2 Fw; 0k)
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Preston North End FC sends Kenneth Anderson (V/2 Fw; 0k)
to Swansea City AFC for 180k
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Northampton Town FC sends 150k
to Southend United for Joshua Ferdinand (V/4 Df; 40k)
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Dagenham & Redbridge sends Steven Berry (V/2 Df; 0k)
to Brentford FC for 150k
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Lincoln City FC sends 675k
to Weston-super-Mare AFC for Gordon Warren (I/10 Df; 480k)
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Tranmere Rovers sends 180k
to Plymouth Argyle FC for Jacob Ryan (V/2 Df; 0k)
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The following teams receive a bonus (End of Season 21 Financial Bonuses):
BRE (112) BHA (400) BRI (8) CHF (204) DER (300) DOR (8) LEE (75) LEI (4) LIN (208) FOR (8) OLA (212) PLY (133) PV (200) PNE (704) QPR (225) SHU (14) SU (304) SWA (225) TRA (525) WAT (187) WES (154) WYC (19)
Small error in the figures Dave gives, I think.
Predo League rd 9 was won by James Tucker, looks as if Dave overlooked his winnins score.
I think the affected clubs and their correct totals are
BRE 112 (-4)
LEI 4 (-4)
OLA 212 (-4)
WAT 187 (+4)
WYC 19 (-4)
PNE 704
TRA 525
BHA 400
SU 304
DER 300
SWA 225
QPR 225
OLA 216
LIN 208
CHF 204
PV 200
WAT 183
WST 154
PLY 133
BRE 116
LEE 75
WYC 23
SHU 14
NOT 8
BRI 8
LEI 8
DOR 4
Watford sends 150k, Jared Neville (I/8 Mf; 360k)
to Brighton & Hove Albion for Max MacDonald (IV/8 Sw; 180k), Eugene Nichols (IV/7 Fw; 150k)
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Watford sends 260k, Daniel Edwards (IV/5 Sw; 90k)
to Preston North End FC for Kevin Doherty (IV/9 Fw; 210k)
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Southend United sends Dylan Lewis (APP/4 Fw; 185k)
to Leicester City FC for 500k
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Dylan Lewis APP Fw 4 2 3 2
|
500k + BIDS PLEASE
Southend United sends 500k, Fernando Perea (III/10 Gk; 320k)
to Hereford United FC for Jose Ramon Garcia (III/16 Gk; 560k)
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Chesterfield FC sends 200k
to Plymouth Argyle FC for Lilian Metais (V/2 Mf; 0k)
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Swansea City AFC sends 400k
to Weston-super-Mare AFC for William Dowson (I/8 Sw; 360k)
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Queens Park Rangers sends John Cox (V/2 Df; 0k), Thomas Whiteside (V/2 Fw; 0k)
to Brentford FC for 200k, Doron David (II/3 Mf; 50k), Leon Lynch (IV/4 Df; 60k)
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Weston-super-Mare AFC sends 570k
to Sheffield United for Ramon Vargas (III/11 Sw; 360k)
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Brentford FC sends 180k
to Preston North End FC for Leo Clapinson (V/3 Fw; 20k)
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Thanks for the clarification Steve. I had never NMRd in United, so I was a bit perplexed to only see 28 GPPs.
You lose 1 per NMR the previous season.
Al,
I notice a few teams have less than 30 GPP. Is that accurate?
Thanks for the call out Brian. Looks like the program decided to create the league schedule twice.
It should be resolved now.
Al
Al,
The schedules are all amiss. Take a look and you'll see repeats every week.
Lincoln City FC sends 170k
to Leicester City FC for Reuben Burroughs (V/2 Fw; 0k)
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Lincoln City FC sends 200k
to Tranmere Rovers for Lucero Araya (V/5 Fw; 60k)
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Lincoln City FC sends 180k
to Sheffield United for Daire Nolan (V/4 Gk; 40k)
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Southend United sends 200k
to Dagenham & Redbridge for Luke Fox (V/2 Sw; 0k)
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Brighton & Hove Albion sends Graham Roberts (APP/5 Gk; 225k)
to Dorchester Town for 400k
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Cash waiting - will pay 180k for each...
Looking for a 1/10 FW to join the Seagulls before opening matches. Will pay cash only.
Lewes FC sends Oliver Scott (IV/12 Gk; 300k)
to Dorchester Town for 500k
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Cardiff City FC sends 340k
to Tranmere Rovers for Giorgio Parisi (V/7 Gk; 100k), Filippo Ricci (V/6 Df; 80k)
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Watford sends 170k
to Tranmere Rovers for Joshua Graham (V/5 Mf; 60k)
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Brighton & Hove Albion sends Dennis Gordon (V/6 Df; 80k)
to Southend United for 200k
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Looks like all four (was five until Abe departed) coaches from Meditech Massachusetts are living season 21 in D2. Let the 10 HRD commence and may you all see countless red cards and injuries thrust upon you.
Cheers!
The following teams receive a bonus (Season 20 Financial Bonus):
BRE (418) BHA (250) BRI (79) CAR (225) DAG (100) DOR (4) HER (700) LEE (26) LEI (4) LEW (704) LIN (4) NOR (304) FOR (37) OLA (8) PLY (79) PNE (358) QPR (150) SHU (12) SU (50) SWA (4) TRA (150) WAT (79) WES (279) WYC (223)
LEW 704
HER 700
BRE 418
PNE 358
NOR 304
WST 279
BHA 250
CAR 225
WYC 223
TRA 150
QPR 150
DAG 100
WAT 79
BRI 79
PLY 79
SU 50
NOT 37
LEE 26
SHU 12
OLA 8
LEI 4
DOR 4
LIN 4
SWA 4
As always....check my math!
Three points separate second from Ninth, Northampton still hoping in this almighty close division, good luck all on the run in
Out of fairness and respect to team BHA, Crewe Alex captain Bryan Lane will not be making the trip to Withdean Stadium so that each team will play without a captain. In somewhat related news, Bryan Lane will be serving his one game suspension versus the Gulls rather than versus the Rovers. When coach Baptiste was asked about this he responded with, "The league mandates when suspensions are carried out. Apparently this league is run under a strict dictatorship where a player cannot even appeal his suspension as only OLMEC is allowed to "participate" in that decision." Of Lane's 46 career goals, none have come against BHA. This season Lane has been an utter disappoinment thus far with only one measly goal scored out of fifteen on target attempts.
Interesting...if anyone should NOT have a captain that would be comrade Rob, right?
If you closely, you still will not find our Captain.
Apparently the team didn't feel anyone was worthy this season.
It's very quiet here these days.
Watford sends 185k
to Chesterfield FC for Logan Ross (V/4 Mf; 40k)
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Crewe Alexandra FC sends 123k
to Leeds United for John Banks (V/2 Fw; 0k)
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Watford sends 200k, Marko Müller (IV/4 Mf; 60k), Ethan Doherty (IV/4 Fw; 60k)
to Lincoln City FC for Ashley Brown (V/7 Sw; 100k), Liam Howard (V/4 Mf; 40k)
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Watford sends 150k
to Brighton & Hove Albion for Andres Correa (APP/4 Fw; 140k)
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Watford sends 180k
to Cardiff City FC for Derek Clarke (V/6 Fw; 80k)
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Selections are up for week 1, so get your predictions in!
Leicester City FC sends Matthew Wilson (V/3 Mf; 20k), Wayne Rowbotham (V/5 Fw; 60k)
to Dagenham & Redbridge for 350k
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Leeds United sends James Adams (V/2 Df; 0k)
to Nottingham Forest for 100k
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Brighton & Hove Albion sends 100k
to Leeds United for Fionn Ryan (V/2 Mf; 0k)
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As of today there are twenty (20) teams with a T11 at 11.00 or higher. Of those ten (10) are in D1. Yes, the lowest T11 in D1 right now is 11.00. The highest is 12.18, not a very large margin between tom and bottom. I would think this means we're in for a dog fight season as parity may rear it's ugly head over the next 10+ weeks.
I'll leave the more thorough analysis to Comrade Rob and his mighty abacus.
Cardiff City FC sends Julian Walter (V/5 Mf; 60k)
to Dorchester Town for 230k
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Southend United sends Gunnar Engen (V/3 Gk; 20k)
to Nottingham Forest for 180k
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Brighton & Hove Albion sends 175k
to Southend United for Nathan Lane (V/2 Mf; 0k)
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Brighton & Hove Albion sends 190k
to Southend United for Ben Morrison (V/6 Fw; 80k)
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Nottingham Forest sends Alexander Morrison (III/6 Mf; 160k)
to Lewes FC for Brian Brennan (APP/4 Fw; 155k)
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Weston-super-Mare AFC sends Tyler Griffin (V/6 Fw; 80k), Jose Antonio Torres (V/6 Df; 80k)
to Nottingham Forest for 400k
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Weston-super-Mare AFC sends Kieran Wright (V/7 Fw; 100k)
to Swansea City AFC for 230k
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Get yours now before the Rush 
Northampton Town FC sends 400k
to Weston-super-Mare AFC for Darren Thompson (V/3 Mf; 20k), Michael Bates (V/4 Mf; 40k)
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Mike McLeod has moved to Cardiff City
James Tucker has rejoined the league at Watford.
Thanks Mike!
Welcome back James!
Al
Roy Rolsten has moved to Swansea City
Steve Turner has joined U1 at Nottingham Forest
The following teams receive a bonus (Season 19 Financial Bonuses):
BRE (129) BHA (500) BRI (8) CRD (79) CAR (150) CHF (225) CRE (100) DAG (32) DOR (4) HER (354) LEE (154) LEW (658) LIN (58) OLA (4) PLY (4) PNE (575) QPR (97) SHU (404) SU (254) SWI (404) WES (12) WYC (28)
I just noticed that those upstarts at Crew Alexander have displaced the Blues at the top of the two most prestigeous Stats tables
Most TEAM DP 
Most Injuries caused 
How Very Dare You Mr. Baptiste 
I challenge you to a duel you Scandalous Rogue 
Lewes gets 650k and Plymouth gets 4k?! Where's the justice I tell you?!
Have checked these - I think DAG should have 5k less and WYC 5k more as the prediction league was tied for first place. Otherwise looks perfect to me.
Someone please check.......
LEW 658
PNE 575
BHA 500
SWI 404
SHU 404
HER 354
SU 254
CHF 225
LEE 154
CAR 150
BRE 129
CRE 100
QPR 97
CRD 79
LIN 58
DAG 37
WYC 23
WST 12
BRI 8
PLY 4
DOR 4
OLD 4
Lewes now has 7 league titles, tied with Tranmere.
Kuddos to the Beerman for 2 consecutive winning posts.
Enjoy it while it lasts, Peter!
| ALL-TIME PCT | |||||||
| Pl. | COACH | W | D | L | GF | GA | PCT |
| 1. | Peter Costa | 4 | 2 | 1 | 22 | 9 | 0.714 |
...of seeing Dave Dowson's face on the front page.
Andy Bate
Dave Dowson
| HER Win (18) | Draw (0) | SU Win (1) |
|
Paul (WYC) Roy (FOR) Ellis (BRI) Vick (WES) Abe (LEE) Derek (DOR) James (QPR) Jeff (DAG) Andy (HER) Christer (SHU) Simon (NOR) Peter (OLA) Graham (CRD) Allan (BRE) Mike (LIN) Rob (PLY) Phil (CHF) |
Andy Bate 1
Dave Dowson 2
Our 5-1 win over Coventry was my 200th win. Cheers to me!
Brighton & Hove Albion sends 1000k
to Crewe Alexandra FC for Dennis Gordon (III/13 Df; 440k)
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Brentford FC sends Hayden Rooney (I/10 Df; 480k)
to Dorchester Town for 625k
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Weston-super-Mare AFC sends Alex Gallaher (V/4 Df; 40k)
to Chesterfield FC for 200k
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Anyone interested in selling an age II or III, SL 11+ defender to the Gulls?
Southend United sends 650k
to Hereford United FC for Tyler Whitehead (I/10 Df; 480k)
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Cardiff City FC sends 185k
to Hereford United FC for Paul Green (V/2 Df; 0k)
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Lewes FC sends Riley Bateman (V/5 Mf; 60k)
to Brentford FC for Noah Simpson (III/3 Mf; 40k), Ryan Alexander (III/3 Df; 40k)
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Brentford FC sends 185k
to Tranmere Rovers for Mark Fergusen (V/4 Mf; 40k)
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Brighton & Hove Albion sends Kenny Kelly (V/2 Fw; 0k)
to Chesterfield FC for 120k
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Brighton & Hove Albion sends Brandon Taylor (V/2 Fw; 0k)
to Sheffield United for Emile Stretch (IV/6 Fw; 120k), Luca Costa (IV/6 Fw; 120k)
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Brighton & Hove Albion sends 200k
to Dagenham & Redbridge for Kenny Kelly (V/2 Fw; 0k), John Doherty (V/2 Mf; 0k), Brandon Taylor (V/2 Fw; 0k)
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Wycombe Wanderers sends 700k
to Cardiff City FC for Percy Dowson (I/10 Df; 480k)
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The following teams receive a bonus (Season 18 Financial Bonuses):
BHA (250) CRD (204) CAR (75) CHF (400) CRE (25) DER (75) DOR (4) HER (300) LEE (237) LEI (225) LEW (318) LIN (8) FOR (104) PLY (300) PNE (908) QPR (200) SHU (4) SWA (75) TRA (300) WES (104) WYC (73)
Al...Are you holding off on Aging to prevent Ian getting his treble?
Are Sheffield United's abbreviation PNE?
if not please let them be!
I'm almost certain BHA is missing a zero at the end.
The numbers look right to me, but then again, I thought I had the right numbers to beat Chesterfield.
PNE 908
CHF 400
LEW 318
PLY 300
HER 300
TRA 300
BHA 250
LEE 237
LEI 225
CRD 204
QPR 200
NOT 104
WST 104
CAR 75
SWA 75
DER 75
WYC 73
CRE 25
LIN 8
SHF 4
DOR 4
Check as always...I did this quickly!
BHA do indeed have the best T-11 and are tied for 1st in T-16 as well in the second division.
Unfortunately for Brian his club are out of the Youth Cup and that hurts.
But before you get that Kleenex box out, remember that the Gulls are in the FA Cup Final.
And they are the defending FA Cup Champs...
And they face Chesterfield in a repeat of last seasons final that BHA won 4-3 on PKs.
If there's anyone in this league that is vindictive and wants revenge at all costs, that person is...
...you guessed it!
P H I L M c I N T O S H
But back to BHA for a moment...
Yes, I think we're all disappointed that they are in 8th place in the 2nd division and 'temporarily' in the drop zone.
However, their next 4 opponents have a lower T-11. So shouldn't they win all these games? If they do they could still promote to the first division.
So again, let's not jump off the deep end yet.
Al
BHA: top T11 and second T16, but 8th place an soon to be relegated.
Any thoughts? Anyone?
Plymouth has quite a number of Age V players that will be sold to non-league if they are not sold to another team by the end of the day on Friday.
100k for each.
PNE's t-16 (13.12) is better than 28 teams' t-11 right now.
Enough said.
Leeds and Plymouth square off in an all-MEDITECH tilt this afternoon. Leeds sits #1 in D2 with Plymouth just 3 points behind in 2nd place. Had there been predictions this week, surely this would have been one of the top draws! Leeds has the advantage with the better squad, but Plymouth has the advantage of the better manager. Several of Leeds' players are injured/suspended as well.
Who will prevail in this key matchup?!
After successive weeks without a win Northampton sell doff some players to the non league, back to drawing board said Compton as the knives were out for him at last nights press conference
Not this year, Ian. Preston is destined to win at least one trophy this season. Al showed me the special pro-Ian code he added for this one season. Looks snazy.
I see a couple of managers here getting a bit over excited about our prospects. Both of these managers are men who should know better. They have been in the league long enough to know that we've shown this kind of promise before, and it has always ended the same way...
Team Awards
none
Look at this team, Al. It's all but pefect. This could legitimately be a no loss season for Ian.
I don't particularly care for this 8 win, 1 draw, 0 loss start from the I-Man...
C'mon 1st Division...let's get it together!!
Al
Sorry all, couldn't do the prediction league this week. RL is getting pretty busy.
Weston-super-Mare AFC sends 100k
to Dagenham & Redbridge for Marvin Hoffmann (V/4 Fw; 40k)
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Sorry for the lateness here, but Prediction League is ready to go.
Northampton Town FC sends Gunnar Engen (III/12 Gk; 400k)
to Southend United for 610k
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Nottingham Forest sends 120k
to Cardiff City FC for Tyler Cook (V/5 Fw; 60k)
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Lewes FC sends 550k
to Cardiff City FC for Sang Kyu Lim (III/12 Mf; 400k)
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Lewes FC sends Leon Burgess (V/4 Gk; 40k)
to Dorchester Town for 100k, Ernest Reyes (IV/6 Df; 120k)
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Weston-super-Mare AFC sends Henry Russel (V/7 Sw; 100k)
to Dorchester Town for 200k
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Weston-super-Mare AFC sends Matthieu Tissot (I/10 Mf; 480k)
to Brentford FC for Archie Potter (APP/5 Df; 240k), Thomas Holland (APP/5 Fw; 240k)
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Looking to purchase an APP 5 defender. Willing to pay premium price (that alliteration was intentional).
Brentford FC sends 175k
to Weston-super-Mare AFC for Alexander Duncan (V/3 Df; 20k)
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Plymouth has plenty of BRBs available for the coming season.
Vegas has Brentford as 2:1 odds as youth cup champions......anything less will be a huge disappointment.
...here's a link to the historical champions.
In it, under FA Cup Champions, you can see how Dave Dohm and Lewes did NO HEAVY LIFTING AT ALL in winning the FA Cup in Season 13.
Lewes played 6, won 4, scored 5 goals, and allowed 0.
Unbelievable...
...and yet a reminder why all teams should play 10 hardness against Lewes (and PNE for that matter) this season...
Al
PS: The history link at the top menu has a lot of tidbits like this you can glean (although the commissioner's office doesn't directly state on the pages that Dave Dohm is the luckiest man on the face of the earth)...
Come on Brian. You were here for the final session of last season...and yet you still ask that question? 
Lewes FC sends Joshua Marsh (I/9 Mf; 420k)
to Southend United for Nicola Esposito (III/9 Gk; 280k), Lars Birkeland (IV/4 Mf; 60k)
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Does that mean Ian gets a trophy?
Ian was right on pretty much all of his MSWL Title write-up on the origins of the "MSWL" name.
Nice going Ian.
Al
The following teams receive a bonus (Season 17 Financial Bonuses):
BHA (400) CRD (250) CAR (200) CHF (275) CRE (75) DER (400) HER (225) LEE (14) LEW (575) LIN (4) NOR (83) OLA (325) PLY (400) PNE (504) SHU (45) SU (12) SWA (108) SWI (4) TRA (150) WES (152) WYC (12) completed teams_logs insert
I believe the story is something along these lines:
There was a coroner in Illinois somewhere named Wayne and he was once called out to a dead body. When he arrived he mistakenly ran over the body with his car as if to make sure he was dead, leading to the term "Make Sure Wayne". The slightly tenuous link here is that when a goal is scored and bounces out of the net and another player follows up and boots the ball back into the net again, that is also "Making Sure Wayne" (apparently).
After hearing this bizarre "car accident" story in 1989, a young "gentleman" named Allan Sellers decided to name his new Play By (Paper) Mail league, the Make Sure Wayne League (MSWL). Over the years, the league moved from deciding results by rolling dice, to a C++ program running in MS-DOS, to a Visual Basic program running on Windows, and finally onto the web. The original league is still going from the address http://www.mswl.org, although it's currently the off-season.
History Lesson...one little known fact is the inaugural 1989 season of MSWL was won by none other than current Chesterfield FC manager, Phil McIntosh. This fact is notable because of Phil's own record of bizarre car accidents, and more so because Phil hasn't won anything since in MSWL, in the 25 years that have followed. I believe Lewes coach (and my long time nemesis) Dave Dohm, is also an original MSWL manager from 1989.
As always, please check my math
LEW-575
PNE-504
BHA-400
DER-400
PLY-400
OLA-325
CHF-275
CHA-250
HER-225
CAR-200
WES-152
TRA-150
SWA-108
NOR-83
CRE-75
SHU-45
LEE-14
WYC-12
SU-12
LIN-4
SWI-4
Better late than never, but thanks for answering my question Rob :)
Can someone please post here what MSWL stands for and how it came about. I know the truth but my wife refuses to believe me.
Thank you.
Phil
Either LEW or PNE will win Division 1 with the other being the bridesmaid (I'm not making another picture but if Ian's team loses then you can click on the link to see what I am referring to) as no other team has enough points to catch up. If LEW wins, easy they win the Division 1 title. If PNE wins, easy...uh oh, no so easy...I meant if PNE wins both matches then surely...ummm, no not necessarily. In a manner that could only strike Ian, it is possible for him to win both matches and STILL NOT win the Division 1 title. LEW could lose both matches and STILL WIN the Division!? Yes but only if PNE loses to Southend United, the (for now) worst record team in Division 1 (don't worry Mr. Dowson, CRE is looking to have its worst record ever).
If TRA wants 3rd place, he is going to have to go through me to get it BUT unfortunately for him that's the same path HER needs* to take. Speaking of TRA and CRE, only 2 teams have never been relegated - those are the two teams. A handful of teams have finished with 20+ points in the standings for more than 10 consecutive seasons but it looks like one less team will be in that group. If CRE could possibly win both league matches, they'll still need the help of HER and QPR to prevent the 6th and 7th place teams from maintaining their positions in the standings. Should be an interesting Saturday afternoon.
Ready for the last submissions of the season.
Yes!
Definitely continue to play your SBY. I always expect that my APPs are going to get injured/suspended at some point during the season. Having the extra 1 or 2 QNL gives you the wiggle room needed to not play them in a session.
Just slipped my mind......if a SBY has achieved his 3 levels in a season, it's still worth hiom playing/being coached in the final session because the extra games are carried over aren't they?....or is it just one of the games that is carried over?
Cheers
Ready for selection!
Weston-super-Mare AFC sends Vincenzo Moretti (APP/8 Fw; 450k)
to Northampton Town FC for 530k, Fabio Greco (IV/6 Fw; 120k)
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Weston-super-Mare AFC sends Daniel Lee (APP/7 Fw; 350k)
to Leicester City FC for 450k
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Ready for orders!
Prediction entries for Session 7 are available. Happy predicting!
Brentford FC sends 180k
to Brighton & Hove Albion for Riley Knight (SBY/4 Df; 140k)
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Yes, PK Shootout order is based on SL descending and does not filter out the Gk or Sw position. An example is at the very bottom of this link where the Gk, Lindsay, took the first PK.
http://www.olmec.org/mswl-united/match_report.php?schedule_id=355&type=report
Al
I forget if SW's and GK's are eligible to take PK's in a shoot out.
Anyone?
Nottingham Forest sends 250k
to Hereford United FC for Kenny Edwards (V/5 Mf; 60k)
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Watford sends 250k
to Hereford United FC for Jack Dunn (V/2 Gk; 0k)
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Weston-super-Mare AFC sends Sean Marshall (SBY/3 Fw; 70k)
to Brentford FC for 100k, Giuseppe Colombo (IV/2 Df; 0k)
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Northampton Town FC sends Santiago Castillo (III/7 Df; 200k)
to Brighton & Hove Albion for 250k
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Northampton Town FC sends 175k
to Leeds United for Jose Herrero (V/3 Df; 20k)
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Brentford FC sends 720k
to Carlisle United for David Barton (I/10 Sw; 480k)
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Weston-super-Mare AFC sends 120k, Mehdi Godet (III/4 Mf; 80k)
to Lewes FC for Logan Reid (V/4 Df; 40k)
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Nice to see the Crewe have found some good stock with the recent signing of keeper James Dohm!
Weston-super-Mare AFC sends Esteban Molina (III/4 Mf; 80k), Théo Bon (I/10 Mf; 480k)
to Wycombe Wanderers for 800k
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Lewes FC sends Steven Phillips (APP/4 Fw; 170k)
to Brentford FC for Matthieu Philippon (III/4 Df; 80k), Nicola Mancini (IV/4 Fw; 60k)
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Cardiff City FC sends Thomas Holland (SBY/2 Fw; 15k), Hayden Rooney (SBY/2 Df; 15k)
to Brentford FC for 50k
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Southend United sends Facundo Ortiz (V/5 Gk; 60k)
to Brentford FC for 150k
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Preston North End FC sends 685k
to Southend United for Simon Gray (APP/6 Mf; 325k), Leo Hunter (APP/6 Mf; 310k)
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Northampton Town FC sends 225k
to Plymouth Argyle FC for Benjamin Thompson (V/2 Fw; 0k)
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The following teams receive a bonus (Season 16 Financial Bonuses):
CHF (237) DAG (19) DER (279) DOR (108) HER (608) LEE (4) LEW (500) LIN (204) NOR (404) FOR (200) OLA (100) PLY (75) PV (75) PNE (83) SHU (304) SU (100) SWA (204) SWI (14) TRA (450) WES (272) WYC (27)
One thing I was surprised to realise this season is that the AP Cup and FA Shield finals are not played on neutral grounds. Given it's a hard job for both teams to get to a final, I can't help thinking it's a bit of a unfair advantage for one team to be playing the final at home. It worked for and against me this year as I had an away cup final in MSWL and a home final in MSWL 2. Both games were actually quite close, but the home advantage is a big boost going into such a game and I can't help but feel it would be more honourable to win these games at a neutral venue.
Not sure what everyone else thinks about this?
Brighton & Hove Albion needed only two points int heir last four matches to clinch promotion. The team apparently was unable to handle such daunting pressure and gained only one point (a 0-0 draw with D2 winner Sheffield).
What a pitiful display by the lads from BHA.
Now I can see where the figures come from, they look correct apart from some teams seem to have 10k too much : Hereford, Weston, Wycombe, Dagenham and Leeds. Probably I am missing something.
There was also 200k available for players who updated their bio/pics etc. Not sure that this was ever paid out?
Paul, most of the financial totals come from this table in Page 15 of the rules:
Income
The following table showsincome received:
Event Income (K)
League Winner(Division 1/2/3) 500/300/200
League Runner-Up (Division 1/2/3) 300/200/100
League Third Place (Division 1/2/3) 150/100/50
Each Regular Session (Division 1/2/3) 95/80/65
FA Cup (Winner/Runner-Up/Semi-Finalist) 400/250/200
AP Cup (Winner/Runner-Up/Semi-Finalist) 250/150/75
FA Shield (Winner/Runner-Up) 200/75
Youth Cup (Winner/Runner-Up) 150/75
Leading Scorer(Each Division) 25
--------------------------------------------------------
Also there are prediction league rules on that page.
http://www.olmec.org/mswl-united/prediction_league.php?type=landing
----------------------------------------------
Can someone please confirm Mr. Dohm's numbers?
Also, help remind me here? Do I need to give Ian any trophies?
Awesome Post Comrade Rob!
Al
Can someone explain these numbers, please, not sure where they come from at all...
Here's what I have for the dollar totals, as always someone check my math..............................
HER 608
LEW 500
TRA 450
NOR 404
SHF 304
DER 279
WST 272
CHF 237
LIN 204
SWA 204
NOT 200
DOR 108
SU 100
OLD 100
PNE 83
PLY 75
PV 75
WYC 27
DAG 19
SWI 14
LEE 4
These are probably achievements that should have been noted during some milestone season like 10th or 20th but I thought of it now so the list is going out now. The following is a collection of career record and goals-based stats. I do not think any further explanation is needed :
| Award | Coach | Explanation |
| Evil Empire | Alon Atie | His Tranmere Rovers make the Yankees look like the Minnesota T-Wolves. (NOTE: This year the Yankees made themselves look like them without any help.) What has Alon done? He is approaching 300 career wins, has scored over 1,110 goals and has NEVER been relegated. Well he hasn't won a single title... only because each title he has won - he had done so multiple times. I'll just list what he hasn't done - win the FA Cup or beat Crewe Alexandra enough times yet. |
| Ebenezer Scrooge | Kevin Martin | How can one of the most generous coaches when it comes to providing statistics, knowledge and strategy to all while seeking nothing in return (well maybe a few 'k' from Allen)? Doc Martins goalkeeping play over the seasons have been quietly astounding. I believe he is the only coach to have given up less goals than matches played, a career GAA under 1.00 with only 443 to make it past his netminders in 468 career matches. |
| Buffett/Gates (or Mother Teresa) | Derek Purvis | Is Derek rich beyond belief? Maybe, I do not know. Does he travel the world helping those that are ill or poor? Perhaps. What he has been doing in United for many seasons is helping others score goals while rarely [in comparison] saving any of those for himself. The other teams in the league have collectively benefit from 1,169 goals in 392 matches. As for himself, he has less goals scored (247) than losses (285). |
| Charlie Brown | Mark Stretch | "He's a clown. That Charlie Brown. He's going to get caught. Just you wait and see." "Why is everybody always pickin' on me!?" Sorry, I was remembering to listening to my Coasters cassette. Oh...United. Mark has outscored his opponents 477 to 413 however due to bad luck that C.B. is all too familiar with he is the only coach with a sub .500 record yet a plus goal differential. The only thing more painful than that was my singing. |
| Bill Parcels | Mike Cabral | This is the "You Are What You Are" award. A nearly .500 record at 166-171 (-5) and unsurprisingly a goal differential of -6 (757 GF to 763 GA). Well, I guess he "Houdini'd" an extra win somehow. |
| Jumbo Shrimp | Rob Baptiste | I'm probably considered successful however I believe I have the worst record of any repeat Division I team. 18 games below .500 and a -66 goal differential yet have never been relegated and only trails Alon with most consecutive seasons in Division I with 9. |
We face PNE on Saturday in a Youth Cup Semi. Should the Magpies defeat Ian's club (in regulation, penalty kicks, or cheat codes) it will continue a 16th straight season where Ian's trophy cabinet stays empty. Please support your Magpies on Saturday!
Fill yer Boots
They must go B4 Deadline!
| Leo Hunter | APP | Mf | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Simon Gray | APP | Mf | 6 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
Why are people selling II/12 DF's to non-league? I'd consider spending money on some of these guys!
Lewes FC sends Yoshio Fujiwara (APP/5 Fw; 225k)
to Dorchester Town for Liam O'Neil (V/10 Gk; 160k)
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Compo recently writes:
unbelievable I say given that we stick a pin into a voodoo doll resembling Dave Dohm
I like the way you are thinking Simon...
Us I believe compos got 7 correct this weekend out of 8 games, unbelievable I say given that we stick a pin into a voodoo doll resembling Dave Dohm!! Yes compos lucky prediction roulette wheel came up trumps shame there was not a bonus for it!!
Lewes FC sends Bradley Ali (IV/12 Gk; 300k)
to Hereford United FC for 40k, Wilhelm Nyman (IV/12 Df; 300k)
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So far the title is up for grabs by all teams...except for Dorchester. The Magpies have NO chance. Repeat, NO chance. Take it to the bank!
I am doing that Dave (using an excel sheet), I think I selected the wrong match.
Makes it easy to keep track of how many times each team appears in Predo league
Dave, you are right about Hereford. By the time I noticed it, it was already to late
3 Games selected with HEREFORD playing ? Not good !
Northampton Town FC sends Zak Hill (IV/9 Gk; 210k)
to Brentford FC for 375k, Mateo Masse (IV/3 Mf; 30k)
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Cardiff City FC sends Martim Ponte (II/12 Gk; 500k)
to Northampton Town FC for 500k, Gabriel Lima (IV/8 Mf; 180k)
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Crewe Alexandra FC sends 232k, Vincenzo Esposito (I/10 Fw; 480k), Sebastian Hernández (APP/5 Gk; 210k)
to Swindon Town FC for Joe O'Brien (II/14 Gk; 600k)
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Dorchester Town sends 125k
to Leeds United for Max Gordon (V/2 Fw; 0k)
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Wycombe Wanderers sends 100k
to Sheffield United for Mads Mørup (V/7 Fw; 100k)
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Southend United sends Paolo Costa (IV/5 Df; 90k)
to Dorchester Town for 150k
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Dorchester Town sends 125k
to Watford for Ryan Kelly (V/2 Fw; 0k)
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Dorchester Town sends 125k
to Watford for Dominic Kaur (V/2 Fw; 0k)
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Northampton Town FC sends Joshua Rooney (V/4 Fw; 40k)
to Crewe Alexandra FC for 150k
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Dorchester Town sends 105k
to Queens Park Rangers for Diego Pinto (V/2 Mf; 0k)
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Dorchester Town sends 105k
to Queens Park Rangers for Zadok Yitzchak (VI/2 Fw; 0k)
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Southend United sends 300k
to Brighton & Hove Albion for Fernando Ventura (IV/9 Sw; 210k)
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Wycombe Wanderers sends 420k
to Southend United for Oisin McDonald (III/7 Mf; 200k), Euan Boyle (III/6 Mf; 160k)
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If anyone has any surplus age 4 players, SL 6 or higher, give me a shout, I am looking to buy two of these characters.....
Weston-super-Mare AFC sends 380k
to Southend United for Giorgio Ferrari (V/6 Fw; 80k), Elliot Ince (V/6 Gk; 80k)
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Lewes FC sends Max Doherty (V/5 Df; 60k)
to Wycombe Wanderers for 0150k, Diego Cunha (IV/2 Fw; 0k)
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Hi all, a few familiar names among you.....Vick Hall! Must be over 25 years since we first played postal Diplomacy?
I have a challenge on my hands with Wycombe.....who can help me a little? I urgently need an age V+ player for conversion to BRB. Not much cash....anyone willing to release someone for 150k?
Also urgently need 11 SL15+ players or a lot of luck....
The Comptons tackle the Hulk, well Katie and I as Tom and Sophie werent tall enough and Lynne possibly thankful had to stay and look after them although she is considering it, it takes off like the Arrowsmith roller coaster super fast and in the dark that one, but the Hulk is massive and spins just as you leave the entrance, its awesome, when we met with the rest of the crew they had been on rip saw falls whilst we did the hulk, boy i have never seen any of them so wet coming back from a ride, the photo was tremendous, may try and get it on here at some point.
As you can guess a fantastic time is being had by all, Animal Kingdon superb with a ride called Everest, really cool, Universal had some great rides we were all tall enough to get on, The mummy in the dark well recommended, The Ride Rockit was awesome also with a space launch take off before it went into various loops and inverted turns.
The evening light shows were superb and fantastic at Magic Kingdom and Epcot, Epcot has the excellent simulator ride called Soaring.
Anyway i could go on, the driving is easy as the roads are large, the cars are comfortable and all automatic but still there appear to be a alot of drivers losing concentration as we see cars bumping into each other on the side roads.
Another week left yet and apologies to those who play in mulitple games
Good Luck everyone and be back soon.
DaveDohm the super hero. Bloody well done with those figures, its a Saturday night and he has worked and calculated he monies already, some sort of star you are that man, it will be remembered in high places I tell you!!
well done
DOR-545
SWA-500
LEW-404
NOR-400
LEE-352
PLY-350
PNE-300
WST-204
BHA-200
TRA-175
QPR-150
HER-118
CAR-100
LEI-79
DER-75
SHU-75
PV-75
CRD-75
NOT-18
SU-8
BRE-8
CHF-4
WAT-4
OLD-4
LIN-4
SWI-4
Someone feel free to check my addition!
ï»Allan Leads the way with 2 to go
ï»
| Allan Sellers | 7 | 5 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 9 | 4 | - | - | 52 |
| Andy Bate | 5 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 5 | - | - | 49 |
| Roy Rolsten | 3 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 5 | - | - | 48 |
| Abe Hamdali | 6 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 7 | 8 | 6 | - | - | 48 |
| Dave Dohm | 6 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 5 | - | - | 47 |
| Derek Purvis | 8 | 5 | 5 | 9 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | - | - | 46 |
| Ian Lindsay | 5 | 6 | 4 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 5 | - | - | 45 |
| Rene Wilkens | 3 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 5 | - | - | 44 |
| Mike Mcleod | 5 | 4 | 6 | 9 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 5 | - | - | 44 |
| Vick Hall | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 6 | - | - | 43 |
| Kevin Martin | 5 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 4 | - | - | 42 |
| Jeff Hawker | 7 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 4 | 5 | 5 | - | - | - | 41 |
| Dave Dowson | 4 | 1 | 7 | 9 | 6 | 4 | 9 | - | - | - | 40 |
| Trevor Taylor | 5 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 4 | - | - | 39 |
| Simon Compton | 4 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | - | - | 39 |
| Jose Freitas | 7 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 6 | - | - | - | 38 |
| Fred Wilkens | 7 | 4 | 4 | 9 | 4 | 5 | - | 4 | - | - | 37 |
| Brian Beerman | 5 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 5 | - | - | 36 |
| Graham Wilkes | 6 | 2 | 7 | - | 5 | 4 | 7 | 4 | - | - | 35 |
| Phil McIntosh | 4 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 3 | - | - | 34 |
| Rob Peterson | 5 | 2 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 4 | - | - | - | - | 30 |
| Mike Cabral | 4 | 5 | 6 | - | 5 | - | 6 | 3 | - | - | 29 |
| Mike Parnaby | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | - | 5 | 2 | - | - | 29 |
| Mark Stretch | 6 | 4 | 7 | 5 | - | 6 | - | - | - | - | 28 |
| Jake Hanny | 7 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7 |
Just a note for those who are interested, Toms under 9s side today won 4-0 against a team from Billing to reach the cup finals, they have played really well this season and they will play at the local ground of Northampton on Saturday 18th May, should be a great day for the boys to play at a club ground.
Cardiff City FC sends João Fernandes (III/12 Gk; 400k)
to Carlisle United for 400k, Aaron Black (SBY/4 Fw; 155k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
ï»
| Allan Sellers | 7 | 5 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 9 | - | - | - | 48 |
| Andy Bate | 5 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | - | - | - | 44 |
| Roy Rolsten | 3 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 4 | 5 | 9 | - | - | - | 43 |
| Dave Dohm | 6 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 6 | - | - | - | 42 |
| Abe Hamdali | 6 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 7 | 8 | - | - | - | 42 |
| Derek Purvis | 8 | 5 | 5 | 9 | 4 | 5 | 5 | - | - | - | 41 |
| Jeff Hawker | 7 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 4 | 5 | 5 | - | - | - | 41 |
| Dave Dowson | 4 | 1 | 7 | 9 | 6 | 4 | 9 | - | - | - | 40 |
| Ian Lindsay | 5 | 6 | 4 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 6 | - | - | - | 40 |
| Mike Mcleod | 5 | 4 | 6 | 9 | 4 | 5 | 6 | - | - | - | 39 |
| Rene Wilkens | 3 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 6 | - | - | - | 39 |
| Jose Freitas | 7 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 6 | - | - | - | 38 |
| Kevin Martin | 5 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 5 | - | - | - | 38 |
| Vick Hall | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 7 | - | - | - | 37 |
| Trevor Taylor | 5 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 | - | - | - | 35 |
| Simon Compton | 4 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 5 | - | - | - | 34 |
| Fred Wilkens | 7 | 4 | 4 | 9 | 4 | 5 | - | - | - | - | 33 |
| Graham Wilkes | 6 | 2 | 7 | - | 5 | 4 | 7 | - | - | - | 31 |
| Phil McIntosh | 4 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 5 | - | - | - | 31 |
| Brian Beerman | 5 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 7 | - | - | - | 31 |
| Rob Peterson | 5 | 2 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 4 | - | - | - | - | 30 |
| Mark Stretch | 6 | 4 | 7 | 5 | - | 6 | - | - | - | - | 28 |
| Mike Parnaby | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | - | 5 | - | - | - | 27 |
| Mike Cabral | 4 | 5 | 6 | - | 5 | - | 6 | - | - | - | 26 |
| Jake Hanny | 7 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7 |
ï»
| Allan Sellers | 7 | 5 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 6 | - | - | - | - | 39 |
| Andy Bate | 5 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 7 | - | - | - | - | 37 |
| Dave Dohm | 6 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 6 | - | - | - | - | 36 |
| Jeff Hawker | 7 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 4 | 5 | - | - | - | - | 36 |
| Derek Purvis | 8 | 5 | 5 | 9 | 4 | 5 | - | - | - | - | 36 |
| Ian Lindsay | 5 | 6 | 4 | 8 | 5 | 6 | - | - | - | - | 34 |
| Roy Rolsten | 3 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 4 | 5 | - | - | - | - | 34 |
| Abe Hamdali | 6 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 7 | - | - | - | - | 34 |
| Mike Mcleod | 5 | 4 | 6 | 9 | 4 | 5 | - | - | - | - | 33 |
| Rene Wilkens | 3 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 7 | 5 | - | - | - | - | 33 |
| Kevin Martin | 5 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 6 | - | - | - | - | 33 |
| Fred Wilkens | 7 | 4 | 4 | 9 | 4 | 5 | - | - | - | - | 33 |
| Jose Freitas | 7 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 4 | 3 | - | - | - | - | 32 |
| Dave Dowson | 4 | 1 | 7 | 9 | 6 | 4 | - | - | - | - | 31 |
| Rob Peterson | 5 | 2 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 4 | - | - | - | - | 30 |
| Vick Hall | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 6 | - | - | - | - | 30 |
| Trevor Taylor | 5 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 6 | - | - | - | - | 29 |
| Simon Compton | 4 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 5 | - | - | - | - | 29 |
| Mark Stretch | 6 | 4 | 7 | 5 | - | 6 | - | - | - | - | 28 |
| Phil McIntosh | 4 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 7 | - | - | - | - | 26 |
| Graham Wilkes | 6 | 2 | 7 | - | 5 | 4 | - | - | - | - | 24 |
| Brian Beerman | 5 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | - | - | - | - | 24 |
| Mike Parnaby | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | - | - | - | - | - | 22 |
| Mike Cabral | 4 | 5 | 6 | - | 5 | - | - | - | - | - | 20 |
| Jake Hanny | 7 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7 |
Cardiff City FC sends 550k, Giuseppe Gallo (SBY/3 Fw; 100k)
to Dagenham & Redbridge for Derek Clarke (APP/7 Fw; 380k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
So Allan takes a 7 out of ten and takes the top spot from Jeff who hits a 4.. Jeff who won 2 years ago will be back with a better session so sharpen your pencils and have a bash... We are half way through but never too late too have a little prediction...
ï»
| Allan Sellers | 7 | 5 | 8 | 6 | 7 | - | - | - | - | - | 33 |
| Jeff Hawker | 7 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | 31 |
| Derek Purvis | 8 | 5 | 5 | 9 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | 31 |
| Dave Dohm | 6 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | 30 |
| Andy Bate | 5 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 6 | - | - | - | - | - | 30 |
| Roy Rolsten | 3 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | 29 |
| Jose Freitas | 7 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | 29 |
| Ian Lindsay | 5 | 6 | 4 | 8 | 5 | - | - | - | - | - | 28 |
| Rene Wilkens | 3 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 7 | - | - | - | - | - | 28 |
| Mike Mcleod | 5 | 4 | 6 | 9 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | 28 |
| Fred Wilkens | 7 | 4 | 4 | 9 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | 28 |
| Abe Hamdali | 6 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | 27 |
| Dave Dowson | 4 | 1 | 7 | 9 | 6 | - | - | - | - | - | 27 |
| Kevin Martin | 5 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 6 | - | - | - | - | - | 27 |
| Rob Peterson | 5 | 2 | 6 | 7 | 6 | - | - | - | - | - | 26 |
| Simon Compton | 4 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | 24 |
| Vick Hall | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | 24 |
| Trevor Taylor | 5 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 5 | - | - | - | - | - | 23 |
| Mark Stretch | 6 | 4 | 7 | 5 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 22 |
| Mike Parnaby | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | - | - | - | - | - | 22 |
| Graham Wilkes | 6 | 2 | 7 | - | 5 | - | - | - | - | - | 20 |
| Brian Beerman | 5 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | 20 |
| Mike Cabral | 4 | 5 | 6 | - | 5 | - | - | - | - | - | 20 |
| Phil McIntosh | 4 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 5 | - | - | - | - | - | 19 |
| Jake Hanny | 7 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7 |
Brighton & Hove Albion sends 725k
to Cardiff City FC for August Nordström (I/10 Df; 480k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
ï»So here we are round 3 is open for you to predict... Happy days and peace to all
ï»
| Derek Purvis | 8 | 5 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 13 |
| Dave Dohm | 6 | 7 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 13 |
| Jeff Hawker | 7 | 6 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 13 |
| Jose Freitas | 7 | 6 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 13 |
| Allan Sellers | 7 | 5 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 12 |
| Andy Bate | 5 | 7 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 12 |
| Ian Lindsay | 5 | 6 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 11 |
| Fred Wilkens | 7 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 11 |
| Abe Hamdali | 6 | 5 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 11 |
| Vick Hall | 5 | 5 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 10 |
| Mark Stretch | 6 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 10 |
| Roy Rolsten | 3 | 6 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 9 |
| Mike Cabral | 4 | 5 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 9 |
| Mike Mcleod | 5 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 9 |
| Graham Wilkes | 6 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8 |
| Kevin Martin | 5 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8 |
| Rene Wilkens | 3 | 5 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8 |
| Mike Parnaby | 4 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 8 |
| Jake Hanny | 7 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7 |
| Simon Compton | 4 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7 |
| Rob Peterson | 5 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7 |
| Brian Beerman | 5 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7 |
| Trevor Taylor | 5 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7 |
| Phil McIntosh | 4 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6 |
| Dave Dowson | 4 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 5 |
Vacation time is ahead of us soon, boy we need it, I am still coming to terms with tonight. A bucket full of beer is required tonight!!
Vacation time is ahead of us soon, boy we need it, I am still coming to terms with tonight. A bucket full of beer is required tonight!!
Northampton Town Manager Compton was outraged tonight following the AP Cup results, he says referees have it for them and Olmec deserves a good overhaul, Sheffield scored last week in the final minute to beat us and tonight Southend Utd don't have a shot on goal but still win 2-1as the ref concedes that possibly the two decisions which allowed Southend to score were possibly dives!!
Are you kidding me, Compton was embarrassed for refs everywhere tonight and hopes Dave Dowson will send a bargain bottle of champagne our way as he must feel lucky tonight!!
Absolutely gutted we are here and close to resignation!!
Derby certainly wouldn't want to switch out of the Meditech group!
Those odds on Port Vale qualifying are a lot shorter now. All The Valiants need is to beat Tranmere and they'll be through...
Northampton Town FC sends Harrison Ross (V/4 Fw; 40k)
to Brentford FC for 200k
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Do we have a problem!!
Too bad you couldn't switch Lincoln for Derby... then you'd have the full sweep!
This one looks like the group of death, with three of the top eight T11s in the same group!
What odds Port Vale to qualify?
Group F is 3/4 Meditech Third Shift. Should be a fun series.
Hereford United FC sends Lennon Paterson (III/13 Mf; 440k), Callum Ritchie (I/10 Mf; 480k)
to Preston North End FC for Wayne Henderson (III/13 Fw; 440k), Borg Fredriksen (I/10 Fw; 480k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Southend United sends Jay Scott (III/6 Df; 160k)
to Swansea City AFC for Noah Thomas (V/4 Mf; 40k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Weston-super-Mare AFC sends 120k, Niels Christensen (I/7 Fw; 300k)
to Lewes FC for Patrick Dunn (III/10 Fw; 320k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Thought i would assess my divisional rivals for promotion this year and now wish I hadn't as a promotion push is going to be hard. Favorites for promotion have to be Cardiff, Derby and Leicester. Both Derby and Leicester are quality sides in this division and although neither have much cash, they both have strong enough T11's to get out of this division without the need for reinforcements. The interesting side are Cardiff and their cash cow, which if invested wisely could turn them into a powerhouse. Early results for Cardiff could be key, whilst their young keeper and sweeper mature, but if they can stay in touch with the leaders, then you might make them favorites to overhaul any deficit in the run-in. Contenders in which I also include Weston are Oldham, Carlisle, Swindon and Dagenham. Carlisle have some very good players and a wily manager, but lack of cash could see them consigned again to the basement this year. Olham also have a sprinkling of very good players and cash to invest, as do Swindon (with some good apps coming through, so maybe next year for them). Dagenham have a versatile Fw line with no real stars, but enough to ensure they will clock up a decent number of wins this season. Inexperience at the back could see them struggle early on until keeper and sweeper gain experience. Weston will need to rely on their defence to secure points, but midfield quality is no-existant and not enough I feel up front either. In the Bottom tier we currently have Brentford and Wycombe with only 1 lvl 10 player each, they will currently have a hard job to fight for anything other than the wooden spoon. At least Brentford have some cash...... Prediction: 1)Cardiff, 2)Derby, 3)Leicester, 4)Oldham, 5)Weston, 6)Carlisle, 7)Swindon, 8)Dagenham, 9)Brentford, 10)Wycombe.
Northampton Town FC sends 550k
to Weston-super-Mare AFC for Cameron Johnstone (I/9 Df; 420k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Southend United sends 380k
to Weston-super-Mare AFC for Emile Barber (II/8 Mf; 300k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Crewe Alexandra FC sends 150k
to Watford for Samuel Rodier (V/2 Mf; 0k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Cardiff City FC sends Ye Zhào (APP/5 Gk; 210k)
to Lewes FC for Simen Kristiansen (III/10 Mf; 320k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Dorchester Town sends Arran Campbell (V/4 Fw; 40k)
to Weston-super-Mare AFC for 120k
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Lewes FC sends 202k
to Leicester City FC for Daniel Hamilton (IV/5 Fw; 90k), Morgan Jackson (IV/5 Df; 90k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Cardiff City FC sends Danny Lowe (I/10 Fw; 480k)
to Brentford FC for 750k
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Cardiff City FC sends James Johnson (I/10 Mf; 480k)
to Brighton & Hove Albion for 750k
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Cardiff City FC sends Ian Rooney (I/10 Fw; 480k)
to Nottingham Forest for 750k
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A very Merry Christmas to everyone!
The following teams receive a bonus (Season 14 Financial Bonuses):
BRE (4) BHA (204) BRI (27) CHF (654) CRE (500) DER (25) DOR (204) HER (237) LEE (14) LEW (483) LIN (58) NOR (75) FOR (4) PLY (104) PNE (275) QPR (325) SWA (304) TRA (475) WAT (75) WES (150) WYC (4)
Thanks to Dave Dohm for compiling the information.
Al
Well done Andy... Prediction winner by 7 points and in no2 Jake Good effort boys final tanle below
ï»
| Andy Bate | 7 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 61 |
| Jake Hanny | 6 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 54 |
| Abe Hamdali | 8 | 4 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 53 |
| Roy Rolsten | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 52 |
| Mike Cabral | 5 | 4 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 8 | 51 |
| Kevin Martin | 5 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 9 | 50 |
| Brian Beerman | 6 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 8 | 48 |
| Graham Wilkes | 7 | 5 | 8 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 48 |
| Allan Sellers | 6 | 5 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 48 |
| Phil McIntosh | 5 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 48 |
| Rene Wilkens | 6 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 47 |
| Dave Dohm | 4 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 47 |
| Jose Freitas | 4 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 46 |
| Derek Purvis | 3 | 6 | 4 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 45 |
| Rob Peterson | 5 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 42 |
| Fred Wilkens | 1 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 40 |
| Mike Mcleod | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 4 | - | 5 | 40 |
| Dave Dowson | 5 | - | 6 | 6 | 4 | 1 | - | 4 | 5 | 7 | 38 |
| Vick Hall | - | 5 | 8 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 5 | - | 36 |
| Simon Compton | 5 | 4 | - | 6 | 4 | 4 | 2 | - | - | - | 25 |
| Mike Parnaby | 4 | - | - | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | - | 4 | 3 | 21 |
| Ian Lindsay | 5 | 4 | - | 6 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 15 |
| Rob Baptiste | - | - | 7 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7 |
| Bill Bushby | 7 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7 |
| John Holden | - | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2 |
Here is what I came up with, as always.....someone please audit!
| CHF | 654 |
| CRE | 500 |
| LEW | 483 |
| TRA | 475 |
| QPR | 325 |
| SWA | 304 |
| PNE | 275 |
| HER | 237 |
| BHA | 204 |
| DOR | 204 |
| WES | 150 |
| PLY | 104 |
| WAT | 75 |
| NOR | 75 |
| LIN | 50 |
| BRI | 27 |
| DER | 25 |
| LEE | 14 |
| LIN | 8 |
| BRE | 4 |
| NOT | 4 |
| WYC | 4 |
Great to see Comrade Rob's eight-season plan finally pay off in a league trophy!
That deserves some Maggie Greene.
ï»Andy Bate - This is your to loose!!! 5 gets you the title by default but i reckon 3 will!!
Thanks all those that took part. the 3 cup ties are on the list.. who will win what .. man up and enter
| Andy Bate | 7 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 7 | - | 52 |
| Abe Hamdali | 8 | 4 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 6 | - | 46 |
| Roy Rolsten | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | - | 46 |
| Phil McIntosh | 5 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 5 | - | 45 |
| Jake Hanny | 6 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 7 | - | 45 |
| Mike Cabral | 5 | 4 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 5 | - | 43 |
| Graham Wilkes | 7 | 5 | 8 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 5 | - | 43 |
| Allan Sellers | 6 | 5 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 7 | - | 42 |
| Rene Wilkens | 6 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 4 | - | 42 |
| Dave Dohm | 4 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 4 | - | 41 |
| Jose Freitas | 4 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 7 | - | 41 |
| Kevin Martin | 5 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 5 | - | 41 |
| Brian Beerman | 6 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 7 | - | 40 |
| Derek Purvis | 3 | 6 | 4 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 5 | - | 40 |
| Vick Hall | - | 5 | 8 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 5 | - | 36 |
| Rob Peterson | 5 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 4 | - | 36 |
| Fred Wilkens | 1 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | - | 35 |
| Mike Mcleod | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 4 | - | - | 35 |
| Dave Dowson | 5 | - | 6 | 6 | 4 | 1 | - | 4 | 5 | - | 31 |
| Simon Compton | 5 | 4 | - | 6 | 4 | 4 | 2 | - | - | - | 25 |
| Mike Parnaby | 4 | - | - | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | - | 4 | - | 18 |
| Ian Lindsay | 5 | 4 | - | 6 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 15 |
| Rob Baptiste | - | - | 7 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7 |
| Bill Bushby | 7 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7 |
| John Holden | - | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2 |
"Bringing Alice the Meat" Sam "the" Butcher has been suspended one game during the final week when the Golden Gloves winner could be determined. "I don't what I did.", said Samuel with a bewildered look on his face and shrugging his shoulders. "Perhaps I was demonstrative in displaying my displeasure with myself while giving up that last PK goal." Coach Bobby Baptista offered his opinion of the Golden Gloves with this, "Hey if they give it to someone else despite Sam's play I say good enough. Sammy would have earned the Velcro Gloves award with his play... looks like Adam [Shaw] is attempting to challenge Dylan [Kerr of WAT] for looking most like the goalkeeper playing with gloves made out of gold."
So Andy leads the pack by 5... Its a consistant performance from Mr Bate. What an effort.. With 2 weeks to go, Cant see him being caught. This week we see the AP Cup Final and the 2 youth semi finals should be a good week
| Andy Bate | 7 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 6 | - | - | 45 |
| Abe Hamdali | 8 | 4 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 5 | - | - | 40 |
| Phil McIntosh | 5 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 4 | - | - | 40 |
| Roy Rolsten | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 5 | - | - | 40 |
| Jake Hanny | 6 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 6 | - | - | 38 |
| Graham Wilkes | 7 | 5 | 8 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | - | - | 38 |
| Rene Wilkens | 6 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 4 | - | - | 38 |
| Mike Cabral | 5 | 4 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 6 | - | - | 38 |
| Dave Dohm | 4 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 4 | 6 | - | - | 37 |
| Kevin Martin | 5 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 3 | - | - | 36 |
| Allan Sellers | 6 | 5 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 5 | - | - | 35 |
| Derek Purvis | 3 | 6 | 4 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 5 | - | - | 35 |
| Mike Mcleod | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 4 | - | - | 35 |
| Jose Freitas | 4 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 | - | - | 34 |
| Brian Beerman | 6 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3 | - | - | 33 |
| Rob Peterson | 5 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 3 | - | - | 32 |
| Vick Hall | - | 5 | 8 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 3 | - | - | 31 |
| Fred Wilkens | 1 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | - | - | 29 |
| Dave Dowson | 5 | - | 6 | 6 | 4 | 1 | - | 4 | - | - | 26 |
| Simon Compton | 5 | 4 | - | 6 | 4 | 4 | 2 | - | - | - | 25 |
| Ian Lindsay | 5 | 4 | - | 6 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 15 |
| Mike Parnaby | 4 | - | - | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | - | - | - | 14 |
| Rob Baptiste | - | - | 7 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7 |
| Bill Bushby | 7 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7 |
| John Holden | - | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2 |
End of Session 8 Rankings
| Rk | Pr | Chg | Name | Record | Points | Previous | Chg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 1. |
±0
|
 Chesterfield FC |
14-7-6 | 114 | 108 |
+6↑
|
| 2. | 2. |
±0
|
 Lewes FC |
16-3-7 | 112 | 100 |
+12↑
|
Soluthend United Recent Results
| M | DATE | SCORE | OPPONENT | COMP | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | Dec 01 | W | 1 - 0 | @ | Lewes FC | 1st Division - R14 |
| 29 | Dec 01 | W | 4 - 0 |
|
Chesterfield FC | 1st Division - R1 |
Cardiff City FC sends 465k, Derek Clarke (SBY/4 Fw; 155k)
to Dagenham & Redbridge for Ruslan Vinogradov (APP/8 Fw; 465k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
As I seem to have the severe misfortune of playing Tranmere in the Youth Cup every season, Plymouth is out of the Cup. I'll send you a message with the guys I have in surplus.
(spoiler from last weekend included in post)
If anyone is out of the Youth Cup and is looking to sell off a Youth player (App or Sby), contact me first! Mr. Hawker's thugs mercilessly cut down Df Craig, who won't be available for this week's clash versus Ian's Lilywhite army. As opposed to signing a new App fresh off the farm, if anyone is selling off a Youth Player for cash before the non-league sales deadline this weekend, we're interested. Any position other than Gk will be considered, and we'll beat the non-league price by 25k per SL over 2 to make it worth your time.
ï»
| Andy Bate | 7 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 4 | - | - | - | 39 |
| Phil McIntosh | 5 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 6 | - | - | - | 36 |
| Roy Rolsten | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 4 | - | - | - | 35 |
| Graham Wilkes | 7 | 5 | 8 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 3 | - | - | - | 35 |
| Abe Hamdali | 8 | 4 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 3 | - | - | - | 35 |
| Rene Wilkens | 6 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 2 | - | - | - | 34 |
| Kevin Martin | 5 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 5 | - | - | - | 33 |
| Mike Cabral | 5 | 4 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 2 | - | - | - | 32 |
| Jake Hanny | 6 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 2 | - | - | - | 32 |
| Mike Mcleod | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 5 | - | - | - | 31 |
| Dave Dohm | 4 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 4 | - | - | - | 31 |
| Brian Beerman | 6 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 2 | - | - | - | 30 |
| Allan Sellers | 6 | 5 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 4 | - | - | - | 30 |
| Derek Purvis | 3 | 6 | 4 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 3 | - | - | - | 30 |
| Jose Freitas | 4 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 4 | - | - | - | 29 |
| Rob Peterson | 5 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 2 | - | - | - | 29 |
| Vick Hall | - | 5 | 8 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 2 | - | - | - | 28 |
| Simon Compton | 5 | 4 | - | 6 | 4 | 4 | 2 | - | - | - | 25 |
| Fred Wilkens | 1 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | - | - | - | 24 |
| Dave Dowson | 5 | - | 6 | 6 | 4 | 1 | - | - | - | - | 22 |
| Ian Lindsay | 5 | 4 | - | 6 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 15 |
| Mike Parnaby | 4 | - | - | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | - | - | - | 14 |
| Rob Baptiste | - | - | 7 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7 |
ï»So round 7 is open, andy at the top with 35 .. 3points clear...
ï»Top score this week 5 .. worst score 0 lets get back on track this week
ï»
| Andy Bate | 7 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 5 | - | - | - | - | 35 |
| Graham Wilkes | 7 | 5 | 8 | 7 | 2 | 3 | - | - | - | - | 32 |
| Rene Wilkens | 6 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 4 | - | - | - | - | 32 |
| Abe Hamdali | 8 | 4 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 5 | - | - | - | - | 32 |
| Roy Rolsten | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 3 | - | - | - | - | 31 |
| Mike Cabral | 5 | 4 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 5 | - | - | - | - | 30 |
| Phil McIntosh | 5 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 5 | - | - | - | - | 30 |
| Jake Hanny | 6 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 3 | - | - | - | - | 30 |
| Kevin Martin | 5 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 3 | - | - | - | - | 28 |
| Brian Beerman | 6 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 1 | 3 | - | - | - | - | 28 |
| Rob Peterson | 5 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 5 | - | - | - | - | 27 |
| Derek Purvis | 3 | 6 | 4 | 9 | 2 | 3 | - | - | - | - | 27 |
| Dave Dohm | 4 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 6 | - | - | - | - | 27 |
| Vick Hall | - | 5 | 8 | 7 | 2 | 4 | - | - | - | - | 26 |
| Allan Sellers | 6 | 5 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 3 | - | - | - | - | 26 |
| Mike Mcleod | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 2 | - | - | - | - | 26 |
| Jose Freitas | 4 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 2 | - | - | - | - | 25 |
| Simon Compton | 5 | 4 | - | 6 | 4 | 4 | - | - | - | - | 23 |
| Dave Dowson | 5 | - | 6 | 6 | 4 | 1 | - | - | - | - | 22 |
| Fred Wilkens | 1 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | - | - | - | - | 20 |
| Ian Lindsay | 5 | 4 | - | 6 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 15 |
| Mike Parnaby | 4 | - | - | 5 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | 10 |
| Rob Baptiste | - | - | 7 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7 |
| Bill Bushby | 7 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7 |
| John Holden | - | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Southend United sends Jean Lafon (III/5 Df; 120k)
to Carlisle United for 200k
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Lewes FC sends Daniel Davidson (VI/2 Fw; 0k)
to Carlisle United for 170k
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Swansea City AFC sends Sebastian Arnold (V/5 Sw; 60k)
to Crewe Alexandra FC for 50k, Roberto Torres (IV/5 Mf; 90k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Plymouth Argyle FC sends 100k, Kai Gray (IV/4 Mf; 60k)
to Swansea City AFC for Killian Carrere (IV/10 Gk; 240k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
ï»
Guys,
Every November I grow my mo for cancer awareness...
This year I am doing the same and adding a twist where I will have my head shaved & back waxed at the end of it (& believe me it is hairy.. infact very hairy) and on the 18th november i will run a 10k by crawling, running and putting my all into it.. ( this will be my 1st run in over 4 years)
If you fancy chipping a few quid that would be great..
Thanks for reading and if you sponsor me that would be great ..
Love to all
Fancy!
The n in the preceding post needs to be / n.
Thanks for your work in putting this together, and please fire up the pro-PV code.
Thanks
John
Al,
Would it be possible to add a newline character to the penalty kick code?
I see:
Chance of scoring: 85% | Random Number: 39 (PENALTY KICK GOAAAAAL! PV 1 :
in my browser;
Could this be changed to:
Chance of scoring: 85% | Random Number: 39n
(PENALTY KICK GOAAAAAL! PV 1 : WAT 1)
ï»Lets be having you!!!
ï»2nd round of predictions are ready to go
ï»Come on guys lets get a better response than yesterday
ï»G
It means that the Non-League teams didn't lose today...interesting...
Hereford United FC sends Alexander MacLeod (V/3 Mf; 20k)
to Brentford FC for 100k
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
ï»Good Evening Guys.... So here we are turned around pre season auctions complete, Just the final tweeks now convert your age V to BRB and add your schoolboys to the ranks for the seaosn.
ï»Put your team list in and best of all predict the matches.. 10 matches each session as before so lets get cooking!!!
Glad you're on board now, Alon. Though perhaps for the sake of the rest of the league, we should cap Tranmere at a maximum of one FW for a couple of seasons.
Tranmere Rovers sends 100k
to Southend United for Howard Jones (V/2 Fw; 0k)
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I have finally clicked that the new rules about forwards is a minimum of 1 as opposed to a maximum of 1. I realise that all the posts always said a min not a max but somehow I got it mixed up in my head. Now that I understand the new rule I am quite happy with it.
Lincoln City FC sends 100k
to Southend United for Sean Dowson (V/2 Sw; 0k)
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Lincoln City FC sends 100k
to Lewes FC for Romain Lacaze (V/4 Mf; 40k)
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Lincoln City FC sends Owen Smith (I/10 Gk; 480k)
to Leeds United for 225k, Maximillian Schulz (APP/5 Gk; 225k), João Almeida (V/4 Fw; 40k)
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Lewes FC sends 1000k
to Cardiff City FC for Bradley Ali (II/13 Gk; 550k)
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Tranmere Rovers sends 100k
to Cardiff City FC for Gabin Lebreton (V/3 Fw; 20k)
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Tranmere Rovers sends 100k
to Weston-super-Mare AFC for Finn Black (V/6 Gk; 80k)
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Leeds United sends 210k
to Weston-super-Mare AFC for Gustavo Costa (IV/7 Df; 150k), João Almeida (V/4 Fw; 40k)
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Plymouth Argyle FC sends 90k
to Watford for Jack Thomson (V/4 Fw; 40k)
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Brighton & Hove Albion sends 100k
to Watford for Marcos Costa (V/2 Mf; 0k)
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Northampton Town FC sends 100k
to Cardiff City FC for Peter Sansom (V/4 Mf; 40k)
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In a fairly close vote, the Evil Empire, Dave Van Dohm, wins the Coach of the year vote. "Congratulations" Dave!
Results here:
http://www.olmec.org/mswl-united/forum_topic.php?topic_id=213
Dave has been given his 25k blood money.
Al
I'm giving out a bonus to teams that completed the Survey. If you have a team in each league your bonus was given to your team in this one.
BRE (20) BHA (20) BRI (20) CRD (20) CAR (20) CRE (20) DER (20) HER (20) LEE (20) LEI (20) LEW (20) NOR (20) FOR (20) PLY (20) PV (20) PNE (20) QPR (20) SHU (20) SU (20) SWA (20) SWI (20) WAT (20) WES (20) WYC (20)
Thanks,
Al
The following teams receive a bonus for season 13:
BHA (85) BRI (250) CAR (75) DER (79) DOR (354) HER (304) LEE (258) LEW (973) NOR (462) FOR (54) PV (100) PNE (4) QPR (350) SHU (75) SU (225) SWA (4) TRA (525) WES (4) WYC (4)
Thanks to Dave Dohm for putting this together.
Al
Yes, Leeds is on its way back to the level they were in few seasons ago. We used to be the team that was feared in every game.. The master of OST, the game spoiler for good teams, the surprise creator, the king of hardness..etc.. These were all surnames of coach Abe Hamdali. But, somehow the engine stalled and before we knew it, Leeds found itself in the bottom of the barrel (aka Div 3). With a limping squad and a bunkrupt bank account, the coach's mission to bring confidence to the hearts of the angry fans seems almost impossible. It took us however 2 seasons to prove that with hard work and determination, nothing is impossible.
In fact, Leeds achieved the following this season:
1- Leeds won the Div 3 title for the first time under the management of coach Abe Hamdali. This may not be a great deal to some but the 200 K is vital to us at this point.
2- Leeds forwards scored 55 goals this season. This is the highest number of goals scored in all 3 divisions combined.
3- Leeds top scorer Daniel Russo scored 16 goals and won the Div 3 golden boot this season. This is an honor for the team.
4- Coach Abe Hamdali won this season's Prediction League title. Although this is the second time around the team won this title, this time seems special with the team cruising to Div 3.
With a very decent bank account, we are looking forward to being a force in Div 2 next season. Our goal is to cruise to Div 1 and compete with the elite once more!
Here is what I calculated for season13 payouts, as always someone please check my math
| LEW | 973 |
| TRA | 525 |
| NOR | 462 |
| DOR | 354 |
| QPR | 350 |
| HER | 304 |
| LEE | 258 |
| BRI | 250 |
| SU | 225 |
| PV | 100 |
| BHA | 85 |
| DER | 79 |
| SHF | 75 |
| CAR | 75 |
| NOT | 54 |
| WYC | 4 |
| SWA | 4 |
| PNE | 4 |
| WES | 4 |
ï»This season has seen a real Jeckyl and Hyde performance from Tranmere.
ï»We have clearly been the worst cup team exciting all 4 cups at the earliest opportunity.
ï»In the league however we have coasted to the title with a session to spare.
ï»As the league is always my no 1 priority I am not complaining but it is strange the way the season has turned out.
Thanks Al, yes in essence 15cps can be carried over, got it and sorry as the rules are on the top line of information instead of at the bottom like the other leagues OASL for example, its a getting old thing i think
Regarding Mr. Compton's question...
Think of Season 14, Session 1, like ANY next session. Whatever you earn in session "n" for CP, you get in session "n + 1".
The part about only carrying over 15 CP occurs whenever your CP spend for a given session would result in you having an excess of 15+ on your orders.
So lets say you had 25 CP for a session and you spent 9. In that case only 15 (not 16) are added to whatever you earn that session for the next session.
Typically when you go NMR, this 15 CP carrover hurts you.
Hope that helps.
Mr. S
Sorry cannot see the rules currently, please remind me is it 15 CPA that can be carried over to the new season and 10 between sessions?
Northampton Town FC sends 515k
to Hereford United FC for Henry Barnes (APP/8 Mf; 420k)
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Lewes FC sends 310k, Robert Maguire (SBY/4 Sw; 155k)
to Cardiff City FC for Fernando Mart?nez (APP/8 Sw; 465k)
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Northampton Town FC sends 635k
to Cardiff City FC for Charles White (II/13 Fw; 550k)
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ï»So here we go guys Round 6 is open!!!
ï»Brian Still leads the way with a 30/20 split and Dan F takes up 2nd with a 29/21 Split
ï»But Whoah Neddy Jose Freitas Predictor of the week 9/10.. Good times well done
ï»Jeff Hawker last years winner at the mid way stage is only on a 9/11 so a new guy will be the predicting champ this year!!
ï»On another note Brian can only score 6 can he buck the trend this week!
ï»Peace Out and Love to All
G & his Cupcakes x x
Okay, that is probably not possible. However, how about a few more trends to track? There are the already considered Golden Gloves and T8+Y3 (or something like that or maybe it was Y8). How about the ol' team vs. team record from the ol' TMBL? That was always fun to look at. Not really sure what else - mybe Kevin can come up with suggestions as it seems there are times where he takes it upon himself to compile statistics (things similar to W-L by strategy type or formation) for our benefit. Mabe he can spend more time in the batting cages if some of the "burden" is relieved.
ï» So Here we are guys. sorry its late in the week its been a busy one.. Brian takes the lead with 18, Roy comes in with 17.. Game on its all still wide open lets get predicting boys!!
ï»
Roy Rolsten
17
13
Kevin Martin
16
14
Abe Hamdali
16
14
Dave Dohm
16
14
Trevor Taylor
15
15
Dan Fitzgerald
15
15
Bill Bushby
14
16
Rene Wilkens
14
16
Graham Wilkes
13
17
Jose Freitas
13
17
Ian Lindsay
12
18
Dave Dowson
12
18
Phil McIntosh
11
9
Andy Bate
11
9
Allan Sellers
11
9
Mike Cabral
10
20
Mike Parnaby
9
21
Fred Wilkens
8
12
Derek Purvis
8
12
Simon Compton
7
3
Jeff Hawker
3
7
Mike Mcleod
3
7
John Holden
1
9
A couple folks had asked about this. In short I didn't get a couple things behind the scenes organized for this poll this season. I've removed it so it shouldn't appear this season. I will see about reinstating it next season.
Al
Lewes FC sends 15k, Fernando da Costa (I/10 Mf; 480k), Rodrigo Cohen (APP/6 Fw; 280k)
to Preston North End FC for Patrick Dunn (I/10 Fw; 480k), Leonardo Ferreyra (APP/6 Mf; 295k)
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ï»So here we go round 3 is open for business see the leader board below. Brian takes top spot with trvor, abe & Dave hot on his heels... Good times.... Lets get rocking only 20 people entered last week.. so lets get the number up!!
ï»
Trevor Taylor
11
9
Abe Hamdali
11
9
Dave Dohm
11
9
Roy Rolsten
10
10
Dan Fitzgerald
9
11
Bill Bushby
9
11
Jose Freitas
9
11
Fred Wilkens
8
12
Kevin Martin
8
12
Graham Wilkes
8
12
Derek Purvis
8
12
Rene Wilkens
8
12
Mike Cabral
7
13
Phil McIntosh
6
4
Mike Parnaby
6
14
Ian Lindsay
6
14
Dave Dowson
6
14
Andy Bate
5
5
Allan Sellers
4
6
Jeff Hawker
3
7
Mike Mcleod
3
7
John Holden
1
9
Weston-super-Mare AFC sends Lewis Fisher (IV/6 Df; 120k), Theo Griffin (II/5 Fw; 150k)
to Queens Park Rangers for 325k
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Genuinely, PNE do need an SW, ideally a decent one. Please.
We can offer you cash, or possibly an FW player if you need one. We'll also promise to vote for you in future coaches polls (like anyone cares about those though right?)
Crewe Alexandra FC sends Ben Adams (IV/4 Df; 60k)
to Tranmere Rovers for 80k
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Crewe Alexandra FC sends Robert Higgins (II/13 Gk; 550k)
to Hereford United FC for 950k, Derek Hall (IV/7 Gk; 150k)
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Northampton Town FC sends Shay Reid (V/6 Sw; 80k)
to Port Vale FC for 200k
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Lewes FC sends 105k
to Cardiff City FC for Jamie McDonald (V/4 Fw; 40k)
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Leicester City FC sends 520k
to Southend United for Muhammed Hill (II/8 Mf; 300k), André Cardoso (III/7 Mf; 200k)
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Northampton Town FC sends 480k
to Bristol City FC for Shane O'Neil (I/9 Df; 420k)
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Northampton Town FC sends 550k
to Brighton & Hove Albion for Aidan Johnstone (III/12 Fw; 400k)
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Lewes FC sends 115k
to Cardiff City FC for Evan McCarthy (V/2 Fw; 0k)
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Lewes FC sends Jamie Robertson (IV/3 Df; 30k), Charles Patel (IV/3 Fw; 30k), Wayne Barrett (IV/3 Mf; 30k)
to Wycombe Wanderers for Daniel Davidson (V/8 Fw; 120k)
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Lewes FC sends Daniel Davidson (V/8 Fw; 120k)
to Wycombe Wanderers for Jamie Robertson (IV/3 Df; 30k), Wayne Barrett (IV/3 Mf; 30k), Charles Patel (IV/3 Fw; 30k)
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Cardiff City FC sends 150k, Louie Barry (IV/12 Gk; 300k)
to Hereford United FC for Zak Ford (III/11 Df; 360k)
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Brighton & Hove Albion sends 425k
to Cardiff City FC for Lewis Turner (APP/5 Fw; 225k)
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The following teams receive a bonus (Financial Awards (math error by Dr. Doom....not to point fingers)):
DOR (50)
The following teams receive a bonus (Season 12 Financial Awards):
BRE (14) BRI (275) CRD (204) CAR (125) CHF (404) CRE (325) DAG (37) DER (150) DOR (275) HER (4) LEE (37) LEI (58) LEW (719) LIN (4) NOR (4) PNE (4) QPR (325) SHU (254) SU (400) SWA (323) TRA (250) WAT (4) WES (4)
Well done Jeff - Who takes the Prediction Challnge Winning trophy!!
Good final week left him on top and the Sole Winner
Great effort there from the beginning, joined in the middle and there at the end!!
Well done !!!
Crewe Alexandra, although not winning the division, was happy to complete what they felt was a successful [5th] season [in Division I]. Nobody believed in us (okay, well my 3rd shift compadres did) but we persevered to end up with a top 3 finish. Despite being slated to finish a relegation zone 9th place, the Motley Crewe gave 110% and outperformed the their lowest ranked starting 11 (T-11). Ownership did their part by bringing in Cruz Gonzalez, the Crewe's go-to guy, even at a top-dollar price. Many a time, CAFC found themselves listed as the underdog for their matches but that never deterred the team from going out and playing their hardest. The youth on this team, some would say, even went a step farther by winning the Youth Cup. Despite finishing with a hardness average above 6, this team was more focused on gameplay than malice. This blog to be continued as bedtime beckons for this nightwalker.
So this is it guys, We are in the last week now of the season!! The last predictions are ready to be entered!!
ï»We have a 3 way split up the top, Jeff, Dave D & Kevin All 3 are on 52/90 for the season.
The seasons Leader Jeff will want a good result as hes been there all season. howver just round the corner is Derek & abe on 50 & mike P on 49.
any 6 can win!! So come on guts take a punt. All 3 finals are on the list to predict!!
great effort all x x
As opposed to the ho hum nature of yet another Lewes runaway season in Div 1, and Carlisle's unwavering march toward the Div 3 title, Division 2 looks to be the most exciting this season. The top two teams are tied on points and goal differential with just 4 games to play. Third place is just two points back, and then the next three teams are all just one win or less behind third, and can overtake any of the teams above them with one dominating session. On the flip side, the team currently in 8th (LIN) is just 4 points behind third place and could bounce all the way up to 4th with a 2-win session.
I expect the top 3 to all promote. They each have at least two winnable matches left, with QPR having the edge by playing the bottom 3 teams still (though all are on the road) and still having 15 GPP to use where they see fit (most in the division). The bar for promotion is set at 29 pts right now. NOR and SHU have a shot at hitting that, though it's slim. The Blades have the best bet, as they are still in the Youth Cup and that frees up the T11 for league play. They are @ DER this session though, and home vs. a stout CHF team that still has 11 GPP points to use at home to get wins or on the road in goal to steal a draw somewhere. Dan will need a W-D session to have a shot of overtaking SU the following weekend, as they face Dave's team in the opener, followed by a very winnable home match vs. FOR. Not needing to save Fitness, they can T11 SU, use youth vs. FOR, and still have a T11 for Lewes in the Shield Final. CHF & PV are trailing heavily in goal differential and even if they catch up on points with a great closing run (3-1-0), they'll likely lose on the tie breakers.
Things are looking grim for the Pilgrims at this point, even though they have 3 home matches remaining. NOR, SU, and QPR are all current top 4 teams for the division though. Their road match is against the best defense in the division (PV, 10 GA in 14 matches). 4 draws still leaves them relegated. Their best chance of victory lies in a team playing youth and hoping for a draw on the road against them, or Dave's luck with hardness giving out and getting 2 PK goals vs. SU. Even so, they must win at least three matches to get to out of the relegation zone. I can't find the third win in that schedule unless they completely ignore the youth, which they won't do since that would hinder the team next year regardless of whether they're in Div 2 or Div 3.
NOR is likely to get at least one more win, SHU is penciled in for at least two (home vs. CHF & FOR), CHF can beat FOR at home and get at least a draw vs. LIN or NOR on the road in the last session, and Vale can pull one win from their three remaining home matches (vs. LIN, PLY, SU) with the others likely ending in draws. That puts the bar for 7th place all around at 24 pts. LIN can make that with a W-L session stacking the T11 in one and the youth in the other. Play the Sbys and Apps in one match, YC two Apps to free up the T11 for the other match. @ PV could easiliy be a draw with Vale's goal scoring woes (8 in 14 matches). Home to QPR will be rough. In the last session, @ DER doesn't look promising, so home to CHF is the more likely win. 2 wins could see them on 24 points even with another team, and having the GD edge over NOR, CHF or PV. The Imps aren't out yet. They are going to be sorely tested though.
Forest is relegated. Even 4 wins is likely to leave them short of 7th place by at least one point.
Final prediction:
QPR wins the division, with DER & SHU promoting. QPR has the easier schedule despite more road matches, more GPP to help in goal or in scoring goals, and Derby plays in the AP Final this session to distract the T11 some. SU & NOR miss out by a point - Dave because he has no easy matches left on the schedule and Simon because he's perpetually jinxed and will get a draw where a win would have been deserved. CHF settles comfortably mid-table. LIN overtakes PV's one point lead and wins on goal differential. Vale's scoring woes leave the best T11 in the division relegated along with FOR and the Pilgrims, whose late charge leaves them 1 points shy of escaping the clutches of Div 3. With their goal differential, they have to pass LIN & PV outright and can't just tie on points. It'll take a 3-1-0 run to end things. While the 11 GPP will help, that might just net draws instead of wins, which would leave them just short. Best of luck, Rob.
Looking forward to the last two sessions as all these managers reach deep up their sleeves to pull out the last remaining tricks. Should be fun. As opposed to yet another Dave Dohm victory speech. Think he'll even bother to write a new one, or just reuse last season's telecast and edit in different team names for those he crushed along the way?
Northampton Town FC sends 180k
to Brighton & Hove Albion for Fabio Greco (SBY/4 Fw; 140k)
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ï»We really are at the business end Guys.. Jeff leads with 39 form Dave Dohm on 37 and a cluster on 33-35
ï»Jeff had a poor week only picking up 4 correct. So he can be caught.
ï»So Sharpen your pencils and look at the form book boys. Predictions are up and ready to bet.
ï»2 Hot matches to look at this week. Swansea vs Lewes for obvious reasons and for me personally Dagenham (My step father) vs Cardiff
ï»Good luck boys!!
Swansea City AFC sends Thibault Voisin (IV/9 Mf; 210k)
to Weston-super-Mare AFC for 290k
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A few thoughts on Session 5 for Dorchester...
Hosting Lewes FC
Dave Dohm should be ashamed of himself. Of course his wife must be wondering "why is my normally grumpy husband so happy this weekend". The answer Mrs. Dohm is that your husband just had the luckiest game of his life...UN...BELIEVABLE...
We outshots (so actual shots on the goal) the Rooks 18-11.
Dave did have an a 23 at the Gk area while we had 18. (so about a 15% better shot stop rate)
Of course NONE of our 18 chances went in while nearly half (5) of Dave's 20% chances went in. Next time and every time we play Lewes from now on the hrd row will be set to 10...you can take that to the bank. I'm not bitter. :-) 
At Swansea
We really never had a chance in this one...so a 2-nil scoreline was pretty good actually. This was a warm up game for our Youth Cup squad.
Hosting Lincoln City
Michael Tiberius C-Ball Cabral has our number in the original MSWL. We simply cannot beat him. So it felt good to get a 3-nil win to advance to the FA Cup Semis. We outshot the Imps 14-9 (on goal) and won 3-nil. Lincoln probably deserved 1 goal, but no more with our 23 Gk level. And of course like the Lewes game another player was injured. This time a really good Df, so we're paying a price. I may just have to set the hrd row to 10 the rest of the season.
We are looking forward to session 6 and will only be playing to win 1 game...the youth cup.
Swansea City AFC sends Luke Flynn (IV/9 Df; 210k)
to Nottingham Forest for 250k
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Southend United sends 255k
to Swansea City AFC for Ryan MacDonald (IV/9 Mf; 210k)
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Swansea City AFC sends Kieran Scott (IV/10 Fw; 240k)
to Leicester City FC for 150k, Alex Brooks (IV/6 Fw; 120k)
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First off a big THANK YOU to Kevin Martin for his division previews and comments. I think you are right in that they are probably a good forum post, but again they are awesome with incredibly insight and detail.
Can anyone catch Dr. Jeff Hawker in the prediction league? With a 4 point lead, it could be tough. Interesting to see Graham Wilkes calling 9 of 10 correct last week...nice going G.
As for me, I'm 12 points back in the prediction league standings (right where I want to be) and wil be sneaking up on people soon with some good results. 
Hey Guys...
Last weeks Predictions are up and ready to go!!!
Jeff Tops the League Still. Well Done mate
This week Im away from Wednesday to Monday so Predictions will not be up till Tuesday unless I find some net access before.
Have a great week
G
Is on the forum Div 3 predictions page so as to not further flood the blog.
Well, Jeff Hawker Leads after 3 sessions. With 21/9 Record hes looking an early favourite for the Prediction Crown.
I didnt really have chance to look at the Predictions in all honesty. So I have gone for a NEw Approach this week and will continue the next 2 sessions
I have chosen all the 1st round of fixtures from the 1st Division to Predict. & the following weeks it will be D2 and D3 Respectively, then I have chosen 5 cup games. Thought I would spice it up and make it easier for me as I am in the throws of packing up my house ready to move and have a holiday Pending.
Well done Jeff... Come on Guys we can catch up
Also Great League Reviews Kevin!!!
Oh yea. We're saving Kevin's blog post. It's been printed out and is hanging up in the locker room at Home Park. FW Dominic Buckley, the Argyle's leading active scorer was seen recently taking PKs, striking a photo of Mr. Martin in the upper-90. The Pilgrims may not have the best team in the division.... it is definitely a rebuilding year... but in the history of MSWL, Plymouth has never seen Division 3 - we intend to avoid relegation, while fully training up all Youth Players.
As with Division 1, this one was researched before the opening games and latest auction. Complaints can be forwarded to my boss about having to be on-call instead of being able to take care of important matters like completely arbitrary rankings for a league full of imaginary players that perform in simulated matches. And we wonder what’s wrong with the American economy these days…
Teams are listed in anticipated order of division finish with the following info:
Name. Overall Division Two record (with ranking based on # of Div 2 wins). Win % (with rank). Total Div 2 pts (with rank). Breakdown of quality players on the rosters - at SL 9 or above for Div 2 - listed in order by Gk-Sw-Df-Mf-Fw. Highlights & review.
#1. Port Vale.
The Valiants have what is quite likely the best defense in all of United, headlined by one of the rare +1 SL players in Ahmed (II/14 to start the season). They have quality coming up in the ranks as well with 4 SL 10 players ready to make waves. While they are 2nd in T11, it’s by just 1 SL. They are tops in T16, by 4 SL, so their depth shines out and will carry the team to some Cup success as well. The team has a strong history of solid defense in Division Two play. Most impressively, that quality defense carries over to road matches as well. While many teams can boast an impressive goals against average at home, it typically jumps at least one goal on the road. PV’s goes from 1.53 to just 1.72. The .19 goals increase is the lowest in league history for the division. For those who wonder what that translates to, it means that Vale is probably going to win at home and have an easy time getting draws on the road if not outright wins there as well. That’s a good recipe for success and makes them the division favorites to walk away with the title this season.
#2.
#3.
The Blades have good depth at Df & Fw, strength everywhere (4th in T11 & T16), and an apprentice at Sw that will improve as the season progresses to fill their only roster hole. The manager also has plenty of experience scraping out points in tight divisional races against Div 1-quality opponents. The worst thing about
#4.
#5.
Over 3000k in the bank will help them get another T11 pickup this season and build on a team starting at 5th in T11 and 7th in T16. One more solid player is needed to content in the divisional race. They have 5 max-SL players on the roster currently, with 3 at Fw. Going offense-heavy isn’t a horrible plan, yet they could use a star or two elsewhere to help carry the load. The upcoming Sw App will be that for them starting next season. This year another good auction pickup will make the difference between mid-table mediocrity and promotion zone success. I’m going with mid-table until the cash produces a top Df or Mf to keep the four teams ranked higher from running rampant on them.
#6.
They have 4 max-SL players ready to peak out this season, and a balanced and flexible lineup with good depth. Their T11 starts ranked 7th in the division, so T11 clashes on the road won’t fare well for them. However, their T16 jumps to 3rd. With a solid backup in goal as well, they really don’t have a weakness. I expect them to be able to compete in Cups and the league without having to sacrifice much SL from either campaign. That allows them to spread the youth out more and keep from throwing a match for the sake of developing the future players. I have them at 6th despite all that due to T11 strength. It’s hard to win on the road in this league, and it will take some luck to overcome the SL advantage of the teams above them on this list. More importantly, CHF needs to fare better protecting the home turf. While longevity counts for rankings such as this one (and few teams have played more Div 2 seasons than CHF), no team has more home losses than CHF. At 16, that accounts for nearly half their total losses. That ratio needs to dramatically improve for them to compete for promotion. Taking only 2 of every 3 home matches will lead to a mid-table finish, with relegation not a significant concern for this deep squad more equipped to handle injury and random suspension than anyone else in the division.
#7.
The Imps are a team in transition. They have a history of dominating in Division Two. Only
#8. Southend United. 31-20-39 (9th), .456 win % (21st), 113 pts (8th). 2-1-3-3-5.
While the 14 players at SL 9 and above looks impressive in the first line there, it’s deceiving. They’re all SL 9-11 with the only top-SL players on the roster at age I, SL 10 to start out, and there’s just 3 of those. That leaves SU at 8th in T11 and T16. Worse yet, 3 of the T11 are already out injured and down for at least two sessions. While SU focuses on out-scoring and out-injuring the competition, perhaps a little planning on stopping goals and not giving up as many PKs would help. Southend is currently tied for most ever Div 2 losses at 39. Strongly contributing to that is their 181 goals against (2nd behind HER’s record of 185, which will be passed in a session or two). SU’s 109 away goals against is another record they hold. With top keepers rounding into form and some impressive defenses (headlined by Vale’s squad), Southend’s “intimidate and out-punch” strategy will be hard-pressed to find road goals. Road losses plus a few PK-aided home losses against the top sides could leave this team fuming. Increased carding odds won’t help their league chances either, which is why I have them slipping to 8th when they might otherwise merit a 6th or 7th place spot. Cards kill in league games. SU will be the top victim this season.
These next two teams are having down seasons on the talent level. Both managers are crafty and can easily find a way to escape relegation with a shrewd auction pickup or trade. Going by what’s on paper alone, they have readily apparent issues that can’t merit ranking them higher right now. Rob in particular has to be loving it. I think every ranking where I’ve picked the Pilgrims to relegate they’ve done great, and every time I’ve liked their chances they’ve had a lousy season. As the league’s worst well-published prognosticator (which is easy to pull off as the only one!), no less can be expected of this season as well.
The problem? T11 and T16 are tied at 9th-worst in the division. You start low, you finish low. Both Plymouth Argyle FC and
#9.
The formation strength numbers are again a bit deceiving here. The 3 defenders are all SL 9. The top teams will steamroll at home vs.
#10.
Odds of winning Division Two (for entertainment purposes only):
PV 2:1
QPR 12:1
CHF 20:1
SU 45:1
FOR 100:1
Kevin, you always make me smile with your reviews, not sure where you find the energy, I receive emails that long from my boss and stop reading half way down but I promise to crack open a beer tonight and inwardly digest everything that you have said, promise!
Its a cracker, god bless Frank Carson.
Looking forward to the division two and three reviews.
You win my vote by the way to increase your bonus participation amount, but somehow thing the mighty Al will not go for it somehow, you know how he can be fickle sometimes!
The following was written prior to session 2 running, however I didn’t get it posted in time due to time constraints and work getting in the way of recreation again. Didn’t feel like revising to account for the opening weekend, so I’ll just post this and pretend it didn’t happen. The huge auction purchases by
Listed in order of all-time Division 1 victories with the following pre-season thought to humble the majority of us:
There have been 900 matches in Div 1 United history prior to this season. 703 resulted in a win-loss result, and 197 were draws. Of those 703 wins, Alon accounts for 104 of them. That’s nearly 15% of all victories, or more than 1 in every 7. The next highest manager in terms of Div 1 wins is James T., with 58 wins at
Listing order:
Team. All time Div 1 record and ranking on most Div 1 wins list. All time Div 1 winning percentage and rank. Total Div 1 points and rank. Last season’s outcome.
Tranmere Rovers. 104-30-28 (1st). .735 winning % (1st). 342 pts (1st).
Alon appears to have a simple strategy going. Overpower. Outscore. Make them beat me at my own game. They run at 1-x-2-3-6 for players at SL 10+. They have the forward depth to play for goals in every match all season long. However, they have no sweeper and the early auctions drought on them has left the team thin along the back lines. With a suspect backup Gk and little depth at Df, one bad injury or run of suspensions could derail their season if they start giving up more goals than they can score. Then again, with that front line, it might take two -5 injuries to make that happen. Expected finish: 3rd place. A few teams have comparable front lines and better Sw/Df combos to prevent more goals. It will come down to luck on scoring chances, though with Tranmere’s overall T11/T16 falling off the top pace, certain teams may make their own luck with a T11 blitz over a thin backline.
Lewes FC. 53-21-34 (3rd). .588 winning % (3rd). 180 pts (3rd).
Brighton & Hove
Odds of League Championship (for entertainment purposes only):
LEW 2:1
BHA 7:1
HER 10:1
SWA 15:1
AP Cup seedings after group play (1st place group, more points, better GD, more GF, then repeat for 2nd place finishers):
1. WES, 9 pts
2. CRD, 7 pts, +7 GD, 12 GF
3. TRA, 7 pts, +7 GD, 9 GF
4. CAR, 7 pts, +7 GD, 8 GF
5. DER, 7 pts, +5 GD
6. BRI, 7 pts, +2 GD
7. WAT, 6 pts, +2 GD
8. SWA, 6 pts, -1 GD
9. NOR, 6 pts, +6 GD
10. LIN, 6 pts, +3 GD
11. PNE, 6 pts, +2 GD
12. SHU, 5 pts, +4 GD
13. PV, 5 pts, +3 GD
14. LEW, 5 pts, +2 GD
15. PLY, 4 pts
16. SWI, 3 pts
Leicester City FC sends 650k
to Port Vale FC for Brandon Smith (APP/5 Df; 255k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Nothing like spending in excess of 3000k during the preseason, only to see the team drop to 7th in the D1 T11 standings after one session. It's going to be a rough season.
Queens Park Rangers sends Jack Dowson (I/9 Mf; 420k)
to Southend United for Jonathan Bruce (I/9 Mf; 420k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Still cant see the Cunning plan Sorry it must be me !
You are absolutely right .
Fred, each BRB-eligible player that you left on your roster to earn a CP did just that; each gained you 1CP. Not having a coach in Session 1 cost you 2CPs, since you coached two players for level gains. So leaving the player as a CP earner instead of converting him into a Coach actually cost you a CP!
It's very easy. I chose to leave them as a CP-earner for session 1, as I didn't had a home game in the FA Cup. For the injuries you have to ask Al, he wrote the software for this great game, my team just was unlucky to get those 2 injuries
Why would a team with 4 AGE V Players on their roster only have 3 BRB's (No Coach & No Physio) & then get a -3 & -5 Injuries in first session?
Fred ? Any insight into your cunning plan?
Lewes FC sends Toby Begum (III/10 Fw; 320k)
to Chesterfield FC for Örkény Deák (III/10 Df; 320k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Ian wins Manager of the Year in MU2.
Dave Dohm wins in MU1.
Al must be pulling his hair out by the fistful trying to find out why the cheat codes aren't working anymore!
The following teams receive a bonus (Season 11 Coach of the Year (Dave Dohm...is a winner!?!?!)):
LEW (25)
Southend United sends Gordon Bell (III/4 Df; 80k), Bobby Elliott (III/4 Df; 80k)
to Dorchester Town for 210k
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Hi Al,
<p>
It seems to me that the game previews have gone slightly wrong, they looked to have been doubled up for each time we have played a team, just checked the facup game versus Leicester and thought that I played them last season but not as many times as have been listed!
Lewes FC sends 80k
to Southend United for Dylan Morrison (III/3 Fw; 40k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Southend United sends Arturo Soto (V/4 Sw; 40k)
to Brentford FC for Jay Fitzgerald (APP/5 Fw; 225k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Bristol City FC sends James Scholes (V/5 Mf; 60k)
to Northampton Town FC for 125k
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Lewes FC sends Charlie Daly (V/5 Mf; 60k)
to Dagenham & Redbridge for Johan Rønning (IV/4 Gk; 60k), Ryan Begum (IV/4 Fw; 60k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Cardiff City FC sends 208k, Jake Murphy (I/9 Df; 420k)
to Dagenham & Redbridge for Alfie Allen (II/12 Mf; 500k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Derby County sends Harris Clark (I/10 Fw; 480k)
to Brighton & Hove Albion for 750k
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While the case can be made that Group E is a Group of Death (QPR, LEI, PLY and WAT), I think Group G trumps that line up:
GROUP G |
||||||||||
| TEAM | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS | |||
| 1. | Dorchester Town | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2. | Sheffield United | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 3. | Swansea City AFC | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 4. | Hereford United FC | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
All four teams could legitimately contend for this trophy, yet only two will escape the group stage. I predict the the trophy will go to one of these four teams.
Cardiff City FC sends 250k, Orlando Almeida (APP/5 Df; 225k)
to Plymouth Argyle FC for Jamie Douglas (II/11 Df; 450k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Northampton Town FC sends Lucas Dickson (V/5 Df; 60k)
to Bristol City FC for 175k
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Here are the final tables from season 11
Al
| DIV | TEAM ID | TEAM | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 27 | Lewes FC | 12 | 5 | 1 | 41 | 17 | 24 | 41 |
| 1 | 7 | Dorchester Town | 10 | 5 | 3 | 40 | 16 | 24 | 35 |
| 1 | 9 | Tranmere Rovers | 10 | 5 | 3 | 33 | 12 | 21 | 35 |
| 1 | 10 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 6 | 4 | 8 | 30 | 25 | 5 | 22 |
| 1 | 18 | Preston North End FC | 6 | 3 | 9 | 26 | 31 | -5 | 21 |
| 1 | 28 | Crewe Alexandra FC | 7 | 4 | 7 | 21 | 27 | -6 | 25 |
| 1 | 31 | Cardiff City FC | 8 | 2 | 8 | 30 | 37 | -7 | 26 |
| 1 | 21 | Sheffield United | 5 | 2 | 11 | 30 | 43 | -13 | 17 |
| 1 | 30 | Plymouth Argyle FC | 6 | 2 | 10 | 24 | 41 | -17 | 20 |
| 1 | 15 | Lincoln City FC | 3 | 2 | 13 | 24 | 50 | -26 | 11 |
| 2 | 26 | Hereford United FC | 11 | 4 | 3 | 40 | 24 | 16 | 37 |
| 2 | 23 | Swansea City AFC | 11 | 2 | 5 | 29 | 14 | 15 | 35 |
| 2 | 16 | Watford | 9 | 3 | 6 | 40 | 32 | 8 | 30 |
| 2 | 8 | Port Vale FC | 8 | 5 | 5 | 21 | 13 | 8 | 29 |
| 2 | 2 | Nottingham Forest | 8 | 3 | 7 | 26 | 24 | 2 | 27 |
| 2 | 3 | Leeds United | 5 | 5 | 8 | 37 | 39 | -2 | 20 |
| 2 | 22 | Chesterfield FC | 6 | 4 | 8 | 18 | 21 | -3 | 22 |
| 2 | 6 | Queens Park Rangers | 6 | 5 | 7 | 31 | 35 | -4 | 23 |
| 2 | 5 | Carlisle United | 3 | 3 | 12 | 14 | 33 | -19 | 12 |
| 2 | 29 | Weston-super-Mare AFC | 4 | 4 | 10 | 14 | 35 | -21 | 16 |
| 3 | 34 | Derby County | 14 | 2 | 2 | 60 | 16 | 44 | 44 |
| 3 | 33 | Northampton Town FC | 10 | 3 | 5 | 44 | 24 | 20 | 33 |
| 3 | 32 | Bristol City FC | 6 | 7 | 5 | 45 | 34 | 11 | 25 |
| 3 | 1 | Southend United | 7 | 7 | 4 | 43 | 33 | 10 | 28 |
| 3 | 13 | Leicester City FC | 8 | 3 | 7 | 39 | 29 | 10 | 27 |
| 3 | 25 | Swindon Town FC | 7 | 6 | 5 | 31 | 26 | 5 | 27 |
| 3 | 17 | Oldham Athletic AFC | 7 | 3 | 8 | 29 | 34 | -5 | 24 |
| 3 | 20 | Dagenham & Redbridge | 8 | 2 | 8 | 26 | 32 | -6 | 26 |
| 3 | 11 | Wycombe Wanderers | 4 | 4 | 10 | 10 | 32 | -22 | 16 |
| 3 | 4 | Brentford FC | 0 | 1 | 17 | 6 | 73 | -67 | 1 |
Swindon Town FC sends 180k
to Plymouth Argyle FC for Ian Harvey (V/3 Mf; 20k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
I think one factor that contributes to a greater number of age V+ players is the relatively low turnover rate among managers. As managers play this game longer, they realise they can groom BRB's themselves so there is less need to purchase from other sources. Gone are the days when BRB's regularly sell for 200k+.
That being said, I expect we will see more non-league sales prior to session eight each season as managers look to secure gauranteed cash on age IV players instead of holding them until they turn age V.
Brighton & Hove Albion sends 205k
to Leeds United for Alfred Lindholm (V/2 Mf; 0k), Noel Björk (V/2 Df; 0k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Plymouth Argyle FC sends Lucas Mason (I/10 Mf; 480k), Aidan Johnstone (II/13 Fw; 550k)
to Brighton & Hove Albion for 2000k
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Brighton & Hove Albion sends Petter Jacobsen (V/3 Mf; 20k)
to Swindon Town FC for 180k
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Its very interesting to me how teams are now "building their own" BRBs for the most part. I wonder if we'll see more of a selloff of players at some point so that fewer become BRBs and teams buy the surplus from others...interesting supply and demand going on. 
Brighton & Hove Albion sends 385k
to Cardiff City FC for Oliver Paterson (APP/5 Mf; 225k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
The following teams receive a bonus (Season 11 Financial Awards):
BHA (404) BRI (4) CRD (79) CRE (4) DER (233) DOR (325) HER (475) LEE (37) LEW (704) LIN (4) NOR (300) FOR (4) OLA (4) PLY (4) SHU (164) SU (139) SWA (631) SWI (8) TRA (350) WAT (354) WYC (8)
What about some recognition in kkk's for the TOP HOODLUM of the Season ?
Yikes........glaring omitions that were unintentional. My spreadsheet failed me when I failed to include DER and NOR in the sort! Appologies to Trevor and Simon. Thanks for catching my error Kevin.
Dave's list is accurate by my count as well.
However, in what Al will assure us was a deliberate slight that deserves 10-hardness retaliation when next they meet, Dave left off Derby Co (Trevor) & Northampton (Simon) from the list!
DER - 3rd Div champ (200) + leading scorer Div 3 (25) + Prediction league weekly winner weeks 1 & 10 (8) = 233k.
NOR - FA Cup semifinalist (200) + Div 3 2nd place (100) = 300k.
So add to Dave's listing:
NOR 300
DER 233
LEW 704
SWA 631
HER 475
BHA 404
WAT 354
TRA 350
DOR 325
SHF 164
SU 139
CRD 79
LEE 37
SWI 8
WYC 8
LIN 4
PLY 4
BRI 4
NOT 4
CRE 4
OLA 4
As always somoene better check me!
The curtain has closed on the 10th season of MSWL-U. Here are some statistical oddities from the first "decade" of seasons.
- every team has been promoted at least once, thanks to Northampton's last session this season.
- Crewe and Tranmere have never been relegated. They are also the only teams to never have been relegated from the first division, though Swansea City will join this group next year.
- Tranmere, with six league titles, leads the all-time table. Watford, who have only spent two seasons outside the top flight, are in 2nd place overall; Cardiff are in 3rd.
(though it must be noted inconsistencies with some of the positions on team's history pages makes the all-time table tenuous).
- Eight teams (TRA, WAT, CRD, LEW, SHU, PlY, PNE, and HER) have never played in the third division.
- Seven teams (SU, SWI, WSM, D&R, SWA, LEI, WYC) have neve played in the first division, though again Swansea have almost already out of this group.
- Only three teams in the top ten of the all-time table have ever played in the third division.
- Tranmere has stayed in the same division for the longest period of time with 9 going on 10 consecutive seasons in the top flight.
- Carlisle spent the first seven seasons in the bottom tier, and Dagenham will tie them next season for longest consecutive stint in the bottom flight.
- No team has spent more than four consecutive seasons in the second division. WMS, SU, and LEW all accomplished four. A team promoted or relegated into the middle tier has played in a different division the next season 56% of the time.
- Port Vale, Dorchester and Derby County are the "averagest" teams, all tied for 14th place in the all-time table.
- Crewe Alexandra had the biggest change in their all-time table position over the past five seasons, rising 12 spots to 13th. Brentford dropped 15 spots to 19th. Brighton and Cardiff also improved greatly, while Bristol City, Southend and Northampton fell off the pace a little. (That represents teams who tended to play in a lower division than normal.)
Northampton celebrate in style tonightas they gain promotion with two exiting wins in the final session of the season, at last Manager Compton was heard to say, a string of wins help us win promotion to the 2nd division and we have high hopes that this team can continue next season with the same success.
Manager Compton was overheard in the dugout saying it was a shame that BHA had won today as it would have been nice to have met up with his old foe in next seasons campaign!!
Well done to them in the FA Cup, Swansea in the Youth Cup, Tranmere in the Shield Cup and of course Lewes, 2nd title in two seasons.
Looking forward to the start of the new season within the next few weeks.
Hi guys,
I often send out email updates to remind folks of what is upcoming. Some are the automated variety (which I will try to tune/revisit soon).
I'm counting on you to maintain your email addresses so you are in the loop on everything.
Please take a moment to click the User Info link and double check your:
- email address
- and while you are there your CURRENT TIME.
Regarding email address, I just accept one per team, so please don't put in two.
You can change it whenever you want. When I send out league wide emails I always grab the latest email you have updated.
In addition on this page you can ensure it shows the current time (select from the drop down list). This gets used for the times you see in the game (I store all time in GMT and then use your timezone offset to show your current time).
Ideally I'll modify that later to some javascript function so you don't have to update it.
If you have any questions on the above, just let me know.
Thanks,
Al
Graham you may need to revisit that statement, "Swansea have not won any cups yet" as they have just defeated Sheffield in the Ap cup final and a great match it was too.
Well this is getting to the final biscuits in the tray now with 2 sessions left and the prediction title up for grabs..... Its time to fine tune your thoughts
Biggest game of the week is Swansea v Sheffield United in the AP Cup Final
So what do we think... Sheffield have won the FA shield but SWansea have not won any cups yet...
Swansea have won one of the five games they have played each other Sheffield have won the otherfour.
SWansea have a 4 game session as they head for promotion to the top flight and sheffield are in a dog fight to pull away from relegation.
This game is gonna be a belter i think 3-1 to the welsh team personally but have your say as still 10 teams not predicted this week!!!
Also there are 9 other games to have a crack at and no one has got all 10 right this season.
Good Luck All
Hey give that man an award Mr S he deserves it, he is just too clever by half and there is little old me trying to fly under the radar!!
Maybe this year we will change all that Kevin, it then again!
Oh the irony that Simon would not know who is the one league team in all of United that has never achieved promotion!
Our renowned and loved/reviled (no middle ground allowed!) Cobblers made the Div 1 cut after season 1, and remained in the top flight through season 7 (including 4 straight 2nd place finishes). After being relegated at the close of season 7, they played Div 2 ball for three seasons, finishing in the relegation zone for season 10's close being tied on points and losing out on goal differential. Season 11 could very well be Simon's first ever promotion in United.
As for managers that have never achieved promotion, my history pages are silent. I failed to diligently record managerial swaps in the early seasons and can't recall exactly when some current managers took the helm. We may have another manager or even two that haven't yet capped a successful league season, yet Northampton Town FC remains our only club to have fallen without yet getting back up.
The following teams receive a bonus (Tax Assessment):
PNE (-357)
Yes, every club has had at least one season outside the third division. But that does not answer the question -
Which MSWL-U team has never been promoted, either from the 2nd division to the 1st, or the 3rd division to the 2nd?
If you don't want a hint, stop reading now...
.
.
.
but this team may finally achieve promotion this year.
Simon's post got me curious. I took a look - there have been ZERO teams that have never been promoted out of D3.
These have been the most consistent teams throughout league history:
Tranmere Rovers - Started in D2, promoted to D1 after 1 season, never dropped down.
Leicester City - In D3 for 4 seasons, promoted to D2, immediately dropped back down to D3 (where they have been for the past 5 seasons)
Swansea City - In D3 for 2 seasons, promoted to D2, immediately dropped back down to D3 for 6 seasons. Regained promotion to D2 last season.
Watford - In D1 for 3 seasons, relegated to D2, immediately promoted back to D1 for 5 seasons. Relagetd back to D2 last season.
Wycombe - Started in D2, demoted to D3 after 1 season, spent 4 seasons in D3 before being promoted back tot D2 for a mere 1 season, then dropping back down to D3 for the past 4 seasons.
Sorry that should say un-promoted, that's he iPad for you.
Seeing johns quote in the home page, made me take a little look out of curiosity, Kevin I am sure will do this piece more detailed than I but I cannot see anyone who has not at least been promoted up a division at least once, WighWycombe look to be the closest team to have been in division 3 the longest with spells in division 2 in season 2 and 7.
However over to Kevin.
If you like formulas, read it. If you don't, or don't have the time, just scroll to the table so you can see what it's all about in its simplest form.
in case you need it, or were losing heart this season.
Three sessions left to find the miracle in the mundane mass. Yours will come too.
http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/7472021/brian-phillips-soccer-boredom
Northampton Town FC sends 505k
to Cardiff City FC for Brandon O'Neal (III/13 Df; 440k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Cardiff City FC sends Reis Peretz (APP/8 Mf; 450k)
to Plymouth Argyle FC for 250k, Bryan McDonald (SBY/4 Mf; 155k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Apologies for the delayed REviews of the Prediction League.
Olmec has had to take a backstep due to Work commitments the last few weeks apologies for the neglect.
so lets review whats been happening then shall we
well done Abe in session 7 with a total of 8 correct and was closely followed by allan and Ian with 7 correct.
So where does it leave the standings then??
Abe & Myself head the charts with 39 correct and just behind on 36 is Mr MSWL Kevin.
Plenty of people in the 30's so with 30 games still to go there is the chance to take the title!!!
Good Luck all this session
Graham
Yes Dave, my lad and his other 18 under eights team mates went along today after a football tournament, and yes made them all cry , feeling proud of your team now!!
They had a great chance of hanging on to a famous 2-1 victory until Southend scored 4 in twenty mins i think?
Now to watch my beloved SAINTS thrash the upstart Niners at Candlestick Park!
It just keeps getting better !!!
NORTHAMPTON TOWN 2 - 5 SOUTHEND UNITED
Come on you BLUES Top of League 2
Yes stay tuned as Northampton Town boss back in favour with the Chairman sits down to review the team selections, results and finds out whether the rest of the weekend will be sweet or sour!
Yes Kevin, a nice cup of tea along wtih some biscuits, nice(sounds like niece), plain or chocolate digestive, hobnobs you name them i can eat them with a good cup of tea, the only problem following a dunking session is the bits at the bottom of the cup when you sip the last dregs of tea!!!
Simon, don't you guys have a scheduled tea time every 15 minutes or so? With different kinds of biscuit or finger sandwich protocol for each one? Most of us New World savages have never mastered the finer niceties of finger foods that don't involve a deep fryer.
Glad to see you feel as sorry for yourself in united 2 as the original united here!
For those who are wondering cast your eye over to united 2! It's great poor old IMan he really does not have any love going his way, looking forward to seeing what happens in 2 days time?
hey on those blogs of Kevin, I was scrolling, scrolling and still scrolling when it got to tea time!!!
Kevin,
Well written piece, sir. Glad to see you are a student of the game - we'll have to meet up someday and share a few pints over some Sunday NFL goodness.
I would contend two more points in New England's favor: the return of healthy Logan Mankins and Sebastian Vollmer to the offensive line. Combined with very strong play from rookies Nate Solder and Marcus Cannon, the o-line should be in superb condition to protect Brady all night.
Second, a name that I believe went unmentioned in your analysis: Rob Gronkowski. Hernandez burned the Broncos last month since he was, as Tom Terrific likes to say, "the open receiver" and his match up that day played out well. I believe Gronkowski will be a much greater presence in Foxboro tomorrow evening.
The defense is a problem for New England but something they have learned to live with the past two seasons (more or less). As bad as their overall defense has looked most of this season, they have adjusted in multiple games when trailing and found a way to halt or reduce the opposing offense after/by halftime. And to be fair, it is subjective to call this team the (almost) worst defense in the league. Yes, they did surrender the second most yards per game, but ranked 15th in points allowed per game (ahead of Green Bay, Denver, NY Giants who still remain in the playoffs). More importantly, the team is +17 in turnovers (best in AFC), third behind San Francisco (28) and Green Bay (24). I hate watching the poor tackling I've seen from this team the last two seasons, but for whatever reason, they seem capable of stopping teams inside/near the red zone a majority of the time.
Regardless of the outcome Saturday night, I expect a well fought and enjoyable game. I just wish it didn't start at 8.00pm EST. As much as the Patriots game, I am very eager to watch the NO/SF game, too. I think that game has the potential to be quite memorable.
P.S. Sorry for the oversized Brady image earlier - I made a mistake when I posted it.
As a Bronco fan I remain (very, very) cautiously optimistic about our chances in Foxboro this weekend due to the following reasons:
1) The Pats defense sucks.
2) In the earlier game this season the Patriots got lucky on fumble recoveries (both of Denver's in Denver territory and recovering Brady's fumble on his own 11 AND the ridiculous punt receiving fumble by the [now-cut from the team] Quan inside his own 20 with 12 seconds left in the half that gave the Pats free points) any of which led to 3-14 point swings in the final score after Denver rolled out to an early lead by scoring on their first three possessions.
3) No Carter for the Pats pass rush, which already sucked. Losing their best DE didn't help that any.
4) The Broncos started 3 rookies against the Pats in their secondary for the first meeting, two of whom had their first starts, only one of which should get playing time this weekend as the starters they replaced are back. Brady had his way with the Bronco babies (including Ochocinco's blown coverage TD and nearly every pass to Hernandez), and those guys won't be out there to abuse this time.
5) Von Miller is over much of his late season slump thanks to the cast he's wearing, and has adapted his game to get back into the backfield more often.
6) The Pats defense really, really sucks.
On the flip side,
1) The Pats offense is really good.
2) No Eric Decker (their best deep threat to capitalize on lousy Pats CBs and Tebow's better-than-average throwing ability for the deep out pattern [his only consistently good pattern to hit]), leaving the Broncos WR depth chart at Thomas, Royal, Willis, and a slot guy I had to look up last week when he started getting snaps against Pittsburgh.
3) More importantly, G Chris Kuper broke his leg. All those great option runs by Tebow/McGahee this season on a roll to the left? That's Kuper pulling and opening the big holes they gash through. That's gone. As is the goal-line go-to option of Tebow going short yardage dive to his right, straight behind Kuper each time. Huge loss for the O-line and the single most important reason the Broncos are worse off than the first time.
4) Fullback Spencer Larson is gone. Excellent lead blocker, good hands out of the backfield, and very nice protection blocker in the backfield. Replaced by a backup TE against the Steelers to disasterous effects (including blown blocks leading to two sacks). They don't have anyone to replace Larson either, just like Kuper.
5) McGahee is worn out and shot, making our best RB Mike Bell or Tebow himself.
6) To recap the above that's our top WR, top FB, top RB, and perhaps our best lineman all done for this season (though McGahee will still play with a fork in his back).
7) John Fox is still coaching, so the game planning will be conservative and predictable. How exactly is that going to get us to 36 points (what it would take to win this game)?
8) Pats get Chung back at safety (who was out the first game), a huge step up in talent level from whoever was getting toasted at Mile High. Chung provides a lot of help for the sub-par CBs in the Pats secondary, so they can go back to a cover-1 or cover-2 and not give up deep throws down the middle like Denver got in the first matchup.
9) The Pats offense is really, really good and Denver cannot win a shootout.
So...
In considering all of the above, the only player that I'm willing to wager from the Swansea team is the most appropriately named guy for the anticipated end result:
Mf Kieran Butcher(ed)
From a fan that still believes his favorite team is only in the playoffs because of three things (fellow AFC West coaches Haley, Jackson, and Turner - all of whom had better teams more capable of winning the division this year yet didn't thanks mostly to their own making and partially to bad injuries to key players - two of which were appropriately fired and the third of which improbably has kept his job despite repeated ineptitude over the past half-decade only because his GM is more overmatched than the coach at this point), and if any of those had been different all season we'd be sitting at 7-9 or 6-8 and 4th in the division, the Pats should win this game. With both teams finishing first in their divisions, they're guaranteed to play next season. I'm hopeful for a healthy team (and home field) for that matchup, and we should do a better job then with another year removed from McDaniels and his myriad personnel mistakes.
Enjoy the victory and next weekend's as well. You'll get Yates (or even better, Delhomme!?!) or else Flacco and the road-fraud Ravens. Win-win and bring on Green Bay, the only team with a worse overall defense than the Pats. Unfortunately, I am in a lousy place as a fan headed into this weekend. "I believe; please help my unbelief" (Mark 9:24).
I heard recently one of our managers is a "huge Broncos fan." For the sake of this conversation, I'll call him Kevin M., oh wait...that's too obvious...how about K. Martin (that's better).
I am not one to display hubris, but I am rather optimistic the Patriots will defeat the Broncos Saturday night. Cautiously optimistic at the least. Once Brady shifts into a higher gear and starts to move the ball, there is little chance Tebow and his teammates can keep up in a shoot out with one of the best QB's to ever play this wonderful game.
That leads me to the reason for my post: Dr Martin...would you be interested in betting a player (or two) on this game?
Oldham Athletic AFC sends 115k
to Brighton & Hove Albion for Jack Allan (SBY/3 Mf; 100k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Thanks for the reminder Dave. I should have done this to start the season and would have forgotten otherwise.
Al
We get the idea, Dave - some teams have missing youth squads. Thanks.
Coventry,Dorchester,Leicester & Preston
All need to purchase Schoolboys or Apprentices before Saturdays first Round Youth Cup games to field legal Youth squads!
Coventry,Dorchester,Leicester & Preston
All need to purchase Schoolboys or Apprentices before Saturdays first Round Youth Cup games to field legal Youth squads!
Coventry,Dorchester,Leicester & Preston
All need to purchase Schoolboys or Apprentices before Saturdays first Round Youth Cup games to field legal Youth squads!
Hi Guys,
Hope this is okay Al?
Promised Mark from SESL that i would pop a blog in about the vacancies within the other Olmec leagues, anyone fancy taking up another challenge then please visit the sites and take a look at them.
I appreciate some of you guys play in them already but for those who fancy it and have some time then why not give it a go.
Any queries then please get in touch with the Gms or ask here.
Thanks for listening Simon
Wycombe Wanderers sends 250k
to Plymouth Argyle FC for Kai Owen (VI/5 Fw; 30k), Louis Booth (V/2 Df; 0k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
My Opponents in the 1st round of the Youth Cup (Leicester City) have big problems fielding a legal squad
They only have 6 Youth players & 1 of those is injured & out of the next round of games, they have a full quota of 30 players so are going to have to offload at least 3 players & bring in 3 Schoolboys to be able to field the regulation 8 youth players in the match !
Easy pickings!
What a week... Some Big Scores and some New guys at the top!!!
Well done Rene, Kevin & Dave Dohm who all got 8 correct this week.
Kevin & Dave now Top the Bill with 28 for the season, Abe and myself sit just behind on 27. So all to play with after 5 rounds
Apologies for the reviews last few weeks 15 hour days back to back have wiped out alot of my spare time!!
Hopefully should die down now
Only 22 teams took part this week please please take part new year if we can get 28 plus people predicting every week im sure Al caould get some more K's for prizes put in the Prediction League pot!!!
Love to you all and Happy New Year
G G xx
At what cost victory, I ask? In handing Lewes their first defeat of the season this last week, we were assaulted all over the pitch and ended up with 3 injured players. The worst of those came in extra time as our one and only good Gk went down and sits barely useable this week. Less than 1% chance and we nailed it. Olmec must really have a crush on Dave, as the team that beat him may have ended up worse off after the match than if we had quietly lost without injury. Our push for a Div 2 title this season just took a major hit as we now have to recover Fit while fending off the raving hordes behind us. Trevor has to like his chances now.
ï»Hey Guys,
Seasons Greetings to you all. Hope you had a great yuletide celebration and I wish all you and your families a lovely christmas
Also hoping that you have got the results you needed as you push for the various titles!! (Thanks AL again for this great game)
So 23 people Predicted this week (come on the other 7 it tkaes 2 mins!!!) 5 people got 6 right .. Kevin, Abe, Jake, James T & Rob.. Well done all!!
Top of the leader board on 21 now is ROB, ABE & MYSELF!!!
Never too late to get involved chaps
Only 2 people got the Wycombe v Dagenham Draw!!! One of the lowest correct predictions on a game this season!!!
Cheers to the entire league. I hope you all have a happy weekend!
So with another week of mental deliveries at Royal Mail my Prediction note will be short again...
What an awesome few games.... We have this week
Swansea v Lewes... They have only met 4 times and last time was way back in S3.. Lewes have won 2 and the others were drawn. Its a real clash of the titans here to be honest. The Up and Coming Swansea vs the Powerhouse of Lewes.. could this to be close to call?? Everyone has an opinion so cast your vote on this awesome match.
Other classicos to look out for this week. Cardiff v Tranmere were 1 and 2 a few seasons ago as Alon look sto get back to the top and Graham looks to get some silverware these are two managers looking for a win. Forest v Hereford 3rd and 4th in D2 a real 6 point battle here for promotion hopes. There are 7 other matches to have a stab at as well
Good luck all!!!
Hereford United FC sends 450k, Lewis Mills (IV/10 Gk; 240k)
to Carlisle United for Derek Hall (II/11 Gk; 450k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Swansea City AFC sends Lewis Mills (IV/10 Gk; 240k)
to Hereford United FC for 150k, Elliot Hill (IV/7 Fw; 150k)
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Was this written before or after you sent Elias Beerman to Carlisle? The public has a right to know...
Lewes has taken heat the past couple days and been accused of abandoing youth development. I beg to differ and offer up the facts on the rest of the sqauds in division I. Below you will see how many youth players each division I team has that are on target to be developed to the maximum. A bit surprising that DOR and TRA are actually the ones "abandoning" the youth movement while LEW is in the middle of the pack!
Team # Max SBY # Max APP
CRE 5 4
CRD 4 4
PNE 4 4
PLY 4 4
LEW 3 4
SHF 4 3
LIN 4 3
BHA 5 2
TRA 3 3
DOR 4 2
I'd be watching out for TRA and DOR and expect to get their top 11!
Lewes FC sends Elias Beerman (APP/6 Df; 310k), Bae Yoon (I/9 Fw; 420k)
to Carlisle United for Sacha Blondel (II/13 Fw; 550k), Joseph Milner (III/3 Fw; 40k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Cardiff City FC sends 30k
to Nottingham Forest for Isaac Harris (IV/2 Df; 0k)
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Only 24 Entries this week.. Come on guys takes 2 minutes and its only a bit of fun. A chance to see which one of your rivals will win/lose or draw.
Would be great to get 30 people predicting every week, As can be done as part of your orders!! Get Involved Gents!!!
Well Done Roy & Mike C who got 7 results each both those managers seeming to be improving each week and have predicted all 3 weeks so not only well done but thanks for the commitment!!
so whos top of the tree?? Well Roy storms to 17 and 1st place. On 2nd lace tied are:- Mark Stretch, Fred & Myself...
James White is bottom with 2 but not too late mate to get climbing up the tree!!!
21 people out of 24 predicted Lewes to beat Brighton
Only 3/24 Got Crewe would beat Tranmere (Seriously Alon What happened here) & southend to draw with Swindon
Hardest one to PRedict i think this week was Tranmere v Swansea and the votes where split but well done to the 13 that got Tranmere.
Next Matches up soon .... Lets get the Numbers back up in the High 20's please x x x
Northampton Town FC sends 395k
to Carlisle United for Tom King (IV/12 Gk; 300k)
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Don't be fooled, Lewes is the luckiest team in the league. we all know it, even Ian knows it! But you are correct in that the start means nothing if we don't bring some hardware home. Our good buddy Ian has proven this time and again.
Lewes 9 0 0 means nothing unless they win something!!
He is flying under the radar though all that 'we wont win anything this season chit chat' you boys in division 1 cannot be trying hard enough, little old Lewes dominating affairs!
It just wont do, wakey wakey otherwise hes going unbeaten all season
Hey love these smileys here, just keep forgetting what key operates them we i chat!!
Lets have a campaign for bringing these smileys from the blog entries into the chat boxes, work your magic Sir Al
Just noting Lewes' current record after three sessions:
Current Season: 9-0-0 (1.000)
Is it possible that a mention of the above could be put out at the beginning of the week either with the usual Auction, Orders, and Prediction news.
I think that's twice I have missed putting it in because it slipped my mind - only me you understand....!
Please accept my apologies for a very very brief round up to the Prediction League. I have torn my cruciate Ligaments and juggling work and hospital appointments this week has been a bit of a mission to be honest. As well as working for Royal Mail you can imagine work is a likkle mental this week. Trying to co-ordinate mail moving in and out of a depot with oever 260,000 items a day just in my depot its a little but fun!!!
So I have highlighted 2 matches that I chose this week and why
Lewes & Brighton - I just caouldnt decide who might win this as its two teams who fight for success.
Then we have Tranmere the undisputed Kings of United and Swansea who have been on a major rebuild and look like they could be D1 champions next season!!! so New v Old
Normal Round Up resumes next week!!!
Too focused on the tie to notice the obvious...
#1 overall seed is actually Dagenham & Redbridge, as the glaringly obvious +10 goal differential shows.
Tied at #2 is Hereford & Derby County.
Sorry.
Knockout seedings to determine home field after group stage completion:
A tie! Should the top two teams end up playing each other, a coin flip will determine the home field. Make that two ties! Should the bottom two teams face each other, a coin flip will determine home field.
Tie 1st: DER 9 pts, +8 GD, 9 GF
Tie 1st: HER 9 pts, +8 GD, 9 GF
3rd: DAG 9 pts, +10 GD, 14 GF
4th: SWA 9 pts, +7 GD, 7 GF
5th: LEW 9 pts, +4 GD, 4 GF
6th: PNE 7 pts, +5 GD, 6 GF
7th: NOR 6 pts, 0 GD, 3 GF (over 9th-16th due to 1st place rule)
8th: QPR 5 pts, +1 GD, 4 GF (over 9th-16th due to 1st place rule)
9th: LEE 6 pts, +9 GD, 16 GF
10th: OLA 6 pts, +7 GD, 11 GF
11th: CRD 6 pts, +7 GD, 8 GF
12th: DOR 6 pts, +4 GD, 7 GF
13th: SHU 4 pts, +2 GD, 4 GF
14th: TRA 4 pts, +2 GD, 3 GF
tie 15th: SU 4 pts, +1 GD, 4 GF
tie 15th: WAT 4 pts, +1 GD, 4 GF
We had 26 people predicting this week 2 for the 1st time but 3 who predicted last week didnt this week. I know its not alot of cash involved in this but its free money like walking past an itm and get a free couple of quid/dollars?? You wouldnt turn that down would you??
Big well done to Rob and Phil who got 8 and 7 respectively this week to claw themselves further up the table. Trevor and myself top the table with 11/20 for the season. But a good or poor week from anyone can move them plenty of places up the table. Derek came bottom this week with 2 correct and well done Brian for a vast improvement of last weeks 1 with a 5 this week,
Only 3 people got the Wycombe v Leicester as a draw in contrast to a massive 22 people who got the Northampton v Brentford Result right
Round 3 is up and ready to go!!!
Northampton Town FC sends 100k, Reis Peretz (APP/6 Mf; 280k)
to Cardiff City FC for Roger Francis (I/11 Mf; 540k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Good Evening Gents.
Posting the review earlier this week as I am away from home on a course this week with limited net access.
Have posted the Prediction Entries already 10 people are in so only 20 to go.
So heres my review of this weeks matches to assist you with your picks
1st Up Preston v Sheff United - Preston have Won 5 to United's 3 and there has never been a draw.. could this be the year?? Last time out Preston won 1-0 in the youth Cup in season 9
2nd up Crewe v Cardiff - CArdiff have won 8 to Crewe's 2 and there has been 2 draws. Last time out in the league in season 9 Crewe trounced the Bluebirds 5-1
3rd up Forest v Leeds - Forest Lead the series 5-4 and there again has never been a draw. Last Season they met and Forest won 1-0
4th Up QPR v Chesterfield - They have both won 3 a piece with 2 draws thrown in the mix. QPR won the last fixture 1-0 last season
5th up Wycombe v Leicester - Leicester lead the series 9-3 with 2 draws. They met in the AP Cup this season and Leicester won 5-0
6th Up Brentford v Oldham - Series even at 3 wins each with 2 draws thrown into measure. they last met in S10 when Oldham won 3-0
7th up Southend v Bristol - Match Of Hardness!!! Bristol Lead the series 8-5 with a draw thrown in. Bristol won 4-0 last time out
8th up Dorchester v Brighton - Big Pair up here!! Brighton Lead the Series 6-2 and theres been 2 draws. They meet twice this session as well!! Caould Brighton make it 10 wins by the end of the session. Last time out Brighton won 2-1
9th up Swindon v Plymouth - Plymouth Lead 3-1 and there has been 3 draws. Plymouth won last time out 1-0
10th in the mix and last - Northampton v Brentford - northampton Lead this 9-6 with the only draw coming in the fa cup 1st round 1-1 this season which this is the replay of.
so an exciting week. On paper some obvious choices but football is a funny old game so who knows what will happen. Looking forward to the outcome of the Dorchester v Brighton and the battle of the Cards at Bristol v Southend!!
Oldham Athletic AFC sends 140k
to Chesterfield FC for Lawrence Gibson (V/4 Fw; 40k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Quote of mr. Dowson : "We will of course Win Both!"
FA CUP R1: OLDHAM ATHLETIC AFC 4 - SOUTHEND UNITED 3
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1 - 1
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1 - 1
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FA CUP R2 : Southend United 1, Oldham Athletic 1
ï»
I rest my case
Well, Not a bad turn out for the 1st week 27!!. but lets go for a full house next week please all.. Especially as you should be able to take over Brian and not be last!
so Trevor & Mike top the league with 6 each.. Well done both
At the bottom though Brian Holds us all up with 1 correct (Whoops!!!)
So where did it all go wrong Only 2 people got the Swansea v Lincoln Draw Correct ( Well done Abe & Mark), There where 3 other games where only 3 people got the result right as well.
So Next weeks predictions Loom can Trevor & Mike stay at the Top?? Or will Brian score a perfect 10???
André Cardoso (9)
Peter Scholes (48)
Jean Lafon (50)
Howard Jones (59)
Sean Dowson (80)
Sean Dowson (87)
Now thats Really Bad Luck !
Sweeper Sean Dowson gets sent off in the 80th minute & then gets injured getting into the Shower!
...most of it on my roster, I'm sure.
Al and several others have noted that it really appears to be a buyer's market for BRB's this season. If you have any left to sell, you will find this to be especially true. In looking through the stats page and the individual teams, there are only 7 teams that do not have a full complement of BRBs right now.
Of those 7, 2 (Watford and Chesterfield) have the guys on the roster to convert and obviously haven't gotten around to it yet. Lewes has two on their roster to convert, and just needs the Groundsman. With no home matches in the first session, Dave is keeping the old guy around on the roster for a free CP or two before converting. The Magpies have a player to convert, and a Coach spot open, which makes little sense to me if they are raising the SL of at least two players. Keep a guy to get 1 CP, yet spend at least 2+ CP? Perhaps Al entered lineups early to throw others off the scent and is going to convert and save himself some CP prior to the deadline (and remembering to re-enter orders after the conversion).
That leaves just 3 teams that actually need a BRB. Leicester is short just one. Oldham is short 2, as is Brentford. While OLA could stand to get at least one this season, Brentford may be better off waiting. Given that they will be going all-youth this season and have little need to save CP, it may be better to save cash and get the other 2 BRBs next season when they can start a 2-3 pattern of age I/II BRBs instead of needing to replace 5 in the same off-season. If Brentford is wisely waiting, that means the league (not counting the non-league teams) is really just 3 conversions away from having no more need of BRBs at all this season.
So good job all around on the team development and retention. Now we may have to look at adjusting the age and/or SL of convertable players to make it a challenge to get a full slate of BRBs again! Or if I ask real nicely can I ship a few over to a certain United 2 team that could really use a Coach, Physio, and a hug about now?
Welcome All to the Review for the Prediction League. I have taken over the responsibilty of running the prediction league this year. Every Thursday I will post a review of the matches on the Prediction List for the weekend & Highlight some of the key matches:-
Ok So from 1st Matches which are the 1st Round FA Cup games We have:-
Oldham Athletic v Southend United - Match tied at 4 matches each and one draw ( Last game out was a 2-2 draw in Season 8)
Leeds United v Port Vale - Port Vale have won all 3 games ever played ( Last game out was Season 10 where Vale won 2-0)
Swansea v Lincoln City - Linoln lead the series 4-1 and there has been 1 draw (Last time out it was back in season 4 when lincoln won 2-0)
Chesterfield v Dorchester - Dorchester Lead the series 6-4 with one draw (Chesterfield won the last game 2-0 in Season 9)
So the 2nd Matches which are the 1st AP matches from the group qualifying
Weston Super Mare v Bristol City - Weston have won 3 city have never won and 2 draws ( last time out 3-3 season 10)
Brighton v Lewes - Lewes have Won 7, Brighton 6, and 6 draws (Brighton won S10 2-1 -- can they level with lewes)
Carlisle v Dagenham - Mark introduced Jeff to United, they have both won 4, drawn 2 (manorcon bragging rights up for grabs here)
& Finally 3 rd Matches which are 2nd AP Matches
Tranmere v Northampton (Big Players bragging rights here and Key match of the 1st Prediction week)
Tranmere have won 8, northmapton 3 and theres been 5 draws (Northampton won in S10 4-2)
Plymouth v Watford - There has been 7 draws but plymouth lead 4-2 on wins (last time out 4-1 in S10)
Swindon v Derby - 4 draws here over the time but Swindon are 3-2 ahead on wins ( last time out derby won 5-2 in S10)
good luck all with your predictions!! lets see who goes top in 1st week of predicting!!!
G
Swansea City AFC sends Euan Johnstone (V/7 Gk; 100k)
to Swindon Town FC for 130k
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Swansea City AFC sends Alexis Berry (V/5 Df; 60k), Nathan James (V/3 Df; 20k)
to Wycombe Wanderers for 260k
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
| M | DATE | OPPONENT | COMP | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dec 03 | @ | Oldham Athletic AFC | FA Cup - R1 |
Southends First Game in United on Saturday is v OLDHAM in FA CUP Round 1
| December | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat Dec 3 | 15:00 | H | Oldham | FACUP-R2 | |||||
Southends next game in Real Life on Saturday is v OLDHAM in FA CUP Round 2
We will of course Win Both!
Port Vale FC sends Brandon Boyle (II/Coach; 80k)
to Chesterfield FC for 40k
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Bristol City FC sends Otto Mattsson (I/Coach; 160k)
to Hereford United FC for Jake Clemence (VI/2 Gk; 0k)
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Southend United sends 550k
to Cardiff City FC for Jake Scott (III/11 Df; 360k)
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Dorchester Town sends Bradley Walters (SBY/2 Fw; 0k), William Harris (SBY/2 Fw; 0k)
to Brentford FC for 10k
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Brighton & Hove Albion sends 700k
to Derby County for Jacob Elliott (I/10 Mf; 480k)
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Preston North End FC sends Patrick Fox (V/3 Df; 20k), Morgan Patel (V/2 Df; 0k), Reis Levi (V/3 Mf; 20k)
to Brentford FC for 390k
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How many trades is Dancin' Dave Budvar Dowson going to make this offseason? Seriously?! Will there be anyone left on the squad from last season to start S11??
Southend United sends Alex Mason (SBY/2 Df; 0k), Egidio Ayala (SBY/2 Mf; 0k)
to Brentford FC for 10k
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Leeds United sends 40k, Robert Clarke (V/2 Mf; 0k)
to Southend United for David Williamson (III/6 Fw; 160k)
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Southend United sends 80k, Finlay Stevenson (III/5 Df; 120k)
to Lewes FC for Jean Lafon (APP/4 Df; 140k)
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Plymouth Argyle FC sends 300k
to Brighton & Hove Albion for Logan Alexander (APP/5 Gk; 210k)
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Southend United sends André Gomes (II/Youth Coach; 80k)
to Swindon Town FC for 180k
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Northampton Town FC sends 130k
to Leeds United for Logan Briere (V/4 Gk; 40k)
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Swindon Town FC sends Kieran Miller (II/12 Sw; 500k)
to Lewes FC for 600k
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Why is no one buying my outstanding home produced age 5 / BRB players. They're a bargain at 200k a piece, all decent offers of cash and/or players considered!
Southend United sends Dylan Ahmed (II/Coach; 80k)
to Dagenham & Redbridge for 180k
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Cardiff City FC sends 50k, Stuart Johnstone (V/5 Df; 60k)
to Dagenham & Redbridge for Jamie Lennon (IV/5 Mf; 90k), Aaron Mason (IV/2 Df; 0k)
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They're on the transfer list and be quick, they won't be around for long at this price!
Lewes FC sends Luca Ricci (V/4 Mf; 40k)
to Leicester City FC for 100k, Jake West (IV/4 Mf; 60k)
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Tranmere Rovers sends Herman Johnsson (I/10 Df; 480k)
to Port Vale FC for Reece Ferdinand (I/10 Fw; 480k)
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I thought if Dave can advertise here so can I.
I have one age V lad (V5) for disposal - and don't I have a more trusting face than Dave (hasn't everybody?)
Just get in touch, please!
I have 2 Age 5 players ready to convert to Age 1 Back Room Boys Apply within
Southend United Deals4u.co.uk!
Southend United sends Paul Brown (III/10 Gk; 320k)
to Brentford FC for Zachary Fletcher (V/2 Gk; 0k), Mohammad Barnes (V/2 Fw; 0k)
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Southend United sends 160k
to Weston-super-Mare AFC for Matthew Clarke (V/2 Mf; 0k)
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Brighton & Hove Albion sends Joseph Byrd (V/4 Fw; 40k)
to Southend United for 85k, Luca Bianchi (II/5 Mf; 150k)
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Kind of ironic they're called Backroom Boys isn't it, since they've retired?
Anyways
Brandon Boyle II/Coach is available for 65k, earliest bid or best bid gets him.
Wow, there definitely look to be two death groups this season in the AP Cup:
Group C...Includes Port Vale, Lincoln City, Tranmere and Northampton Town. Without trying to offend anyone, might Northampton be the weakest squad in this group? Scarey, that's all I can say.
Group G...Include Nottingham, Dorchester Town, Lewes and Brighton. Defending league champion Lewes, defending AP Cup champion Brighton and the man who writes the code from week-to-week to keep Ian down. Makes me thinkg Nottingham will come in and shock at least one team in the group stage.
The following teams receive a bonus (Season 10 Financial Awards):
BHA (250) BRI (150) CRD (200) CAR (150) CHF (200) DAG (4) DOR (150) HER (208) LEW (925) LIN (300) NOR (8) OLA (8) PLY (158) PV (50) PNE (79) QPR (37) SHU (300) SU (29) SWA (219) SWI (208) TRA (300) WAT (254) WES (18)
I just wanted to take a moment to congratulate the champions this season.
A BIG Congratulations to Dave Dohm and Lewes FC for a fantastic double. I don't think anyone has ever won the two most prestigious titles in the same season: 1st Division and FA Cup. Nice going Dave!! In particular its a REPEAT of the FA Cup!
Dan Fitzgerald's Sheffield won their first title this season by taking home the FA Shield. Congratulations Dan!
Plymouth won their 3rd trophy in their history this season. Boston Rob Petereson's club won the Youth Cup. Nice going Rob!
Last but not least, Brian Beerman's BHA won their 2nd trophy in the past two seasons by taking winning the Alan Parr Cup. Nice Job Brian!
Al
Adding to Rob's analysis, it seems only Chesterfield and Wycombe had a better away record than home - 28 of 30 teams had better home than away. Seems to show the value of the "home advantage" coach.
Chesterfield only gained 1 point more away but Wycombe had more.
Only one team in the league was winless on the road AND undefeated at home. That team would be the Railwaymen... I think. Is that one of our nicknames? I'm sticking with the Motley Crewe. With mirror image records of 6-3-0 and 0-3-6 at home and away respectively had an 18 point differential when comparing league matches played @ Gresty Road versus those played elsewhere. The great disparity in record was heavily influenced by the equally as polarized goal scoring, 22 goals at home and a mere 2 goals scored on the road. Other factors could be the level of hardness employed by coach Baptiste where the 7.3 average was nearly double the next highest average in Divison I (Champion Lewes with a 3.7) or the inexperience as this team was the youngest of the division (Lewes once again with the second youngest squad). Well, I am tired now so no conclusion nor summary.
Well at least we have Tranmere to sort that award money problem out next season :)
Kevin, thanks for catching that....I missed session 6 predictions for QPR. Sorry James!
Unfortunately, Lewes's money total is correct. Someone went and let him win the two biggest payouts: Div 1 Champ (500k) and FA Cup Champ (400k). Add in the 25k for Div 1 top goal scorer for the last 25k. No wonder he's anxious to start next season. When the top earning team nets more than the next three highest winners COMBINED, that's a guaranteed T11 auction player in the pocket for next season's campaign.
One discrepancy on the rest of the list though:
I show James White at QPR having won the prediction league this season (25k) and having a share of the best week for weeks 1, 6, and 10 (4k each). That would be 37k, not 33k as Dave lists.
Apart from that 4k, the rest of the listing is accurate.
Thanks Dave! And yes, can someone please double-check Dave's numbers to figure out why Lewes has gotten all the money. 
Al
| LEW | 925 |
| TRA | 300 |
| SHU | 300 |
| LIN | 300 |
| WAT | 254 |
| BHA | 250 |
| SWA | 219 |
| SWI | 208 |
| HER | 208 |
| CRD | 200 |
| CHF | 200 |
| PLY | 158 |
| BRI | 150 |
| DOR | 150 |
| CAR | 150 |
| PNE | 79 |
| PV | 50 |
| QPR | 33 |
| SU | 29 |
| WSM | 18 |
| OLA | 8 |
| NOR | 8 |
| DAG | 4 |
This is what I came up with, someone please check me for accuarcy as I believe I made an error last year :)
With only 1 league loss in the 2nd half of the season WES managede to retain their 2nd division status by goal difference today.
The management were understandably happy with the final result but will look at Mr Blair's performance as a whole later on once the champagne has finished.... 
Thanks Brian - should have read it a lot earlier than now. No matter - its the last session now so it will all be sorted next week, I guess.
Only ever use the transaction page at the very beginning of the season to get the SBYs and APPs - my fault!
You cannot sell to the non-league after session eight deadline. Visit your Transactions page and you'll see a note indicating as much.
Cheers.
Gents, do I sell the players to the NON League before the last session to get the best price or can I wait till after the session and still sell at their existing skill levels?
Thanks for the help I am sure to get.....
Here's what we know with one to play (SPOILERS WITHIN FROM 10/29 GAMES):
Div 3: Swansea has clinched #1. PV & CHF have clinched promotion. They can still swap positions if PV stumbles in the last two games and CHF wins out. Both are promoting anyway though, so it's only a small cash prize at stake.
Div 2: Bristol City is going down. Lincoln City is going up. The Imps can clinch #1 with just one win or two draws. Playing at home vs. Southend in the league close, there's an excellent chance that Mike gets the crown this season. The Blades are all-but-in themselves, as Dan realistically needs just a draw at home vs. WES or on the road vs. NOR to hold out the goal differential edge over Leeds and promote. Cardiff City and Leeds will have a great clash to conclude things which may determine the final promoter. The rest is up in the air (more on that in a minute).
Div 1: Lewes has clinched #1! Congrats, Dave. Alon has two at home and a very good chance of holding on to the #2 spot. PNE has a rougher go, with two road games @ BHA and @ CRE. BHA could overtake PNE for the cash spot, but then again (more on that in a minute as well)... Carlisle is not officially dead yet. Survival would require beating Tranmere on the road after beating Watford at home. Tall task for anyone - let alone when both teams have everything to play for and no need to worry about Fitness. Not good. QPR and WAT have some hope if they can win their openers (QPR v PLY & WAT @ CAR). If that happens, then WAT-QPR for the league closer could also be the elimination game. Great drama building for the final set.
So, about those "more on that" notes...
I cannot recall any prior season where heading into the final session BOTH of the 4th place teams in the First & Second Divisions could end up being relegated! And it's not really all that improbable.
Div 1 - Match 15: WAT-CAR & QPR-PLY are two matchups where everyone has to win to avoid relegation. That opens the door for pure T11 throwdowns, loser is done. Let's say WAT & PLY win. DOR beats CRE. PNE gets lucky and beats BHA on an unjust PK in injury time. TRA-LEW outcome doesn't matter. Then in Match 16: WAT (at home) beats QPR to push out of relegation. LEW-DOR doesn't matter, nor does TRA-CAR at this point. PLY wins at home over BHA as Rob cackles merrily for the next several months around the office, because when CRE (and the other Rob who will cackle merrily) beats PNE at home suddenly the BHA squad finds itself in 8th place despite having 22 points. That's how competitive the first division was this season. Great job by all, guys, to keep things competitive. Except for that whole, "letting Dave run away with the title" thing. We'll work on that for next year. This year though? 4th place could still relegate with just 2 games to go. Love it!
Div 2 - Match 15: WES over SHU as our elder statesman's luck finally squares away and the Blades focus on winning the Shield having all-but assured promotion. Forest at home hangs another close defeat on NOR and Simon's nightmarish luck continues. Southend at home pulls out a win over Hereford as they avoid giving up a PK. LIN-CRD has no bearing on this outcome. The key to everything is what the team with nothing to lose or gain - Bristol City - can do on the road at Leeds. If Jake can turns 10 hard into a no-PK victory, then suddenly Abe is in rough shape. Bristol in an undeserved, injury-aided win. Match 16: BRI-WES won't matter at this point. LIN-SU ends in a draw. Then all that needs to happen is that the home teams pull out wins. How likely is that? NOR over SHU, HER over FOR, and in what could otherwise be the promotion clincher, CRD comes out with the T11 and hangs another loss on Leeds. That would leave Leeds on 23 points and no better than a 0 Goal Differential even if they only lose both games by 1 goal. Since the next 5 teams below them (FIVE!) are all 3 points or less back, everyone who got a win or win-draw or big win to overcome a slight GD edge passes up Leeds. And again, we have a scenario where the 4th place team could stumble and get relegated - potentially as low as 9th place. The only unlikely outcome that has to happen is that Bristol must beat Leeds. If Abe wins the first one, then he's safe and might promote if he can beat Graham in the 2nd. If Abe loses Match 15, then suddenly things start looking very dark indeed.
So why should you care particularly? Here's why:
If you're DOR, CRE, PLY, HER, WES, or FOR, you can see how easily the 4th place team could get relegated. You're below them, so imagine how much simpler it would be for you to go down instead of BHA or LEE. Yep. It's officially "must-win" time. If you're WAT, QPR, NOR or SU, then you are officially still in the hunt. CAR has a prayer, though only just that much. Everyone else is playing for bigger cash prizes or simply for more CP heading into next season. Still, remember that a win now means one SL next season for that age I, SL 10 star in the making. Don't let the big dogs get theirs for free.
...is tight this season.
The bottom eight (yes, 8!!) teams are separated by only five total points heading into session eight. The top two squads, Lewes (26 points) and Tranmere (24 points), are both clear of possible relegation. Current third place side Preston sits at 18 points, but with six divisional matches still to play and the bottom three teams all sitting at 13 points thus far, anything could happen before the season ends on 5 November.
Goal Differential
An amazing six teams currently have a goal differential of zero or better. Division leader Lewes FC currently has the best GD in the premier division sitting at 15 (28 GF over 13 GA). While the Rooks may have the inside track on claiming the League Championship trophy this season, it is unlikely coach Dohm's squad will threaten the record for highest goal differential during a single season in D1. That record is held by Tranmere during the 3rd season when the Rovers scored an astounding 58 goals and allowed only 18.
Brighton & Hove Albion sends 100k
to Hereford United FC for Kieran Barry (V/6 Fw; 80k)
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Brighton & Hove Albion sends Evan McCarthy (II/13 Fw; 550k)
to Cardiff City FC for 580k
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Brighton & Hove Albion sends 580k
to Cardiff City FC for Evan McCarthy (II/13 Fw; 550k)
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Anyone want to sell any for a reasonable price?
Dave's post below is a desperate cry for help. How can the 2nd Division be so cruel and disrespectful to one of its more colorful managers? He mocks and taunts the fact that he's currently coasting out ahead of most of you despite a woefully inferior team. Why does he taunt? Because he cares. And he wants to be loved in return. SHAME ON YOU, SECOND DIVISION! How could you be indifferent to Dave's needs?
Take the way you play him between the sticks, for example. Southend has faced an average SL in goal of 14.6 through the 10 league games so far. That's the second lowest in the division. Only Leeds (14.4) is lower. On the other end, Weston has faced a 15.7 average! Really? The Elder Statesman Blair deserves your A-line and some hardness to boot and Dr. Death doesn't? And it's even worse at Sweeper! The mockery of the position is more like it. The Blues have faced an average SL of just 9.88 at Sw against them. That's well over a point lower than the next closest (11.4, NOR & BRI). GIven the number of shots he's taken so far, that's like giving Dave an extra 5 league goals in the first ten matches. Just giving them away like he's some drunk, homeless bum on the street corner! Dave wants your respect, gentlemen. He demands to earn his goals the United way!
But it's not just there that you have failed him. If you add up the area totals against Southend this season and compare them against the lines that everyone else has had to play against so far, the results are shocking. Only the Cobblers have faced weaker lines so far this season, and that's just 1008 to 1031 (23 SL over 10 matches, or 2.3 per match less). Instead, the Bluebirds of Cardiff City have faced the toughest lines at more than 11 SL higher per match. That's an entire SL per player on average that everyone loves Graham more than they respect and admire our own Double-D?!? Oh the shame.
In fact, it appears that only Olmec loves Dave this season. His league scoring percentage is ridiculously high (thanks in part to facing weaker Gk-Sw combos than some Div 3 teams have so far this season, yet still well above the standard deviation from expected norms). It currently sits at 13.9% on league goals (not counting PKs) per scoring chance. That's better than 1 in every 8 shots. No one else is higher than 9.8% except Sheffield (12.4% for the Blades). In fact, the Blues are shooting more than twice as well as poor Mr. Blair (6.6%). Even with Weston facing tougher Gks, it's obvious who Olmec loves more. The team with the most scoring chances so far (Leeds, at 242, nearly a third again more than SU at 187) has just 23 league goals while Southend has 26 (PKs not included in those numbers).
The same is true on the goal-saving end as well. Your neglect has forced Olmec to shower love on the Blues (don't call 'em Shrimpers) in previously unseen fashion. Southend's goals-against rate is 5.94%, second in the division only to the Imps' 5.73%. Yet Dave pulls this off with an average SL in goal of just 13.8, the second lowest in the division! Mike at Lincoln City is just barely doing better with a Gk average nearly 3 points higher (16.5), the 2nd highest in the division. For comparison sake of how much affection Olmec has for Dealin' Dave, Roy at Forest consistently plays a better Gk (14.6 average SL), yet has a save rate more than 3 times worse. Not 3%. 3 TIMES worse. 18.18% of scoring chances go in against him, or nearly 1 in every 5.
Thus the sad truth is as follows:
You don't love Dave. You don't respect his team, playing weak lines against the Blues filled with youth and B-line players that you can afford to have injured and not worry too much for a session or two. You save your best lines for other clubs, forgetting that his team is by far the weakest in the division and goal difference matters as the first tie break (having decided the 2nd division title once and promotion twice). You play your youth at Gk and Sw, making your disrespect clear to even the casual observer. You have forced Olmec to a point that the Stone-Faced One nearly shed a tear for poor Dave. The program has blessed him with both scoring conversions and save rates so far off the norms that we're reaching "never before in United has a team been this lucky" territory if they hold up for the final eight games.
Only you can prevent this, 2nd Division. Right the wrong. Show Dave the love. Bring the T11. Let Olmec go back to paying attention to Ian and keeping his team beat down. Can it be coincidence that Ian's success has happened at the same time that Olmec is being distracted by Dr. Death's plight? Let's fix this, United. I know we can. Wrongs need righting. Share the goal-scoring, shot-saving, injury-causing love that you have for the rest of your fellow managers with Dave. He demands your respect. Why withhold it any longer?
Weston-super-Mare AFC sends 160k
to Dorchester Town for João Cunha (APP/4 Fw; 155k)
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Northampton Town FC sends 390k
to Brighton & Hove Albion for Aaron Hawkins (APP/7 Sw; 350k)
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Cardiff City FC sends Mason Clarke (III/11 Mf; 360k)
to Plymouth Argyle FC for 425k
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Lewes FC sends 400k
to Cardiff City FC for Bae Yoon (APP/7 Fw; 365k)
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I'm never fully satisfied unless I win every match in a session Brian.
This whole season is showing that PLY clearly was not ready for D1. We have some really good players, but we do not have the depth to be able to compete this year. My only hope is to dig in deep and survive the rest of the season and make a better mark next season.
As 'EL PRESIDENTE' used to exclaim when anyy DD team won a game! Thats Outrageous!
How can a team that has the lowest T11 in Division 2 , The 4th Lowest T11 in the whole League, in fact their T11 is Lower than the rest of Division 2's T16!, ermmm what was I saying ?...
Oh yes How can Southend United be in 3rd place in Division 2?
Outrageous, Amazing,Stunning, I couldn't possibly comment!
Not so sure RobP will be happy with his performance against us fellow Meditechers.
And holy wow!! How does TRA have 72 CP...?!?!
Just realized that this is a pretty special week for Plymouth. Three matches, all against fellow MEDITECHers!
Match 20 - League @ BHA - Brian Beerman
Match 21 - League vs CRE - Rob Baptiste
Match 22 - Youth Cup vs LIN - C Ball
Wow... these guys are all going to be out for blood... Hope I can get out alive.
Cardiff City FC sends Averiy Lebedev (III/10 Gk; 320k)
to Wycombe Wanderers for 365k
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Hi David,
Your team was NMR in session 4 (see transactions page here).
Here was the transaction (it shows 'my time' as I'm logged, your time may show different; but this is 80 mins before kickoff):
Alfie Higgins WES Sw SL 3 September 24th 11:41 non-league sale is sold to the Non-League for 40.
My assumption is, that you made the sale and did not re-enter your lineups. Existing lineups for the session are always deleted whenever a transaction like this is made. You will get a mulligan (see rules) to help with some of the SBY/APP youth coaching at the end of the season should you desire to use it.
Al
Ian, Allan has remarked on many an occasion you seem very confused full stop - but I don't subscribe to that. From my part I am trying to train up kids to do a man's job - in United they have to grow up quickly - quick fixes are not for me any more..
On another tack, Al? WES is down for a NMR - to my knowledge I have never NMR-d in United even by accident. I have gone through the games and see ticks beside every game we have played.
This is a slur on my "good" name - I demand satisfaction or my money back... :-) (Or at least take away the NMR, please?)
Brighton & Hove Albion sends 415k
to Cardiff City FC for John Mitchell (III/11 Mf; 360k)
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The following teams receive a bonus (Fixes session 3 auction glitch):
PLY (600) SU (-600)
Blimey they dont half put a strain on the players, the managers a reck following late changes and I thought refereeing Thomas's under 8s match today was going to be diffficult
Good luck to all today except of course to Carlisle, Port Vale, WSM and Southend!!!!!
Preston North End FC sends Denis Coppell (IV/7 Df; 150k)
to Watford for 250k
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So you have unearthed my masterplan Dr Dohm, a whole team of Dowsons to take over United & ve vill vin everyting dare is to vin, Success vill be mine do you hear Mine All Mine!hahahohohumhumbrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrletme out of here you idiots Im not mad ...cuckoo,cuckoo,cuckoo! Mabel vere are my braces, my pants are falling down again! I know de answer to de question, I just cant remember it right now, 2 sugars please matron ...Next!!!
The players I have on the transfer list are BARGAINS, and yet I've had no offers. I'm very confused by this...
Dr. Death has now added a second Dowson to the stable, Ryan, who joins Sean. Gives a whole new meaning to "family practice" while they injure and mame opposing players.
It's a random draw, but the higher seed gets home advantage.
I forget how matches are decided in Round Two of this competition. Is it 1v16, 2v15, 3v14, etc., or is another format used?
The AP Cup draw has not been made yet, Phil, but if it will cheer you up, I can confirm that you'll get a very warm welcome at Edgar Street in the FA Cup!
Am I to read this as CHF facing PV again? Thrilling...not.
First place finishers:
1. BHA 9 pts, +11 GD
2. DOR 9 pts, +10 GD
3. SWA 9 pts, +7 GD
4. BRI 9 pts, +3 GD
5. CRD 7 pts, +9 GD
6. PNE 7 pts, +6 GD
7. CHF 7 pts, +4 GD
8. CAR 6 pts
2nd place finishers:
9. WAT 6 pts, +7 GD
10. NOR 6 pts, +6 GD, 10 GF
11. TRA 6 pts, +6 GD, 8 GF
12. PV 6 pts, +4 GD
13. DAG 6 pts, +3 GD
14. SHU 6 pts, -1 GD
15. PLY 4 pts, +2 GD
16. HER 4 pts, -4 GD and a team that made their one and only goal in group play count for a whole lot...
Please avoid Chrome for the Orders page for now. Once I've addressed whatever issue is there I'll let you know.
Can someone please post the AP Cup Rankings? And by that I mean the Top 16 ordered by:
1) Place
2) Points
3) Goal Differential
4) Most Goals Scored
Basically the same thing as previous seasons. I'll then schedule the session 4, 2nd round. I just use the rankings to determine the home team after the pairings are randomly drawn. Thanks!
Anyone else having issues with slow load and save times on the orders page (Chrome, 13.0.782.220 Windows)? Just curious.
Port Vale FC sends 150k
to Dorchester Town for Ashton Davies (IV/6 Mf; 120k)
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The following teams receive a bonus (Coach of the Year):
BHA (25)
Who's in, who's out, and who needs what to advance:
Group A - Blyth is out. Cardiff City advances with a win or draw, or a loss + DAG loss. DAG advances with a win, or a draw + CRD loss. Lewes advances with a win or draw, or can lose only if CRD also loses by at least as many goals as Lewes loses by. In short, for all teams in the group: Win and you're in. Lose and you're probably out. As CRD plays BLY, odds are very good for a Bluebird victory. That puts all the pressure on the other match. DAG must win, and Lewes needs at least a draw. Lewes will probably need at least a 3-goal win to keep the top group spot.
Group B - Chesterfield has the easiest path. All they need is a draw to ensure advancing. They can even lose by two goals if Plymouth draws or loses to get in. They would still advance on more goals for over COV. And since they do play the non-league team, a draw or better looks highly likely. Still, COV already has one point and multiple injuries caused, so Phil stands warned about both taking COV lightly and against playing his youth who might suffer SL-killing injuries early on in the season. COV meanwhile, has to win by at least 3 goals and have PLY either draw or lose; or win by 2 or more goals. Leicester advances with a draw or win or even a 1-goal loss, so they just have to keep it close. The Pilgrims have to win by at least 2 goals to advance. At least they control their own fate as if they can do that, it doesn't matter how the CHF/COV match ends up.
Group C - Another group in which no one is dead yet. Brentford easily has the toughest route though, having to somehow manage a win against a far superior Carlisle side and have Leeds draw or lose, or else beat CAR by more goals than Leeds beats Sheffield by. Carlisle advances with a win, or a draw and Leeds draw or loss. Sheffield, meanwhile, are for all purposes already in as they are up by 7 goals in the goal differential column. That leaves Leeds having to win and have Carlisle draw or lose, but if Carlisle loses then Leeds has to win by more than Brentford won by. As CAR-BRE is the 3rd most lopsided matchup of the fixture (behind only BLY-CRD & TRA-WYC), CAR is the likely victor, meaning Leeds is all but done barring a monumental upset. With Sheffield so sure of advancing anyway though, perhaps Leeds can at least steal the CP for a victory before bowing out of the AP Cup this season.
Group D - Swansea is in and Tranmere is so far up on goal differential (+9) that this group is all but set already for who is advancing. Alon needs just a draw to seal it. Wycombe has to beat Tranmere and have Forest lose or draw or win by the same or fewer goals than WYC wins by. Forest, meanwhile, has to win and win in style. They either have to win by at least 12 goals over Swansea while the TRA-WYC match ends in a draw, or else win and have WYC win, only Forest has to win by at least two goals more than WYC wins by. For both WYC & FOR, I'm going with "play the youth and T11 the league for a better chance of CP and a good season."
Group E - Bristol is in. Southend is out. That leaves QPR & PV playing each other to advance. Vale is up currently, so they only need the draw to advance. QPR must win, by any margin. And if you think that group is easy to preview...
Group F - Swindon & Crewe are out. BHA & NOR are in. BHA & NOR play, with BHA currently up, so 1st in the group is BHA's with a draw. Otherwise, winner gets the #1 spot.
Group G - PNE is in. The rest gets all kinds of fuzzy. PNE's opponent, Hereford, needs to win and get a LIN loss or draw. Or Hereford can get a draw if LIN loses. Lincoln plays Derby County and is in with a win OR draw + HER draw or loss OR 1- or 2-goal loss + HER loss. Derby has to win by at least 3 goals and have HER lose to earn a playoff spot. So only the Imps control their own destiny.
Group H - One matchup is decided. The Magpies are in. Weston is out. Watford/Oldham will determine the other advancing position, with Watford currently ahead on the table and needing just a draw. Oldham best bring their A-game or not come at all.
While it will probably all end in anti-climatic fashion, half the groups could come down to goal differential to see who advances. Kudos to all on trying to keep things competitive this season!
Northampton Town FC sends 105k
to Dorchester Town for Jayden Stewart (III/4 Fw; 80k)
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Bristol City FC sends 200k, Andrew King (IV/7 Gk; 150k)
to Dorchester Town for Oscar Clark (IV/12 Gk; 300k)
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Southend United sends Ross Sullivan (V/6 Sw; 80k)
to Brentford FC for 270k
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Lewes FC sends Kian Owen (I/10 Gk; 480k)
to Dorchester Town for 510k, Vidar Gustafsson (IV/5 Df; 90k)
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Wycombe Wanderers sends 250k
to Dagenham & Redbridge for Dae-Ho Park (V/5 Mf; 60k)
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Lewes FC sends 1529k
to Swansea City AFC for Seiichi Ito (II/14 Gk; 600k)
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Brighton & Hove Albion sends Alex Hill (III/12 Fw; 400k)
to Swansea City AFC for Oscar Wallace (I/10 Sw; 480k)
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Dorchester Town sends 350k
to Weston-super-Mare AFC for Oscar Clark (IV/12 Gk; 300k)
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And to get in the First Division preview before the opening weekend which will undoubtedly prove (once again) that I am and will remain to be clueless in these regards, I offer this mishmash for at least your hopeful amusement. Here are the teams listed in my ordering of potential for being able to wrest the crown from their foes this season. With apologies to T.H.White...
The Once and Future King
Tranmere Rovers. Alon Atie, manager.
#2 in T11 & T16. 6 deep at Fw, headlined by 2 SL 13s and 2 SL 12s. The Gk and Sw are solid again and the supporting cast at Df & Mf start out well and will end stronger. All the pieces are in place as the original model of dominance will show all the imitators how it is done once again. A highly favorable AP Cup grouping will leave ample opportunity to T11 as needed in the opening two sessions, as well as compile the CP early on which they weren't able to do last season. They continue to have one of the healthiest bank balances in the league, and Alon will undoubtedly add another key player to this team to wreak havoc on the hordes chomping for the Title this season. Most importantly, I believe Alon will be pushing hard to show that last season was an anomoly and not the signal that his reign over this league is crumbling. The only hope for the rest of us lies in fearlessly facing down the legend by all involved. Fortune favors the bold, and too many teams in the past have thrown down their arms and ran to fight battles elsewhere rather than be defeated in fair combat by the champion. We'll see if United's kingdom is up for the challenge of stalking the Questing Beast once again.
The Wizard
Dorchester Town. Allan Sellers, manager.
Disappearing from the sight for several seasons after perpetually pushing for top honor amongst the league, the Wizard has returned again. He brings with him a full table, well-rounded and stocked. The best midfield in the league runs six deep and is highlighted by a trio of brothers at 14-13-13. Four deep at the front and back behind them, there isn't a weakness in the outfield. There is just a sole figure guarding the portal to victory, however many teams in the first flight appear to have that pattern going for them (or against them) this season. The war chest still has ample surplus for another purchase if desired, though there may be no need for any further depth unless multiple four-game sessions appear imminent. Overall, the Magpies are tops in the league in T11 & T16, with a balance and depth that have them poised for seizing the throne this season and beyond. The question which only the mysterious manager can answer for us though, is how badly does he want the title? Is he willing to sacrifice Cup questing for the sake of ruling the division when the T11 is called for in mulitple matches? Will developing the future be risked in assuring victory for the present day? Will his own schemes be his undoing once again? That page awaits to be written...
The Unloved Heir Apparent
Preston North End FC. Ian Lindsay, manager.
Take Tranmere's team. Shift one SL 12 player from Fw to Mf. Now you have PNE. Just one total SL behind the Rovers in T11 strength, Ian's team is poised to repeat on last season's successes in the league and the Cups. Could this be the season he overthrows the expected king, outsmarts the wizard, and defies the other knights seeking the throne for themselves? All the pieces are in place. #3 in T11 & T16 in the league. Good starting CP balance. 2nd most cash on hand in the league. The strikers run five deep starting at 13-13-12, with three good midfielders and two stalwart defenders backing them up. The protection on the home front is set with a top Gk and good Sw. There is ample older fill-in depth in the SL 7-10 range for Cup play or to spell the starters who may need a rest for a session against weaker foes. With his ability to cherry pick any one or two players this season to add to the roster wherever he proves to be weakest, Ian could indeed bring about the downfall of all that the Wizard has worked for in this league by sitting atop the standings and lording over the realm for what would be a mercifully short offseason of discontent to come.
The Castle of Hope
Lewes FC. Dave "Dr. Doom" Dohm, manager.
The Rooks have the balance and power to not be overmatched in the outfield. Four deep at Fw and Mf, they can adjust as needed to exploit weaknesses in their opponents or shore up their own deficiencies if desired. Their two II/14 stars on the roster could peak at 17 heading into session 4 and create countless headaches for opposing managers. With a good Sw in the mix, the only glaring hole in the Rooks' defenses lies in goal. Their young star in the making will need to max out his SL in a hurry to keep up with all the arrows that are let fly each week in the top division. Fortunately, the opening weekend fares well in that regard as they start out facing two of the four weakest teams in the league. Leaving as much of the T11 as he would like for the 3rd match, Dave could begin on a 3-win roll and build off of that to some early season success. While the T11 is several SL below the top pace, their T16 is 4th best. They have the depth to sustain four-game sessions with a strong likelihood of winning every match. Should more depth be needed, there is enough money on hand to buy or barter another footsoldier for the lines. Those attempting to assault Lewes at home this season had best bring as much might as they can bear, or else they'll find themselves hurtling ineffectively against the rising towers of Doom.
The Sword
Brighton & Hove Albion. Brian Beerman, manager.
The seeming impossible having been done and won, it remains to be seen if this weapon of victory has another campaign left or has been sheathed for rest and repair. The offensive might of Brian's cutting front line is unrivaled this season, and perhaps in league history. 13-13-13-13-12-9-9-9. Their fiercest opponent may be the Orders page and that pesky 3:1 rule. Anyone without a stalwart keeper in goal has little to no chance of surviving that onslaught. And yet, if a team can minimize the damage done in the frontal assault, the defenses behind the Gulls' attack are vulnerable. They have two good midfielders, yet no depth to sustain the ranks in case of 4-game sessions or injury. The next best at Mf currently is SL 6. The defense runs deeper, yet less powerful at 10-9-8-8. Behind that, the Sw is SL 9 with an apprentice coming up. So that leaves the defending almost solely on the shoulders of the Gk, who is as good or better than anyone else in the league. At II/14 to start this season, the posts are well covered. Barring a trade for some help in front of him, they will need to be unless Brian is looking forward to 5-4 or 7-6 shootouts each week. While entertaining, at some point the luck may not hold out. All it takes is the guard to slip for one session and the swordsman fighting alone may suffer a mortal wound. The danger in wielding a sword is that it cuts both ways. This team is built so that the hand of the wielder will be exposed as either masterful or still in need of training.
The Ill-Made Knight
Carlisle United. Mark Stretch, manager.
A mixed complement in the titling, I know Mark can take it. White's wording is too good not to use on somebody and Carlisle fit the role for this season's play bill. An impressive T11 force when fully flexed, they drop off to 7th in Div 1 (having the largest numerical loss in the division) and behind a few Div 2 and 3 teams in T16. The top Gk will need to be in high form all season as there is currently no sweeper on the roster to help out. The top lineup looks to be a 3-4-3 formation that can easily overpower 2/3 of the league. That format will also sustain them should they desire to play a lot of Offside Trap in the absence of a sweeper. They also retain ample resources in the coffers for an auction splash or raiding the lesser divisions for a key player. All told, they possess the ability to overtake any team in one-on-one clashes. Still, this league requires a sustained campaign that can absorb more than just a flurry of physical prowess. From within, the teams rings hollow at points. There is only one decent backup at each position for 4-game sessions or to survive injuries/suspensions. Having just two apprentices on the roster with six schoolboys in training, there is little help coming up from within to rely on in the late season clashes. Depth of characters is needed to keep this team from fading at the end when they are needed most. Can Mark push through to obtain the Grail, or will he faint on the doorstep outside the final chamber?
The Steadfast Knight
Watford. James Tucker, manager.
Every season, you can count on certain things happening. Tranmere will be a nasty draw, Northampton will make some Cup noise, Preston North End will be kept from winning anything by the cheat codes, and Watford will quietly go about slaying manager after manager without getting his deserved billing as one the four to five best longterm players of this game. Having won the league before, James knows what it takes. Never take a match off. Give everything you have without making needless sacrifices so that future battles will be lost before you begin to fight. Know where your foe is weakest and assault them there instead of forcing your own strength into every situation heedless of opponent. Never back down. You'll find that here. Watford has strength at all positions, well-matched for division one at 5th in T11 and T16. The Gk and Sw are solid, as are the top 3 at Df and 4 at Fw. There are 3 talented players at Mf that will need to mature in a hurry to sustain the power up front, as the forward lines have depth to use if desired in any given match. The hurtle for James to overcome this season is starting well behind the division average in CP (only 19 to start; next lowest is 34). That's one SL he'll fall off pace already. He also faces a brutal opening weekend (@ CAR, then DOR & WES in his AP group) and could easily come out without a victory. Finding the early wins will be crucial in developing this roster. Otherwise, Watford may end up being just a role player this season, though a key one that cannot be overlooked, to someone else's title part.
The Siege Perilous
Queens Park Rangers. James White, manager.
There is a vacany in the ranks. As opposed to many of the foes they will be clashing against this season, QPR has only three top players (SL 13 or 14) on their roster. Those empty seats at the table of high honor need immediately filled for James to make a successful campaign this season. T11 clashes will not be kind to them early on. They will have to choose their battles wisely and survive on what can be gleaned from draws and surprise attacks. Having a good keeper and two decent sweepers to hold out the attacking hordes will help. The 3-2-4 lineup in front can hope to gather some draws as the younger players develop in hopes of overtaking at least one team above them in the division. Still, I see pushing for a title too far out of this team's reach for now. Instead, while they may not have great power compared to the title contenders, they do have the depth needed to sustain them in a quest for a Cup this season. They can gather the experience and CP they need to build up by taking on lesser teams than their Div 1 opponents. I expect that at least a quarterfinal appearance in each Cup is well within this team's ability if they can avoid second round matchups against the usual title contenders. If they can advance early and gather a draws and rare win by mid-season, then the team can develop and make a late push to avoid relegation. If they falter in the Cups as well, I have visions of them falling back.
The Candle in the Wind
Plymouth Argyle FC. Rob Peterson, manager.
Rob knew this was coming. Picked to relegate. And yet starting the season with the lowest T11 & T16 in the division, what else could I do? Careful sheltering of this roster that runs with talent in a 1-1-2-2-4 lineup will be needed. Yes, I know that's only 10 players. Which is part of the problem. Protecting the 11th spot from being exploited by the storming wilds of this division will be key until a player can be found to man the gap with the kind of skill needed in Div 1. If it can be done, then this team that defied all expectations last season by winning Div 2 can be the ones to warm to the task. Helping in that regard is a very favorable opening weekend. They already have 50 CP in the bank, and get to open with a non-league side and two division three clubs in Cup play. While they lack power now, they might be able to close the gap by session three with some early skill and a tad bit of fortuitous backwind in the second session. Flames need fuel to sustain themselves. This team might just find enough to get a fire burning. If they falter early though, the flame will likely be extinguished as they can't afford to risk it all without passing what they have gained on to the youth awaiting in the wings. The developing youth will be the depth needed to carry them through suspensions or injuries late this season. Even with that, I don't see peace and contentment in this team's near future.
The Prince of Air and Darkness
Crewe Alexandra FC. Rob Baptiste, manager.
8th in T11. 9th in T16. They have a top Gk, as does nearly everyone else in the division. The Sw is comparatively weak though. What sets this team apart from all the others is being a polar opposite in styling and color. They boast four good players at Df highlighted by an SL 14. The midfield duo of 14-13 will be able to play most matches without needing any support. However, they have just two good players at Fw currently, SLs 13 and 10. With under 500k in the bank, they cannot afford to pick up another T11 player until late this year. By then, one player won't be enough to change their fortunes. Instead, this team will have to rely on nothing or everything. Nothing, in that their Gk, Df, and Mf can help earn some clean sheets against anyone except the top 3-4 teams. The flip side to that will be their own inability to generate more than 5-10 chances per game. Against the caliber of Gks you see in Div 1, that's not enough to count on getting any goals yourself. Praying for a clean sheet and getting a PK in return is not a sustainable battle plan. So they may be forced to turn to the dark side and take up the use of 10 Hardness every match to pad the Fw lines and generate scoring chances until the youth develop. The five good Apprentices on the roster will be of big help by season's end. In order to survive relegation this season though, the team will have to be within a win or two of 6th & 7th place by session 6. More than that will probably be too much to overcome. At test here is whether or not there is a path to victory apart from the pre-established pattern shown by those currently on the throne.
Good fortunes to all not facing the Swans this season. And so I leave you with these two quotes to ponder as this season's themes, one for the philosopher and poet at heart, and one for the more practical amongst us:
"A chaos of mind and body - a time for weeping at sunsets and at the glamour of moonlight - a confusion and profusion of beliefs and hopes, in God, in Truth, in Love, and in Eternity - an ability to be transported by the beauty of physical objects - a heart to ache or swell- a joy so joyful and a sorrow so sorrowful that oceans could lie between them..."
"You run a grave risk, my boy," said the magician, "of being turned into a piece of bread, and toasted."
Odds of wining the league (for entertainment purposes only)
TRA 1:1
DOR 2:1
LEW 7:1
BHA 10:1
CAR 15:1
WAT 20:1
QPR 30:1
PLY 50:1
CRE 75:1
PNE 1,000,000:1 (Vegas must be on to the anti-Ian coding...)
Yes Kevin I have a fantastic early season strategy - I'm also going to go on honeymoon for 2 weeks!
I should point out it's not with Graeme, I got married in May and we decided to visit the States in September - Vegas and then New York.
i think I may have better luck on the tables than in MSWL Utd this season!
Three managers are within sight of their 100th career victory in this league.
C-Ball is at 99 wins, Phil at 98, and Brian is at 95. The next manager to hit 100 will be the 13th in league history. Based on games played, C-Ball will be last on the "fastest" list as he's already at 247 games. Phil can come in 12th if he wins 2 in the next 5 matches or sooner. The BHA boss needs to win 5 of the next 15 or less to come in at 5th fastest, as he's at just 193 games played right now.
At the 75 win mark, Dave "Dr. Doom" Dohm is at 71 wins in 166 matches. If he wins 4 of the next 9, he can slide into 12th fastest just ahead of C-ball, Jake & Phil. He'd be the 20th manager to hit the 75 win mark. Closely behind is Abe at 69 wins in 182 matches. Abe will be the 20th or 21st on the list depending on whether or not he can overtake Dave.
The only other mark that might be hit in the first three sessions is by Mark as he approaches 50 wins. 42 and counting for the Carlisle boss, in 108 matches to date. If he wins the next 8, he can jump into 17th place ahead of Jake. 8 in 13 nets 18th in front of Dr. Doom. 8 in 16 bests Rob B, and 8 in 19 would be 20th place and just ahead of Phil.
Bragging rights are at stakes gentlemen. So in the spirit of one my favorite football cheers from my college days: "Blood makes the grass grow! Kill! Kill! Kill!" I'll miss that cheer. It just doesn't have the same effect now that the team plays on field turf...
The second division has it all. Teams on the rise overtaking fallen giants. Rebuilding squads trying to hold off the newly forming league powerhouses. Managers used to winning easily in the third division suddenly having to scrap for every goal against those who have no interest in making a second straight drop. As this madcap division settles into form each season, the one constant has been the inability to make any predictions based on T11 or past trends. Funny things just happen in that world between worlds. In season 5, Bristol City promoted in third place despite having a negative goal differential, the only team ever to manage that. Last season, Port Vale finished in 8th despite having a positive goal differential. As the seasons have played on though, two trends have emerged that I find interesting:
Defying all logic as to relative strength of the teams involved, over the past four seasons the team in fourth place has gone down while the team that finished the prior season in seventh place has moved up. Common sense would tend to indicate that the division favorite would be the team that finished in 4th place the prior year. Strength and experience should see through, right? Apparently not. Only once has the 4th place finisher gone on to win the division the following season, and that was way back in season 3 when Cardiff City topped the division after finishing one point away from promotion in season 2.
So what's gone on with the surviving good teams (4th & 5th place) each year that causes them to stumble the following season? The teams dropping from division one have had less CP due to fewer wins the prior season, so their SL is off pace from the top clubs. The teams promoting typically have a good T11, however they lack the depth to sustain a season-long push for the top spot and typically settle into the 4th-7th range. In fact, only three teams ever have promoted two seasons in a row. Port Vale did in seasons 4 (2nd place Div 3) and 5 (2nd place Div 2). And then both Dorchester and Carlisle bucked the trend last season by promoting in 2nd & 3rd place. It should be noted that no team promoting from Div 3 has gone on to win Div 2.
Does this mean that the relegated teams from Division 1 have dominated instead? Nope. Of the 21 teams relegated since season 2 (there was no Div 1 in season 1 for those who weren't around then), only 4 have been able to immediately bounce back up. Four. I don't have the full rosters from start to end of season saved anywhere, though it would be interesting to take a good look and figure out exactly where things are going wrong for them. My guess is that in desperation to avoid the drop the teams ended up sacrificing future SL for the youth players and then not having a stable of A-list players to develop and rely on. Can't prove it, though it is something to keep an eye on in the division this season to see if that trend holds up.
Along with each team preview then, you'll see an additional line noting the prevailing trend of all other teams who finished in the same place the prior season. It will be up to the managers to live up to or overcome their inherited expectations...
The Alpha
Northampton Town FC. Simon Compton, manager.
Four of the last five teams finishing in 4th place in the 2nd Division the prior season have been relegated within two seasons. The other promoted, as did the first two teams that finished in 4th (CRD & LIN). All or none, for NOR then...
The Cobblers will bring plenty of offensive firepower to the field this season. 5 deep at Fw, 4 at Mf. With quality players (SL 13 & 14) in two Dfs and a Sw, the backend should be able to hold their own as well. The only "weak" spot on the entire roster is that the Gk is 1 SL below the developmental max. Really, that's the best I can do for finding the rest of you a glint of weakness when playing them. Simon has hung out in the mid-division for long enough. This season his team should finally flex their muscles in the league along with their usual deep Cup runs. If they fail to promote yet again despite topping the division in T11, T16, and player value, Compo could find himself being asked to take a more permanent holiday.
The Hunters
Should the Cobblers falter, I would expect one of these two teams to step up into the top spot. Should NOR hold out, these two are the most likely candidates for promotion along with them.
Hereford United FC. Andy Bate, manager.
5 of the 7 teams finishing in 5th place went on to be promoted in 2nd or 3rd place the following season. Only one has been relegated.
Andy's squad is just 1 total SL off of NOR's pace at T11 to start the season. However, they are near the bottom in cash available to add another player and don't have the frontline strength that NOR can muster. Still, the Bulls have an enviable balance all across the roster. They run 3-deep in the outfield positions and have a good Gk/Sw combo. Their T11 can match up with almost anyone else's and would require overloading at one position to get any advantage over them. That would leave you exposed to a counter in the opposite end, so expect tactical choices to figure heavily into the Bulls' matches this season. If most of the division just tries to match them strength-for-strength, expect Andy to come out on top.
Cardiff City FC. Graham Wilkes, manager.
Teams finishing 9th in the 1st Division have not fared well the following season. 3 of 7 have gone on to be relegated a second straight season, and just one has rebounded to the top flight (Watford, Div 1 9th, S4. Div 2 1st, S5).
The Bluebirds are in good shape to buck the historical trend. Their entire roster is dotted with I/10 and II/13 players. Young guns ready to take top form should anchor this squad well through this season into the following two years. Of the top three, they are also the only team with enough cash to make a splash for another top-notch player in the first two to three sessions. If they focus on the division, they might win it. In order to sustain success though, this team will need more CP to spread around than just the league matches can bring. Expect them to push to advance to the semis of at least one Cup this season to net the extra 3-4 wins and 30-40 CP that will bring them. There is too much talent for this team to be overtaken by the opposition this year. Poor luck and untimely injuries hurt them last season. If they can survive the first session mostly intact, the luck should even out this year and let skill win out.
Running with the Pack
Sheffield United. Dan Fitzgerald, manager.
No team finishing 6th in Div 2 has ever gone on to be relegated the following season. Then again, only one team has ever gone on to be promoted (Lewes FC, who finished in 6th place in seasons 5, 6 AND 7 before finally deciding to give up their favored spot and going on to win the division in season 8). Betting odds say it's a rebuilding year with next season being the moving year, with up or down depending on how well the youth/age I's turn out.
The Blades have a solid T11 to start the season, with good distribution. They have a nice Gk/Sw combo and at least two players at each outfield spot worth investing max CP into. With four maxed apprentices moving up this season, they should be in great form by mid- to late-season. For those looking to overtake them this year, you had best find them early in the schedule. Right now, their only weakness appears to be a lack of quality depth. A three-game session will force them to be weak somewhere, and a four-game session would sorely test Dan's managerial mettle. In fact, Sheffield has the highest dropoff from T11 to T16 in the division, losing more than a point and a third on average (4th T11, 8th T16). A veteran of this league, I have no doubt that Dan is up for the challenge. Still, it should be interesting to see what he can pull out if Sheffield has to play an FA Cup replay match. I expect the Blades to finish mid-tables again this season, though higher in 4th or 5th place and in great shape to be a promotion favorite next season.
Lincoln City FC. Mike "C-Ball" Cabral, manager.
The team finishing 8th place in Division 1 and being relegated is the wild card of the division. Three times, the team has gone on to be relegated. Twice, they've gone right back up. The other two teams finished in mid-table obscurity. While I'm sure Mike wants to be back in the big pond as soon as possible, a quiet rebuilding season wouldn't be a bad thing.
The Imps are still not favored by Olmec. Nothing new there. They get a nasty opening weekend to the season (@ CRD then PNE & HER in AP group play). If they can get through with a 1-1-1 and nobody out with an injury, they should be happy and ready to pounce on the divisional matchups they can overwhelm. Another team with great balance in a 1-1-3-3-3 or 1-1-3-2-4 formation, their weakness lies in their top players being a few SL off max. T11 clashes against the top 2 to 3 teams in the division will leave them scrambling for tactical advantages or forced to gamble with hardness. As the season progresses though, the better age II players and the maxed age I's will start to run with anybody. Another team that might make a late surge up the tables, those wanting to promote had better circle the dates with the Imps as must win matches at home to keep this good team down for another season. If they can claw their way into the promotion spots by session four or five, they will be hard to dislodge barring catastrophic injury to key players.
Weston-super-Mare AFC. David Blair, manager.
The team finishing in 7th place in Division 2 has always had a very interesting following season. 5 times in 7 years of play, the team has gone on to be promoted - winning the division in 3 of those seasons. In the other 2 years, the team ending 7th has gone on to finish 10th the following season, by a wide enough margin that there was never any real doubt. Since I don't have them pegged to win the division, perhaps this is a bad omen for our Elder Statesman...
Clark, Heskey & Black. The three Gks on the roster for WES. Whoever ends up the starter by session 4 is going to make or break the season for this team. Of those three though, only the age IV can reach SL 15. The others can peak at 14, which leaves ample wiggle room for shots to trickle through. They have a respectable T11 and T16, however that is almost entirely bolstered by the Fw line that goes 12-12-10-10-10-9 in SL. It's further padded by a 12-11-9 Gk trio, only one of which can play any match. Behind the awesome strikers for this squad, they have a hole in the midfield where it goes SL 13-9-eh and at defense where it goes 12-10-8-youth. Current tops in the sweeper department is an SL 5 apprentice. Anyone willing to run 1-1-2-2-5 with this team who has a quality Gk/Sw combo stands a good chance of beating them at their own game. When three of the five areas are so comparatively weak to the promotion contenders in this division, I just can't see David pulling out a ticket to Division 1 from the bag. If he can get his Fw line to carry this team to the promised land, he'll get my vote for Manager of the Year.
Bristol City FC. Jake Hanny, manager.
Only once has the Division 3 champ gone on to be immediately relegated. Only once has the champ gone on to be promoted again though (Carlisle, last season). 4th or 6th is where the other 5 teams have settled. Jake should be happy if his team can make it up that high.
While the Robins aren't weak anywhere, they also don't have an area of strength. 2-3 decent to good players in the outfield, with respectable starters around the goal. Nothing to make a team stop and plan for. While this may get them a win from those overlooking Bristol, you won't find many managers that are overlooking anybody in this division. Instead, Jake may have to rely on hardness to get the upper hand on anybody. That's a gamble that rarely seems to pay off over the course of a season outside of Div 3. Down there, where there are lots of youth players every match, 10 hardness is like having two extra guys on the field. By this division, where the average T16 is approaching 10, it's down to just one guy who is likely to kick an own goal in addition to whatever else he does that match. Instead, five quality apprentices need to contribute well by season's end, with the SL 8-9 role players contributing in big matches to give the front lines a break when needed. Surviving this season to push for promotion next year will be a victory in itself. Promoting again would be a very impressive achievement indeed.
The Hunted
Regardless of technical measurements of strength, all things are relative in a world of predators and prey. It doesn't matter if you're a wolf pup or a prairie dog. If you're the smallest critter in the forest, everything else is going to try to take a bite out of you.
Nottingham Forest. Roy Rolston, manager.
The Reaper stalks the team promoting in 3rd place from Division 3 each season. Only twice has a team earning the last promotion spot survived relegation the following season, and the last four to try have all failed. Forest has a better chance than most of those squads, yet the uphill climb is going to be brutal and agonizingly long.
Their T11 is not bad. Their top 3 at Fw and Df are alright, with a good Gk to anchor the team between the sticks. The problem lies in having no depth. They have a total of just 5 Fws on the roster, and two of those are youth. They can't handle a four-game session without sacrificing fitness. At Mf, they have lots of players, yet only three that are better than the top youth to start the season. The defense runs deeper, yet remains shallow outside the front line. They can't cover for the weaker areas elsewhere, let alone overpower any of the front lines in the rest of the division to generate their own shots. Roy will need to develop the age I players and the youth in a hurry. Maxing the Gk to pull the team out of the fire match after match will be crucial. Even with that, I expect that scoring goals of their own is going to be hard at home and of Herculean effort on the road against any other team outside of the bottom three. Playing for draws might be their only hope of surviving the first four sessions until depth can be built up. If they aren't within a win of 7th place by session 6, they won't be making a late surge as their T11 can't max out high enough to challenge the return legs of the divisional matchups. Roy will need to pick a strategy for success before the opening whistle and give it everything he has to avoid being the 5th straight victim of relegation from the 3rd promotion spot.
Leeds United. Abe Hamdali, manager.
The whipping boy of Div 1 the prior season has fared well only once. In season 5, Lincoln City FC had a disasterous campaign only to turn things around and win Div 2 the following year. Of the other six teams, four ended up relegated a second straight year, and the other two finished no higher than 5th.
Leeds is built the opposite of many teams in the division. They have a greak Gk, a decent Sw, and then run 4-deep at Df and 6-deep at Mf while having only two decent Fws (an aging ex-star and an SL 9 age I could-be star) on the roster. The deep youth at Fw will take up most of the playing time though, so the starting Fws will rarely see the field during two-game sessions. That will leave the scoring duties to the midfield. This team will have to control possession and overpower from the center of the field while keeping some clean sheets to come away with points each week. I don't see this team being able to generate more than 2 goals a game. At the same time, they are well built to avoid giving up more than 2 goals a game. Every week should be a tactical experiment as the teams going 2-2-5 run into the team playing 4-4-2. In order to max the youth, this is a team that will have to do well in at least one Cup to keep the 3-game sessions coming. The depth will serve them well there as the other teams will start spreading out their T11 and can't match the Df and Mf depth of Leeds. In a straight T11 clash, expect lots of draws and one-goal losses for Abe. The rebuilding plan will serve them well, so it should be kept up. It might have to serve them well from Div 3 next season though, with a return to glory in the works for seasons 12 and beyond.
Southend United. Dave "Dr. Death" Dowson, manager.
The team finishing 2nd in Div 3 the prior season typically finishes mid-table. Only two promotions in 7 prior tries, and just one relegation. This team is poised to be the second barring another season of sub-par SL magic from the King of Cleats High Contact.
Lowest T11 and T16 by over a full point. Only three players on the entire roster in double-digit SL (Gk & 2 Fws at SL 12). No midfielder higher than SL 7. No established Sw to take the pressure off the Gk to perform each week. The forward line isn't so overpowering that this team can afford to give up three goals each match, yet that is what I see them doing. The lack of defensive power and the gaping hole in midfield will leave the team open to scoring chance after scoring chance. Once again, this team will have to rely on hardness to overcome their shortcomings. This season, I don't see it panning out well for them. Even if 5 Hard on the Gk can keep the score close, the Mfs won't be doing any scoring themselves. The top 3 at Fw will need a ridiculous conversion rate to pull this season out, as well as being lucky on giving up fewer PKs than shots generated by cutting down the opponent's Df and Mf. Dave thought he should have received more credit for over-achieving with last season's squad. He'll get earmarked for Managerial Feat of the Decade if he can pull off a successful campaign with this roster, in this season. Goal differential matters, and I just see too many teams trying to pad that column total against SU this season. Only fear of injury will keep the top Fw lines away. And since fear of relegation trumps fear of injury to any one player, the Shrimpers might be shelled early and often.
Odds of Promotion (for entertainment purposes only)
NOR 3:5
HER 3:2
CRD 3:2
SHU 5:1
LIN 8:1
WES 15:1
BRI 25:1
FOR 30:1
LEE 50:1
SU 100:1
Then allow me to be the first to congratulate you on the blog, even though the event is still in the future.
Cardiff are in full excitement at there new season however there will be a small change for sessions 2 & 3
Manager Wilkes will be in Full charge until Thursday evening and has submitted turns for the 1st session however with the marraige to fiance on 2nd september and subsequent honeymoon till 18th september. I will be passing the reigns over to Martin Burroughs for 2 sessions.
Have no fear though we will be gunning full on for promotion and cup success.
So for now good luck all in your 1st matches and Martin enjoy
Speak to u all on my return, I'm sure allan will fill in the full details after the weekend!!
Look forward to returning 1st in D2
...And yet we are still missing twelve (12) sets of orders. How shocking.
P.S. Great job on the season preview for D3, Dr Martin. I look forward to the other two previews.
Two. Vale last season from Div 2 at +1 and Hereford from Div 1 in season 6 at +7.
How many teams have been relegated with a positive GD in 9 seasons?
Stop calling us the Spireites. It sounds like a Tinkerbell.
OK. You may not be as excited as some. Still, it's good to be getting lineups made up and submitted for United once again, isn't it? Starting off this year's previews with Division Three, please remember that all odds are for entertainment purposes only...
The Favorite
Port Vale FC. John Holden, manager
Best T11. Best T16. Enough cash to add at least one more T11-quality player. Desire to get back to Div 2 after a very disappointing and unlucky end to last season's campaign that saw them finish in 8th place and get relegated despite having a positive goal differential. This team has it all to be the clear-cut favorite. Lots of one-goal losses that could've/should've been draws came back to haunt them as the final whistle sounded last year. This season they have shored up the defense and run four deep at each outfield position. While Gk could be stronger, they have a potential star in the works at sweeper to hold out until the apprentice takes over next season. The front line and midfield will give them enough goals to coast through most of their division matches and allow the team to make some Cup noise this season as well. Division 2 & 1 teams are on notice that the Valiants should not be overlooked on the fixture list. Easily the top team in the division, anything less than 1st place will have the home crowds up in arms.
Promoting
Chesterfield FC. Phil McIntosh, manager.
Quality players at Gk & Sw behind a good Df line should be able to easily hold off most of the division's attacks this season. Their own forward line, running four deep with some power, should overwhelm half the teams and put enough pressure on the others to create chances. Only the Vale can run with their T11, and the few teams able to exploit an advantage at Mf would have to give up some Df or Fw power to do so and leave themselves exposed. If Phil can find a way to outmanuever John in the head-to-head matches this season, the Spireites might be celebrating another division trophy this November. We'll see if they live up to potential or if they throw the T11 at defending their AP Cup trophy at the cost of division wins instead.
Contending for Runner-Up status
Leicester City FC. Chris McDougall, manager.
Despite his early blog post giving up on this season already - as his title shows that season 10 is already a waste despite not starting yet! - this wily manager has a good Mf built up for Div 3. With ample depth in the SL 9-11 range everywhere else (and just a .39 drop off between T11 & T16), Leicester should be able to contend in any division match regardless of how the Cups are playing out. If they can avoid the tendency to play 10 Hard 'just because,' and thus injuring as many of their own players as they did the opposition, they will be in the promotion hunt all season. Balance and depth should win through for them, regardless of what the manager may think of their chances.
Swansea City AFC. Kevin Martin, manager.
This is the building season for the Swans. With the roots laid from the past two years of youth development, now the SL has crept up to being able to run with the top teams in the division. After leading the league in draws in season 8 and the division again in 9, the front office expects this team to shift a lot of those matches in the win column. While last season's AP Cup semis appearance shows that they can make a splash one match at a time, the depth will need to come along more if they are to be able to ride out the season-long divisional campaign. If they can't nab the 3rd promotion spot, then they will need to be pushing the Foxes every step of the way or this season will go down as a major setback.
Restoring the Balance
The next two teams could push for promotion if they make a savvy trade or auction pickup. Barring that, they share a glaring weakness that will be their undoing against the top four division contenders and will ensure at least one more season in the bottom division.
Derby County. Trevor Taylor, manager.
While the T11 is not far off the promotion favorites, the T16 drops off in a hurry. The depth at Fw will have a hard time this season covering for a very thin Df crew. They also have the least cash in the division, so a quick auction fix is not in the cards. Picking battles wisely and getting some stellar Gk play will be critical to have any hope against the front lines of Vale and Chesterfield. Playing for a draw might be their only hope of stealing a few key points. Without luck on their side though, I think the jump back to Division Two will be too much to accomplish this season.
Dagenham & Redbridge. Jeff Hawker, manager.
Different team, same song. Three nice Fws at SL 10+ help push the T11 up to respectable levels. Only four Df on the roster, and none higher than SL 7, will bring smiles to the face of every opponent this season. They do have plenty of cash for a Df purchase this year, however just one player can't fill a whole that big. Rebuilding from within will be necessary. As will a flak jacket for the keeper. It could get ugly in Cup matchups against higher division teams, or even in league matches against the top two this season.
Look to the Future
Neglected youth = neglected depth = suffering in future seasons. It's time to right the past oversights at these clubs.
Oldham Athletic AFC. Fred Wilkins, manager.
All the age II players on the roster are SL 10-11. Not the best, however respectable enough to build around for this division. The age I and Apprentices are all way too far off pace to be worth salvaging as possible stars though. This team will struggle this season due to lack of depth, and will be in even worse shape next year if there is not an immediate investment in long term building. The solid Gk (SL 13) will be sorely pressed to carry the team all alone at times. Finances are in good shape for some trades, though instead of buying a T11 perhaps investing in some top apprentices this season or some Age I, SL 9 or 10 players might be the better way to go so next season won't start out in the same shape as this one.
Swindon Town FC. Rene Wilkins, manager.
One good player at each position is all they can throw out in a T11 clash. The rest of the roster fades to under SL 10 immediately. They won't be able to win enough matches with this roster to build up with CP, so the future is in the Apprentices. Unfortunately, this where they are weakest. They have just two, and those are SL 2 & 3. That neglect will come back to haunt them immediately. Without depth building from within, they have a hard choice to make. Push for immediate wins and try to salvage some players with CP from winning, or let the few stars fade off as they sign on six Schoolboys and max playing time each session. No one likes to lose. Sometimes you have to swallow the bitter pill so you can look forward to less losing next season.
Wycombe Wanderers. Mike Mcleod, manager.
24 players on the roster. 12 of them are youth. Mike is going all-in with the rebuild this season and I see if paying off for this team in season 12. The rest of his roster is all age I and II players, so they should be around for at least one more season to build some depth around. There are really only 3-4 players worth investing max CP in, so they have a decent chance of getting all they need despite a high likelihood of a low win percentage this year. If they can stay the course and get those youth all maxed out, they will have some valuable depth and trade pieces in the offering for next season - and a lot more hope than they currently have when checking the fixture list each week. Watch for a few upsets as the season progresses and the youth start rounding into form. By mid-season next year, they won't be a walkover any longer.
Brentford FC. Derek Purvis, manager.
I don't want to come across as being mean to Derek. He seems like a genuinely nice and fun guy in the times I've interacted with him across this league and a few others. And yet I have to ask again if this is the season he will finally commit to rebuilding the youth and stop trying to make some noise with 10 hardness and playing SL 6-8 older players while the youth rot on the benches. Brentford starts the season with a T11 lower than the non-league teams, so there really isn't more of a rock bottom you can go (until division 4 becomes a reality). They are more than 2.5 SL on average off the pace of the next-worst team in T11. For those struggling with the math, that will translate to 15-20 more scoring chances PER GAME that the Bees will give up than any other team in the league this season. 6 Schoolboys, playing every session, and trading for or buying some SL 4-5 Apprentices to max out as well is the only hope for a better outlook to next season. Last place is all but assured again this year. Avoiding some "worst ever" marks may be the season highlight. Please, for the sake of league competitiveness and having some fun when making up lineups each week, let this season be the one where the Bees finally follow through on a youth movement. It's four seasons overdue.
Odds of Promotion
PV 3:5
CHF 1:1
LEI 2:1
SWA 5:2
DER 10:1
DAG 12:1
OLA 15:1
SWI 20:1
WYC 50:1
BRE 1000:1
Cardiff City FC sends 1018k, Dave Murphy (APP/4 Mf; 170k)
to Dagenham & Redbridge for Robert Lloyd (II/13 Mf; 550k)
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Brighton & Hove Albion sends 25k
to Swansea City AFC for Kian Jackson (IV/2 Fw; 0k)
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Season 10, a season which promised so much and delivered zip - was a massive disappointment for the manager of the Foxes. The newbie manager decided in his widsom not to select a BRB Physio and as the injuries mounted up, the quality of player being asked to pull on the Leicester City shirt was low to say the least. This compounded the fact that we were not able to draw, let alone win games, and as a result a squad that was looking promising in terms of youth/potential, is now a shadow of a great team as we couldn't get the CP's into them. A big lession learnt!
A two statistic's which makes me hang my head in shame is 1) PLR Value - 8400 (2nd across the 3 divisions), 2) T-11 - 10.45 (23rd and 4th in Division 3).
Leicester City FC sends 200k
to Tranmere Rovers for Johannes Månsson (V/7 Fw; 100k)
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I noticed it last night Brian. Its not clear why its an issue as the page itself hasn't changed, just the data as we move to a new season.
I'll be investigating to see if I can pin it down, but in the meantime please try another browser.
Al
Anyone else having this problem today? About half of the orders page loads and nothing else. Eventually googleChrome tells me the page is unresponsive. All other league pages load fully without issue.
Problem with the code or server, or on my end?
The newest Rook, Elias Beerman, recently discussed his soccer lineage with the press. Elias credited all of his soccer talent to his father Brian who of course recently won the premier division in United. Although his father has more of an "offensive" philosophy, the youthful Elias said he always had an interest in defense and looks forward to advancing his skills this season with Lewes. Elias went on to say that his brother is just plain rude. Elias is speaking of course of his older brother Ruud who is a midfielder for Brighton. Apparently the two have not spoken for almost 8 years dating back to when Ruud left the Beerman home to attend college. Elias indicated there might be some "sparks" when Lewes meets Brighton and that he fully expected to play "hard" against his older sibling.
Wycombe Wanderers sends 150k, Archie Green (III/4 Mf; 80k)
to Watford for Mateo Bonnet (V/4 Fw; 40k)
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Much to the dismay of Lewes management Kian Owen reported to camp today with the goggles in tow. It appears the lasik surgery was a bust and the goggles will be worn once again this season. Relegation this season is pretty much guaranteed.
from che compton castle mansions in torquay we say its great to be holidaying!! catch up saturdayn its hard on this blackberry
Not so sure things will be that bleak for Dr Doom and his squad of Rookers as the team still has several SL10+ players on the roster. Although Mr Dohm did propose one intersting idea in his recent blog entry: the idea that the Seagulls might play a 1-0-2-2-6 versus Lewes this season. I had not thought of that possibility before....
Lewes is very uneasy going into Season 10 with the current keeper Kian Owen. At one point last season coach Dohm called Kian "blind" as he couldn't stop anything from going into the net. Dohm has made repeated attempts to acquire another GK to no avail and it appears we will be stuck with Kian. We hope the lasik surgery in the off season that eliminates Kian from having to wear "coke bottle" size goggles will help, but upper management is still concerned. Please go easy on Kian and expect the Rooks to employ 5 defenders and a sweeper this season as Kian needs all the help he can get. Kian is not looking forward to the 6 FW line that BHA will bring to the table.
The idea of anti-Alon code to help handicap Tranmere is always something I support. However, the current method seems a bit half-hearted. I truly doubt Tranmere will be significantly impacted by the loss of one (1) GPP this season:
| Pl. | TEAM | COACH | BANK | PLR VALUE | CP | GPP | T-11 | T-16 | AGE | NMR | PLAYERS | BBs | HRD | ||||
| 1. | Tranmere Rovers | Alon Atie | 1994 | 7840 | 62 | 29 | 12.00 | 11.06 | 2.07 | 0 | 29 | 4 | 0.00 | ||||
Crewe Alexandra FC sends Evan Russell (APP/5 Df; 210k)
to Brighton & Hove Albion for 484k
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Port Vale FC sends 150k
to Weston-super-Mare AFC for Jamie O'Donnell (V/4 Df; 40k)
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Bristol City FC sends 450k
to Brighton & Hove Albion for Aiden Robertson (APP/5 Df; 225k)
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Brighton & Hove Albion sends 450k
to Bristol City FC for Aiden Robertson (APP/5 Df; 225k)
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Bristol City FC sends 225k
to Hereford United FC for Tony Griffiths (V/2 Df; 0k)
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After a few weeks of suspicion, Preston North End has released the team carpenter as there is no need for a trophy cabinet.
Why has no one asked the real question from this trade: Why was Dr Doom at a Taylor Swift concert?
Mr. Dohm, I thought the terms of the deal was the Taylor Swift concert. "Here's a ticket. You're signed!"
The Rooks are happy to announce the acquisition of Mr Beerman's long lost son Elias to the club. Lewes finalized the deal with Southend last week and agreed to terms with Elias while Mr. Dohm was in St.Louis for the Taylor Swift concert. Elias apparently was ready to return to his job at the brewerey in St. Louis upon hearing Southend was prepared to release him. Southened felt that Elias didn't have the "toughness" to play their brand of football and the fact that he wasn't a forward didn't help his cause. When Lewes received word of this they gladly welcomed the young Beerman into division I. Elias looks forward to helping Lewes defend the juggernaut forward line that his father has put together at BHA and hopes to dethrown his father of the division I crown.
BHA management was unavailable for comment.
Lewes FC sends Theo Robertson (SBY/2 Df; 0k)
to Southend United for Elias Beerman (SBY/2 Df; 0k)
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Nottingham Forest sends Charlie Shaw (I/9 Mf; 420k)
to Weston-super-Mare AFC for Harry Jimenez (I/8 Gk; 360k)
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Port Vale FC sends 150k, Jack Johnson (APP/3 Mf; 85k)
to Tranmere Rovers for Brandon Boyle (V/4 Fw; 40k)
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Wycombe Wanderers sends 150k, Jamie Scott (IV/5 Fw; 90k)
to Tranmere Rovers for Oscar Marin (V/3 Fw; 20k)
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Leeds United sends 80k
to Southend United for Reuben Robinson (III/3 Mf; 40k)
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Surely someone needs to remind Compo that he is on holiday this month, lounging at the beach and unavailable to his MSWL-U colleagues. WHO is this impostor!?!?!
Yeah i know, but its always worth while taking a trip down memory lane especially when the trip is oh so nice!!
Simon...The past means nothing in sports. You, being of a much greater age than I, should know that quite well, sir. 
Argghhhh
, found them, Crewe, Swindon and some unknown team called BHA!!!! Thanks alot Al/Olmec another great difficult set of matches are upon us!
Mind you seem to recall beating BHA once before in this competition and knocking them out!
Hi Brian
Where is the AP Cup draw then or are just messing with my head???
I can see last years cup matches listed under the date september 2nd but not any new matches yet?
While there are a few heavy groups this season that could contend for the title Group of Death, perhaps none are more fitting than Group E which contains Southend United, Queens Park Rangers, Port Vale FC and Bristol City FC. If any group might produce an actual death (or two), this would be the one! It might be necessary for QPR and PV to play 10 HRD just to compete with the likes of Dave and Jake who will surely look to injure as many opponents as possible in the opening weekend.
As for BHA's group, I am just excited we get to play Crewe Alexandra at least three times this season!
Brighton & Hove Albion sends 250k
to Brentford FC for Brian Hughes (III/4 Df; 80k), David Clemence (II/4 Mf; 100k)
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Vale will pay good cash money for your age IV or V players. An APP3 is also available to trade.
Dorchester Town sends 205k
to Dagenham & Redbridge for Zachary Bradley (V/2 Gk; 0k)
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Lincoln City FC sends 75k
to Dagenham & Redbridge for Frank Taylor (IV/2 Mf; 0k)
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Lewes FC sends 25k
to Southend United for Henry Richardson (IV/2 Df; 0k)
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Lewes FC sends Wayne Hill (VI/4 Sw; 20k)
to Dorchester Town for Rhys Hunter (IV/7 Mf; 150k), Luke Clarke (IV/4 Fw; 60k)
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Preston North End FC sends Owen Page (V/2 Fw; 0k)
to Dorchester Town for 225k
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The following teams receive a bonus ():
BHA (537) BRI (204) CRD (4) CAR (200) CHF (250) CRE (4) DOR (125) HER (25) LEE (98) LEW (404) NOR (350) FOR (54) OLA (18) PLY (375) PNE (475) QPR (300) SU (129) SWA (75) TRA (375) WAT (204) WES (4) WYC (8)
When C-Ball wins his 100th match, his team will be in Division 2. Not Division 3, and most definitely not Division 1; just good ole Division 2.
Please remember to congratulate C-Ball next season in true MSWL-United fashion.
For those keeping track at home, this season saw the fewest ever draws in the first division. Either teams are going more all-out for wins and conceding losses at a far higher rate, or it was just a fluke season headlined by both Watford and Cardiff City FC getting exactly zero draws in the league. First ever goose egg in the column for division one final tables, and this season we got two of them.
In other draw news, Dagenham & Redbridge tied the Division 3 mark for fewest league draws at 1. Apparently the trend is going league-wide.
Other fun notes to pick on my friends:
Congrats to Rob at Plymouth for taking home the Division 2 Championship. The rest of the division should be ashamed of themselves. Apparently Rob picks his battles well and eked out narrow victories. His goal differential of +5 is the lowest of any division champ, from any division, in the history of this league. The prior lowest? +18.
And in a final note for the current defending AP Cup Champion Phil and Chesterfield FC: they finished 6th in division three. And yet they had a +27 goal differential for the season. That was the third highest goal differential in the whole league! No team in the second or third division that had a goal differential of 22 or higher has ever failed to get promoted until now. In their defense, much of their offense came through a great auction pickup and development, peaking about the time of their AP Cup success and capped by a 10-0 league win in the final weekend. Still. It's fun to taunt. When you're in the third division and will be again all next season to, it's really hard to find a way to get in jabs at anybody with an immediate and thorough beat down in return...
In response to Mike's queries:
The highest point total earned by any team being relegated from the first division is 21. The Imps tied the mark previously set by Sheffield United last season (8). However, the Imps tallied a -8 goal differential on the season to Dan's Blades' -7 last season. So in terms of best finish yet still going down, the Imps can't even win that one, finishing a very close second to the Season 8 Sheffield United squad.
The fewest points earned by any first division team without being relegated is Season 2's Oldham United squad, which amassed 18 points and a -3 goal differential and remained up.
For the 2nd Division, the marks exceed the first division's efforts. In Season 7, Bristol CIty FC totalled 22 points (with a -1 GD) and was still relegated. In Season 8, Plymouth Argyle FC survived the final weekend that saw the bottom four teams all finish at 17 or 18 points. The Pilgrims eked out survival on goal differential, finishing at 18 points and a -10 goal differential.
Asterisks (*) indicate corrections from Dave Dohm's original:
D1: BHA (500), QPR (300), PNE (150)
D2: PLY (300), CAR (200), DOR (100)
D3: BRI (200), SU (100), NOT (50)
YC: TRA (150), PNE (75)
FAS: TRA (200), LEE (75)
FAC: LEW (400), PNE (250), NOR (200) & WAT (200)
AP: CHE (250), NOR (150), PLY (75) & SWA (75)
GB: TRA (25), HER & DOR (25), SU (25)
PL: BHA (25), LEE (15), OLD (10)
1: WW (4), LEE (4)
2: CRD (4)
3: CRE (4), SU (4)
4: BHA (4)
5: BHA (4), BRI (4), OLD (4)
6: NOT (4)
7: WAT (4)
8: LEE (4)
9: LEW (4), WSM (4), OLD (4), WW (4)
10: BHA (4)
Totals:
BHA (537)* TRA (375) WW (8)
QPR (300) LEE (98) CRD (4)
PNE (475) LEW (404) CRE (4)
PLY (375) NOR (350) BRI (204)
CAR (200)* WAT (204) WSM (4)
DOR (125) CHE (250)
BRI (204) SWA (75)
SU (129) HER (25)
NOT (54) OLD (18)
BHA-533
PRE-475
LEW-404
TRA-375
PLY-375
NOR-350
QPR-300
CHF-250
CAR-204
WAT-204
BRI-204
SU-129
DOR-125
LEE-98
SWA-75
NOT-54
HER-25
OLD-18
WYC-8
CRE-4
WES-4
Someone should double check these #'s, I gave both DOR and HER 25K for tying on the DII golden boot and I awarded 4K to each prediction winner if there was a tie. Congrats to all on a fun season!
Could a couple folks please write up the end of season financial awards and post them here? Please include the prized for predictions (weekly winners and overall). Thanks!!
Having just been relegated on 21 pts got me to wondering what the highest ever pt total is/was that has been relegated? How about lowest total ever to avoid relegation?
Look out D2, here come da Imps!
Dr Dave, wicked poor old Ian is in therapy after that session, he will need some help recovering from that during the close season!!!!!!!!!
Entering the final two matches, the top 3 are already sealed into their promotion spots. They can still mix up the order for prize money, however DOR, CAR & PLY are all going swimming in the big pond next season.
Outside of that, any other team could finish in the relegation zone. 4th through 8th are separated by just 4 points, with the 8th place team (Port Vale) having the best goal differential of the five teams. HER & WES are just 1 point above PV, making it possible that just a draw is enough to rescue Vale's season.
Even the team in 4th right now (NOR) isn't fully safe. Here's a fun scenario:
Match 38: HER beats OLA, DER beats NOR, WES & PV draw, CAR & SHU draw.
Match 39: HER beats/draws DER, PV beats PLY, SHU beats NOR by 2 goals, WES beats CAR by 2 goals.
End result?
4th. SHU. 5th HER. 6th WES. 7th PV (22 pts, 4+ GD). 8th NOR (22 pts, -1 GD or lower).
Having seen the way the 2nd division matches have been all over the place, the above scenario is not that far-fetched. Nobody outside the promotion zone is safe.
Because of that, here are the clashes that I am expecting the top lines in because losing is not an option:
Match 38: WES v PV. 7th & 8th on the tables. Both teams need at least a draw here to survive. With a draw though, they need help through a 2-loss session from NOR, SHU or HER. They would also have to beat their final opponents. Both play a top three squad (WES v CAR & PV v PLY) who is trying to win the division crown. I wouldn't gamble on winning that match to save me from relegation. So I see this match as being the decider as to who will be on the relegation brink come the final league match. Loser stands a very, very good chance of going down.
Match 39: SHU v NOR. If they draw, both are safe. Winner is guaranteed to breathe easy before looking at the other results. Loser will be hoping for something other than the worst-case scenario I outlined above. This one should be a big match as no matter what else happens in the division, a draw or win here guarantees safety for both teams.
Match 39: DER v HER. For Derby to escape relegation, they need to overtake two teams. With WES and PV beating up on each other and then playing one of the top teams in the division, there is a decent chance of one of those teams losing both games. If DER can get at least a draw vs. NOR in match 38, then this is their chance to catch the second team. Admittedly, it would take a DER draw and HER loss vs. OLA in match 38 to set up this scenario. Still, if that happens then DER would pass HER (20 pts to 19) by beating the Bulls here. Andy currently has a significant goal differential edge (+13) over Trevor, so he will probably be safe if he can manage at least a draw versus OLA in the earlier match.
For Oldham, there is really only one path to avoiding relegation at this stage. And yet the fact that the current team in 10th place could slide all the way up to 6th is incredible in itself and testimony to a wild season in the second division! OLA beats HER, NOR beats DER, WES beats/draws PV in match 38. OLA winning would be the biggest upset there, so not too far out of reach. Then for match 39: OLA beats DOR on the road (ending at 20 pts), DER beats HER (ending at 19 points each), PLY beats PV (PV finishing at 18 or 19 pts). Again, the longest odds against would be the Oldham road win over the current top team in the division. Because of that, OLA's fate lies primarily in their own hands. Pull off the double-road-victory weekend and they only have to hope for things to fall their way in 4 other matches. It could be worse, right?
Not a Bad season for the 'Old Man' & the Blues of Southend United.
Started season with 7th or 8th best T11 & T17, still have 8th best T11 & T17
But have Youngest average age, just 1.07...
Who said Youth never wins anything in Football?...
Won us promotion... Come on you Blues!!!
1. Brighton declared "uncatchable" in league title race.
2. Brian Beerman declared "lucky manager", by peers.
Today.
If anyone is still listening, that's when we last conceded a goal.
That's the last time we lost a game, in case anyone is interested.
What collosall event last occurred on June 25th 2011?
.................................30 DAYS
........................
...................12 MATCHES
............
........
...
...
..
.& Still Counting!
Any Ideas???
Thats the date that the old man of UNITED last won a game ...!!!
| 12 | Jun 25 |
Weston Super Mare |
4 - 3 |
|
Northampton Town FC |
Have a heart guys let the old boy win again soon 
Ive set up an OLMEC League with Fantasy premier league
Anybody interested in joining click on this link to set up your team & select your players >:
http://fantasy.premierleague.com/
When you have set your team click the leagues link on the toolbar & click 'Join League' & enter the code below
86109-31035
Its free to play & is great fun
hope to see as many of you there as possible
Cheers
Dave D
Matches are confirmed for the prediction league. Best of luck to everyone.
Brighton & Hove Albion sends 390k, Frank Cole (IV/7 Df; 150k)
to Cardiff City FC for Grigoriy Ivanov (APP/8 Df; 450k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Tranmere Rovers sends Wayne Hill (V/10 Sw; 160k)
to Lewes FC for 200k
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Northampton Town FC sends 450k, Dave Murphy (SBY/3 Mf; 100k)
to Cardiff City FC for Leon Robinson (APP/8 Mf; 465k)
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Southend United sends Zachary Fletcher (III/10 Gk; 320k)
to Brentford FC for 200k, Dylan Ahmed (IV/8 Gk; 180k)
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Cardiff City FC sends Jake Clemence (IV/12 Gk; 300k), Cormac McDonald (I/12 Mf; 600k)
to Hereford United FC for 650k, Rafael Melo (APP/7 Fw; 380k)
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Cardiff City FC sends Roger Clarke (II/11 Mf; 450k)
to Dagenham & Redbridge for Owen Lloyd (APP/7 Df; 395k)
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Division 1 - Well BHA lead by 9 points at nearly the half way stage, are Watford to be runners up again, blimey James if its not Tranmere its someone else, always to be a bridesmaid!!! Can Tranmere make a recovery as they step up to 4th spot with some good results this session and they take on Brighton at home this session, should be a cracker and will Brighton crack as its understood that Beerman does not work well when the pressure is on ( well thats what i hear from some of those Meditech boys!!). At the bottom Leeds you can understand being a firm fan of theres its just too hard for them to cope in Division 1, but then all around them from Crewe to QPR only 5 points seperate them, the only surprise is that Lincoln arnt at the bottom with Leeds
!!
Division 2 - Surprise Surprise Plymouth lead, what the devil is going on there? Closely followed of course by the recently defeated Dorchester ( have I mentioned that the Cobblers have just knocked them out of the FA Cup!), but this will just make them more determinded to win the title now. Its all very close at the top with any 3 from 6 who could be promoted. The question is what are Northampton doing at the bottom , yes we are not happy but the Cup runs are going well, Semi Finalists in the AP Cup and the FA Cup but that doesnt keep the fans happy, the red card for the manager one was heard to say but he was in the minority as the majority fans love the prospect of a trophy from the Cups.
Division 3 - Somewhere we are likely to be next year! But this season see's Bristol and Nottingham Forest battling for the title, both only have mid level T11 stats so its a surprise not to see hotly fancied Swansea and Chesterfield winning this league. Wooden spoon looks likely to head to Brentford although closely followed by Wycombe, as they entertain Wycombe this session it could be a massive decider.
Good luck to all as the second half of the season kicks off, Cardiff set to be the favourites for the Youth Cup with all the wheeling and dealing trading thats has seen them pull in some youth stars from a few clubs, but they have not done as well as the manager had hoped this season, so whats in store tune in next saturday to see if Swindon can pull a rabbit from the bag and stun them
Well Brian...I'm not sure it was a great strategy...I was just not spending enough apparently.
I just don't want to pay too much over NLS value.
Hopefully everyone forgets about this auction...
Brighton & Hove Albion sends 400k, Grigoriy Ivanov (APP/7 Df; 350k)
to Cardiff City FC for Hayden Higgins (II/14 Fw; 600k)
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Bristol City FC sends 350k, Timothy Jones (APP/7 Mf; 350k)
to Cardiff City FC for Sean Russel (II/12 Df; 500k), Aiden Robertson (SBY/3 Df; 85k)
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Anyone want to wager at how many players from the above auction the Magpies end up with? I would say three including that interesting I/11 FW who can still be coached to full potential this season and end up a I/16. The Magpies might not have easy non-league competition this season, but saving their money until this auction was an excellent decision.
And my how the truth can sting! That's some tough love from a good friend who would call us out like that. With such inspiration how can we not T11 the Magpies the next time we face them? Does such a noble opponent deserve any less than our best? What say you all?
Kevin,
I think Al is saying that Swansea is worse than a non-League team...
LAUGHING!
Kevin, I've played Blythe...and I've played Coventry City (virtually every season the FA/AP/YC Cups)...and let me say, SWANSEA IS NO NON-LEAGUE TEAM!
Good stuff sir!
Of course its sad that I haven't, in reality, played a non-league team this season...
While I am pleased that Swansea is still alive in both Cups as of this post (soon to be irrelevant following tomorrow's matches), the rest of the league should be worried. Should by some miracle we advance, I am expecting to face the Magpies in both competitions. I believe we still hold "first alternate" status to the non-league teams in the pecking order of automatic win clubs for a certain team to "randomly" draw as their next opponent.
Hereford United FC sends 830k
to Cardiff City FC for Giuseppe Bianchi (III/13 Mf; 440k)
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Hello Dr. Blair! Actually, the seeding is there to help me identify the 'home team' in the knockout. The AP Cup draw for all knockout rounds is random, however the home team isn't. After the random draw occurs, then the team that 'did better' in Group play gets the home field advantage.
Part of the process too is to ensure Dorchester draws a non-league team in all knockout rounds. Unfortunately I felt like I couldn't bring in a team to the AP Cup that didn't qualify for the knockout round...too many people paying attention you see...
Probably just me, but wasn't the idea of preparing the Alan Parr Cup qualifiers in a list to allow a degree of seeding so that all group winners would play a runner up (or alternatively the top qualifier would play the 16th rated one, 2nd v 15th etc).
I just noticed WES (3rd qualifier) play Chesterfield who won their section well - who do I send the protest letter bribe to, in order to get that changed?
Oh, alright I will play it - only a game - not life or death or anything... probably nobody listening anyway!
Enjoy this day, gentlemen - we are truly lucky to be father's.
-Brian
P.S. I just had to get rid of Dave's mugshot from the homepage....
Top 5 Hoodlums Coaches // Injuries Caused
How refreshing to be back at the top of the only table that really Matters!
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All of you so-called Hoodlums out there who pride yourself on bringing terror and weak knees to opposing players and old ladies everywhere should be ashamed! Is this the best you can muster? Has this league gone soft, or has there been some kind of memo passed around from the commissioner's desk that we missed about fines being leveled for unsporting play? What travesty is befalling our fair game?
What else could explain how the gentle, peaceful, loving, and zero-hardness using Swans are topping the tables in most Fitness loss caused to our opponents? We're tied for second on injuries caused and leading the charge in damage done. And we haven't even really tried yet! We're saving that for rivalries and Cup clashes against vastly superior foes. If this is what you can expect when we're playing nice, fear the Swans when we crank up the dial to... 1!
The gauntlet has been thrown. Who amongst you dares to overtake us in havoc strewn amidst the writhing forms of freshly fallen foes?
My advice to anyone playing against Alon is to use OST and he won't stand a chance. OK then, with that out the the way his FWs are useless and he will surely sell a couple. I'm waiting for his offer to land in my inbox...
Hi Ian, Try Tranmere he seems to have bought a whole eleven man forward line, surely they cannot all play, try and tap him up!!! Good luck.
We need your FWs - can offer cash, or swap for MF/DF. Get your offers in...NOW!
I agree with Dr Doom's rankings. Interesting to see that no team progressed with less than six points. No draw yet, Compo; I'm not sure if we'll see that before the next deadline...
Well thats a shock , 2nd for the Cobblers thanks Dave. By the way anyone see the fixture list draw for the next round or has that yet to be scheduled?
Dorchester possibly putting together a cunning plan with Olmec to match up with a non league team!!!
For AP rankings I come up with the following:
1. Sheffield
2. Northampton
3.Weston
4. Lewes
5.Chesterfield
6. Preston
7. PLymouth
8.Dorchester
9. Port Vale
10. Hereford
11. Cardiff
12. Swansea
13. Carlisle
14. Lincoln
15. Leeds
16. Swindon
Coach Baptiste recently sold several injured players to the non-league. I guess the message is clear: If you play for Crewe and you suffer a serious injury, start packing your bags 'cause that pink slip is surely coming your way.
Watford sends 180k
to Southend United for Ben Henderson (III/6 Mf; 160k)
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Northampton Town FC sends 135k
to Southend United for Aaron Fraser (III/5 Fw; 120k)
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Queens Park Rangers sends Joel Thompson (V/4 Df; 40k)
to Dorchester Town for Vincent Ferrier (III/7 Fw; 200k)
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Group H |
||||||||||
| TEAM | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS | |||
| 1. | Northampton Town FC | 2 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 2 | 11 | 6 | ||
| 2. | Port Vale FC | 2 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 2 | 9 | 6 | ||
| 3. | Tranmere Rovers | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 7 | -3 | 0 | ||
| 4. | Wycombe Wanderers | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 17 | -17 | 0 | ||
Well, Northampton manager Compton did not see this table materialising after two games, as we expected this to be a group of Death, but oh no Alons Tranmere side dumped out as they are defeated by the Cobblers and the Vale, Tranmere are not sure what has hit them recently, defeated by Dublin in the Olmec Cup you had to be there it was fantastic, and now the mighty Cobblers manage to defeat the team that has been such a thorn for the past 5 seasons.
Compton who decided to stay with Northampton following some difficult and challenging meetings with the board in the close season said we could not have wished for a brighter start and the Cup win against Cardiff has yet again shown our desire to do well in this prestigious tournament.
Maybe later in the week more reviews on this Cup, as some groups are mighty close and some further top names could see themselves dumped out the Alan Parr Cup.
...are posted now. A few interesting match ups in the AP Cup still, and is anyone else surprised there are no FA Cup replays this next session? Unusual.
Any plans to reset the hardness stats on the stats page before the season starts?
Also I need one BRB... best offer will be taken.
Cardiff City FC sends 180k
to Dagenham & Redbridge for Nathan Ward (III/5 Df; 120k)
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Dorchester doesn't draw a non league squad but does get the the fourth lowest top 11.
Leeds United sends 20k, Kai May (APP/5 Gk; 210k)
to Southend United for Roger Simpson (APP/5 Mf; 210k)
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Brighton & Hove Albion sends 525k, Adam Peters (III/6 Df; 160k)
to Lincoln City FC for Charles Greene (III/12 Df; 400k)
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What an absolutely fantastic bunch of games today !
If you have not watched them on the Match viewer yet
Pour yourself a Large Drink
Click on the No spoilers link on the match 2 results page & sit back & enjoy ! 
Absolutely Bluudy Fantastic Lads 
I'm proud to be in OLMEC & Extra proud to be Commissioner of the OLMEC CUP 
Cheers !
Cardiff City FC sends 100k, Kieran Butcher (II/11 Mf; 450k)
to Swansea City AFC for Evan McCarthy (I/10 Fw; 480k)
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Leeds United sends Oscar Wallace (APP/5 Sw; 210k), Tom Robinson (SBY/2 Mf; 0k)
to Swansea City AFC for Thomas James (APP/5 Mf; 225k)
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Lincoln City FC sends 634k
to Swansea City AFC for Taylor McMillan (I/10 Sw; 480k)
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Watford sends 500k
to Cardiff City FC for Sofiane Doucet (III/10 Mf; 320k)
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Northampton Town FC sends Sam Lawrence (II/7 Fw; 250k)
to Brentford FC for 445k, Fabian Wagner (II/3 Mf; 50k)
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Lewes FC sends 110k
to Dagenham & Redbridge for Billy Cooper (IV/5 Df; 90k)
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Cardiff City FC sends 118k
to Dagenham & Redbridge for Craig Wilson (III/4 Df; 80k)
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Bristol City FC sends 125k
to Weston-super-Mare AFC for Tyler Hart (IV/5 Gk; 90k)
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Preston North End FC sends Ben Gibson (VI/2 Gk; 0k)
to Watford for 220k
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Bristol City FC sends 415k
to Preston North End FC for Darragh Daly (V/4 Fw; 40k), Owen Shah (V/3 Df; 20k)
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Leicester City FC sends 40k
to Brentford FC for Sofiane Dubost (IV/2 Df; 0k)
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Swansea City AFC sends 200k
to Leicester City FC for Ben Watson (V/2 Mf; 0k)
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Hereford United FC sends 175k
to Weston-super-Mare AFC for Theo Brown (IV/6 Sw; 120k)
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Northampton Town FC sends 200k
to Leicester City FC for Quentin Hamon (V/2 Df; 0k)
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Hereford United FC sends 240k
to Lewes FC for Sam Scott (III/5 Gk; 120k)
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Lewes FC sends 100k
to Northampton Town FC for Oliver McDonald (IV/2 Mf; 0k)
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Lincoln City FC sends 125k
to Dagenham & Redbridge for Domingo Santana (IV/4 Df; 60k)
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Cardiff City FC sends Ali Lindqvist (IV/9 Df; 210k), Justin Vogel (IV/9 Fw; 210k)
to Dagenham & Redbridge for 100k, Leon Robinson (APP/5 Mf; 225k)
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Lewes FC sends 130k
to Southend United for Sam Scott (III/5 Gk; 120k)
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Cardiff City FC sends David David (V/7 Sw; 100k)
to Southend United for Henry Bird (III/5 Mf; 120k), Aarron Pastor (III/5 Fw; 120k)
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Southend United sends 100k
to Plymouth Argyle FC for Luca Bianchi (APP/3 Mf; 85k)
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Brighton & Hove Albion sends Angelo Herrera (V/5 Mf; 60k)
to Leeds United for 225k
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Cardiff City FC sends 25k, Dominic King (V/6 Fw; 80k)
to Dorchester Town for Denis Hunter (II/6 Fw; 200k)
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Brighton & Hove Albion sends 10k, Aaron Robson (SBY/2 Mf; 0k)
to Port Vale FC for Ruud Beerman (SBY/2 Mf; 0k)
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Port Vale just signed a new player.................Ruud Beerman?
Lincoln City FC sends Charles Murphy (V/3 Fw; 20k)
to Leeds United for 150k, Sam Thomson (III/2 Mf; 0k)
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The following teams receive a bonus (End of Season 8 Bonuses):
BHA (240) BRI (4) CRD (469) CAR (229) CHF (75) DAG (4) DER (4) DOR (604) HER (204) LEE (129) LEW (558) NOR (4) FOR (4) OLA (304) PLY (204) PV (150) PNE (200) QPR (229) SU (4) SWA (8) SWI (33) TRA (575) WES (8)
Thanks to Brian and Dave Dohm for providing end of season info. Between the two I have these numbers (taking into account coach of the year and the money awarded for prediction league):
DOR 604
TRA 575
LEW 558
CRD 469
OLA 304
QPR 229
BHA 240
CAR 229
PLY 204
HER 204
PNE 200
PV 150
LEE 129
CHF 75
SWI 33
WSM 8
SWA 8
NOT 4
DAG 4
NOR 4
DAG 4
NOR 4
BRI 4
DER 4
SU 4
Does not look correct to me, Northampton did'nt receive anything, sack sack him shout the county end fans.
Season Prize Money all looks write to me!!!
Tick Tick Tick
Graham
Yes Graham is it a dream was it real, Oh no it was Swansea racing to the Premiership to meet up with Norwich and QPR, what a nightmare that would be for a fun loving Cardiff supporter!!!
With MSWL Uniteds Cardiff City choking in the run in to the Division 1 title. I hope my season ticket at the Real CCFC will be repaid with a play off win to join QPR in the premiership!!!
Here is the list I compiled. Would someone please review for accuracy? Thank you.
MSWL-U Season 8 Prizes:
D1: TRA (500) CRD (300) QPR (150)
D2: LEW (300) PNE (200) LEE (100)
D3: CAR (200) DOR (100) OLD (50)
Golden Boot: BHA (25) LEE (25) CAR (25)
Coach of the Year: DOR (25)
YC Runner up: TRA (75)
FA Shield Runner up: QPR (75)
AP Cup Semis: CHE (75) DOR (75)
YC Winner: PV (150)
AP Cup Runner up: CRD (150)
FA Shield Winner: HER (200)
FA Cup Semis: BHA (200) PLY (200)
FA Cup Runner up: OLD (250)
AP Cup Winner: LEW (250)
FA Cup Winner: DOR (400)
TRA (575) CRD (450) QPR (225) LEW (550) PNE (200) LEE (125) CAR (225) DOR (600) OLD (300) BHA (225) CHE (75) PV (150) HER (200) PLY (200)
With Swansea, Forest and Cardiff in the play-offs another one is likely to go to....
Queen's Park and Norwich City will be in the Premiership next season. With James at the helm of QPR, he's got to pick a new team and start all over again, right?
Hi guys,
I'm planning on running the aging and end of season code in 2 weeks (Saturday May 13th).
I'll let you all know once I start that up and then when the trade flood gates can open.
Al
Pathetic. That pretty much sums it up. If you need a more in-depth explanation - see stories regarding the NBA's Boston Celtics 2011 season ending.
Lost 1st round in the Youth Cup. The coach totally ignored youth development. A horrific record on the road and we lost games at Gresty Road which is supposed to be rare. For the most part the team did show up in front of the home crowd and withered on the road. How successful was their Division I run? See the first word of this blog. The coach admits to the bad use of hardness instead of PFD in one of the losses but most of the other game plans were right on target only to be rendered useless by this floundering group of kickers. Finished 4th!? Not acceptable even when discounting Sheffield's perfect game plan for the season finale. A less than .500 season, no titles, no cups... not even being a runner-up in anything is sheer embarrassment for this squad.
Greetings Press Office!!
Well If you had said to me Runner Up In Div 1 and a Cup Final Appearance The Board of Directors and Management team would of ripped your arm off at a successful season. However All the Cardiff Board and Management Feel it was a season lost.
Having Challenged Tranmere for 80% of the season and being a few points behind them and at one point moving into Pole Position taking 4 out of a possible 6 points against the Rovers. With One session to go lying in 3rd place and 7 points behind tranmere. The title had slipped away with crewe slipping in the last session cardiff rose to 2nd but with an ageing squad this was possibly there best chance of a title!! On a plus point though unbeaten at home in the league all season. Next season need to crack the away games
The Cups started with a Loss in the F a cup to leicester and then a loss in the 1st round of the shield ended abruptly with dissapointment, In the Youth Cup only 2nd round was achieved not bad with a lack of youth in the squad. However the a p cup was a great run and cardiff reached there4th final in 8 years and looking favourates against 2nd division lewes it looked like the ap cup was travelling to wales for the 2nd time in its history. But a brillaint lewes performance took the cup on the day. Wilkes was seen in tears at the final whistle.
So the boys have all flown off to Iceland for close season break to freeze then warm in the thermal pools. And next season major rebuilding takes place!!
Wilkes has also signed an additional 1 year contract extension with the option of a further year. A deal believed to be worth £1 a year!!
One match session after enduring a painful, relegation-clinching loss against Watford, the Port Vale lads stepped it up with a 4-1 win over perennial league winners Tranmere Rovers to win their second youth cup, and first in three seasons.
Only Tranmere had won more than one youth cup, even though PV's chances were not great at the start of the year as the Vale manager decided to train up only three schoolboys.
"When we do well in Youth Cup, we beat Tranmere and win the tournament, other years it's not so good," said Holden.
"We finished right where we should have in the league but there are a lot of good teams and you are going to have two to three good teams go down each year now the league has matured a little bit.
"We will need a good auction buy in order to defend our trophy though. It would be great to be the first team to win the Youth Cup 3 times.
"Next year we should be able to push for a championship, we need to get the T11 up a little bit and that comes with winning and a good auction purchase so we're still excited even though we're going down."
So that's it - we finished with 2 good wins on the road, not conceding a goal, but end up in 4th missing promotion by 2 goals!
Never mind, the fault lay with training up Apps and SBYs and suffering losses early on.
We did not compete in any of the Cups apart from winning our section, so we can say it has not been a successful season for the West Country boys....
Congratulations to all the winners, spare a thought for the rest of us. What's that, you won't? No, neither would I.
Jason Quinn met an unfortunate end to his season versus arch-rival but great friend Brighton & Hove Albion. If it seems like deja vu to him - it's because it is! Coming up as an apprentice, Quinn was playing periodically as a rookie earning some playing time behind Crewe's clear-cut #1 Gk Sammy Blake. A few matches into the season Quinn was injured while aggressively defending his team's goal. Being a young lad, he was able to quickly return from the injury only to be maimed by another injury this time due to unscrupulous play by the opposition. Jason Quinn's season was over and his chances of becoming a #1 Gk seemed to over right along with it. But then as only can be seen in the MSWL-United league, the great OLMEC HEAD had other ideas as the season was put to a halt. Most speculate it was due to the poor start of a certain OLMEC programmer or the great start to team C-Ball (Mike Cabral alleges that there has been code built in from the start that self destructs the league if he succeeds). During the "lost season", upper management became very impressed with Quinn's goal stopping ability and more so his mental and physical toughness displayed returning from injury. Some outside the organization questioned why Blake was benched so often but the team understood that Quinn was the future - now. During his first full season, he split Gk duties with new apprentice Brian Harper. Harper posted a mere 54% save rate in Season 6 which made him expendable (he went on to post a near 80% save rate as a rookie with Northampton in 44 matches). For Season 7, Jason was named the #1 Gk with Mr. Blake returning for his 5th year (3rd full season) with the Crewe as the backup. Quinn didn't disappoint has he posted nearly an 85% save rate and a 50% PK stop rate (8/16) in 38 matches. This season, he posted an 81% save rate playing a light schedule as to let newcomer Alfie Dean get in some work in preparation for Season 9. Now with session 10 having Crewe's most important match of the season, Quinn is forced to watch from the sidelines as the mighty Rovers play host to Dean and the rest of the Crewe. Jason has faith that Alfie can perform well on the big stage, "He was 1 goal saved from going undefeated in 4 straight matches when he and [Steve] Christie were just stopping everything." With his off time, J.Q. mentioned that he has begun compiling a list of Gk stats that'll show he is (editor: was?) one of the elite Gk along with some other unheralded players from other teams.
If you haven't looked by now, you may not have noticed but Tranmere is merely 8 goals from tying the record. He has the fortune of going up against a rooke Gk and an Andy Bate who at this point might like nothing better but to see The Crewe have to stewe about missing both the title and goals record.
I won't be able to set the predicitons until Sunday sometime as I have family obligations this afternoon.
4 league matches to play and the following records have at least a decent shot at being tied or broken:
Division One
Hereford United FC could really use one win. They currently sit tied for fewest wins (2), fewest points (9), and could tie the mark for most losses (13) if they lose out the last four. Not exactly where Andy planned his season to end up at. I have faith that we won't be seeing the Bulls next to any of those marks by season's end. The extra motivation for one more elusive win should be just the touch they need.
Lots of action in the Draws department this season. Watford currently sits at 7 draws, within reach of the record 9. On the other end, both CRE and BHA are at just one draw, which would tie the record if they avoid any more. Of course, they could just draw each other this weekend and take care of any further suspense.
And finally, in the Goals For category, CRE leads the division with 48 goals. The record is 58. 10 goals in 4 matches is not an easy feat to accomplish against some quality sides, so Lady Luck will need to be in their corner to claim this mark.
Division Two
With two sessions left, it appears that just three marks have a chance of being tied, though none appears to be a safe bet.
Chesterfield needs to draw all four matches to get to 9 draws and tie the division mark. Without much hope of avoiding relegation, playing for a draw in every match and aiming to get some CP saved up for next season may not be a bad idea though.
On the opposite end of that record, Preston North End has yet to get a league draw. That ties them with the mark of 0 draws for the division. If Ian stays in All or None mode, he could claim a share of that unbreakable record.
And Leeds United can tie the mark for fewest losses at 2 if they can avoid any further defeats this season. I'm getting the impression that Abe would welcome that result as he tries to chase down Lewes for the division crown.
Division Three
Wycombe needs to scrap together enough luck to get just one win to avoid a tie with the record for fewest wins at 0. This session looks bad in that regard, as they play the top two teams in the division. Best of luck next weekend.
In the Draws department, teams currently sit tied for the top marks for fewest draws (1) and most draws (7). DAG's at 1, and SWA is at 7. Jeff's promotion hopes aren't quite dead yet, so playing all out for wins could easily have DAG avoiding draws. Swansea, on the other hand, has nothing to play for except some extra CP and a shot at the record, so playing for a draw may be in the cards from here out.
And finally, Carlisle can cap off a great league campaign with a tie of the record for fewest division three losses at 1. Since they still have to play the worst three teams in the whole league in their final four matches, odds are looking pretty good.
Congratulations Al! You have created a tax code more complicated and less sensical than the US Government!
Next, please tackle the NFL labor negotiations....
It has taken me over a decade to work it out, but I think I finally know why Alon always wins and I always lose. Alon bothers to read the rules!
ï»Ian is right the way the tax is worked at the moment is weird.
ï»If necessary it could be a higher percentage but it should only be of the amount over the threshold.
ï»Luckily I did read the rules so I resisted selling another player which would have taken me above 4500 before tax but to a lower total than I ended up with after tax which does not make much sense.
Hmmm, I thought it was only 10% of any balance over 3500k? I've now got less money that DOR, who had less money than me to start with but didn't pay any tax. Would the point of this tax not be to reduce the balance as far as the stated "bad" threshold of 3500k and no further, or was that just my warped, twisted and self-centred view of it? Should I just read the rules next time?
I wish Comrade Jay were here, he would be loving this 
Ian
The following teams receive a bonus (10% tax for balance above 3500k):
PNE (-360) TRA (-429)
Hereford United FC sends Johan Aas (APP/7 Mf; 350k)
to Plymouth Argyle FC for 375k
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Plymouth Argyle FC sends 550k
to Cardiff City FC for Jason Brown (III/13 Fw; 440k)
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Cardiff City FC sends 650k
to Leicester City FC for Andrew McLean (II/11 Fw; 450k), Svyatoslav Vasilyev (III/2 Df; 0k)
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Dorchester Town sends 110k
to Brighton & Hove Albion for Ryan O'Neill (SBY/3 Mf; 100k)
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Brighton & Hove Albion sends Hugo Baudouin (IV/5 Df; 90k), Jay Jenkins (IV/9 Df; 210k)
to Swansea City AFC for Harrison Peters (IV/2 Sw; 0k), Fabio Ferrari (APP/7 Df; 395k)
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Tranmere Rovers sends Luke Clarke (II/11 Fw; 450k)
to Dorchester Town for 650k
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Cardiff City FC sends 100k, Ben Stewart (III/12 Mf; 400k)
to Dagenham & Redbridge for Jake Scott (APP/8 Df; 435k), Mason Kennedy (IV/5 Mf; 90k)
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Since Rob asked on the scores pages:
Current most matches vs. same opponent that I can find.
Tranmere v. Watford 17
Tranmere v. Cardiff City 17
Northampton Town v. Plymouth Argyle 16
Queens Park v. Lincoln City 16
Sheffield United v. Tranmere 16
Carlisle v. Wycombe 16
In each case, there is at least one more match to be played between the teams this season.
ï»This behavior from Max is shameful. If the ref isn't heeding your advice from the sideline, Max clearly needs to take it to the next level. Make it personal with the ref. Where does he bank? What did he have for lunch? Is that hair line receding since last week? After that, we talk about flinging objects onto the court. After, that, flinging the ref.
ï»But, he's young. He'll learn.
ï»Meow,
ï»Clyde
I can't believe Dave would say that...actually yes I can...
Brian: yes, Mad Max did seem to see more than the refs. Its an "upward" league (christian run) so its more about having fun and getting the kids involved and so on...everyone's a volunteer, so the refs don't see everything but they try. We may have to get Max refereeing soon. :-)
My favorite is "foul? where was the travel BEFORE that?". 
I'm pretty sure those were NBA refs warming up for the playoffs.
The lad certainly knows traveling when he sees it. Good thing his father was in attendance to help point out the blatant double-dribble that was not called. What kind of officiating crews do your towns and communities employee in Missouri, Al?
Yelling at a female referee no less! Just like his father raised him!
This has echos of the earlier video when Mad Max was himself a player. All we're missing is the lovely Mrs Sellers screaming "that's my boy" in the background!
You have to love Mad Max, he's everywhere, even the video of Curt playing the Oboe began with "sit down Max"
And great to see 1999's classic "where did those flowers come from" make another appearance...
If you need a laugh...
Max is passionate about the teams he supports.
Al
The prediction league is up and accessible for session six. Sorry for the delay and not getting it open last night.
Best luck to everyone.
Southend United sends Matthew Begum (III/7 Fw; 200k)
to Lincoln City FC for David Williamson (APP/5 Fw; 210k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Here's two tidbits from the studying that Simon is alleging I've been doing of late:
Just one team has played at least 3 matches and won them all: James at QPR. Just three teams are 2-0-0. One of those is James's opponent this week: Graham and CRD. This one is not just a Cup clash; it may also determine who the Prediction League Performer of the Year will come out to be. Tons on the line when the cameras start rolling under the bright lights.
On the flip side, just one team has compiled a 0-0-3 record so far. No names to protect the guilty. Yet this same team has managed to put together a good record otherwise. Makes you wonder what's going on that they can't get away when all eyes turn toward their match...
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Well here is the top ten of the prediction league, i was languishing in the bottom half until this weekend so some correct results must have been forecast, Rene heads the table probably as he had no choice but to choose his own side to defeat Northampton and despite a 4 4 at the back he came up trumps, can you tell it still hurts! The two old boys Dave and David have too much time on there hands(should'nt you both be gardening or something!!) and so keep up the tradition of correctly predicting results, lets see how things pan out this week? Kevin comes in at tenth spot and i am sure he will be studying form this week to see if he can improve on his position and the Commish, well he puts in some predictions and then whilst no one is looking quickly changes them once the results come through so hes looking good!! Great bit of fun and lets see where we lie next week. |
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Hereford United FC sends Louie Cox (APP/6 Mf; 310k)
to Carlisle United for Logan Green (APP/6 Fw; 310k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Keep your chin up - I am sure (like myself), once you get over the demise of Calvin you will want to have a replacement pretty quickly.
We love cats here in our house - do we in Olmec get to choose a name or will Clyde get a new companion with a very familiar one?
It's a sad day here at our household. Calvin passed away just shy of his 14th birthday. He has had some struggles with his heart and kidneys lately, but last week the vet gave him a clean bill of health. He was an awesome companion who will not be forgotton. He loved the indoors, he loved the outdoors...depending on which was on the other side of the closed door. His hearty purr will reverberate in the walls of our hearts for years to come!
Hereford United FC sends Gavin O'Neal (APP/6 Df; 310k), Romain Lacaze (SBY/3 Mf; 70k)
to Lewes FC for Charlie Thompson (SBY/3 Df; 70k), Louie Cox (APP/6 Mf; 310k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Brighton & Hove Albion sends 40k
to Brentford FC for Archie Holland (VI/2 Df; 0k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
I am a pretty creative guy, but even I don't think I can top a reference to a stork with leprosy. Well done, Kev, I was pretty well in stitches reading that.
"...inflatable dating partners..."
Love it! That's the post of the season, Dr Martin.
I figured they were are hell-spawned demons or the like judging by playing style, vocabulary, and general body odor. If human, then surely they were found under the rotting vegetation in the proverbial cabbage patch, the slug-ridden ones in the back corner or maybe left under the compost heap by mistake or more likely by deliberate planning in hopes they wouldn't be found. Most likely brought by a stork with leprosy to boot. I'm thrilled to be down in Division Three simply so we can avoid having to use bleach and delousing powder in the showers after playing the league matches against them. That's the kind of stink that lingers for days and makes passing skunks wander over to see if it's mating season already. Mothers? Sheesh. I'm pretty sure that the only mother who claims a child on the LIN squad was in the advertisement raising awareness for the need for post-natal birth control.
(How's that, Mike? Enough material for the boards this week? I could probably come up with plenty more - you know, to help out a friend and all. Always the giving kind, that's me!)
Still, not to be too negative: Happy Valentine's Day to LIN and all their inflatable dating partners tonight! (management's lovely wife excluded from any such slanderous comments, of course)
We need to crow now cuz we won't get to do it much (read, at all) this season...10 pts for LIN today!
Kev, thanks for the bulletin board material. Feel free to insult our mothers before next week's matches!
Wayne Rooney placed a masterful ball into the back of the net to help MUFC win today, and if you did not see it I recommend visiting youtube.com (or the like) to watch. For Red Devil fans like myself, we're hopeful this starts a scoring drive by the Bulldog the rest of the 10/11 season.
On a side note, look for BHA players to score a few times today in an effort to make an early mark in Division 1.
I wish I could say Kevin was just trrying to hurt our feelings at LIN, but he's not that kind of guy. Well, maybe he is, but we also fear he is right about us. Figuring out how to build a sustained D1 team has definitely eluded LIN management to date. With Simon and RobP down in D2, along with compatriot Abe, it looks like a comfy place to be next season. Now don't go getting promoted guys!
I promise to keep this one shorter than the Division 1.
The Paper Champion
1. David at Weston-super-Mare AFC. Tops in the division in T11 and T16 with 7 players on the roster starting the season at SL 13. No one else can match that kind of firepower in the division. If they want to go T11 all the time, the division crown is all but theirs. However, how much of the future are they going to gamble away on the present? They have just one age I, SL 10 player on the roster to start this season, and all of their Apprentices are already at least 1 SL off max pace. Without some commitment to the future generation, this team is going to be gutted from within by season 9 and not have the depth to compete at a Division 1 level. Even so, it's hard to see anyone else making a grab for the top spot if David is committed to winning it.
The Contenders:
2. Preston North End FC. You may think that Ian is just up at #4 in the rankings because of all his cash. While that certainly helps, this team also has a T11 averaging right at SL 12, making them #2 in the division for T11 and tied for 3rd at T16 with easily the most cash left over to get even more power at auction as the season rolls along. They have a young Gk coming up behind a decent Sw. They run 3 deep at Df and Mf and 4 at Fw without any glaring weakness on the roster. They go all-Fw, heavy-DF and stall, or OST as needed/desired. And did I mention how much cash they have to spend if Ian can remember where the auction bids page is? If Ian wants to be promoted, I don't see too many teams able to contest him for long.
3. Simon at Northampton Town FC. 3rd at T11 and 2nd at T16, Simon has the players to make a promotion push. Not too sure if that's in the cards though. Check out his roster. What's going on at Gk for starters? CP for both the age I AND the age II? While bringing up a Sby as well? Either someone is getting sold off this season, or that's a lot of CP for one roster position that's going to bleed the SL out of the guys you need to score goals. On the other end of the field, they are very, very deep at Fw. Which they need to be to make up for being very thin at Mf. Mostly, we just see a lot of age I players hungry for lots of CP. There are 8 on the roster from SL 9-11 currently. Plus, 10 youth are getting playing time based on session 1 action. That might well be too much young talent to sustain a promotion charge this year. With the investment in age I players and youth though, perhaps Simon's team might be better lumped in with the next group. With the rest of the division having obvious reasons for concerns though, this spot is NOR's until further notice.
One Season Away
4. Rob's Pilgrims at Plymouth Argyle FC will be the top contender if any of the above three stumble out of the gate. 4th in T11 and tied for 3rd in T16, they can throw down with almost anyone in the division when needed (WES is the only one well above them). They have a good Gk/Sw combo and nice depth at Mf and Fw. A good opening session leaves some CP to play with and get the team moving in the right direction quickly. Just 7 youth on the roster? Well, that's one less spot to suck SL from. In fact, all that being said they could easily push for a promotion spot. However, Olmec is always mean to Rob. Still not sure why. He's already got 2 players down to injury at -5 Fit. Worse yet, one is his top Df. The #5 Fw will be missed, yet can be covered for. Losing the top defender in a thin starting squad for at least two sessions really hurts though. Cash is too short for a quick fix either, unless a trade can found. All together, this team will come together late this season. Expect that to be 4-6 points too short for promotion though, and for Rob to be in the next season's top 3.
5. Same story here. Phil and the lads at Chestefield FC also caught the injury bug early. 2 of their 3 good forwards are already well down in Fit. The Gk and Sw will need to max out fast to cover for a Df that is too thin to handle 3 and 4-game sessions well. With the Fws down to start, the Mf may have to carry this team, and I'm not sure they can do it for long. If Phil focuses on the age I players for this season, they should survive just fine in Div 2 around 5th-6th place and be prepped for a better run next season. Hopefully with a bit more luck at avoiding or minimizing injury to key players in the opening weekend.
Hanging Around the Relegation Line
Three teams that all have something good going for them while lacking that something great to push them over the edge. Whoever has the worst luck of these three is going to be relegated. If luck evens out, I see them settling into...
6. Lewes FC. Dave has a nice, deep roster. He'll have a good Gk/Sw combo to rely on once they are developed. Early on, it could be dicey, yet by mid-season this will be an area of strength. The T11 elsewhere can't run with the top 3-4 teams for the division though. So hardness will have to be relied on in the early goings. That is always a risky affair. Once the age I and II players are CP'd up though, this team is in good shape for a late run of draws/wins to avoid relegation fairly easily. Unless they are the luckiest team in the league for the opening two sessions though, a late push won't be enough to reach the promotion spots.
7. Balance without power is the story for Abe at Leeds United. Their T11 and T16 are within a half-point of each other. They run 4 deep at Df, Mf & Fw, and all the starters are SL 10 or 11. Add in another SL 10 player at Sw and the only guy who sticks out from the pattern is the one you most want to: the Gk at SL 14 currently, likely SL 16 by session 3's close. With just 3 Apps on the roster, I expect this team to put out evenly-powered lineups across all matches every session. Unfortunately, evenly powered does not always translate to well-powered. All that balance translates to starting out 9th in T11. There's a decent amount of cash sitting there that might net this team a top Fw to build around for next year...
8. Power without balance is the opposite story for Swindon Town FC and Rene. They have 10 defenders, 5 of them at SL 10+. On the flip side, they have just 5 Fws on the roster. Age I players at Gk and Sw need attention quickly to stave off relegation, though having just 6 youth players leaves ample room for all those defenders to hold the line until the SLs can be built up. This team could easily lead the division in draws, though it's doubtful that they'll be able to steal many wins with such a thin front line. Maybe a trade is in the works? A team with an early injury at Df (see: PLY) could maybe spare a Fw to help both teams out this season and beyond.
Feeling the Heat
9. Trevor at Derby County has the least cash in the division. At 140k currently, this roster is going to have to make the most of what they've got as extra help isn't coming this season. Unfortunately, this roster is the thinnest in the division currently as well. Just 23 players (tied for league lowest), and 1 of those is at -5 Fit already. Only 1 Max SL player on the whole roster (age I Sw) is not too promising. They'll have an OK GK/Sw combo, with little Df depth in front of them though. Just 5 defenders is too few, especially since 2 of those are SL 2 youth players! In fact, they have just 1 max SL Apprentice on the roster this season. So this season is likely to end poorly with next season not having a lot of silver lining in the clouds either unless the Schoolboys get attention and the age I players worth salvaging get max attention. In any case, planning on a Division Three rebuild and re-promotion push when plotting CP totals seems very realistic.
10. Roy has it worse right now though. His T11 comes in soundly in last for the division. It's worse than every other team's T16 score by way of comparison. His T16 is nearly a point and a half below 9th as well. Having just 6 players at SL 10+, they will definitely have to pick and choose their battles to have any hopes of avoiding relegation. The Gk/Sw will need to max out and save the day with some undeserved draws to hold out that hope. Just 2 Df players are over SL 5, and the front lines will have trouble covering for that with just 3 Fws over SL 5. Goals will be hard to come by and hard to keep out of their own net. That's too tall a tree for Forest to climb to escape relegation. The pessimist in me says save up the cash because one good auction buy can't save this team from going down. The optimist says gamble with a top Df or Fw to shoulder the load and risk 10 Hardness with a T11 to try for 16-18 points while praying for a collapse by someone else. We'll have to see whether Roy prefers his cup half-full or half-empty by what he does with bids and lineups in the opening league weekends.
Odds for Division Two Promotion (for entertainment purposes only)
WES 3:5
PNE 2:3
NOR 2:1
PLY 4:1
CHF 8:1
LEW 12:1
LEE 25:1
SWI 50:1
DER 200:1
FOR 500:1
Lots of teams looking pretty similar in the top flight this season. A few SL here and there are all that makes the difference between playing for bonus money and playing for your survival from relegation. This year is shaping up early to be one of the best yet, with a clear cut contender to Tranmere's grip on the title and a dark horse waiting in the wings as well.
The Champ Until Proven Otherwise
1. Hard to go against Alon and Tranmere. His patented 1-1-2-2-5 lineup is ready to roll for yet another season, though this will definitely be a year of transitions. At age IV, his top Gk and Sw will give a final effort to keep the team on top of the heap. The rest are interchangeable parts as the new kids step up to replace the old. Even though he's 3 SL of CRD's T11 and twice that in T16, Alon has more than 5 times the cash available for a top player or trade. With the tax kicking in this season, I expect to see some loose purse strings from a normally fiscally conservative manager. With AP Cup advancement already assured, the only question for this season's pattern of action is whether or not Alon is going to make a real effort in the FA Cup or just use it to keep the youth out of the league matches as the Shield has been in past years. In any case, it will take multiple teams giving their full effort to unseat the Champs. How many managers are willing to risk it all vs. throwing out their backups and youth is going to make the difference this season.
The Contender
2. Graham takes over Cardiff City in great shape and made a lot of moves to make them even stronger. Leading the league in T11 and T16, and still having some cash free for a late auction buy if needed, the pressure is on for Graham to take his home team to new heights. Having a Gk 1 SL better than most, and also a top Mf peaking higher than average, the stars are in place to carry a squad that runs 3 deep at Df and Mf and 4 at Fw. Having just 3 Apps to steal playing time also lends itself to stronger league lineups. Having AP Cup advancement secured, and some Shield teams possibly looming as easier matchups than the FA Cup squads, the cards are falling into place for a good season already. Last year the Bluebirds got a win and draw against Alon and still fell short. They'll need to at least match that to pull off the upset this season. Opening the league with two roads matches doesn't help though. With SL and Fit lower now than later in the season, home bonus has more impact in the earlier sessions. If they can overcome a tough start within striking distance of the top, watch out.
The Wild Cards
3. Brighton & Hove Albion has the pieces in place to do some damage for Brian this season. The 'Gulls have a good Gk/Sw combo to cover for a deeper Df line that lacks any standout stopping power. Plenty of Fw power and depth will also help make up for a few extra goals over the course of the season. Currently sitting at 3rd in T11 (just 1 SL behind TRA) and tied with TRA for 2nd in T16, the talent is there. It's a good thing, as they have the least cash in the division to add another key player as the season progresses. Instead, we'll have to see if they can advance in the AP Cup to have an extra match to spread out the youth in. The weekend's key clash vs. NOR (winner advances, or BHA if they draw) will definitely sway how the two powerhouses' seasons play out. If either TRA or CRD stumble early on, expect the 'Gulls to pounce and fly off with the choice pickings in league position. In any one match, they can go toe-to-toe with anyone. We'll see how their luck holds when they gamble with hardness against the top teams.
4. James has the Queens Park Rangers poised in a good spot. Tied for 6th in T11 and 5th in T16 for the division, they come in with some power yet lacking the bullseye currently sitting on the top squads. They're trailing some other teams in the rankings that I've got below them for reasons you'll read in a minute. For QPR, ending up in the fight for the payoff spots (1st-3rd) is going to come down to overcoming their weaknesses. Unlike the 3 teams above them in this preview, they do have a glaring weakness at a position, namely Midfield. Their age I Gk will get his SL soon enough to keep the season alive, especially with a top Sw in front to help shoulder the burden on the back end. 3 good defenders and 4 nice forwards will help out as well. Mf is weak though, and with 2 Mf Apps needing playing time that gets even weaker if they can't advance well in at least one Cup. Securing AP advancement already definitely helps the cause. As it stands, they may need to start using players out of position or incorporate hardness into the regular plans to not run afoul of 3:1 rules when the forwards all need to come out for the big matches. I'm sure James has a plan for how to cover up this potential problem, so I'm eager to see what's up his sleeve. In the mean time, any weak spot at all is enough to knock him down below the title contenders this season. Still, I don't think the Rangers are going to be hanging out in the relegation zone come season's end.
Running Mid-Pack
5. Andy has the Hereford United FC team consistently tough year in and out. In fact, the only thing missing from their trophy cabinet is the cup for the league title. While they'd like to get it this season, I think that's a bit beyond their reach currently. 4th in T11 & T16 is a good thing, as is the nearly 2000k in the bank. They've got a young Gk that will need to come up in talent fast, while their solid Sw can hold the fort in the sessions until then. Unfortunately, they'll be seeing lots of action this season. Only one good Df (by Div 1 standards) will lead to some higher scoring affairs. Their complete lack of Midfield depth (just 5 on the roster) will also hurt in any 3 or 4 game session. Already being out of the AP Cup removes some of that problem. However, their sub-par Apps at Mf and Fw (just SL 3 to start the year) will really hurt the area totals if they need a lot of league time to develop - assuming they aren't just going to be ignored and cast off as damaged goods being already 2 SL behind peak levels and possibly seeing injury or suspension hurt them even more. While that's not a good prognosis, I still see this team keeping alive with some good T11 play and picking their battles wisely. Equal on wins and losses sees them settling in the 5th - 7th range while they reload for a possible push next season.
6. Sheffield United. The Blades. Dan's army of overachievers. Whatever you want to call them. Yes, I know they come in at 10th in the Div 1 T11 list. I also see that their Sw is well off-peak and they have just one Mf worth talking about. Their depth is spread around well though (tied for 5th in T16), and they have a good Gk to help cover weak spots elsewhere. 4 good forwards can carry the team in a match, and they spent the CP on Fitness early to pad all the area totals that the T11 scores don't take into account. They're also assured of moving on in the AP Cup already, so they can afford to T11 a team or two to open league play and get some early points. Mostly, Dan's team has hovered above the relegation zone despite being bottom 3 in T11 each of the last few seasons. They just seem to find wins and upset draws session in and out. If you're looking for a team that is always flying under the radar yet consistently in Cup quarterfinals and semis while surviving the brutal first division slate, this is them. Few managers would throw out the term rival, yet any of us who have played them more than once take pause when we see them on the schedule for the next session. That kind of respect is well-earned and they get the other middle-of-the-pack nod to start this season.
The Mystery Men
I have no idea how things will play out for these next two teams. Could be really good. Could be disasterous. Splitting the luck 50/50 means one has a good season and settles into a 4th-7th place role. The other could be in the division cellar with no way out by mid-season. So I'm lumping them together in a tie for 7th place because the opposite extremes I'm seeing early on still have me scratching my head as to what these veteran managers have in mind for their season-long plans.
t7. First off, Rob at Crewe Alexandra FC. For the last few seasons, people have picked out the division winners from Div 3 and 2, and almost all of us overlooked Rob in our predictions. They've handled everything the other teams have thrown at them with style and grace (well, both are relative compared to the rest of us in this league, so it's easy to look good by comparison). This season though, they might be their own worst enemy. 5th in T11 (just 1 SL off 4th), tied for 7th in T16, and having enough cash for at least one top SL player if they so desire, the raw strength is there to win enough matches and reach the safety zone of 20-22 points to avoid relegation. They run 3 deep at each outfield position, so they can handle an injury or suspension without their season falling apart. And yet they really have just 4 top SL players to rely on for a T11 throw down. If they absolutely must win a match, I'm not sure they can muster the lineup strength to pull it off without gambling everything on 10 hardness not giving up a PK goal. Even more troubling for their winning chances though, is what happened in the first session. The team has 12 youth players, all of whom got max attention in the first session. No Div 1 team has pulled that off all season and survived relegation. In fact, they lost their first session matches because of the youth attention, knocking them out of the AP Cup already and putting them behind the rest of the division in the CP department, which translates to at least 3 SL less than some teams have already earned. If Rob keeps that pattern up, they're going down. Maybe that's in the plans for now. If not, then some of the youth have to be sacrificed or sold off in a hurry and the T11 giving some attention. Another session or two of 2-3 losses and the SL gap will be too big to overcome with a late season charge.
t7. And the other mystery team is John Holden and the Port Vale FC squad. 8 of the Div 1 teams are pretty similar in makeup. Change a player or two at most and they look alike in composition and intended lineup formations. PV is going the other direction this season. Hasn't been seriously tried in two seasons, so John gets the big ? to start things out while we all watch his grand experiment. To start with, this team is just 9th in T11 and T16 for Div 1. That's not a good opening number to be at. Their top Gk is their age I, so it will take some time to be at max form. They have no good Sw to cover while development occurs either. That's because this team appears to be set up for some OST action. They have the outright best player in the league right now (Age II, SL 15 to start, potentially the first SL+Fit 20 player we've seen) heading up a solid Mf crew. 3 deep at Df helps hold down shots that the Sweepers won't be stopping. Only 2 at Fw, and not top-line either, means that the opposing defenses may be taking shots that OST won't reduce though. Fortunately those are always fewer in number. They also have just 7 youth players on the roster currently, so adding one late for the Youth Cup will be a must. No help in SL there, though at least that's one less player to worry about getting into a league match. That leaves some extra room for higher SL players, which makes up a bit of the SL gap against the rest of the division. Mostly, OST hasn't proven effectively at the top level yet. We'll see if John can show us how to get it done this season.
In Trouble
9. James at Watford has some definite work to do to avoid relegation. 8th in T11, 10th in T16. They are the only Div 1 team with a T16 below SL 10. Admittedly, they have the second-most cash to add some depth and power in the auctions. It's not good to start out needing to do that though. They have just 24 players on the squad. While the Gk and Sw are good, likely keeping them in many matches they might otherwise lose, their top 3 at Df and 2 at Mf are all at SL 10 or 11. That's hard to build a winning team around in Div 1. The 4 Forwards are good, yet there isn't any solid depth behind those guys (hench the low T16 score). While they are likely to advance in the AP Cup this season, this is a team that is going to struggle in a 3-match session, while having serious issues should they end up with a 4-game set. I don't think they can pull off a 4-game session without either sacrificing Fit from half their team or choosing a match to throw and putting all the youth and scrubs there. If James can pull off surviving the league and advancing well in a Cup this season, he's going to get a special place in my future rankings of "Survivor until proven otherwise." That being said, Watford always found a way to beat me while I was leading up CRD, more often deservedly than not. So while I'm starting them at 9th place, I'm mostly just glad not to be facing them this season.
10. Somebody always has to be picked last. Hope they're up for the challenge this season! Of course, if you've been following along you'll already know that it's Lincoln City FC and the Imp's fine manager Mike, a.k.a. C-Ball. While tied for 6th in T11 and 7th in T16 might seem to give them a nod in the middle-of-the-pack grouping, I don't see that sustaining very long. First off, their Fitness is in rough shape already with all the starting Midfielders at Fit -1. While they have a good Gk, their Sw is only so-so and won't be pulling off draws single-handedly as some others in the division can. They go 3 deep at Df and Mf (without much behind them), yet their forward line is very weak compared to the rest of the division. Even though they get to face BLY for their final AP group match, they need help to advance even with a win. Mostly, I'm concerned about them having just 23 players - tied for fewest in the league including the non-league teams. That's a lot of CP that won't be coming from an empty bench. Over the course of the season, 7 CP x 9 sessions = an SL 10 player getting to SL 15 with a little left over for Fit. They'll miss out on a T11 player this season and next. By session 7, 8 & 9 when teams are desperate for points, unfortunately this is the team that is going to be circled for the T11 and push for 3 points while whatever other team being faced get the youth. Sad to say, yet it happens every year. The only thing that could prevent that is the Imps tendency to injure others at key positions at really bad times. Perhaps a bad reputation can persuade other managers to hide their best guys from this team. Otherwise, I foresee a long season and a focus on building up for a good re-promotion push next season. If Mike can pull off avoiding relegation while making noise in a Cup or two, he'll likely get my Manager of the Year vote. Best of luck, my friend.
Title Odds (for entertainment purposes only)
TRA 2:3
CRD 3:2
BHA 4:1
QPR 6:1
HER 10:1
SHU 15:1
CRE 20:1
PV 20:1
WAT 30:1
LIN 50:1
I can only assume that it is Mr Tucker's Watford you would rather have thrown into the premiership wilderness rather than my own QPR as you have been much more of a thorn in my side than the other way around.
Having enjoyed the double over over Watford last season we would be the first to vote to keep them in the league :-)
Kevin I think you will be putting up with me at Watford for a little while yet. Despite doing surpisingly well I don't think they will get promoted. The squad is too thin and our nice passing game ruined by a home pitch that looks like it is ready for planting out with potatoes. There is no way I am going to jinx them by being confident, no way whatsoever.
(Tomorrow though I will be shouting myself hoarse trying to get another win against Burnley so look out for that)
Come on the Hornets
When this league was created, everyone deliberately chose or was given teams below the Premiership in the English leagues. Looks like that is about to change going into next season. Two-thirds of the way through league play in the Championship level, Queens Park Rangers are riding high with Nottingham Forest right behind them. Cardiff City is sitting in third, top of the playoff spots, with Swansea City in 5th. And Leicester City and Watford aren't out of it yet.
So since it looks very likely that at least two of our fair clubs will be playing Premiership ball in the 2011-2012 season, does that mean they also 'promote' out of our little league?
Of course, this wouldn't be gamesmanship at all. No way I'd be taking not-so-subtle jabs at getting rid of James and Roy, two good managers who have served to be perpetual thorns in my side. Nope. Just an honest question here... 
Thanks Compo!
We had 10 guests over on Super Bowl Sunday including a Marine who just returned from the Middle East after a 9-month deployment. He was literally off the plane and 3 hours later watching Green Bay-Pittsburgh in the Super Bowl. Pretty cool stuff (he's from Wisconsin…so..).
Amy stayed up all of Saturday night making stuff. She literally didn't sleep. Since it was a Super Bowl she made Soup. Homemade Chicken Noodle, Chili, and Broccoli-Cheddar Soup. Lots of snacks, lots of beer, etc.
Oh yeah and we had Brats (bratwurst) as well…a Wisconsin favorite (Ian had that during MSWL Reunion #1).
Anyway…the game was great. We had a kids TV going and a grownups one (in rooms next to each other).
The kids TV (not on the TIVO) was 2 seconds ahead of the grown-ups one. And Mad Max REALLY gets into it. He's in their yelling "c'mon ref that's a horrible call"…or "TOUCHDOWN!"…and two seconds later…yep we see that too.
So eventually I had to go in and watch it with all the kids.
All in all a great experience for Phil's godson and one that I think Max will remember the rest of his life as he and I high-fived each other after all the great plays.
Though…I'm not sure we made any favorites with the neighbors. I told Curt he had to go and play his French Horn every time the Packers scored…and that was often…and our neighbors are Steelers fans…so…we'll see what happens…
Its been a long time since I got to watch a Super Bowl that had meaning…a great night! :-)
The Black Eyed Peas…well…not really a fan…I'd just assumed U2 do the Super Bowl halftime every year…
Al
I can see four tiers of teams this season, with no doubt as to where teams are falling right now. Of course, in a division with so few standout players even one max-SL player can have a significant impact. Because of that, I expect teams to make some headway up or down in the current rankings as auctions and trades continue throughout the first half of the season. Even so, I'll be shocked if someone outside the current first five listed ends up promoted this season.
The Title Contenders
1. Dorchester Town
Tied for #1 on T11, yet just #3 on T16, the Magpies get the nod due to managerial mettle, experience, and being a full season farther along the rebuilding plan than the other two contenders. There is precious little difference in the probability of any of the top three teams winning the division this season. Because of that, I see the hidden decider being in the team makeup. Sure, DOR has a star Gk and Fw in the making that will take some time to get into full swing. However, in the mean time they already have a top Sw, two great Mf, and are deep at Df (at least by Div 3 standards).
What they also have is 5 max-SL Apps and 3 Sbys. Compare that with Carlisle's 5 Apps (1 off max SL already) and 6 Sbys who got attention in the first session. Similarly, Bristol City has 6 Apps (one already off the max-SL track and another already injured and soon to be 1 SL down) to find time for in addition to just 2 Sbys. If you add up the number of youth slots needed for each session, Dorchester will be able to throw out an extra 4-5 SL per match during the course of this season. That should result in an extra 2-3 shots per match average, which will likely mean one more win than the other guys and could be the final difference in the tables, assuming that Allan can at least split the league games against the top two contenders for his title.
Oh yeah, Al also has lots and lots of money to go out and get another top player or three if he chooses to. If it's just going to go away as a tax if he doesn't, why not spend a little extra to get a player that might otherwise slip to another team?
2. Carlisle United. Mark Stretch tops the Div 3 stats table at #1 on T11 (tied) and #1 on T16. While a little weak at Gk and only having a Sby for backup, this team runs four deep at Df and three deep at Mf and Fw. They also have ample young depth at the Fw position (3 apps, 2 sbys) to develop as the season progresses. Unfortunately, unless he's planning on running a 1-x-2-2-6 formation, that's also his weakness this year. No time to get all the youth developed unless the older, higher SL players sit on the bench. This team is at the dividing line between full youth rebuilding mode and SL-sustaining mode with some youth development. Figuring out how to straddle that line could take a few sessions, which means Carlisle might drop a match or two that would otherwise be winnable. At least they start out with two home matches to help pad the area totals while a plan comes together.
3. Bristol City FC. Everyone's favorite current second generation manager, Jake Hanny comes in at #3 on T11 and #2 at T16. My first draft noted a few weak spots on the roster to shore up. Prior to any posts though, Jake went out and picked up two players last week that plugged those holes nicely. And he still has the cash left to go get one more top flight player if he really needs the help. Every position except Sw has a star in front and at least one good backup. He'll push the division leaders all season. Unfortunately, he has a short roster (just 23 players) which is going to hurt him. Not only is he not getting as many CP as the other guys from bench players, he also is going to start scrambling for players as the injuries and suspensions mount. Jake likes 10 hardness. 10 hardness does not like Jake apparently. Going into session 2, he already has three players injured. While having 6 Apps and 2 Sbys does give more SL than the usual 4-4 setup, it also requires two more youth slots each session to get the max points in. That could take care of itself though, as one App is already out for a session due to medical reasons. It could be survivor of the fittest for advancing to age I in Bristol this year. That's a scary prospect for next season as the team will need a good core to build out of to survive in an increasingly competitive Division Two.
The Promotion Hopefuls
Leading the division is likely out of reach for these teams. However, if another team slips up or one of these managers makes some shrewd moves to improve lineup strength, they could slip into the promotion zone and spoil someone else's season.
4. Leicester City FC. Chris McDougall takes over the team sitting at #4 in T11 (tied) and #6 in T16. Not much cash to work with, yet with 29 on the roster already there is trade/sale bait in the offing if moves are needed. Good depth at Df will have to cover for a lack of stars at the Gk/Sw spots for this season. The main thing holding LEI back will be their own teams plan though. A whopping 13 youth players got full attention in the first session. With no max-SL, age 1+ players on the roster, that is understandable. They even managed two wins, including one over a division one side! That being said, it's not sustainable. In a two-match session there just isn't enough time to go around without playing all youth. And that makes it hard to get wins and the points needed for promotion. Again, something has to give. Looks like LEI is not planning on making a promotion push this season. If all those youth develop though, this is going to be a very dangerous squad next season.
5. Oldham Athletic AFC. Fred Wilkins leads this team that comes in solidly at #4 on T11 (tied) and T16. A lot of that is built on a high ceiling with a weak foundation though. They have two decent to good players at each position with no depth behind them. All their players are 2-3 SL off peak levels, with just one age I coming up that can reach max SL. They also have only one BRB for support staff. I expect to see the apprentices maxing out this season so the team can make a good promotion push next season. If Fred has other ideas, he'll need to make a move quickly to upgrade from B-list stars to some A-list players, or find some cheap depth.
Also-Rans
6. Southend United. Dave Dowson's decent Gk/Sw combo can (and will have to) cover for a very sub-par Df unit. They'll need plenty of help from the deeper Fw lines to stay in matches. The tendency to play hard and give away the occasional PK won't help that situation. Dave may be playing a 1-1-2-2-5 lineup frequently this year, supplementing the Df and Mf with some Hardness to meet 3:1 rules in an attempt to generate more goals and keep the team in contention later on. Not sure what direction this team is heading in. Dave is crafty as a manager, so I'll be watching to see what he's got up his sleeve.
7. Jeff Hawker (the currently bio-less mystery man) at Dagenham & Redbridge will have his work cut out for him. He's already made some stop-gap moves, picking up SL 11 players at Gk and Df to fill obvious areas of need. Starting the season with just one Gk on the roster, and that one at SL 6, looked ugly. Now there's at least hope and some stability until the Gk of the future gets developed. Depth without strength still exists at Df and Mf though. The roster currently lacks any future stars, and has just two Apps to develop. Investing in the youth this season can't hurt, and maxing out the age I, SL 8 or 9 players so there is hope for next season will likely be the priority. There just isn't the firepower to take out the top three or four teams in the division consistently. This is definitely a team that will pick its battles for some CP and limp home from other matches happy to escape without injury.
8. Swansea City AFC. With just four players at SL 10+, good cash reserves won't help this season. One good auction buy, or even two, won't make a difference. The only good max player is at Gk, as all the age I players are already one to two SL off max pace. On the bright side for this season, Graham's development plan last season sees the team in good youth shape with six maxed Apps. Another full slate of Sbys and this team's plans are set. All youth, all the time. With no hope of promotion or plans for anything resembling winning matches, I think we can pull that off this season.
Battle for Not-Last
9. Wycombe Wanderers. Mike Mcleod starts with a very bad situation at Gk. SL 4, SL 3, and a Sby. No Sw on the roster. No Df over SL 7 or Mf over SL 5. They are going to leak goals all season, if by leak you mean opening the faucet to full. While they have two players at Fw worth noting (SL 11 & 10), there is not enough depth behind them to force some high scoring draws. It's going to be a long season while the youth develop. Finding a decent Gk or Sw at auction/trade would definitely help.
10. Derek Purvis at Brentford FC will have an even rougher road. With only one player on the entire roster over SL 6, and just two Apps topped off to start the season, this roster needs overhauled now. The Apps at Df and Mf can get max playing time (since they are just 1-2 SL+Fit off the starters anyway) while 6 Sbys need maxed out this year. Possibly some more youth can be bought from other teams with excess to speed up the rebuild. The cash is there for that kind of move. Buying a player or four at auction won't help get this team off the bottom of the rankings. A good youth development plan for the next two seasons will... if it starts here at session 2 of this season. Converting the age V and VI players on the roster to Youth Coaches would also help the cause, or a Youth Coach and Physio so the youth players are more likely to be able to take the field all season. CP alone can't help this team enough to generate wins, so they're not doing much good on the bench. If the team continues all this season functioning under an apparent lack of long-term direction, we could be looking at a very real prospect for the "Reset Button." That's not to be insulting to Derek as much as it is a hopefully inspiring remark to him to sit down with the rules, figure out how SL development works, and stick with a plan that makes trying to win take the back seat for now, in order to build a team capable of winning later.
Div 3 Odds (for entertainment purposes only, of course):
DOR 5:4
CAR 3:2
BRI 2:1
LEI 8:1
OLA 10:1
SU 15:1
DAG 20:1
SWA 50:1
WYC 100:1
BRE 1000:1
Yes Mr S was seen dancing around with Mr S just a few minutes ago as the Superbowl Final ends.
Congrats and wont say too much more for fear of a spoiler.
Cardiff City FC sends 190k, Dominic Cox (II/8 Mf; 300k)
to Carlisle United for Cormac McDonald (APP/5 Mf; 255k)
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Dorchester Town sends 91k
to Lewes FC for Patrick Oliver (III/4 Df; 80k)
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Dorchester Town sends 225k
to Cardiff City FC for Gabriel Cooper (II/6 Mf; 200k)
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Cardiff City FC sends 150k
to Dagenham & Redbridge for Charlie Parry (IV/3 Df; 30k), Adam McGregor (IV/4 Fw; 60k)
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Lewes FC sends Florian Huber (III/10 Mf; 320k)
to Watford for Zak Wilkinson (III/10 Fw; 320k)
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I am going out on a limb and declaring Group D the Group of Death for the AP Cup group draw this season. Any objections?
Brighton & Hove Albion sends Sean Begum (I/10 Mf; 480k)
to Preston North End FC for Jake Woodward (I/10 Fw; 480k)
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Leicester City FC sends Ben Stewart (III/12 Mf; 400k)
to Cardiff City FC for 75k, Gonzalo Gonzalez (APP/5 Mf; 225k)
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Wycombe Wanderers sends 200k
to Bristol City FC for John Barber (V/6 Mf; 80k)
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Dorchester Town sends 400k
to Cardiff City FC for Harvey Rees (APP/5 Fw; 210k)
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Southend United sends 15k, Ryan MacDonald (APP/5 Mf; 210k)
to Swansea City AFC for Paul Brown (APP/5 Gk; 225k)
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Wycombe Wanderers sends 350k
to Sheffield United for Rafael Azevedo (V/3 Df; 20k), Brandon Young (V/3 Mf; 20k)
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Leicester City FC sends 55k
to Queens Park Rangers for Joel Kelly (III/2 Mf; 0k)
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Nottingham Forest sends 250k
to Sheffield United for Lewis Bailey (V/3 Fw; 20k)
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Carlisle United sends 150k, Adam Cole (III/2 Fw; 0k)
to Tranmere Rovers for George Roberts (V/4 Fw; 40k)
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Plymouth Argyle FC sends Daniel Pereira (V/2 Mf; 0k)
to Hereford United FC for 200k
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I never realised how much trading there was in a single Olmec game till I looked down the Blogs below this entry!
No wonder Dodgy Dave (aka Dave Dowson) loves United - trading is his life blood - I am still surprised his wife Avril has not been offered for a trade. Oh, she has!! Obviously it wasn't to Dave's liking as she is still with him!
My money was it was Simon that made the offer - he seems to make offers for anybody that moves... just kidding, or am !?
Thanks to all who fancied taking my MF age 4 lad - I waited as long as I could and it was Katie's successor Chris who got the nod by 6k from about 3 others.
Chris needs players like real life Hibs needs points - urgently!
Preston North End FC sends 220k
to Cardiff City FC for Rhys Harper (II/6 Mf; 200k)
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Nottingham Forest sends 225k
to Watford for Zachary Page (V/3 Mf; 20k)
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Dorchester Town sends 25k
to Nottingham Forest for Oliver Fisher (IV/2 Mf; 0k)
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Leeds United sends 180k
to Southend United for Sam Thomson (II/5 Mf; 150k)
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Chesterfield FC sends 225k
to Watford for Josh Robertson (V/5 Fw; 60k)
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Leicester City FC sends 81k
to Weston-super-Mare AFC for Quentin Hamon (IV/4 Df; 60k)
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Southend United sends Lennon Campbell (III/5 Df; 120k)
to Leicester City FC for Santiago Dominguez (V/4 Fw; 40k)
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Northampton Town FC sends Ross Sullivan (III/12 Sw; 400k)
to Southend United for 600k, Alexandre Motte (III/5 Df; 120k)
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Carlisle United sends 445k
to Brighton & Hove Albion for Logan Green (APP/5 Fw; 210k)
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Southend United sends 90k
to Port Vale FC for Riley Shepherd (APP/3 Mf; 85k)
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Northampton Town FC sends 300k
to Dagenham & Redbridge for Luca Giordano (APP/5 Fw; 225k)
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Steven Richards was seen leaving the Cobblers ground tonight heading off to South of England Capital Brighton, he commented that he was once again looking forward to taking on MSWLs finest teams in Div 1, hoping to cause havoc to the defences and get back to doing what he does best scoring goals, displeased that manager Compton did not bring the best out of him last season was not looking forward to second division football.
Compton whilst sad to see him go, said the offer put on the table by the Brighton manager Beerman was too good to turn down and negotiations between Richards and the club had broken down so it was best for all parties really, Brighton will be hoping that his goals will help to keep them in the first division for the foreseeable future.
New blood is required at Northampton, so if anyone has any Youth players for sale then the senior director of football would like to hear from you.
Northampton Town FC sends Steven Richards (II/13 Fw; 550k)
to Brighton & Hove Albion for 1302k
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Southend United sends 500k
to Carlisle United for Marc Molina (I/8 Df; 360k)
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Brighton & Hove Albion sends 35k
to Carlisle United for Rhys Lawrence (III/2 Mf; 0k)
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Leicester City FC sends 95k
to Carlisle United for Svyatoslav Vasilyev (III/2 Df; 0k), Leo Akhtar (III/2 Fw; 0k)
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Plymouth Argyle FC sends Riley Thomas (IV/2 Df; 0k), Joe Ferdinand (IV/2 Df; 0k)
to Hereford United FC for 80k
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Northampton Town FC sends 380k, Alex McDonald (III/10 Fw; 320k), Gareth Baker (IV/7 Mf; 150k)
to Leeds United for Daniel Gerrard (III/12 Sw; 400k), Diego Barbosa (I/10 Fw; 480k)
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Watford sends Luke Anderson (V/2 Mf; 0k), Nathan Baudouin (V/3 Fw; 20k)
to Carlisle United for 450k
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Northampton Town FC sends 176k
to Carlisle United for Oliver McDonald (III/6 Mf; 160k)
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The board despite rumours about Compton leaving the club earlier on this season have actually today renewed his contract for a further 2 seasons.
Board Director Toothless was seen driving in a new Maserati to which Compton was looking forward to driving after signing on the dotted line, no new talent out there was the behind the scenes wording, Compton has yet again brought home the coverted FA Cup for a 3rd time in their history. Recognition was given that not many other managers have the talent to achieve such a feat.
Compton has some money to spend and albeit second division football does not have the high profile games that Division 1 has, he has confirmed a commitment to the club by saying I will lead us back to the top flight, maybe not this season but by the end of the 2nd year of my new contract Division 1 should beckon otherwise it will be time to get my P45.
Compton has stated the board require a rebuilding season with some new players coming in and some leaving but in essence expectations for this season are fairly low.
Dorchester Town sends 145k
to Port Vale FC for Elliot Davis (IV/6 Mf; 120k)
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Cardiff City FC sends Harrison O'Connor (V/4 Fw; 40k)
to Port Vale FC for 190k
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Dorchester Town sends 25k
to Leeds United for Daniel Ferreira (IV/2 Fw; 0k)
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Lewes FC sends 180k
to Leeds United for Luke Marsh (V/2 Fw; 0k)
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Dorchester Town sends 115k
to Carlisle United for Hayden Slater (II/4 Gk; 100k)
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Lewes FC sends 45k
to Carlisle United for Connor Marshall (IV/3 Sw; 30k)
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Preston North End FC sends Antoine Armand (V/5 Sw; 60k), Megyer Barna (V/5 Df; 60k)
to Dorchester Town for 372k
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Lincoln City FC sends Ashton Davies (II/13 Mf; 550k)
to Dorchester Town for 100k, Luca Schäfer (I/10 Mf; 480k)
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An age V player is wanted for the upcoming season
I can trade you cash or an age IV player.
Cheers
Holden
It was a disappointing league season for the Argyles. We found ourselves outgunned in a lot of matches, but at the same time, our GKs were simply UNLUCKY (I would love to see Kevin's stats on how teams fared against the numbers for this season). However, the season was not a total loss as Plymouth doubled the trophy cabinet, securing Season 7's FA Shield trophy. For those who don't know/remember... chasing shiny objects is a particularly favorite pastime of mine. Securing another trophy eases the hurt of being relegated to D2.
PLY now has 2 trophies... both championships coming against 2 of the best managers MSWL-U has:
* Season 4 - Plymouth defeats Kevin Martin's Cardiff City to secure the AP Cup championship
* Season 7 - Plymouth defeats Alon Atie's Tranmere Rovers to secure the FA Shield trophy
In Season 8, the team's top goal is to win D2 and get back up to the top flight. It's dark and cold in D2...
But yes it did make me laugh, keep it up though Ian, its all meant in the nicest possible way.
Maybe next season! Then again who wants trophies when you have all that money?
And check the trophy case...
I think it will bring a smile to your face...
Al
Official word came down from the board earlier this week. Prior speculation on the topic turned out to be accurate, as Manager Martin has been given a severence package and cleaned out his office this morning. The team is tight-lipped on the firing at this time, noting only that, "We believe it is in the best interest of the club to look for a manager more attuned to our history and fan base. We wish Mr. Martin the best of luck... somewhere else, of course." The team apparently has a new manager in mind already and is in the negotiation process for transfer from another United club. Martin was unable to be reached by phone for comment.
Al, Andy, Simon, et al
...Sorry I missed a couple of bonuses. Glad to see everyone received the correct value in the end. Enjoy the off season...unless you are a NY Jets fan.
The following teams receive a bonus (Season 7 Financial Bonuses - addendum #2 ):
DER (75)
I believe that DER should have received 100k (75k AP Cup Semifinalist + Division 2 Golden Boot 25k).
Also, shouldn't Compo have received 425k? He was joint top in the Division 1 Golden Boot. I know it's traditional to do him down, but surely that's a bit OTT?!
The following teams receive a bonus (Season 7 Financial Bonuses - addendum):
NOR (25)
The following teams receive a bonus (Season 7 Financial Bonuses):
BHA (200) CRD (300) CAR (300) CHF (50) CRE (300) DER (25) DOR (25) HER (350) LEW (200) LIN (75) NOR (400) FOR (25) PLY (200) QPR (75) SHU (150) SWI (100) TRA (575) WAT (200) WES (450)
Div 3 WSM 150k, Swindon 100k, Chesterfield 50
Should this not be 200k, according to the Rules I have - this extra 50k could get me a holiday or 5, you know!!
As Northampton see it, this is how the money seems to be allocated.
Div 1 Tranmere
500k, Cardiff 300k, Sheff Utd 150k
Div 2 Crewe 300k, Brighton 200k,
Hereford 100k
Div 3 WSM 150k, Swindon 100k, Chesterfield 50
Fa Cup
Northampton 400k, WSM 250k, Watford and Lewes 200k
Ap Cup Hereford 250k
Carlisle 150k, Lincoln and Derby 75k
Ap Shield Plymouth 200k Tranmere
75
Youth Cup Carlisle 150k, QPR 75k
Leading goalscorers
Div 1 Nottm F
Wolfe and Northampton Connoly 25k each
Div 2 Derby Harrison 25k
Div 3
Dorchester Ferrer 25k
Just thought I would point out that I do not have a single player in the Top 10 for disciplinary points but somehow lead the league as a team. I wish to commend my team for coming together by means of teamwork for a job well done in the maiming of other teams' players.
Pretty sure the first one summed things up nicely! We'll see how nicely after watching this coming weekend as Phil and the Cats try to hold off the other two promotion contenders in SWI & OLA.
We wake up, lick ourselves, and get down to the business of ruining the team.
Surely that should be running the team, or is this another small difference in Anglo/US spelling.
There are two stories this season in 2nd Division. First, the marvelous and dominating season Crewe Alexandra FC have put together to walk away with the division title. Crewe are one of three teams with not much to play for this final weekend (the other two being Wycombe and Brentford who are both guaranteed a trip down to 3rd Division). Coach Baptiste, who is a nominee for coach of the year, can begin early preparations for how his team will approach their first season at 1st Division.
The second story in our division this season is the extremely tight race for second and third position and a trip to 1st Division. Currently, positions #2 through #8 are separated by only six (6) points. Any one of those seven teams has a chance to finish top three. With so many possible scenarios this weekend, it is clear almost every 2nd Division game holds implications for how the table finally stands after 15 January.
Perhaps the league's next poll should be, "Who Else Will Promote to 1st Division?"
Andy, Trevor, Abe, Brian, Dave or Ian care to go over the different promotion scenarios? I'm on my 24th straight hour of being awake and being peppered with tasks @ work during on-call.
LIN management is happy to report that OaD has been officially laid to rest for this season...unless NOT can win both matches next week with a minimum of a +17 goal diif (and two LIN losses). The moneky is, at last, off our backs!
Did we have a "Who Will Win Division x?" poll this season?
I've got a couple of losses this season plus four cup round losses and have given up way too many goals at home this season.
Well I am sure no one but me was going to pick me anyway.
Andy, sorry for not mentioning your appearance in the AP Cup Final, but I expected you to be there. Same as Northampton are odds on favourite for the FA Cup Final next week....
Reason for missing you out can be expressed this way - guess how many results involving teams outwith the Premier League will managers like Ferguson and Ancelotti look at in a given week? Correct, none! Same as Rangers and Celtic bosses care for how Brechin City and Elgin City are getting on.
WSM are in the 3rd division and I will confess I only skip over the other Division results whilst concentrating on my own divisional opponents' games. I do watch the Cup ties but only more so if WSM are still in them, same way as when Man U etc go out of the Cups playing with duff squads my money is on they never look at any further results. I can't be the only manager in this situation, can I? Oh, so it's just me, then!!
Anyhow good luck to every Cup team today - and while I am here, to every team playing in a league game today - except my direct opponents. At least that should restrict the lawyers at my door to just 2 for now!
That should read..."running" the team.
Gads, how embarrassing.
Whassis Board of Erectors thing you all keep mentioning? Here at Chesterfield it's just us cats. We wake up, lick ourselves, and get down to the business of ruining the team. Not a bad life for a cat.
Meow,
Clyde & Calvin
Former Oasis groupie, Take That singer and Port Vale majority shareholder Robbie Williams acknowledged Vale manager John Holden has not been performing to the team's expectations this season.
Williams indicated to a reporter Vale's league position of 7th was worrisome and that changes may need to be made if the team slips down a level.
The majority owner did not indicate Holden was in any immediate peril despite "poor development principles" and a "lack of commitment to winning in the past two years".
While no team finishing 3rd in the top division has ever survived relegation the previous season, poor performances in the cup and relatively poor squad development has meant Port Vale are in danger of continuing the streak.
Holden even acknowledged the problems the club has faced the last two seasons.
"Finishing third last season, that was brilliant," said Holden. "But managing a rebuilding team and managing a top flight team are two completely different things. I don't think I've quite figured the latter out yet."
When asked if there were other places he would be willing to manage, Holden dodged the question. Holden did he would be willing to go back to a rebuilding squad if the Vale job crumbles beneath him.
"Right now I'm only focused on Port Vale," said Holden. "I haven't thought about the future at all except I hope to remain at Vale. I do enjoy a project though, but I would not leave Vale unless Robbie [Williams] asked me to."
"I'm not worried about losing my job," said Holden.
Vale will try to survive relegation on the road, with three of their last four games away from Vale Park.
After several months of searching and advertising, Lewes FC has been unsuccesful in assembling a board of directors that would hopefully lead the team to better results and prevent them from being relegated to the third division. There were only three applicants, Larry, Moe, and Curly, better known as the three stooges, that showed interest in "running" the team. After an hour meeting with coach Dohm at a local eatery, which ended abruptly with a food fight, it has been decided that the stooges really would have no better judgement than coach Dohm. Reports are that Dohm had no issues with turning over team personnel decisions to the stooges but he objected that he would lose control over choices for team buffets and selecting the lady Rook cheer leaders. An angry coach Dohm hurled his pasta at Moe which promptly began the all out food fight. Authorities arrived to find coach Dohm with a concussion and a pie in his face.
With no other applicants on the horizon it will be status quo for the Rooks, or should I say relegation. I am sure the rest of MSWL United will rest easy with this news and continue to enjoy watching Lewes footbol. Young up and coming MF, Axel Costa, was quoted as saying, "he looked forward to playing for this inept franchise and was all for the "cleats" high approach that coach Dohm brings." Axel went on to say that, "he thought it was great every Lewes player had contract bonuses based on the number of DP's they accrue. That was an ingenious move on Dohm's part. That's why alot of mid level average players want to play for Lewes. You play hard and no matter what the results are you get paid."
With the concussion and less than 24 hours before kickoff for a pivotal session 9 which sees Lewes at Hereford and home to Brentford it is unknown if coach Dohm will be on the sidelines. If he cannot be revived in time and has to stay home to watch his beloved Seattle Seahawks beat the Saints, this team might be able to pull off a couple victories and avoid releagtion! The legend of the Rooks rolls on!
The Swansea Jacks Board has come out declaring a Vote of Confidence for Manager Graham Wilkes. After mounting press speculation that Wilkes being a Cardiff Fan had been losing games on purpose. The Board have leaped to Wilkes Defence. Chairman Mr Jack Swan was qouted as saying " I fully stand by my manager and his team selection during his 1st season however he did say they expected silverwear at Swansea in the Near Future and Wilkes Tenure would be monitored closely over the next few weeks"
In Response Wilkes Said " I am dissapointed that the Board feel they need to back up my decisions to Progress Youth Development this season with a view to building a team that had no backbone and that is capable of winning the Youth Cup next season" After a grilling from the Press Wilkes also went on to say" IF the board feel they need to monitor me perhaps I should be watching my back and keeping my options open"
South Wales Echo Football Writer Jim Swansea closed his back page article with the comment" Lets keep our options open but back wilkes in the next few matches but please could Wilkes stop playing the Cardiff theme tune I'll be there when the Jacks enter the field"
ï»fUrgoT to siNe LaSt poST...
ï»"Wit Luv, toO KeFfin.
ï»MeOW. Clyde & Calvin
ï»"Ding! Dong!
ï»The witch is dead!
ï»The witch is dead!
ï»The witch is dead!
ï»Ding! Dong!
ï»The wicked witch is dead!"
ï»
ï»AdiOs, Ameeego KeFfin MuRtin. ButTer LUcK nEtx tiEm. nOw WeE pEtishUn aLmigTHe SeLLErz tO taKE ovEr cRd.
ï»FEEr thE pAw.
Rumors swirl that CRD manager Martin is on his way out. Team officials have contacted the league office seeking approval to negotiate terms of possible terms of employment with a new manager, "more in line with the team goals of actually winning something," says an unnamed source due to not being authorized to disclose terms of the missive to league HQ.
CRD's press officer and team president refuse to answer their phones, leading speculation to only increase that big moves are afoot.
Manager Martin's only response to questioning? "I'll worry about that in the off-season. Right now this team still has a shot at a top three finish and would like to give Tranmere a solid run for thier money on Saturday as well. Talk to me after the final league match when the situation is more clear."
Yes Compton sees 6 of his current side out the door this week as he decides some of his players have failed to impress this season, some good solid players over the years in Bradley (GK), and Kyle Watt (Fw) prolific goalscorer were seen leaving via the backdoor, they have given Northampton some good years comented Compton but it was there time to go.
Whilst the future of Compton was still in doubt it was improved last weekend with the FA cup Semi victory over Watford, 3-0 a great result and one which could still see me here for a few more weeks as Compton goes for an unprecented 3 FA Cup trophies, its been rumoured that a new trophy should be made if Northampton were to defeat WSM as the FA have considered letting them keep the current one.
The local Herald though, outside the Chairmans office had overheard discussions between senior members of the board saying that whilst it was an impressive record he has, its still not the league title and relegation this season will hurt this club and should not be taken lightly, reporter Goby Thebackdoor said its a difficult call whether they let him go, who could they bring in new who may have that cutting edge to try and get Northampton back into top flight football and win the league?
Compton as usual, not phased by events has stated whilst i am still in charge, the team will be managed by me and i have a job to do to get these players motivated for 5 more games, then we will see where we go.
I think you should be mortified.
How slighted should we feel that we are not being credited with making our second AP Cup Final by Mr Blair...?
I appear to be very good at that animal illness - what do you call it - ah yes! Foot in the Mouth disease! Sorry Mark!
It says a lot you have done so well in the 2 Cups AND you have improved your League position - good on you!
Carlisle look to be heading for their best ever league finish this year you know. We are currently 2 places higher than our previous best, you know.
Mark
Whereas mostof us have a 2 game match day - WES's 1st I can remember this season without checking, Mark's Carlisle has 4 games.
An indifferent league season has still meant he plays in a Cup Final and a Semi Final this weekend
No disrespect to your opponents (Brighton and Tranmere) but have a good day out - a fine pay day for your Cup endeavours.
Happy Mew Year from Clyde & Calvin!
Happy New Year MSWL United friends!
Happy holidays, my friends. Stay warm. Stay safe. Lose to CRD.
Lincoln City FC sends Andrew Collins (II/10 Fw; 400k)
to Swansea City AFC for 100k, Denis Lorimar (SBY/4 Fw; 155k)
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Swansea City AFC sends 900k
to Dorchester Town for Euan Johnstone (I/15 Gk; 780k)
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Now that we've been uncerimoniously dumped from the AP Cup (congrats, Mark!), it's time to unload some excess weight to build the bank and/or get younger. We're looking to sell off a few players and/or make deals for younger ones.
And we're not talking about guys you don't want. We're looking to deal A3/SL11 kind of players to help competing teams or to help others to avoid relegation. I will throw some offers out there, but pls feel free to look and offer if you are in the market. For the right deal, we will also deal A2/high SL players, again lookingfor younger development players (fully schooled APPs and/or SBYs) and or cash.
Happy holidays to all from The Imps!
Hey all,
Got a few moments to get online. I'm doing well in my recovery from surgery. Apparently, I went in at the right time - my gallbladder was "very sick" according to the surgeon. So, I'm happy I got it done when I did. My family's up for the holiday, which is fantastic. I hope that everyone is spending the holiday with those that they love.
Merry Christmas to everyone!
This is the only waltzing that will be allowed by Crewe Alexandra...
Happy holiday(s) to each of you (yes, even you Mr Holden) and best of luck to everyone in their christmas Day matches. Hopefully everyone gets at least one victory this weekend.
Hey Al,
Give my utmost praise to Mrs S on the basketball score for Curtis, love the screaming and praise you wanna here me on a Saturday morning with Thomas at Football. If anyone is lost go to Dorchesters home page and click on Alans biography and look to the bottom of the page, you have to be an IT wizz though to get a link from there straight to youtube! Wouldnt have a clue where to begin.
Notsure who suffers most with nerves the children or the Parents.
To Everyone have a great Christmas and New Year, enjoy be merry dont drink and drive and make sure you put out poor quality teams against the Cobblers to help in time of need!!
Dismayed by the worst ever season to date in terms of Cup success, overall wins, and team record, the Cardiff City FC board will be gathering following the Christmas holiday to decide the fate of the current manager, Kevin Martin. While all of the voting members have refused comments on the record, anonymous sources report that the majority of the board has already decided their vote. One Cardiff City employee even went as far as to say, "Martin can build a team, but he sure can't win with one. He seems a much better fit for the third division than the first."
Manager Martin declined an interview at this time, though he was seen carrying out a closed box from the team headquarters this afternoon. Christmas gifts for the kids that he had stashed where they couldn't peek early, or has he already started cleaning out his desk for the end that he knows is coming?
Updates as warranted following the board meeting set to take place on December 30th, weather permitting. Who knows if this coming weekend will be a last shot at redemption for this squad, or the final nail in the coffin for a once-successful manager?
With the abysmal play of the lads AND the elders, the assuredly will be some benching going on next week. While only a 2 match week (ummm, thanks to the shoddy play of the aforementioned people - NOTICE: NOT players!), some normally key players might not be suited up next week. "Unfortunately, I cannot allow some unnamed players back onto the field after their lackadaisical play this weekend. Their atrocious play almost had me contemplating selling them to the non-league.", fired coach Baptiste. Asked if he'll be throwing away another two games by employing these benching of star players he responded, "Their are other players on this team that practiced all week and did not play but suredly deserved to play over those that did. Next week, they will get their deserved chance. I may have to abandon, well rework, some of our successful strategies to get them in but when all is said and done those "star" players will be taught a lesson in - I'm done talking!"
(Pardon the Interruption, that is!)
Rob, all the best for your operation - I will keep an eye on your team so people like Dave D don't buy up any of your stars for the price of a bottle of (cheap) red wine!!
Just wanted to drop a quick note... I'm probably going to go absent for about a week after tomorrow's matches. I'm going in for a cholecystectomy on Tuesday (that's surgery to remove the gallbladder). It should only be a day-surgery and I should be home resting and recovering Tuesday night. But, I don't think I'll be able to get online much between now and Christmas.
With that said, Merry Christmas to all my MSWL United brethren. Hope the holiday is special and joyous for you all 
(Yes Dave, even you) 
.
Are their any files anywhere that we can access to see various league records..?
Say like the most goals scored in a game?
I think the Swansea Manager may be interested !
The Northampton Herald tonight has confirmed that the Board at The Cobblers are convening tonight to discuss the position of manager Compton, with all the managerial sackings and changes that are afoot in the Premiership it is rumoured that the likes of Johl, Alladyce and Eriksson could be in line for the managerial spot at Northampton should it become available.
Reported by the Herald journalist 'Al WhatslifelikeinDiv3 Sellers' was heard to catch Manager Compton, as he left this evenings training ground saying is your job safe or is your next stop Brentford Town!! Compton fired back hey lifes tough at the top and we wouldnt have it any other way and whilst our league results are not what the board expect remember we are in the Semi Finals of the greatest ever competition and we expect to rally the team with wins this weekend over Lincoln and Cardiff (given there poor run against us I thought he said suggested Sellars), so its not all over yet but the board members can be a little fickle suggested Compton, but i have faith that they believe in what we are trying to achieve here.
Members of the board who were seen entering the ground refused to comment that thety were planning to oust Compton from his position but one member was overheard saying this league position is embarrasing and with a Cup exit to Carlisle things are not great here at Northampton and maybe its time for a new face, but we will see.
Like all great managers Compton knows his fate is in the lap of the gods as he pulls away in his Lamboughini wondering if its all worth it, but giving Sellers a rye smile!
I had better enjoy my time this season - rumour has it Brian is organising a petition to get me out after that extraordinary result in the FA Cup Quarter Final between us
When I saw that MF total of 78 it was all I could do to just go away and do something else more useful - sweeping more snow off the path came to mind. But I carried on as shot after shot was missed or saved and when the game finished I was drained - suspect Brian had a different verb in mind!
If I get allowed to play another season I will try not to buck the trend that says those that do all the work get the rewards - in this case Brian did and didn't - I leave you to work it out!
If that wasn't enough I sneak two 1-0 league wins and go from 5th (or 4th - at my age we tend to miss things) to 1st in an instant. Now I have to keep it!!
Then I find I am the world's 5th (or 6th - told you about my memory) worst hoodlum in causing injuries - look I only average a hardness of 1. whatever - if opponents want to fall over my players' legs, fists, headbutts, that's up to them.... Funny - I see hardness as being an addition to my totals, not necessarily an opportunity to cripple opponents whilst running the risk of injury to my own sweet lads and causing penalties - shows you how far I have still to go to master this game..!
LOL, I had forgotten all about Comrade Jay. Can't you get him into MSWL United? Do we need a "get Jay into United" poll, or even all out campaign? Although lets wait until we've decided on this bank tax - or we won't be taxing balances of 3000 or 4000k, if we let Jay decide we'll end up with a tax on anything above zero!
I for one am enjoying the comments of Comrade Rob. Good to see some more potential rivalries out there and no one (especially not Dave Van Dohm who has been the brunt of these injuries) is surprised to see the Meditechers leading the hoodlum list.
Which leads me to another point.
Back in the days when I had a level of mind control over Ian and he would do what I told him he produced some brilliant things. Nowadays perhaps he's not listening anymore due to all the anti-Ian posts and how I sometimes create polls with the question of "Is Ian the worst manager of the year" and then I only offer "yes" as a choice...
But back on topic...here is something Ian did for a manager in the original MSWL, Jay Patrick Tiberius Wilkins:
Do we need Ian to start to develop a similar campaign of photos for Comrade Rob?
...me, not so much. Between my near-Communist posts and being a top hoodlum coach, I have a feeling I have added myself to the "These two managers don't like each other..." pool for a lot of teams. Mike is the Top Hoodlum by the way, not me. His players have far more discipline points than mine.
...me, not so much. Between my near-Communist posts and being a top hoodlum coach, I have a feeling I have added myself to the "These two managers don't like each other..." pool for a lot of teams. Mike is the Top Hoodlum by the way, not me. His players have far more discipline points than mine.
Wow, the Meditech Third Shift must be taking its toll on us all.
Top 5 Hoodlums Coaches // Injuries Caused
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Swansea City AFC sends 95k
to Lewes FC for Evan McCarthy (SBY/3 Fw; 85k)
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Swansea City AFC sends Logan Graham (I/9 Mf; 420k)
to Weston-super-Mare AFC for 375k, Paolo Giordano (II/8 Mf; 300k)
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The following teams receive a bonus (Bio and Photo Updates through December 5th):
CHF (50) DAG (25) DOR (50) LEE (50) LIN (25)
With all the forum banter about reducing cash amounts in the league, here is a really good way to start without any rule alterations. More than half the league has over 1000k in the bank. Of those, only 3 at maxed out at 30 players. So everyone else has a legitimate shot at getting an outstanding player that would instantly start in the top 11 of every team in this league. The II/14 Defenders are better than can be developed internally, so teams pushing for promotion should be willing to bid a very pretty penny to nab the services of one or both. What else were you saving up the money for? A top notch player that can help achieve your goals for the next two full seasons and then some beyond? Here's two of them waiting for your bids now!
Yes all this weeks players in the auction are of excellent quality and will I have no doubt go for a song, with some clubs on the 30 player limit and others with a lack of money it would appear that there is a possibility of a few bargains to be had, shame we have little money and only one player left on our roster.
Still some clubs with a hand full of player places left on the roster should be keen to investigate and see what can be picked up, Wakey Wakey and good luck at the weekend 
Come out from behind the sofa some of you and get bidding.
Carlisle United sends 260k
to Lincoln City FC for Marc Molina (APP/5 Df; 240k)
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Awaiting the draw for the next round from the fixture computer. I suspect I'll be outgunned whoever i get.
The following teams receive a bonus (Season 7 Bio and Photo Updates (50k Bio, 25k new Photo)):
BHA (50) BRI (50) CRD (50) CAR (75) HER (75) LEI (75) LIN (50) NOR (75) FOR (50) PLY (75) PV (75) SU (75) SWA (75) WES (75)
Swansea City AFC sends 235k
to Brentford FC for Charlie Dean (V/3 Fw; 20k)
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Assuming I wear one, and I don't!
Seriously thanks very much for all that information. I am sure one or two others - Katie etc - will be absorbing that info as well.
It answers everything I asked (and added more for interest)
If you lived near by I would buy you a drink - actually I am Scottish, so we will just have the drink at chez Blair - it's cheaper (must keep up the stereotype, eh?)
A few responses to help out (hopefully):
1) As you have now noted, even without any hardness in a match there is always a 2.5% chance of injury to every player (1.25% for Gk). While you can CP an older player even if injured, the youth need playing time. Fortunately for you, the only player that cannot currently play is a Schoolboy. Use a Youth Coach slot on him. He'll recover one Fit point for not playing this session, and you can use one CP to add another for a +2 gain for the session. That's the max he can get back, and then could play next session if you wanted.
For the injured Apprentice, he's at Fit -1. He can still play, he's just not nearly as effective as when fully healthy. You have a few options the two foremost of which are: A) play him even though he's not fully fit, and just take the -1 penalty to keep the training going. Give him one CP for Fitness each time and he'll be a 0 Fit after this session, 1 Fit after session 4, 2 Fit after session 5 (barring further injury). B) Rest him this session and give him a CP for Fit to get him to Fit 1 for session 4. You can afford to do this though it is a bit of a risk. The reason is that your Apprentice at Mf started this season at QNL 1. You need 20 matches total to get the full 5 RSD for an Apprentice. Coming in with a leftover (from being RSD 3, QNL 1 as a Sby last season) means you need 19. If you played him twice in the other 9 sessions that's 18. So this coming session you could gamble that he's not going to get injured again and Youth Coach the player this session for a +1 to QNL while he rests to recover Fit. That means that if he plays twice per session the rest of the way out, he'll still hit RSD 5 at the end of session 10 and start next season as an Age I, SL 10 player. Again, that's a risk. If he gets injured to -3 or worse in a 2nd injury this season then he cannot peak higher than SL 9 and will be at least one SL off from being a max player for the remainder of his life in this league. Risk vs. reward is your call.
2) Off-side Trap is a nice play for change of pace, to rest a Sweeper, or to help limit damage from a massive Fw line the enemy has. However, risk it only with a good Gk. Without having the Sw to help out stop scoring chances, the conversion rate on chances is considerably higher. If your top Sw is SL 8 or lower and not an App needing youth time, then you might consider using OST anyway. That way you get an extra player in an outfield area to help with area stats and get the guaranteed 50% reduction from their Fw shots anyway.
3) SL in this league is limited by CP earned, which is limited by wins. Having a massive MF and FW lineup at the same time is not usually possible for anyone but the top few teams or those with large bank accounts who bought some top players as opposed to developing them internally. Some teams have opted for the Mf over the Fw lines to strengthen to allow for OST to be played more easily and because the opponents they'll play the most this year and next are weaker there so you get the Mf shots while preventing any against you. It's not a bad move, as if their Df is bigger than your Fw they only get 1 shot per 3 SL (or just 1 for 5 without a Sw playing) as opposed to 1 scoring chance per 2 SL better in the Mf area.
4) You mentioned "gate money." That doesn't really exist in this league. Everyone in the season has a set revenue for each session based solely on the division they are in: 65k Div 3, 80k Div 2, 95k Div 1. The number of matches or which competitions you advance in have no bearing on revenue during the season. Only if you make the Quarterfinals or better (semis/finals only depending on which Cup competition - see rules for exact breakdown on cash awards) do you get any cash for Cup advancement. And that is solely given out after session 10, so you see nothing in terms of cash bonuses during the season.
However, you also mentioned CP. Advancing to get more matches, and trying to draw/win more matches to get more CP is critical. So playing to win is always a good idea. Further, winning more matches means you'll be playing in more matches later in the season when many teams are down to just their league matches each week. More matches in a session gives you more flexibility in terms of where the youth can play. Being forced to field all your youth in one match or all your Apps in the league every week doesn't bode well for season-long results.
As a final note on winning/CP, if you end regulation in a draw (or extra time for FA/AP Cups), then even if you go on to lose the PK shootout both teams get the 5 CP for the draw result. So a win on PKs isn't as good as a win outright, even though you advance, while losing on PKs still gets you 5 CP as a consolation prize.
Trevor? I meant Dave. Sorry.
Trevor's list is accurate.
I think this is accurate..........
1. Plymouth
2.Weston
3. Watford
4.Tranmere
5.Lincoln (boo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
6.Preston (how in the world?)
7.Hereford
8.Derby
9.Chesterfield
10.Oldham
11.Brighton
12.Lewes
13.Northampton
14.Dorchester
15.Carlisle
16.Dagenham
A few things I have learned since joining this illustrous setup.
1) I can get injuries even when myself and the opposition are not playing any hardness - 2 recent ones received in the same game of which 1 is a -3 APP. Now how am I supposed to get him back fit soonest so I can play and train him up....?
2) A few teams playing with out a SW allowing the OST to be used. Good weapon that although it does cut down your 2nd last line of defence against a shot that does come through.
3) Couple (or more - I have only played 7 matches) of teams majoring on a heavy MF to gain shots - is this a legacy from the old days when people piled up the DF and FW to stop and create shots and left MF alone - which is now being utilised as a prime way of gaining shots on an unsuspecting opponent. (Daddy and daughter - no names, no pack drills - seem to have surprisingly similar views on the game lineups. Good to see, as my daughter when she was at that age would have disagreed with any suggestions I might have given her.
4) Tried (and succeeded) to get through my FA Cup 1st round replay in order to get a 2nd round tie for more gate money and CPs, completely forgetting the bit about the FA Shield where I would have gained a further Cup tie even if I had lost the game v Plymouth - doh!
Just following up to Dr. Beerman's question...
Our deadline is a GMT one...so its 1800 GMT all the time. Local time relative to GMT changes though for most countries like the USA twice a year. So as we go through that time change the deadline will be different relative to local time, but always 1800 GMT.
As a follow-on...everyone...please check the top of this page to ensure it is the correct time. It may be an hour off for you given the recent time change. To change the time so its accurate for you, just click USER INFO then select the proper time and save. I store all the time in GMT and then use YOUR time setting so that time information will show up local to you.
Al
Top 5 Hoodlums Coaches // Injuries Caused
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I thought last season games ran at 2.00pm EST, or is my memory waning due to C-Ball's brainwashing this past week?
...the league wonders why the trophy case isn't in need of an expansion...
...that's our roster!!!
The FA this week will decide if any action is to be taken against these two clubs as in two matches this weekend both managers played a full strength Youth Teams, maybe on preperation for this weekends League clash but it all honesty the FA were shocked at the tactics used.
Yes it has cost Tranmere as they lost to Swansea in what was a heated affair and get thrown out of the FA Cup, the Tranmere board are questioning the tactics of Altie as the FA Cup is one trophy that is not in their cabinet, successful as he is the chairman stated there is no excuse for this and a hearing will begin.
Port Vale's use of the Youth policy has cost them also as they are out of the AP Cup before it even begins, still manager of Northampton (Compton) came to Vales support in a post match interview and was heard to state that if Holden pulls off a major upset against Tranmere next week because he has played his Youth Team then I will be the first one to buy him a Pint!
Compton was also overheard by the commissioner as saying that if the FA Shield was not so lucrative in the way of 10cps for a win then maybe teams would not be so quick to forfeit the traditional FA Cup route, which would appear to be in some eyes a trivial trophy to win.
The FA is also now investigating Comptons comments to see if he has brought the game into disrepute, the Cobblers board currently have made no comment other than to say that there manager has been known to speak before engaging his brain, a spokesman from the echo wonders if this will lead to a rift in the relationship at Northampton.
Southend United sends Ariel Acosta (II/8 Gk; 300k)
to Plymouth Argyle FC for 400k
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Lincoln City FC sends 120k, William Jones (I/10 Fw; 480k)
to Watford for Alex Hughes (II/13 Mf; 550k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Queens Park Rangers sends 100k, Jacob Robinson (IV/5 Df; 90k), Zak Gray (IV/4 Df; 60k)
to Plymouth Argyle FC for Oscar Stevens (V/2 Df; 0k)
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Swansea City AFC sends Kieran King (II/Youth Coach; 80k)
to Dagenham & Redbridge for 200k
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Brighton & Hove Albion sends 45k
to Brentford FC for Erik Schneider (V/3 Df; 20k)
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Lincoln City FC sends 50k
to Oldham Athletic AFC for Kian Johnson (IV/3 Gk; 30k)
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Dorchester Town sends 60k
to Oldham Athletic AFC for Tyler Wright (III/3 Df; 40k)
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That should read ... "was removed in the famous Al computer crash of November 2010".
...sadly Kev's lengthy post where he mentioned the Vale about six times and posted the fun stat where the 3rd place finisher in the top flight always gets relegated the year after.
I commented by saying only the Vale have been relegated to the third division and then subsequently played in the top flight - though Brighton, Derby, and Leeds could all do one better by being relegated from the first to the third and then climbing the ladder back up again with a promotion.
Preston North End FC sends 250k
to Southend United for Ross Munro (III/8 Gk; 240k)
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Lincoln City FC sends 275k
to Hereford United FC for Gabin Pain (IV/9 Df; 210k)
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Hereford United FC sends Thomas Conner (III/11 Mf; 360k)
to Brentford FC for Benjamin Adam (III/11 Df; 360k)
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Preston North End are "6th" in the D2 table, so I don't think it's anything which isn't random...
Hereford United FC sends Daniel Ritchie (V/3 Df; 20k)
to Swansea City AFC for 140k, Michael Smith (IV/5 Mf; 90k)
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| 1. | Nottingham Forest | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2. | Cardiff City FC | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3. | Plymouth Argyle FC | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4. | Sheffield United | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 5. | Watford | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 6. | Lincoln City FC | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 7. | Tranmere Rovers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 8. | Port Vale FC | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 9. | Queens Park Rangers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 10. | Northampton Town FC | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
I am sure Al does it on purpose just to get me going!!
Dorchester Town sends 220k
to Carlisle United for Bryan Hammond (II/6 Sw; 200k)
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Northampton Town FC sends 25k
to Carlisle United for Ryan O'Neil (III/2 Mf; 0k)
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Southend United sends 150k, Connor Marshall (III/7 Sw; 200k)
to Carlisle United for Zachary Fletcher (I/7 Gk; 300k)
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Lincoln City FC sends 100k
to Wycombe Wanderers for Damien Henri (IV/2 Df; 0k), Alexander Gregory (IV/3 Mf; 30k)
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Hereford United FC sends John Rooney (V/3 Df; 20k)
to Bristol City FC for 150k, Marc Castro (IV/3 Df; 30k)
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Northampton Town FC sends 550k
to Crewe Alexandra FC for Brian Harper (I/10 Gk; 480k)
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Dorchester Town sends 215k
to Swansea City AFC for Adam Pearce (II/6 Mf; 200k)
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Swansea City AFC sends 175k
to Port Vale FC for Jose Manuel Diaz (APP/3 Fw; 70k)
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As all or at least most are aware of by now, the Tranmere Rovers won the Youth Cup along with yet another Division 1 title. Congratulations goes out to them and has for such an accomplishment. The upstart Crewe Alexandra was the opponent who followed a semi-final round exit last season to being the final opponent this time around. The match was seemingly even (14 attacks to 16 attacks and both Gk's with a 76% save chance) however Kai Morris had the match of his life netting the hat trick vs. Jason Quinn. Well apparently after the Rovers fourth goal, the Motley Crewe took exception with Kai's taunting and gathered upon him to lay down a pummeling while the cameras were off. This lack of sportsmanship may go over in the States but the league was none to pleased about this. Kai Morris of Tranmere was suspended one game for his taunting and instigating the melee while FIVE Crewe Alexandra players will start the season watching from the sidelines. Roger Parsons and Gabin Bruno sustained the stiffest penalties of two game suspenions for actually throwing punches while [Taylor] James, [Roberto] Costa and [Blair] Grant each received one game suspensions for leaving their positions and surrounding Mr. Morris. Uncharacteristic of a Mr. Baptiste coached crew[e], the events which unfolded would have been less noteworthy if carried out by CAFC's first round FA Cup opponent, Jake Hanny's Bristol City. Although severely hampered for this upcoming game, Mr. Baptiste gave no indication of seeking an appeal for any of his players. "It sure seemed as though we were being afforded all of the breaks early on. Scottie [Cameron of the Rovers] got tangled up with one of our Fw's hurting his ankle in the process. [I'm] not sure if that set the other team off but what my players had done was irreprehensible regardless if they felt Kai was shoving them out of position or not. Hats off to Alon for executing an excellent game plan which allowed his star player to perform to the best of his ability.", quipped coach Baptiste "I won't let this type of activity occur again".
Weston-super-Mare AFC sends Tyler Scott (III/6 Mf; 160k), James Connolly (III/6 Fw; 160k)
to Dorchester Town for 350k
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Cardiff City FC sends Thomas Sullivan (V/4 Df; 40k)
to Nottingham Forest for 275k
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Don't forget to welcome Graham Wilkes to the league also. Graham, if you have been managing another team in this league for years I apologize - that'd be the ultimate in no respect. Actually, he has entered his bio already albeit without a picture. Katie [Compton], aka K.C., (the list of K.C.'s I know seems to grow exponentially), opted for the picture is worth a thousand words approach. Easily conveys the sentiment of "I am not Fran" two-hundred and fifty times.
Sorry if there is a third (Jeff, how long have you managed D&R?), fourth or even fifth new person. If so, then you can truly sympathize with Mr. Dangerfield and Graham can revel in being the 10th most recognizable coach in the 3rd Division.
The following teams receive a bonus (Trade correction (see SWA - CRD Nov. 1 trade)):
CRD (420) SWA (-420)
Hey Mike, Steady on you will give the Old Man a complex!
The fans are still backing me though as Compton's name rings around sixfields stadium after the board gave a vote of approval at todays board meeting.
Its game on shouted Compton, money for new players has been released and only time will tell again what this season has in store, one thing though, no one will rellish coming to this stadium, the fans will be hostile and the players have given there backing to play at 110% this season in what will be a last attempt at some silverware for some of these Cobblers players.
Swansea City AFC sends
to Cardiff City FC for 210k, Daniel Watson (V/4 Gk; 40k)
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Brighton & Hove Albion sends 10k
to Leeds United for Sam Clarke (IV/2 Mf; 0k)
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Dorchester Town sends 25k
to Leeds United for Josh Miller (III/2 Fw; 0k)
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Katie, welcome to the league! If your Dad's histoy is any indication, you will be very good at finishing second.
And yes, James at QPR is a brutal competitor. LIN is still smarting from an AP Cup Final loss to him just a month or so ago.
Welcome and enjoy!
My first team i'm playing is Queen Park Rangers ,,'simon says there a hard team'
Southend United sends 675k
to Dorchester Town for Ben Henderson (I/10 Mf; 480k)
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Swansea City AFC sends Finlay Adams (IV/4 Df; 60k)
to Dorchester Town for 80k
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...he's still peeved I got Brighton relegated from the first division in Season 2 !
I look forward to getting to D1 someday so that I will have the opportunity to beat Port Vale twice per season. I'm just saying....
Port Vale FC sends 204k
to Lincoln City FC for James Allan (V/6 Df; 80k)
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Port Vale FC sends 115k, Sang Ki Lim (IV/3 Fw; 30k)
to Lincoln City FC for Sindre Hauge (V/4 Gk; 40k)
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Carlisle United sends 40k
to Port Vale FC for Yasuo Watanabe (IV/3 Mf; 30k)
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Carlisle United sends 40k
to Port Vale FC for Samuel Senechal (IV/3 Df; 30k)
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Dorchester Town sends 15k
to Port Vale FC for Josh Farrell (IV/2 Df; 0k)
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Northampton Town FC sends Calum Brown (V/4 Fw; 40k)
to Lewes FC for 200k
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Yes Xmas comes early as Northampton entertain Tranmere Rovers on Christmas Day, what a day that is looking likely to be, the only present i want now is a Win!!
Dorchester Town sends 30k
to Wycombe Wanderers for Dennis Schmidt (IV/2 Fw; 0k)
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Carlisle United sends Oscar Stevens (V/2 Df; 0k)
to Plymouth Argyle FC for 200k
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Southend United sends Dylan Rogers (III/4 Sw; 80k), Jake Docherty (III/4 Df; 80k)
to Dorchester Town for 180k
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Leicester City FC sends 125k
to Crewe Alexandra FC for Fionn Hayes (V/2 Df; 0k)
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Plymouth Argyle FC sends Oscar Stevens (IV/6 Df; 120k)
to Carlisle United for 200k
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Brighton & Hove Albion sends 700k
to Carlisle United for Elliot Dahlberg (I/10 Mf; 480k)
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Brighton & Hove Albion sends 550k
to Dorchester Town for Joseph Byrd (I/10 Fw; 480k)
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If anyone has a age 5 player for sale so i can convert him to a physio please send me a trade offer
Lewes FC sends 175k
to Dorchester Town for Benjamin Howard (V/2 Fw; 0k)
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im new here , so you better all go easy on me ,im only just getting to now how to play this game and you people are all pretty welcoming .
Northampton Town are looking forward to the new season ahead as they see old enemies return such as Cardiff and Lincoln, but the number one threat as always is Tranmere as they have the highest T11but player values that are below the rest of us, still another great season ahead and its possible blood could be spilt in the Compton household as his eldest daughter takes Leicester City through its paces and you never know what competitions we may meet in?
Things around Roots Hall stadium are pretty bleak at the moment in real life & in 'United' as the Season that's just finished proved to be the worst in our United History.
The slippery slope
began in session 2 or 3 when I entered my orders & then did a trade & forgot to re-enter the orders which rendered me NMR ( The first time ever in United). 
That cost me 6 points & a big bundle of CP! & we never really recovered! slipping down the table to finish in 10th position & return to whence we came (Division 3)
Next season will need a major investment in youth & one of 'El Presidentes' "re-building" seasons I fear.
Oh well as Arnie would say "We'll be Back" ...
COME ON YOU BLUES!
Kevin Phillips 93rd minute equaliser for Birmingham was a nail through the heart of all Brentford fans & had their on loan Keeper Ben Hamer not been Cup tied they may even had won the Penalty shoot-out as they did against Premier outfit Everton in the previous round!. Still no disgrace for the Bees & their loyal fans, one of whom is my 85 year old Dad! No thats not him in the Mascot suit !
Bzzzzz Bzzzzzzzzzzzzz
In fact, a bit of a disaster, really.
Oh Kevin what have you done, I always new the human mind was cleverer than that of a computer, fair play to you>
I broke the blog. E-mailing Al now...
Sorry.
What they seem to prove is that I still have a lot of work to do.
Now, if I could find a rich arab investor to pump a the GDP of a third world nation into the club, then I might stand a chance...
In United at least. Can't say anything about your game elsewhere. All figures in this table are from the 18 league matches. Cup games not included, as the discrepancy in talent level doesn't even out like in league games.
Team = team. like you couldn't figure that one out.
v Sw = Total scoring chances by your team against a Sweeper by the opposition
Stops = how many of those the sweepers stopped
Stop % = percentage of chances stopped by sweepers
Shots = total shots, which is the sum of chances that eluded the sweepers and all shots taken when not facing a sweeper
Off T = total # of shots which were off-target
Off T % = percentage of the time your players sent one anywhere but where it needed to go
On Goal = total shots on goal
Saves = # of those shots on goal that the enemy Gk plucked from the air
Save % = percentage of your shots that did NOT score. High numbers are bad here.
Chances = total combined scoring chances for all league matches
Goals = total goals scored
Scoring % = what it says. % of chances that turned into goals.
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All teams are listed below, ranked by final scoring percentage so you can see how lucky you were over the course of the season. As expected due to weaker Sweepers and Goalies, lower division teams finished with better scoring percentages. Still, the breakdowns might be useful to some when planning match strategies and development strategies heading into next season. Please note that in addition to the 30 league teams, I have also included Div 1, 2, 3 and total League averages for comparison purposes.
| Team | Div | v Sw | Stops | Stop % | Shots | Off T | Off T% | On Goal | Saves | Save % | Chances | Goals | Scoring % |
| LEE | 3 | 181 | 92 | 50.8% | 157 | 55 | 35.0% | 102 | 55 | 53.9% | 249 | 47 | 18.9% |
| CAR | 3 | 44 | 23 | 52.3% | 41 | 20 | 48.8% | 21 | 9 | 42.9% | 64 | 12 | 18.8% |
| WYC | 3 | 92 | 49 | 53.3% | 97 | 37 | 38.1% | 60 | 38 | 63.3% | 146 | 22 | 15.1% |
| Div 3 Avg | 3 | 1450 | 744 | 51.3% | 1058 | 408 | 38.6% | 650 | 401 | 61.7% | 1802 | 249 | 13.8% |
| WES | 3 | 217 | 118 | 54.4% | 116 | 42 | 36.2% | 74 | 42 | 56.8% | 234 | 32 | 13.7% |
| DOR | 3 | 96 | 40 | 41.7% | 64 | 23 | 35.9% | 41 | 27 | 65.9% | 104 | 14 | 13.5% |
| CHF | 3 | 225 | 108 | 48.0% | 158 | 53 | 33.5% | 105 | 70 | 66.7% | 266 | 35 | 13.2% |
| SWA | 3 | 33 | 17 | 51.5% | 23 | 9 | 39.1% | 14 | 9 | 64.3% | 40 | 5 | 12.5% |
| OLA | 3 | 128 | 70 | 54.7% | 108 | 40 | 37.0% | 68 | 46 | 67.6% | 178 | 22 | 12.4% |
| DAG | 3 | 76 | 39 | 51.3% | 84 | 42 | 50.0% | 42 | 27 | 64.3% | 123 | 15 | 12.2% |
| DER | 3 | 358 | 188 | 52.5% | 210 | 87 | 41.4% | 123 | 78 | 63.4% | 398 | 45 | 11.3% |
| FOR | 2 | 160 | 77 | 48.1% | 114 | 44 | 38.6% | 70 | 49 | 70.0% | 191 | 21 | 11.0% |
| SU | 2 | 118 | 65 | 55.1% | 194 | 79 | 40.7% | 115 | 87 | 75.7% | 259 | 28 | 10.8% |
| PNE | 2 | 217 | 124 | 57.1% | 158 | 56 | 35.4% | 102 | 72 | 70.6% | 282 | 30 | 10.6% |
| LEW | 2 | 177 | 96 | 54.2% | 143 | 61 | 42.7% | 82 | 57 | 69.5% | 239 | 25 | 10.5% |
| LEAGUE | 53.5% | 39.6% | 70.9% | 10.3% | |||||||||
| CRD | 2 | 197 | 103 | 52.3% | 127 | 45 | 35.4% | 82 | 59 | 72.0% | 230 | 23 | 10.0% |
| CRE | 2 | 202 | 122 | 60.4% | 172 | 75 | 43.6% | 97 | 68 | 70.1% | 294 | 29 | 9.9% |
| SWI | 2 | 93 | 52 | 55.9% | 101 | 36 | 35.6% | 65 | 50 | 76.9% | 153 | 15 | 9.8% |
| Div 2 Avg | 2 | 1854 | 1011 | 54.5% | 1469 | 587 | 40.0% | 884 | 646 | 73.1% | 2480 | 238 | 9.6% |
| BRI | 1 | 372 | 208 | 55.9% | 206 | 73 | 35.4% | 133 | 95 | 71.4% | 414 | 38 | 9.2% |
| BHA | 2 | 176 | 105 | 59.7% | 105 | 41 | 39.0% | 64 | 46 | 71.9% | 210 | 18 | 8.6% |
| SHU | 1 | 170 | 89 | 52.4% | 148 | 46 | 31.1% | 102 | 82 | 80.4% | 237 | 20 | 8.4% |
| QPR | 1 | 165 | 81 | 49.1% | 162 | 65 | 40.1% | 97 | 77 | 79.4% | 243 | 20 | 8.2% |
| LIN | 2 | 394 | 200 | 50.8% | 265 | 110 | 41.5% | 157 | 120 | 76.4% | 465 | 37 | 8.0% |
| WAT | 1 | 329 | 164 | 49.8% | 202 | 82 | 40.6% | 120 | 91 | 75.8% | 366 | 29 | 7.9% |
| BRE | 1 | 81 | 46 | 56.8% | 56 | 19 | 33.9% | 37 | 29 | 78.4% | 102 | 8 | 7.8% |
| LEI | 2 | 120 | 67 | 55.8% | 90 | 40 | 44.4% | 50 | 38 | 76.0% | 157 | 12 | 7.6% |
| HER | 1 | 224 | 119 | 53.1% | 232 | 114 | 49.1% | 118 | 93 | 78.8% | 351 | 25 | 7.1% |
| Div 1 Avg | 1 | 2726 | 1495 | 54.8% | 1903 | 766 | 40.3% | 1137 | 901 | 79.2% | 3398 | 236 | 6.9% |
| TRA | 1 | 368 | 207 | 56.3% | 301 | 119 | 39.5% | 182 | 150 | 82.4% | 508 | 32 | 6.3% |
| NOR | 1 | 346 | 193 | 55.8% | 275 | 110 | 40.0% | 165 | 139 | 84.2% | 468 | 26 | 5.6% |
| PLY | 1 | 264 | 158 | 59.8% | 137 | 60 | 43.8% | 77 | 61 | 79.2% | 295 | 16 | 5.4% |
| PV | 1 | 407 | 230 | 56.5% | 184 | 78 | 42.4% | 106 | 84 | 79.2% | 414 | 22 | 5.3% |
All figures per match reporting, and these do NOT include penalty kicks, so the actual scoring figures won't match up perfectly with league tables. PKs are excluded since they do not use the standard calculations for scoring. This table reflects generated scoring chances for each team.
And finally, if there is anything you'd like to know league-wide or specifically for your team, drop me a note and I'll see if I've got those stats handy or can have Al get me something that I can use to find them pretty quickly before everything gets re-set for the start of season 7.
And as a closing scary thought... if Tranmere had the fortune/luck in scoring that Leeds had this last season, they would have scored 96 goals in league play, which averages to over 5 goals per match. Let's all just hope Alon's luck doesn't improve for next season or we may have to petition Al to create Division A for Alon and some generated all-SL 15/16 teams so the rest of us have a chance of winning the league and Alon gets a decent challenge now and again!
Here are some random facts to mull over and ruminate on the significance of while awaiting the end of the thankfully brief off-season of discontent for most United managers between seasons 6 & 7. I'm certain the keys to success lie in these figures, though I really have no idea where to find them. They are perhaps hidden wherever my cell phone holder went after my 14-month-old wandered off with it the other day. I found some shoes in the second drawer up in my computer desk last week, for no discernable reason as to why he thought that was where they belong. That's a step up from finding Power Rangers in the toilet, though that would be more symbolic of the Bluebirds' season as any time we finish second to a C-Ball led team it's definitely a season down the [toilet]. I'd offer congrats on a fine season by the Imps, except then he'd never let me forget that. So we'll hold off and start the sign up list for the Season 7 Lincoln City Relegation Party instead. Sign up early for the best seats and note if you're bringing drinks or a dessert.
Random facts before the big table which you knew had to be coming. (Come on, I haven't posted one all season. I'm nearly entering withdrawal mode here!)
Southend United faced a Sweeper only 6 times in 18 league matches, fewest in the league. Next closest was Tranmere at 9. Most was Port Vale, who faced a Sweeper 17 times in 18 league matches. Apparently Rob at PLY missed the memo before entering lines for match 20.
Most shots in a league match was Tranmere, with an amazing 67 chances to score on Plymouth in match 38 (league match 17)! Even more incredibly, Rob's GK and SW were up to the task, with 38 stops by the sweeper and the goalie making 20 saves on 22 shots on goal.
By division, the most scoring chances in league play were:
Division 1: Tranmere with 508 chances. Division 2: Lincoln City FC 465. Division 3: Derby County 398. No real surprises there. The secret to a division title? If you want to win more, shoot a whole lot more than your opponents do. The real telling stat is how far back the #2 guys were. Div 1: NOR 468, PV 414. Div 2: CRD 230, FOR 191. Div 3: LEE 249, WYC 146. Lincoln City and Derby County were so dominant that they created more scoring chances than the 2nd and 3rd place teams COMBINED throughout league play this season. To have finished even on points with such a juggernaut that they double my scoring chances doesn't seem so bad right now... FYI, the league average was 201 chances per team. You'll see how your team fared below. I guess the only down side to taking so many chances is that the team starts to think that every shot looks like a good one. Tranmere also had the most off-target chances in one match this season, firing 15 shots in the stands behind the goal in their final league match against Brentford.
Best luck against Sweepers? Look no further than the Magpies. Sweepers had a stop rate of just 41.7% against Al's rebuilding project. Next closest were Chesterfield at 48.0% and Forest at 48.1%. Worst luck against the last line of defense belongs to Rob at Crewe. A 60.4% stop rate over the season in league play just isn't fair. Rob at Plymouth was a close second at 59.8% along with Brian's 'Gulls at 59.7%.
How well can your players shoot? Sheffield United had the most accurate shooters this season with just 31.1% of shots off-target (no Sw playing + shots that eluded the Sw when playing). Phil's club was second at 33.5%, with Derek's Bees buzzing in at 33.9% off-target, so they at least tried to make the most of their few opportunities this season. On the other end of the spectrum, I would expect the highest scoring clubs to have the worst off-target percentage as it ticks up when the score starts getting above 2 goals. Instead, some teams just couldn't shoot well enough to try to run up the score! Dagenham & Redbridge have a new manager and he needs to get them back to the basics as they had the league worst off-target percentage in league play at an even 50.0%. This narrowly eluded Hereford's 49.1% mis-effort and Carlisle's 48.8% lack-of-straight-shooting. Better luck next season to those managers as Olmec continually reminds us of what is well beyond our control.
And who got robbed by the man between the sticks? Of course, everyone's favorite Bridesmaid! Simon at NOR had keepers feasting on his players' tries, ending up with a league-worst 84.2% save rate against his shots. Unfortuntely, he can't put all the blame there, as Alon at Tranmere were second on this list that everyone wants to avoid at 82.4%. Sheffield rounds out the top three at 80.4%. All three coming from Division 1 is no surprise as the teams up there have better keepers on the whole.
The flip side of that would be expected in Division 3 where the rookie Gks come out to play. Expectations are fulfilled then as the teams that fared best against Gks were: Carlisle United (42.9% save rate against), Leeds United (53.9%), and Weston-super-Mare (56.8%). When the save rate is half that of the unluckiest manager from Division 1, the SL gap between divisions is made abundantly clear.
Drat. Have to run. Table to come later, if not tonight then at some point tomorrow hopefully. Within will be every team's scoring % breakdown with division and league averages so you can bemoan Olmec with educated gusto instead of just gut-feeling gusto that you got worked over yet again!
Until then,
Kevin
The following teams receive a bonus (Season 6 Awards):
BHA (75) CRD (200) CHF (250) CRE (75) DER (200) HER (400) LEE (125) LEW (200) LIN (475) NOR (300) FOR (100) PV (150) PNE (200) QPR (250) SWI (75) TRA (675) WAT (75) WES (200) WYC (50)
Northampton Manager would like to pass on his praises to the league commitee for another great season and particularly to Alon at Tranmere as they achieve an unbelievable 4th league title in a row.
Yet again Northampton are the bridesmaids in the First Division and the board are having emergency meetings this week to decide the future of the manager, there are rumours afoot that Manager Compton could be replaced at the helm.
Tranmere take the Youth Cup possibly against the run of play but nevertheless yet again they have a great season and take some silverware back to the Fans.
Does anyone know why or how Crewe Alexandre advanced to the Youth Cup Final? Maybe no one cares. Maybe it was luck. Maybe it was dirty play by his youth players - being taught winning is everything, sportsmanship is for losers. This team made it the to semi-finals last season only to lose to the eventual Youth Cup Champion Port Vale. For a team that was once besmirched about its youth player development, it seems as though the kids from Gresty Road are garnering some attention these days. In the only pre-match comments, it was mentioned that this team was the favorites over the mighty, no MIGHTY, Tranmere Rovers. That's nearly the equivalent of favoring the Texas Rangers (doesn't this team always lose) over the N.Y. Yankees (we have 27 World Series victories). [EDITOR: The 0-0 draw seems like an eternity ago] The manager has now even been upgraded to "Dr." status! The Rangers pulled out a series victory. Looking as the numbers we see the following:
| Team | OST | Gk | Sw | Df | Mf | Fw | Attacks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tranmere Rovers | N | 24 | 5 | 19 | 19 | 55 | 14 |
| Crewe Alexandre | Y | 16 | 0 | 27 | 69 | 23 | 29 |
Rovers Sw has a 40% chance of stopping so that translates to roughly 18 attacks for the Crewe. As expected versus a powerhouse opponent, Crewe Alex played a 10 hardness which resulted in no regulation PKs but an injury to Tranmere Gk Scott Cameron to bring his SL down to a 16. With the Gk SL identical, this looks like a battle of purely who gets the most shots on goal. Who do you believe won or should have won? (-: Congratulations to both teams although one deserves it for this game plus the road to get here while the other just for the road.
the Vale season has mercifully ended in a manner by which most teams are asking, "why mercifully?"
"We had a string of mishaps which didn't allow our development to proceed at the level we would have liked," said Vale manager John Holden. "Still, third in the league isn't too bad, and hopefully we can build on this even though there are a lot of teams around us who are looking strong."
"Though as sort of a consolation prize, we don't have to play Brighton in the league next year," added Holden.
Sorry, only managed to clip one birdies wing, hopefully the result makes up for that?!
This must have drawn some saddened looks from Kev's work and home neighbors. Not so much for the odd spectacle that it must have been, but rather, because THEY LOVE C-BALL!
In preparation for this week's showdown, Kevin Martin burned C-Ball in effigy in the lawn in front of our office. He then placed a pair of fake hands on a Lincoln jersey, stuffed it, and slammed it in the trunk of his vehicle so that the arms dangled as limply behind as he drove around town (playing the Cardiff City fight song on the speaker on the roof--yes, Kevin Martin drives a used ice cream for real--BUT can someone confirm that the Cardiff fight song is really the Humpty Dance?). Then Kevin placed tombstones all over the front yard representing the Lincoln starting eleven.
He was able to get away with all this in the spirit of the Halloween holiday.
I think we all hope, nay, expect to see some fun carnage in the D2 finale this weekend between the Bluebirds and the Imps. Neither team will accept defeat in this game easily as the price is just too high, and as Herr Kommissar is fond of saying, these two managers REALLY do not like each other (seriously, that's no joke, I've seen C-Ball's hate mail to Kevin and it's not pretty).
With so much at stake between these two teams and the game's bearing on the second division outcome this season, I think it would be most fitting for the game to end...in a draw. Now certainly that is somewhat self-serving as a draw for these two managers might improve Brighton's chance of catapulting into first place during the final session, but that's not where my motivation for a hopeful draw lies. I simply have no desire to see either manager walk off the pitch Saturday having to taste the harsh sting of defeat; they are both people I respect and enjoy conversing with.
My message to Mr Martin and Mr Cabral is simple: please bring the carnage that we all enjoy when your teams play, and please provide good entertainment to the rest of us this coming final session of season something-or-other, but remember in the end it's not whether you win or lose that matters -- it's whether I win the division or not that really matters.
Cheers to all the managers out there on another great season and to Mr Sellers for his tireless efforts stirring the pot each week.
Roy, we would be greatly indebted to you if you injured a few on CRD's players before we face them on Saturday. We honestly have no chance otherwise. Consider it payback for those two cheap draws you scammed from LIN this season. Thanks, C-Ball
Sorry, Roy. CRD is the last line of defense against C-Ball winning a division title in this league. Can't risk Olmec crashing again to prevent that from happening. We lost most of a season last time Mike did well. In the immortal words of Ivan Drago: "I must break you." Nothing personal. There is a greater good at stake here...
We're down to the last session and Forest are actually in with a chance at promotion! I was expecting to be at the other end of the table especially as Forest are still ranked only 20th in the league. With the increased pressure of keeping up the promotion challenge there's been less time spent on the youths, which has perhaps dropped us down the rankings.
So 7 points separate the top 5 with only 3 places available in Division 1 next season. The top 3 have the points and the better sides so are odd on favourites, but with a bit of luck Forest could upset one of their apple carts.
Lincoln have led for some time now and a win in the home game vs Swindon guarantees promotion but the second match is away to 2nd placed Cardiff - you don't get a better fixture to end the season on than that!
Cardiff also have 32 points and their first task is to travel to Forest. A point would guarantee promotion before taking on Lincoln.
Brighton are the dark horse title contenders, rising up over the last few sessions and with the slightly easier run ins at home to Crewe and away to Lewes are probably now the outside favourites for the title.
Forest have clung on to the faint glimmer of promotion, but have a mountain to climb taking on 2nd placed Cardiff before travelling to Preston in 5th place. Only 2 wins would give us a shot at Division 1 next year.
Preston can go up on goal difference if Brighton lose both games and they win both of theirs. It's not likley to happen so they really should rest all their best players and just play the youths in their final game vs Forest...
Don;t forget that your orders will be wiped if you do convert someone into a BRB after you've saved your orders.
Just a quick tip on Age V players on your roster in case you haven't spotted this.
Any player currently at Age V and SL 5 or less will be retired after session 10 UNLESS you act now to make them into a Backroom Boy.
That must be done before the Session 10 deadline.
If you have a player like the above, you can convert them, NOW, to an Age I BRB. Sure they'll only provide 1 session of Age I BRB help, but at least then you'll have a full season of their services next season as an Age II BRB.
Not acting by the deadline means they retire as Age V players with no ability to help your club next season.
If you have any questions, just let me know.
Al
Don't worry, Phil, you won't be in it for long!
I'm in a WHAAAAAA......?
Have you seen how his beloved Kansas City Chiefs have been doing lately? If this isn't an "all bad teams connected with Phil become good" apocolypse, I don't know what is. So how far are we from the headline "Kansas City Royals Don't Finish Bottom Of Division"?
Everyone knows that Phil only wins in the inaugural season of anything. It's all but written into the rules and code. This league is no exception, with Chesterfield winning their division in season 1 and promptly facing relegation the next season. So how the heck is CHF in the FA Cup final?!? To quote from a favored movie: "This is inconceivable!!!" So surely I missed the start of something, right? Did we start over the league or some new thing where this is the first season of it? Really. What did I miss? Otherwise, with Phil in a Cup final, C-Ball leading a division, and Alon NOT on top of the league, the Apocalypse may be closer than I thought and it's time to switch the investments from stocks and funds into canned food and shotgun shells...
...C-Ball is STILL in first place.
Presumably you all are just teasing him, but someone in the 2nd division needs to take charge and end this madness!!
Both managers could reach the century mark today...Compo needs two and Kevin three to get there...good luck gentlemen...
Alon continues to smile at us all with 116 and counting!!
Tranmere Rovers sends Samuel Burton (IV/10 Gk; 240k)
to Weston-super-Mare AFC for 290k
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The Rooks aren't terrible at defending, well except the penalty shots, that we are good at yielding. The Rooks simply cannot score. Look close at the #'s and you will see that Al is dead wrong in his analysis. The Rooks simply don't know how to put the ball in the back of the net.
Dr. Bate is spot on in his analysis. Saffend is a "lock" to drop. Meanwhile Dave Dohm's Lewes (pronounced LOSE) FC has been treading water with their atrocious goalkeeping situation all season.
With this post teams now understand they simply need to put as many shots as they can on the tepid "Rooks" netminders as its unlikely they'll stop many of them.
El Presidente
I do think that a season or two in D2 would do wonders for the Argyles' record. Perhaps it would allow us to properly rebuild. However, I have this rather nasty competitive streak in me that just refuses to do anything but try to win every match I'm in. So, it may still happen that PLY gets relegated, and it may be what's best for the team in the long run, but I'm not going to let it happen willingly...
Surely one of the Doctors is a shoe-in for relegation?
Love to try and help you out in slinging stones against Goliath, Rob. However, you can imagine my sorrow at having looked at my schedule this season and not having seen Alon's squad anywhere on it. Perhaps we can be of some assistance next year, though at current pace in the tables, how's season 8 sound? You get relegated, I miss promotion, and we get another year of TRA, NOR, WAT-free league play! As an added bonus, no LIN either and maybe not even the 'Gulls! Seriously, the water is great down here in Div 2. You'll love it. Except for Dr. Doom and Dr. Death lurking around. Still, they seem like your kind of people...
Can someone please stop TRA from scoring... PLY's Jack Robertson was leading early on in the season, but over the past few sessions, TRA's Liam Foster has zoomed past. I could really use someone to "neutralize" him (read into that whatever you wish 
) so that Robertson could gain some ground and hopefully surpass Foster in the closing sessions.
I believe that young lass is the stand-in for Gully when they are setting up the publicity photo shoots.
I hope everyone enjoyed the BHA vs. LIN clashes this past weekend, despite the lack of imagery from Meditech that so enraged Mr Sellers. Though the Seagulls lost the AP Cup match, our side admits we are quite happy to have won the divisional game at Falmer on Emile Marshall's penalty kick in the 79th minute. With so many low scoring matches this season, perhaps Brighton & Hove Albion should have retained Mr Charles Murphy's services (you are welcome, C-Ball). Oh well, the "strong defensive team" experiment continues to roll forward.
Best of luck to everyone the second half of the season.
Wow~Check out the beak on that chick!
It was not easy to sneak a six foot seagull (named Gully) and four young cheer-maidens into work this morning, but Brighton & Hove Albion will stop at no expense to gather favor from the Olmec gods and its fans this weekend as our team clashes with the mighty, and as yet unbeaten, Lincoln City Imps. We did have to rush Gully and a couple of the ladies out before C-Ball arrived to beat the drum to ramming speed, but thankfully the young lasses in front stayed behind to help motivate the work force.
Here's to the match(es) I've been waiting all season to play!
Please join me in expressing your OUTRAGE that there have been no photos of hijinks between Mr. Beerman and C-Ball this week. Presumably these two should have already drank the Haterade and snapped a few shots with "signage" like Dr. Beerman's TOUR DE FORCE in Season 5 which showed a sleepy C-Ball at his desk whilst Dr. B holds a "one and done" sign (and an unknown accomplice snapped the photo).
WHERE'S THE OUTRAGE!?!?!
But what about the fifth horseman who left before they became famous...?
...And I looked and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death...and Hell followed with him.
There are TWO Lincoln City - Brighton & Hove Albion tilts this session....TWO!!
Hopefully we'll see some signage this week from Meditech headquarters regarding this upcoming fiesta del futbol?
There you go Kev, 9 missing too many teams to mention them all but yours and mine are there! For now anyway.
Yes I appreciate that kevin, but for the lazy amongst us who like to glance at the home page its not there!!
Clicking a mouse you know it will soon be like walking the dog, no i dont fancy that today, i want to see things quickly and easily!!
I will keep an eye open and see who is missing soon?
Cheers
You can still easily tell if orders are in by going to the scores pages and looking for the checkmark in front of your team.
I have some sympathy with you there Kev, I nmred in a postal game the other month when we were away on Hols, its hurts and it was the first time in 25 years for me. Boy this getting old thing hurts!!
On a note about orders, did we not used to have a green light showing orders were submitted which has now dissappeared, i seem to recall hearing that was being reintroduced which would help when it came to checking whether orders were submitted.
I would have sworn we got lines in. I can clearly recall debating where to put the home bonus vs. PLY in the FA Cup even, tabbing back and forth between Mf and Fw. Either it didn't save when I clicked or I got called away before finishing. In any case, I then failed to check to make sure lines were in and the rest is now NMR history. First in team history, and along with it the first hardness ever used by the Bluebirds.
The end result of the debacle wasn't bad on the victory end of things. A win and two draws as the T11 trotted out in a very defense-heavy lineup each match. Still, the one session completely gutted our season-long goals.
Three players down below 0 Fit and a total of 9 Fit lost by my T11 in just that one session. Our prize App at Mf now can't reach SL 11 this season, so that was money completely wasted in the auction to get him in the first place. Our Apps at Fw and Mf also suffered and can't reach SL 10. All three Sbys sat the bench as well, so no extra QNL to protect against injury or suspension next season. That bodes poorly. 22 CP lost due to non-use, which is two points off our T11 score.
Worst of all, based on the numbers that came out, my intended lineup against Plymouth should have readily won that match. Instead, now we have to face the Pilgrims again so we can count on at least one more injury.
Yep. In case you didn't know it. NMR's suck. Even when you don't lose a match, the season is lost...
While we're debating the fairness of the AP cup draws, where is the fairness in TWO FA Cup matches against Hardness 10 'Dirty Dorchester'?
Word has it the team isn't the only thing that is dirty, I hear their manager hasn't had a bath in a while either!
I feel bad about this, but I just don't see PNE beating the Magpies on Saturday...we're going ALL OUT against Dr. Lindsay!!!
John,
Seedings correct except for BHA's placement. 1st place group winners will always get home field over 2nd place winners. BHA gets ranked 8th. The others get bumped down one.
As for your comments, some of us appreciate the randomness of the draws. It gives a few teams that were happy to scrape into the knockout rounds a shot at another victory. Considering that CP is directly tied to wins, doing anything to give the stronger teams an even better chance of winning is not a good idea.
I'm all for randomness as well because lately we're seeing the disturbing trend of teams completely throwing matches, particularly the FA Cup opener, in order to stack up elsewhere with their T11. If we shifted the AP Cup to be guaranteed home field against a weaker team, that would be even more incentive to throw matches. At least this way it's still a calculated gamble as to whether or not it's going to pay off or you end up with a #2 or #3 seed (or in the case of CRD this season, 4th seed) and get lousy luck in catching a higher team and losing out the homefield you just fought hard and sacrificed potential league wins in order to obtain.
With one notable exception I've never expected to reach the quarterfinals of any cup before (much less the 2nd round of the AP Cup, which happens on occasion) so perhaps I'm taking a look at this for the first time but...
I have the rankings as such:
1 SHU 9 9 10
2 QPR 9 9 9
3 WAT 9 5 8
4 CRD 9 5 5
5 TRA 7 11
6 BRI 7 5 11
7 PV 7 5 7
8 PLY 7 4
9 LIN 7 3
10 SOU 6 6
11 HER 6 2 7
12 BHA 6 2 3
13 WSM 6 1
14 PNE 6 -1
15 NOT 4 1
16 LEI 3 -1
Now please note I'm cranky. My 'keeper let in two penalty kicks today, one which would have forced a point out of Tranmere and the other would have skyrocketed me up to the three-seed in the AP Cup. But looking at the schedule, there are some strange things afoot:
- QPR host Tranmere. Neither side has allowed a goal in the competition in topping their group.
- 12th ranked Brighton host 16th ranked Leicester. Now, Brighton did win their group, but so did Tranmere.
- I have to go play top-ranked Sheffield United on the road again in the cup. Based on session 1, where PV put SHU into the FA Shield 3-1, I'm sure Dan thought being the best team in the competish to date would merit him a more winnable game. We both won the group and this is a difficult draw for both of us.
- 10th ranked Southend host 11th ranked Hereford. Neither team won their group.
- 13th ranked Weston-super-Mare take on 14th ranked Preston North End. Again, neither of these teams won their group.
- 3rd ranked Watford take on 4th ranked Cardiff. Could be the game of the round. Neither team lost a game in winning their group.
- 6th ranked Bristol City host Nottingham Forest.
- Plymouth take on Lincoln City in what American players will recognize to be the 8-9 game. Both teams finished second in their group on goal differential - somehow to me this seems to be the fairest draw.
So, in terms of seeding, we have 2v5; 12v16; 1v7; 10v11; 13v14; 8v9; 3v4; 6v15. Only one team in the top nine plays a team in the bottom seven.
Now I'm feeling crusty today, but this is weak. Weak sauce, that is.
If all the home teams win, seeds 1, 2, 3, 6, 8, 10, 12, and 13 will be left in the competition.
My suggestion is to change the way the round of 16 is organized.
Either rank all the teams 1 to 16 and have either a fixed bracket or reseed after every round, NHL-style. I'm not sure I'm a fan of either.
Another, perhaps better, way is to draw teams based on whether or not they won their group. So you'd have a pot of winners and a pot of runners-up, then the runners-up would play the winners; if the runner-up had a higher rank than the group winner (say 7 points to 6 points), then the runner-up would host the game.
A weaker alternative might be to go World Cup style. A1 plays B2 and the winner would play C1 v D2 winner, et cetera.
Thoughts?
For those who want their coming season to be truly epic, just winning won't be enough. Here are the records for "best ever." For those seeking to avoid "worst ever" status, those will be included as well. Team names will be left off though, in order to protect the guilty.
| Division | Pts | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
| Div 1 Best |
45 TRA 3 & 4 |
14 LEW 2; TRA 3 & 4 |
9 OLA 2 |
1 TRA 3 & 4 |
58 TRA 3 |
9 LEW 2 |
+45 TRA 3 & 4 |
| Div 1 Worst | 9 | 2 | 1 | 13 | 11 | 57 | -46 |
| Div 2 Best |
46 TRA 2 |
15 TRA 2 |
9 CRD 2 |
2 TRA 2; CRD 2 & 3; WAT 5 |
61 TRA 2 |
8 CRD 2 |
+46 TRA 2 |
| Div 2 Worst | 3 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 5 | 61 | -44 |
| Div 3 Best |
47 SWI 3 |
15 SWI 3 |
7 CRE 2 |
1 SWI 3 |
58 SU 2 |
4 SWI 3 |
+53 SWI 3 |
| Div 3 Worst | 4 | 1 | 1 | 16 | 2 | 76 | -74 |
So now you know where the bar is set at. Happy hunting! Or avoiding. Whatever the case may be for your team.
Leeds United sends Jayden Ferdinand (V/8 Gk; 120k)
to Hereford United FC for Reece Scott (IV/8 Mf; 180k)
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Southend United sends 450k
to Carlisle United for Matthew Begum (I/7 Fw; 300k)
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Elvis the Eel & Sammy the Shrimp had plenty to Cheer about in Southends first session
3 WINS & 15 GOALS SCORED!
Oh when the Blues go marching in Oh when the Blues go Marching in
I wanna be in that number when the Blues go marching in!
Oh I do like to be besides the Seaside Oh I do like to be beside the sea
With a Bucket & a Spade & a baby hand grenade
Besides the seaside beside the sea!
Come on You Blues!
We hate Ipswich & Norwich, We hate Colchester too
We hate Orient & Palace
But Southend we love you !
Tranmere Rovers sends 420k
to Cardiff City FC for Lucas Walton (IV/9 Fw; 210k)
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Northampton Town FC sends 500k, Denis Griffiths (I/7 Fw; 300k)
to Weston-super-Mare AFC for Alex McDonald (I/11 Fw; 540k)
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Bristol City FC sends Tom Robson (V/6 Df; 80k)
to Leeds United for 150k
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Hereford United FC sends 15k, Vidar Gustafsson (APP/5 Df; 240k)
to Dorchester Town for Lewis Cook (APP/5 Sw; 255k)
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Plymouth Argyle FC sends Luke Shah (IV/6 Sw; 120k)
to Carlisle United for 212k
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Brighton & Hove Albion sends 255k
to Plymouth Argyle FC for Logan Walsh (IV/8 Fw; 180k)
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Just remembered the email:
"I'll be away for the day but have set things up to run on auto-pilot.
Normally, the "Group of Death" is determined by the group that has the best skilled teams, thus deemed the hardest group to advance from. HOWEVER, this season's AP Cup gives us a new twist to the "Group of Death". Take a look at Group A if you dare. Not withstanding the absence of Dr. Dancin' Dave Budvar Dowson's Southend squad, Group A has the most deadly, Shadey, and vile teams in the league. Jake Hanney's Bristol City squad may just be the most docile team in this group.. having to face Plymouth, Lewes, and then Dorchester Town in succession. With Plymouth and Lewes coming in Session 1, one has to wonder if young Jake will be able to put out ANY 11 in Session 2, let alone a T11...
Let's start an injury tally for Group A.
Seems like my holiday has cost me a few deals, some heavy transactions taking place, C Ball and Mr Beerman trading in the office whilst work is slow! Look forward to seeing what deals can be struck after Saturdays matches as the season kicks off.
Lincoln City FC sends Carlton Sansom (II/13 Df; 550k)
to Brighton & Hove Albion for 50k, Charles Murphy (II/12 Fw; 500k)
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Lincoln City FC sends Ross Russell (IV/7 Fw; 150k)
to Leeds United for 150k, Sacha Regnier (IV/2 Df; 0k)
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Tranmere Rovers sends Leo Nuñez (IV/8 Fw; 180k)
to Leeds United for 280k
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Tranmere Rovers sends Max Young (IV/9 Fw; 210k)
to Lincoln City FC for 310k
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Of course. Why didn't I think that there might be an old evaporation operation set up on a fresh water river when there is a far, far saltier body of water less than 10 miles (16km) away commonly called the English Channel. Makes perfect sense to me! Admittedly, a water wheel and aqueduct system is a little harder to set up by an ocean than a river. Still, the output would have to be worth the more intensive labor. In any case, I guess The Dripping Pan is better than The Salt Lick as a grounds name.
It seems our good friend Kevin at Cardiff is acclimating himself to the landscape of Division II and has uncovered our grounds are called the Dripping Pan. The name really could represent many things, one of which Kevin alluded to, "Dr. Doom is King of the drips" This certainly could apply!
Some of our rivals might say the Dripping Pan siginifies a place where the "rubbage" of the league ends up playing. This certainly could apply as Lewes is traditionally mediocre at best.
The Rooks like to think of their home ground as a place where we can shed some blood, hopefully not our own but that of our opponents. This explains why the Rooks sport red and black colors at home. This certainly was not the case at the end of last season as the injuries hit Lewes hard.
The unusual name is actually attributed to the location of the stadium as it once was a location where monks from the local priory used to dry water from the nearby river to make salt.
Rest assured Rook management eagerly awaits the arrival of pre-season Division II favorite Cardiff for their early season match in session II. The Rooks promise a warm welcome at the Dripping Pan and we hope to "break" Cardiff in to the hard nosed Division II soccer style!
Following Dr. Doom's front page comments on cleats high play, I was going to make a quip about getting directions to the nearest hospital from Lewes' home park. So I looked up Lewes FC to see where their home park is so I could find the nearest emergency room. I never made it that far in the plan. Because on clicking the link for directions to the stadium, I discovered that their grounds are called...
The Dripping Pan. I'm not joking. http://www.lewesfc.com/club/directions-to-the-dripping-pan
Seriously? The Dripping Pan? There has got to be a story behind that one that makes more sense that I can come up with on my own. Does anyone know it? Because all I'm getting from the name is ideas like, "Dr. Doom's team collects all the excess fat falling off the rest of the league," or "Lewes FC is where all the burnt out leftovers from league action settle, in a convenient location for clean up so the groundskeepers don't have to scour the bottoms of the entire league to clean out the refuse after each session. They just have to go to The Dripping Pan and dump out whatever they find there."
There's got to be a great story in that name creation or else a meaning on the eastern side of the pond that I've never come across stateside. Please, someone enlighten me! Dr. Doom is Lord of the Drips?
Following Dr. Doom's front page comments on cleats high play, I was going to make a quip about getting directions to the nearest hospital from Lewes' home park. So I looked up Lewes FC to see where their home park is so I could find the nearest emergency room. I never made it that far in the plan. Because on clicking the link for directions to the stadium, I discovered that their grounds are called...
The Dripping Pan. I'm not joking. http://www.lewesfc.com/club/directions-to-the-dripping-pan
Seriously? The Dripping Pan? There has got to be a story behind that one that makes more sense that I can come up with on my own. Does anyone know it? Because all I'm getting from the name is ideas like, "Dr. Doom's team collects all the excess fat falling off the rest of the league," or "Lewes FC is where all the burnt out leftovers from league action settle, in a convenient location for clean up so the groundskeepers don't have to scour the bottoms of the entire league to clean out the refuse after each session. They just have to go to The Dripping Pan and dump out whatever they find there."
There's got to be a great story in that name creation or else a meaning on the eastern side of the pond that I've never come across stateside. Please, someone enlighten me! Dr. Doom is Lord of the Drips?
Brighton & Hove Albion sends Raphaël Hoffmann (SBY/2 Df; 0k)
to Dorchester Town for 15k
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Lincoln City FC sends 325k
to Southend United for Sindre Hauge (IV/9 Gk; 210k)
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Lincoln City FC sends 80k
to Wycombe Wanderers for Oscar Knight (IV/3 Df; 30k)
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Dorchester Town sends 10k
to Lewes FC for Archie Shaw (SBY/2 Df; 0k)
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Cardiff City FC sends Elliot Walsh (V/4 Df; 40k)
to Dorchester Town for 150k
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Port Vale FC sends 577k
to Cardiff City FC for Christopher Pastor (III/11 Mf; 360k)
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Dorchester Town sends 300k
to Port Vale FC for Euan Johnstone (APP/5 Gk; 225k)
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Port Vale FC sends 40k
to Dorchester Town for Reuven Amar (IV/2 Df; 0k)
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Lincoln City FC sends 150k
to Bristol City FC for Callum MacKenzie (V/5 Fw; 60k)
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Dorchester Town sends 150k
to Bristol City FC for Rian Healy (V/5 Df; 60k)
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Folklore passed down through word-of-mouth circles heard 8 or 9 years ago (as a rookie at KIN posed this same query once) gives a tale on how the name stuck with a certain person and then went to PBM and then PBEM then Web-based football infamy...
Once there was a coroner. It's the coroner's job to go out when called to a scene where there is obviously a dead person and confirm that they are indeed dead, and to determine as best as possible the time of death and to make arrangements for what to do with the body next. Then the body can be transported from the scene for either autopsy or preparation for burial. This particular coroner was named Wayne. When responding one day to a traffic fatality, Wayne got out of his car, checked the body, and declared the person dead. Upon leaving the scene, Wayne backed his car up to turn around on the road and leave the scene of the accident. In doing so, Wayne unintentionlly (one hopes) backed over the corpse before driving off. Thus led to his nick-name amongst the workers in the county...
"Make Sure" Wayne. And the name carried over to the Make Sure Wayne League, or MSWL.
Or so the legends hold...
I remember it once being said that it stood for Make Sure Wilkins Loses. Not for Rene or Fred, but rather in deference to renaissance man and strict grammarian Jay Wilkins,from MSWL Proper. Why isn't he in this leage anyways?
NO ONE is suggesting that you should bid 2000k to get the first player in the auction on Saturday. I would never suggest that.
But I would like my UK/European friends to "self-identify" if they are on a 7-week vacation so I can fine them.
That's a joke! (probably)
Al
PS: I'm not bitter...well maybe I am.
PS2: 5k to the first person who responds with a coherent answer on what MSWL actually means...
Brighton & Hove Albion sends 130k
to Carlisle United for Nicolas Herrera (III/4 Gk; 80k)
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Tranmere Rovers sends 90k
to Carlisle United for Antoine Dubois (II/3 Fw; 50k)
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Lewes FC sends Mark Howard (APP/4 Mf; 140k)
to Carlisle United for 90k, Boone Johannessen (II/3 Df; 50k)
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We tried to make the AP Cup #1 seeding hold up, but somebody had other ideas about that... :-(
For those who care:
| Competition | W | D | L | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division 1 | 48 | 19 | 23 | 63.89% |
| Division 2 | 49 | 13 | 28 | 61.67% |
| Division 3 | 52 | 15 | 23 | 66.11% |
| FA Cup | 20 | 8 | 6 | 70.59% |
| FA Shield | 7 | 2 | 6 | 53.33% |
| AP Cup | 7 | 2 | 6 | 53.33% |
| Divisions Combined | 149 | 47 | 74 | 63.89% |
| Entire League | 183 | 59 | 92 | 63.62% |
That's up slightly from past seasons, where it's been between 59% and 61%. The FA Cup alone accounts for that difference, as typically it's closer to the 50% mark, having never been above 60% in the past four seasons. Same number of home losses as the other two Cup competitions, in twice as many matches. Looks like the random draw for home field mattered more than ever this season, while in the AP Cup (which is seeded by strength of group performance) it didn't hold out nearly as well!
Bristol City FC sends Ricardo Ruiz (V/2 Fw; 0k)
to Nottingham Forest for 200k
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Hereford United FC sends Joshua Chambers (V/3 Fw; 20k)
to Nottingham Forest for 200k
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Preston North End FC sends Aaron Bruce (V/4 Sw; 40k)
to Wycombe Wanderers for 200k
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Sheffield United sends Dennis Harmon (II/Coach; 225k)
to Carlisle United for 200k
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Wycombe Wanderers sends Finn Braun (IV/3 Gk; 30k), Samuel Johnston (IV/2 Mf; 0k)
to Cardiff City FC for Patrick Page (V/7 Mf; 100k)
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Carlisle United sends 75k, Charlie Owen (II/3 Df; 50k)
to Cardiff City FC for Billy Milner (V/6 Df; 80k)
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Northampton Town FC sends Craig King (V/3 Fw; 20k)
to Carlisle United for 200k
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Andy,
Are you saying that my T-shirt lies? Of course I'm a complete novice with no idea of whta I'm up to - no need for you to field a full strength team against me or anything.
See you at Tring?
Mark
Hey Stretchy, are you still wearing that "Don't Pick On Me I'm A Beginner" T-shirt? :-)
Of course, you reveal your true colours by offering to groom younger players for other teams for cash.
Oh, and by appearing in the United XI in the rules!
Welcome aboard.
Southend United sends 125k, Lucas Griffiths (I/8 Fw; 360k), Dylan Martin (IV/3 Mf; 30k)
to Hereford United FC for Alfie Gardner (V/2 Fw; 0k), Joshua Gerrard (I/8 Mf; 360k)
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Cheers Simon. If anyone would like me to train up an App/Sch in a specific position, let me know and I can do so for a suitable fee.
Mark
Hi Mark and welcome, good luck and some deals could be heading your way soon.
Hello all - I'm new to this, so go easy on me ok. I'm always welcome to do trades so make me some suggestions.
...were Division 3 teams and all are now Division 2 teams.
Apologies to lumping in Lincoln City with us other 2 Div. 3 for I meant to say MEDITECH teams. C-Ball must be a good mentor for all of us to have progressed so far.
The following teams receive a bonus (Season 5 Team Bonuses):
BRE (150) BHA (400) BRI (100) CRD (250) CRE (100) HER (400) LEI (50) LIN (75) NOR (700) PV (350) PNE (150) QPR (200) SHU (25) TRA (800) WAT (325) WYC (25)
Congratulations to the Division 3 winner (even if that winner is me although I am not saying it was my team nor am I saying it was BHA nor LEI) as the best team in this division prevailed. We had a great season and the division came down to the last week. As we underachieved, I'll be on my team to perform better next season - we gave up a goal to BHA at home in session 9, the only allowed at home in division play. In all seriousness, need to play how to avoid relegation yet continue develop our youth. Also, we (the division) proved we're not the fodder of the league by producing 3 of the 4 Youth Cup finalists.
ï»Tranmere Rovers are incredibly gratefull to have taken the 1st division title this season. I think that the only time in the entire season we led the league was after game 18,but I suppose that is when it really counts.
ï»I was pretty sure we had blown our chances after taking only 1 point in round 9 but luckily Al imploded asd well.
ï»Thanks all for another great season.
Yes let me say well done to Alon of Tranmere no mean fete winning the title of Division one 3 years running and like Liverpool for many seasons Northampton are the bridesmaids yet again and destined never to be the bride!!
Normally I would commend you on the FA Shield achievement but given the manager went ga ga and the team lacked leadership not helped by the keeper taking drugs the previous session and getting banned for the final session it was just a walkover, never seen so many goals in a Final and Mr Lyndsey good luck in Div 2.
Yes its an enormous achievement to keep a team that good for so long, will be on your tail again next year though Al so keep a look out, some teams have the measure of you and who knows what awaits next season.
Thanks again to Alan for coming up with this league as its enormously enjoyable and on the Bees news well, Brentford after throwing the title away against midnight cowboy Mike Cabral from Lincoln 4-0, again a shock result but the tactics were all wrong and now the board are convening on Monday morning to discuss his and Brentfords future, one chairman commented no trophies for two years is not what he was brought here to do, serious discussions on Monday with Sky News awaiting the outcome of a press conference later in the week.
Great Cup Final between Bulls and the Cobblers I wont spoil it here but it was tremendous, tense and a thrilling affair.
Well done to Watford, Port Vale and Bristol who gain promotion to the big league and Brighton, Crewe and Leicester promoted to Div 2, Port Vale special mention for taking the Youth Cup despite me thinking Lincoln won it, apologies John.
Commiserations to those who went down, not sure how Cardiff managed it with the team that they have of course but maybe it was tactical can you imagine how dominant he will be next season and all those Cps, he will be returning in even better shape for season 7.
The Cobblers take a break for a while now, looking forward to next season and anyone want to deal you know where to come, we are looking for high level apps for low level apps plus cash.
Dr. Death JUST BARELY eeked out newcomer Jake Tiberius Hanny to win the Season 5 Hoodlum Award (just wait...he'll next be asking to "monetize" this award).
Its good to see Dave's photo and name next to this award as it makes me feel that all is right with the world.
El Presidente
Four teams (well, their coaches) received 100k in participation bonus monies from all their comments this season. Nice going Compo, Andy, Dr. Beerman, and El Presidente. Kevin Martin (who I'm not really sure likes being called K-Mart so I won't call him K-Mart) fell 1k short at 99k, but if QUALITY were a factor he'd get like 200k.
6 teams did not comment at all this season and the other 19 were somewhere in between. Thanks to all those who throw in comments from time to time...keeps it fun.
Al
Crewe Alexandra were the only team this season to finish PERFECT at home. 9 wins and nothing else. Nice going Rob.
Also, good riddance to Ian with his demotion.
El Presidente
Yes, it is all over. Following the season ending injury to star GK Ben Gibson in the game against hated enemies Lincoln, it is likely that our stay in division 1 will be over following today's games. The team policy of having only 1 GK on the roster may also now be over
Goodbye division 1, we're sure you will miss us.
Northampton players are ready for todays action after having had a fantastic training session yesterday, the players are said to be looking forward to this weekends matches as they fight for the title and the Big one at Wembley for the FA Cup. No pressure said manager Compton, we have been here before and today we intend to enjoy ourselves.
Fans expect to pack the stadium today at Wembley as some 50,000 fans are said to be lookinf forward to a great day out.
| 1. | Brentford FC | 10 | 3 | 3 | 29 | 9 | 20 | 33 |
| 2. | Tranmere Rovers | 10 | 2 | 4 | 42 | 17 | 25 | 32 |
| 3. | Northampton Town FC | 9 | 3 | 4 | 31 | 12 | 19 | 30 |
Matches left to play
Brentford have Sheffield H and Lincoln A
Tranmere have Cardiff H and Plymouth A plus a Shield Final v PNE recently drew 1-1
Northampton have QPR A and PNE H plus the FA Cup Final v Hereford
I would like to think that all teams will play there best as Sheffield/Plymouth/Cardiff and PNE are battling to avoid the drop so its yet again a very close run battle to see who takes the title and who goes down, personally I still believe like my prediction that Brentford will take it will come to fruition.
Tune in next saturday folks to see the outcome and then its the holidays for us boys, oh dont mention that word holidays in front of Al, you know it sets him off!!
Yes see this week results to see how close things are at the top, even still a chance for Northampton to steal it buts a long shot?
Fantastic Kevin, not sure i should be laughing but that blog has brought a tear to my eye, sorry Phil I do hope that you are better now?
What a great way to start the weekend with funny stories like that one, not so funny for Phil of course but i am sure he will tell many a tale around the camp fire about the day he nearly lost his eye!! Should be good for a few years.
Looking forward to the next thrilling installment thanks Kevin
Have a good weekend.
For those not familiar with the Godfather's run of luck in life, here is a brief summation:
If it moves (deer, 2-ton black bull, other vehicles, river), he's hit it or been hit by it in his car.
If it doesn't move (traffic cones/barrels, lake, tree), he's hit it or been hit by it in his car.
If it could go wrong (car rolls off by itself over hill, drives around tree w/o driver, and stops at bottom of large ravine; office car leaks fluid all over parking lot 2 hrs from home, not discovered until it's time to come home; etc.), it's happened to Phil.
If it can go wrong physically (torn ACL/MCL, concussion, sports hernia, broken nose, sliced finger while opening a can of food so badly he had to go to the emergency room to get stitches, rolls ankle/hurts knee so often we used to just keep a pair of crutches by his front door, you know, "just in case...", similar to how most people view their umbrella), it's probably happened to Phil at least twice.
So needless to say, playing softball with Phil is a never-ending edge of your seat experience. The most harmless looking plays turn into spectacles. Any time he is pursuing a fly ball from the field and another player is also coming into the general area, you hold your breath. Not in suspense about whether or not he'll make the catch (he's actually a pretty darn good fielder when healthy), but about whether or not he'll collide with the other person. I've taken him out myself before, trying to pull up at the last minute and instead of bowling him over I just collided my shoulder up under his jaw. Phil stood straight up and then fell slowly over backward like a tree going down.
If he's on the bases, any ball in his vicinity seems to alter its course mid-air and curve toward him, as if he has a ball magnet hidden on his person (which could also explain his fielding prowess. Hmmm...). Running from first to second, he's been nailed in the back of the head with the ball and dropped to the ground like a sack of potatoes.
Always one to hustle, another time Phil was rounding third and coming hard into home, just as the catcher is getting the ball at the plate. Phil tries to decide to slide or not and makes up his mind too late. By the time he gets down, it's only a half-slide and his knee brace catches in the dirt. This halts his lower body and sends his upper body flinging forward again. He ends up tumbling sideways into the catcher (female) and knocking her down as well. She drops the ball and starts crying. Her husband charges in from first base to confront Phil and starts yelling at him. I should note that he's around 6 feet 4 inches tall and weighs at least 250 lbs. Phil sees him coming, throws up his hands and says, "Oh, great. If you're going to hit me just go ahead and get it over with." Fortunately, it didn't come to that.
This brings us to last Sunday.
Bottom of the 5th inning, one out. Runner on first, Phil at the plate. Phil hits a nice single between shortstop and third, advancing the runner. It's co-ed softball, and the woman hitting behind Phil in the batting order doesn't have any power. So the infield all creeps in a few steps to cover a slow-rolling grounder. Instead, she finally gets good contact and rips a line drive right at the shortstop. Shortstop catches the ball and immediately looks to see if he can double-off anyone who was too far from the bag. Phil is breaking back toward first base, reacting to the line drive out. The baseman is slower in his reaction time.
The shortstop really has no play on Phil, however they are losing and desperate to get the out (perhaps because I'm up next, so far 3-for-3 on the day with a double, a triple and a home run, not to brag or anything) so he throws hard to first from roughly the pitcher's mound. Phil gets to the bag a step before the ball reaches first. The first baseman gets to the bag half a step slower and the ball just glances off his glove, slightly upward and to the right of where it was heading. Unfortunately for Phil, the deflection was the worst possible thing that could happen as he started to relax and stand straight up, having made it back to first base. Now instead of hitting Phil in the back, it deflects and moves up and connects with Phil on the ridge of his right eye socket. Phil goes down. Hard. Its looks bad enough that even though the ball is still in play and rolling toward the first base dugout the ump immediately calls time out and goes running over, muttering, "I'm not trained to handle this." Phil starts rolling around and covering half his face with his hands. Imagine a soccer player driving into the box on a corner kick and getting outjumped by a defender who heads the ball harmlessly away, so he fakes an injury and goes down holding his head like he's just been shot. Lying there on his back or side, occasionally kicking a leg up in the air, moaning. That what it looked like. Only Phil's not faking it.
By the time he can get up off the ground, his upper eyelid and the area around it is already turning purple and swelling up impressively. Were he a boxer, they would have immediately called for the doctor and given the order, "Cut him." His eye was so swollen he couldn't see out of it for a while. The ball hit him hard enough that you could clearly make out 4 distinct stitch impressions from the ball's impact, in a neat little orderly line along his eyebrow.
Unfortunately, in this game he was also our pitcher. So we scramble the positions around and let things roll from there. Phil sat out the next half inning, then courageously took the field again for the final inning. It's a good thing nobody hit a ball to him though, as I doubt he could have caught all three of them that he would have been seeing at that moment.
Phil went to the doctor the next day. Diagnosed with a grade 1 concussion. Of course, with Phil's luck we had a law day on Monday as well. So he's in court with one heck of a shiner all afternoon, including for an adoption. So there's this little kid getting adopted into a new family and in the shining happy moment where they took a picture together with the judge and Phil along with the child and new parents to celebrate the joining of a new family member, now some little kid will forever have a picture of Phil with a huge purplish/blueish/blackish eye that looks like he's got on enough mascara to make Ozzy Osbourne jealous. Ten years from now they'll show family pictures around and someone will go, "Aaawwww, how nice! This is the first picture you guys ever had taken together as an official fami-Sweet Mother-of-Pearl! What the heck happened to that guy?!? Did he get mugged on the way to the courthouse?"
Yep. Sundays with Phil.
to sing the National Anthems
First off, that I'm sorry for the double-post. Clicked refresh accidentally instead of the icon next to it.
Second, the below stats do not include PK goals, so the goal totals in the tables do not match up. These are goals scored only by the generated scoring chances due to team area totals. Also, these are league only (no Cup/Shield play).
Knowing that Buzz Bee is somehow in front of this league and we're seriously looking at relegation, the first thought running through my mind is, "Wow. Maybe I suck." Better T11, better T16, solid players top to bottom. And we can't outperform Buzz? Since I don't drink, I can't nurse myself to sleep. That leaves me with needing a spreadsheet to peruse on the bedside table in order to fall asleep. Here's what I've come up with:
Division One scoring percentage (total goals in league play divided by total scoring chances). Yes, factors such as facing a Sw or not and facing the top Gk vs. #2 or #3 for a team matters and that's not figured into this simple table. However, over the course of 14 league games so far those things all tend to even out. So here's the basic stats:
| Team | Goals | Chances | Score% |
| BRE | 23 | 158 | 14.6% |
| QPR | 21 | 167 | 12.6% |
| SHU | 11 | 89 | 12.4% |
| PNE | 17 | 140 | 12.1% |
| TRA | 38 | 337 | 11.3% |
| NOR | 20 | 257 | 7.8% |
| HER | 16 | 219 | 7.3% |
| LIN | 8 | 115 | 7.0% |
| PLY | 21 | 315 | 6.7% |
| CRD | 7 | 181 | 3.9% |
Yep. Our shooters couldn't hit the broad side of a barn if they were inside it. Unfortunately, there is nothing you can do to increase your chance of scoring apart from generating more shots. Given our luck, it seems a wiser course to stack the Df and play for a draw in every match to at least shoot for 5 CP. Division Two, here we come!
Knowing that Buzz Bee is somehow in front of this league and we're seriously looking at relegation, the first thought running through my mind is, "Wow. Maybe I suck." Better T11, better T16, solid players top to bottom. And we can't outperform Buzz? Since I don't drink, I can't nurse myself to sleep. That leaves me with needing a spreadsheet to peruse on the bedside table in order to fall asleep. Here's what I've come up with:
Division One scoring percentage (total goals in league play divided by total scoring chances). Yes, factors such as facing a Sw or not and facing the top Gk vs. #2 or #3 for a team matters and that's not figured into this simple table. However, over the course of 14 league games so far those things all tend to even out. So here's the basic stats:
| Team | Goals | Chances | Score% |
| BRE | 23 | 158 | 14.6% |
| QPR | 21 | 167 | 12.6% |
| SHU | 11 | 89 | 12.4% |
| PNE | 17 | 140 | 12.1% |
| TRA | 38 | 337 | 11.3% |
| NOR | 20 | 257 | 7.8% |
| HER | 16 | 219 | 7.3% |
| LIN | 8 | 115 | 7.0% |
| PLY | 21 | 315 | 6.7% |
| CRD | 7 | 181 | 3.9% |
Yep. Our shooters couldn't hit the broad side of a barn if they were inside it. Unfortunately, there is nothing you can do to increase your chance of scoring apart from generating more shots. Given our luck, it seems a wiser course to stack the Df and play for a draw in every match to at least shoot for 5 CP. Division Two, here we come!
I had submitted line ups over the weekend for this weeks matches, they have now disappeared other players just should be sure there orders are in.
Good luck for the final two sessions only the Cup left for old Compo now and of course keeping Hereford at Bay for 3rd place!!
Yes folks the first team breaks the £5m mark and gets whacked with the first hefty fine, just the Olmec FA havent imposed it yet as Mr Sellers consults with senior officials on this first of its kind dilemna!!
Will we see Tranmere reach that threshold as or if he sells off players prior to the transfer deadline ending?
Only time will tell. Well done Ian.
Hereford United FC sends 200k, Joseph Burton (IV/8 Mf; 180k)
to Northampton Town FC for Joshua Gerrard (APP/6 Mf; 325k)
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John...I will volunteer my services to steer your team during week ten if you like. I should probably mention I would make sure your youth got priority consideration for each match, in case that might sway your decision.
I will likely be NMR'ing for week 10 as I won't have computer access that week. I probably won't be able to check week 9 results either though I will be able to submit a sheet for that match.
Somewhere Dave at 4th place Southend smiles...
Weston-super-Mare AFC sends 440k
to Northampton Town FC for Willem Hoffman (III/12 Mf; 400k)
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In the states, if you buy a vehicle that immediately starts to break down and can't ever run right, we call it "a lemon." There are even laws in place to allow people to get returns on investment when they purchase a vehicle that fails to live up to the dealer's promises for workmanship and ability to run well on new vehicles. On used cars, it's a different story and you have to get a guarantee against buying a lemon in the contract of sale.
Which brings me to Cormac Callahan. We purchased him in the session 4 auction as an age IV/SL 10 Df. Used? A tad. Yet still very useful. We even found the time and space to rest him in sessions 5 & 6 so he'd come into session 7 at SL 10, Fit 2 and be able to help out our T11. In his very first match as a Bluebird, he went down with a -5 injury. Our physio was able to help out a tad, however he's still at SL 10, Fit -2 and not worth spending 4 CP on Fitness the next two sessions in addition to resting just to get back up for the last session when we won't need him. Our Apprentice has better area totals at the moment. So we got all of one match at half SL out of our investment. Ouch. At least he got us 3 CP by being on the bench.
And now he's gone, farmed back to whatever club we got him from. I'll let the lawyers work out the details of how much we get in return. We'll take the 240k guaranteed and see if our general manager was smart enough to get lemon insurance in the contract. Somehow, I'm not liking our chances there...
As difficult as yesterday's game was for me to watch, I must congratulate the Spanish side; they played a very good game and kept Die Mannschaft on their heels most of the night. And so this is why they play the game....
Wycombe Wanderers sends 475k
to Brentford FC for Nils Müller (I/9 Df; 420k)
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I'm amazed at the reaction to Luis Suarez's 'save'. He did what every footballer in the world would have done, professional, amateur or playground, and that is do what was required to help his team win. He was immediately punished for this with a red card and the award of a penalty to Ghana, and has the subsequent punishment of a one-match ban which will rule him out of the semi-final of the World Cup. He wasn't responsible for Ghana missing the resultant penalty and any suggestion that he should get an additional ban for unsportsmanlike conduct is ludicrous unless they are going to start using that to punish the cheats within the game as well as those instinctively doing what is needed to help their team.
They do break down from time to time you know, i have a colleague at work and her Audi broke dwon weak in and weak out, so there is hope for us all yet!!
Yes Saurez should be thrown out, Uruguay should be ashamed and i feel for Ghana.
Still if they can beat Germany good on em!!!
Compo...I would love to see a Netherlands vs Germany final (my two favorite non-USA teams), but at this point I don't think it matters who plays against Germany; the result will be the same.
Look at thow they play. With the one exception of that dreadful Ghana game (the referee had asa much to do with the outcome as the team did), they are unbeatable. There are obviously great teams left in this campaign, but do you really believe any of them can keep up with the efficiency, precision and teamwork of the German squad? If there was any doubt the Germans were unhappy to be bounced from the tournament four years ago when it was in the fatherland, this team is proving they came to South Africa with one goal in mind (pun intended): win it all.
On an unrelated note...how terrible was the end of that Uruguay vs Ghana match? Saurez should be banned indefinitely for that intentional handball inside the net that litterly robbed Ghana of a victory. Shameful display. God, I love soccer!
Anyone but those Germans!!!! Soon you will understand Brian?
Germany 3 - 0 Aregntina
This game is not complete and one thing is obvious to me: Germany can beat ANY team in the cup the way they are playing. Again I ask, does anyone think there is a team that can beat the German machine?
Say no more, Messi/Tevez/Huigain that QF against Germany could be 4-3 but I am with Argentian, good luck to them
This Germans team is unlike any I have seen before (I began watching the cup in 1986). They are young, fast and play as a team. Most importantly though, they attack from the first minute until the last - something that has been missing in German soccer for at least ten years. This team looks as if they have enough energy to go all the way. Anyone feel there is a team that can stop them?
Simon,
The US and England may have gone out of the tournament in the same round, but the US need to be able to take the silver lining wherever we can... it was the US who won the group, not England... 
Yes it may have been different had the mexican linesup been keeoing up with play and allowed lampards rightful goal but overrall we were woeful and German ripped us apart at the back, where do we go from here??
Its alright saying get rid of Capello but he did get us there as unbeaten winners of the group but yes he made some basic errors as a manager, i mean Heskey when you need to score some goals whatever was he thinking!!
Rooney had a real poor world cup, barry poor, it is now time for some change i feel, some of the more experienced players have to go.
Shocking, gutted and right upset.
GO GHANA GO GHANA
I have just witnessed the most disgraceful English Football performance of all time.
To see these so called International Footballers walking about like headless chickens without an ounce of pride or passion is a disgrace to the shirt they wear!
The Manager is completely clueless. He has just given an interview & he said that he thinks England played well...???
WHAT F?????G GAME WERE YOU WATCHING CAPELLO?
RESIGN NOW YOU IDIOT!!!
US had a great run, but sloppy play early on in every game was eventually their downfall. Overall, I think the US team is very talented and they made a good showing in the World Cup. I think that we need to bring in some better defensive coaches/players so the mishaps can be erased. If we can shore up the defense and play a full 90 minutes with intensity and purpose, we could make a real run in Brazil.
Congratulations to Ghana.
This is/was the best team the USA has fielded in recent years, if not ever. However, you cannot make a deep run in such a tournament if you are constantly playing from behind and/or giving up goals early.
Not quite, Phil. Nothing is as bad as figure skating. Even gymnastics and synchronized diving appear less arbitrary than Mary's favorite "sport." The only thing I've ever seen on par with skating judging are beauty contests - er, scholarship competitions, I mean - and Dancing with the Stars results, which everyone knows are rigged and no one is willing to say it because there's too much money at stake.
So, Kevin, it's like figure skating, right?
Much like the U.S.'s 3rd goal against Slovenia, the scoring is entirely arbitrary and the ref can disallow anything he likes without ever providing explanation to the teams.
In all seriousness, percentage of correct picks is the ranking order. You have to pick 36 of the 48 group stage matches to qualify for the final rankings though.
|
Rank |
Coach | Correct |
Wrong |
| 1. |
 Mike Mcleod |
10 | 7 |
| 2. |
James White |
6 | 4 |
| 3. |
Dave Dowson |
9 | 8 |
| 4. | Simon Compton | 9 | 8 |
| 5. | Dave Dohm | 9 | 8 |
| 6. | Mike Cabral | 7 | 6 |
| 7. | Rob Peterson | 8 | 8 |
| 8. | Brian Beerman | 8 | 9 |
| 9. | Dan Fitzgerald | 8 | 9 |
| 10. | Alon Atie | 5 | 6 |
| 11. | Roy Rolsten | 1 | 2 |
| 12. | Rene Wilkens | 6 | 8 |
| 13. | Andy Bate | 6 | 11 |
| 14. | Phil McIntosh | 6 | 11 |
| 15. | James Tucker | 2 | 7 |
| 16. | Kevin Martin | 4 | 10 |
| 17. | Allan Sellers | 5 | 12 |
Just out of interest how is this being scored as James has snuck into second spot whilst predicting six correct and Roy having predicted 1 is in 11th place?? By the way its a great idea and easy to use, well done
Northampton Town FC sends Hugh Ryan (IV/8 Df; 180k)
to Weston-super-Mare AFC for 200k
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Watford sends 50k, Hugh Ryan (IV/8 Df; 180k)
to Northampton Town FC for Eoghan Thompson (IV/8 Sw; 180k)
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I NMR'd this weekend and won 2 games - unforgiveable...
I've been on holiday this week and the holiday campsite net went down, so I couldn't get on to put the orders in in time, apologies to Al. Hopefully, the new system (I think I remember Al saying OLMEC created a team now instead of having to do anything himself) worked and it looks like it did better than what I would have done!
Wycombe Wanderers sends 175k, Rayan Cormier (I/10 Mf; 480k)
to Bristol City FC for Morgan Lampard (I/8 Mf; 360k), Tyler Jackson (I/8 Mf; 360k)
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Dagenham & Redbridge sends 175k
to Hereford United FC for Evan Murphy (V/2 Sw; 0k)
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Weston-super-Mare AFC sends Samuel Ross (II/12 Mf; 500k)
to Wycombe Wanderers for 1000k, Toby Cooper (IV/3 Df; 30k)
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For those curious, the AP Cup Seedings are:
1) HER, 9 pts. +12 GD
2) TRA, 9 pts. +10 GD
3) LIN, 7 pts. +7 GD
4) QPR, 7 pts. +6 GD
5) NOR, 7 pts. +4 GD. 7 GF
6) BHA, 7 pts. +4 GD. 4 GF
7) CRD, 7 pts. +3 GD. 4 GF
8) WAT, 6 pts (1st place group finisher, giving home field over teams 9-16, who all finished in 2nd)
9) BRI, 7 pts.
10) SWI, 6 pts. +8 GD
11) BRE, 6 pts. +4 GD
12) SU, 6 pts. +3 GD. 7 GF
13) PNE, 6 pts. +3 GD. 3 GF
14) CHF, 6 pts. +2 GD. 6 GF
15) PV, 6 pts. +2 GD. 4 GF
16) LEW, 5 pts.
With those set, it appears that Mike is our unluckiest manager of the first draw. Seeded #3, and he has to travel to the #1 team for the first knockout match.
Hey Mr Spellers dont call me Surely, Shirley you know thats not my name?
I am
Beelzebub 
Or just plain Dr Death , but please drop the Shirley its not good for my reputation !
I'd like to say I have some words to respond to those of the Medicus, however I just don't. 
A great article by Dr. Death highlighting the pitfalls of the Bees. We were just outplayed by Mike's Wanderers. Though, in seeing their mascot now, I mean it really hurts more.
The only section Mr. Dowson failed to point out is now that the Bees are so easy to beat, there's no need to field a strong lineup to bring home the W...surely you can just use your SBY/APPs and roll them out on the pitch? Surely...
Brighton & Hove Albion sends 290k
to Plymouth Argyle FC for Billy Robinson (IV/9 Df; 210k)
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Another fantastic player up for auction this session as all eyes shift to the game-changing Df at the first spot. Age II, SL 14 players are one SL above anything that can be built up internally, and this player is already primed for his peak season (age II) and the next (age III) when he can be SL 17! Surely this player won't go for less than twice the initial asking price of 600k.
As for the final auction spot, there is an age I Youth Coach for sale, which five teams should be paying close attention to: CAR, CRE, DOR, OLA, SWA. All of those have the cash and need another youth coach in the rebuilding going on. I would strongly advise them to check the transfer boards first and snatch up any age V player going for 200k or less to convert to a BRB before they bid at auction. However, if they'd rather not give their money to a top team, then bidding at least the minimum for this BRB at auction would be a wise move.
Lincoln City FC sends 175k
to Cardiff City FC for Joseph Begum (IV/7 Mf; 150k)
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Lincoln City FC sends 450k
to Northampton Town FC for Matais Paz (I/8 Mf; 360k)
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Just in case any body missed it the Mighty 'BEES' of Brentford were unceremoniously dumped out of the FA CUP in the first (YES 1st) Round by lowly 3rd Division side Wycombe Wanderers on Saturday evening!
Do not forget that 'El Presidente' Sellers has in the first four seasons of United appeared in ALL FOUR FINALS of the FA CUP & has indeed WON it twice
Hats off then to Wycombe Manager Mike Mcleod who has just been removed from the Sellers family Christmas card list for 2010.
I was originally a little peeved by the season 5 Rollback but all clouds have a Silver Lining eh?
Buzz zzzzzzz zzzzzzzzzzzz zzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzz zzzzzzz zzzzzzz
Wycombe Wanderers sends 155k
to Tranmere Rovers for Kevin Daugherty (V/7 Fw; 100k)
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Hey Al, Great new tables format and lay out I say to you all go to tables and take a look especially at the new league expanded, very nice Al keep up these great additions.
Northampton review to follow just having a moment after viewing Dr Death Lewes game!
Crewe Alexandra FC sends 150k, Benjamin Holland (IV/3 Mf; 30k)
to Bristol City FC for Rory Farrell (V/5 Df; 60k)
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...that this new set up allows you to make a trade with no impact on your current session orders. Does this functionality exist for auction pick ups as well?
In other news, Brighton & Hove Albion are happy to introduce their future superstar on defense, Jay Jenkins. As noted by Jenkins's previous club, Cardiff, Jay will have a starting role in the Seagulls' defensive plans this season. Based on his early numbers as an Apprentice for the Bluebirds, BHA expects high returns from this (relatively) inexpensive acquisition. Jay understands the learning curve will be immensely steep going from D1 to D3, but he admits he is "...up for the challenge. BHA looks set to make a[nother] run at the Divisional title [again] during this [repeat] season. Growing up, I spent my summers down the lane from the 'gulls's training facilities so this is like reliving my childhood."
With Jenkins's youth and exuberance in the backfield, Bright fans can expect nothing short of an exciting season, regardless of the final standings.
Lincoln City FC sends 45k
to Brentford FC for Edward Thomas (IV/2 Fw; 0k)
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Tranmere Rovers sends 45k
to Brentford FC for Corey Hall (IV/2 Fw; 0k)
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With such an amazing Gk coming up in auction, we here at CRD had to go out and find some cash to make sure that he won't go cheaply. To that end, BHA had been chatting with us for some time about getting a top defender for their squad. Being unwilling to part with one of prize II/13 tandem for more than what Brian had to offer, we instead elected to offer up our top prospect in the form of Jay Jenkins (I/10). While Jay was set to receive ample attention this season, that can now go to other players and we will be sure that Ali Lindqvist gets max attention as an Apprentice to keep us from getting too thin in the future. With five players in the defensive rotation at SL 10+, and solid backups at SL 8 & 9 in addition to the App and 2 Sbys, there were just too many defenders to get playing time in for all.
While we were sorry to see Jenkins go, we wish him the best at BHA as he has the chance to shine as the #1 Df there. With the cash we received in return, we now also look forward to making certain other managers pay a tad more for a franchise goalkeeper than they might have wanted to steal him for. One more trade is in the works this week as well, as the Bluebirds seek to push the auction price to the 1000k range. If we can't get him ourselves, and if we're going to have to face this goalie, then I want to be sure that the team in front of him is as weak as possible!
Brighton & Hove Albion sends 605k
to Cardiff City FC for Jay Jenkins (I/10 Df; 480k)
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While I would agree a I 11 GK could be huge to over come, all you have to do is send your attackers in "cleats high" a couple of times and you can take care of that mountain. Just a thought!
Yes Northampton's manager comes out in Sympathy for the Brighton managers comments, i will add my thoughts to this as you say Brian i would have had him for a steal had it not been for the once great Mathmatical genius Martin putting silly thoughts into managers heads!
If he goes for 1500 i will eat my hat as once said by someone, cannot think who currently but with the apathy of some players i cannot see that personally, and of course if Brian, C Ball and I keep writing blogs Mr Martins will dissapear before anyone else gets to view it, ha ha!
He should go for a considerable sum of money as Kevin says he would make a blinding acquisition to any team so good hunting, its a shame that Kevin has no money left?
Happy Bidding Saturday
I like how Kevin draws the ENTIRE league's atention to the once-in-a-lifetime GK available in auction this week. I was going to get that guy this week, Kevin! Now I am sure C-Ball will try and grab the GK and thwart my attempts to build a better team than my boss's boss. Drat!!
For the first time in MSWL-United history, the rare player that comes up for auction at 1 SL over the maximum that can be built up internally has settled at Gk. A 1/11 Gk is the first auction selection for this round.
For those who think, "So what?" we have news for you. This one player can swing entire matches on his own if fully developed. Imagine the possibilities here. First he'll peak at SL 16 this season (though that will cost 65 CP with a Coach, 70 CP without one!). Then next season and the following he can peak out at SL 17, higher than all but a handful players in the entire league and the only one at Gk. Add in 2 Fitness and he's stopping shots at 19. Add in the 5 hardness or GPP and now he's at a whopping 24!
For those not good at the math, a Gk at effective area total 24 has a 94% chance to stop shots. Ninety-four percent! This player alone could push a team deep into Cup seasons or carry a team to promotion as they rack up draw after draw. Playing for a Draw and counting on the Gk to pull you through penalty shootouts in Cups could become the best chance of winning against the top Div 1 teams. Anyone who doesn't already have a Gk at SL 15+ in the works this season should be emptying the bank for this incredibly rare player.
If he goes for less than 1500k then this will be an absolute steal!
Northampton Town FC sends Patrick Clark (APP/3 Df; 100k)
to Weston-super-Mare AFC for 100k, Corey Richards (II/3 Fw; 50k)
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For those following all with the real footie action, Cardiff City had their chance at being the first United team to be playing in the Premier League. They failed at that, squandering two leads in the first half to fall to Blackpool 2-3 in the playoff final.
Hopefully, CRD here in United will not suffer similar failure, which for us would equal relegation. While the odds of repeating the "never was" season's successes in the Cups will be a very tall order to repeat, who knows how the proverbial cookie will crumble when the number generators give us all second life as glory.
Bring on the games! The Bluebirds eagerly await the challengers.
Erm...that should read "CHE."
Wouldn't you know it? Just when we think we've got this bugger of a game figured out, and just when we're having our best season overall, ever...we have to go back and repeat the feat. Let us go on record to say there is NO WAY we can duplicate our overall success that we experienced the first time through! NO WAY. We were advancing in the Shield. We advanced to the Youth Cup Semis. We were in second place overall. The only thing that wasn't going so well was the auction action. Perhaps we can turn that part around, anyway.
Well, we're not bothered by it all. It's like we get a "free play" on the game. More of MSWL-U is not a bad thing.
Meow.
Clyde & Calvin
Weston-super-Mare AFC sends 90k
to Northampton Town FC for Paolo Giordano (APP/3 Mf; 70k)
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Brighton & Hove Albion sends 500k, Jack Maguire (APP/5 Df; 225k)
to Lincoln City FC for Kieran Page (II/13 Fw; 550k)
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Brighton & Hove Albion sends Nils Müller (I/9 Df; 420k), Dominic Carter (APP/5 Fw; 225k)
to Brentford FC for 50k, Lucas Woods (II/12 Fw; 500k)
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Weston-super-Mare AFC sends 300k
to Bristol City FC for Mika Klein (V/2 Fw; 0k), Riley Dean (V/2 Mf; 0k)
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Hi Brian, is there some sort of large photo on your window as its blank for me not sure why and what am i missing??
This all feels strangely familiar...like we're in the Matrix.
Welcome to season 5.b, everyone.
Good luck!
Brentford FC sends 45k
to Crewe Alexandra FC for Daniel Green (IV/3 Fw; 30k)
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Tranmere Rovers sends Joseph Phillips (I/10 Fw; 480k), Jean Clement (V/5 Mf; 60k)
to Southend United for 100k, Thiago Pereira (II/12 Fw; 500k), Ryan Johnston (IV/5 Df; 90k)
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Northampton Town unveil the Four New players on the front row as the team photos are produced for the start of the 2010 season, Manager Compton has put his reputation on the line with these new purchases as he attempts to make the squad large enough to cope with the rigours of the season ahead. Simply put the league is the priority this season and he felt it cannot be won without a larger squad of experienced players.
Only time will tell if he can overcome Tranmere's dominance in this area and its possible heads will roll if things do not go according to plan. This year though will prove to be another tricky one, Cardiff and new boys QPR will be a force to reckon with but there alots of teams who all have a chance should the luck go there way, of course there's one team who are quite clearly heading south but it would be rude to suggest that Bees cannot find there way to the top!!
Chairman Brixtonian made his feelings quite clear in a recent meeting with his manager, when he informed him that the board would not take lightly any failure this season, as Compton went behind there wishes in signing more than the alloted 2 players he was told to bring in.
The season kicks off in a couple of weeks we hope although there is uncertainty about that, as the American league owners decide on the start date, something about sponsership and advertising rights as to when the league should kick off, it appears this money is not to be shared around though to the dissapointment of Compton!
Here's to another great season ahead, the AP Cup appears to have been kind to us with the draw and we do hope to progress in this competition, the FA Cup of course which we hope to defend throws us a tricky away tie against Bristol who have in the past caused us some trouble, the travelling fans will I am sure make some noise and although some surprises have been caused in the past we hope to go there and produce some good football, if the gods are kind to us I am sure a draw would be a good result, then we would hope to win the replay.
Big game of the round in the cup will see Hereford travel to Tranmere who from my recollection have not proceeeded past the first round of the FA Cup for 3 seasons, will they feel they should give there fans something to cheer about this season?
Good Luck to all.
Wycombe Wanderers sends 160k
to Cardiff City FC for Aaron Carter (V/6 Fw; 80k)
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I still have available
1/6 SW
3/7 MF
3/6 FW
Im looking foir an age 5 to convert to a Youth coach or a Youth coach
Make me an offer I cant refuse
Lewes FC sends Nathan Stephens (V/3 Mf; 20k)
to Chesterfield FC for 180k
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I cannot believe how much I think about this game, even when the league is on hiatus. Season five cannot start soon enough for me!
After a productive first season at D3, Bright & Hove Albion are poised to contend for promotion this season. Admittedly I must change my strategy for this season a bit due to factors unforeseen at the outset of season four, but my overall goals are unchanged (I'm not going to share those as that would ruin the surprise).
Rest assured BHA's players and coaches are ready for a strong season in Division 3. The 'Gulls want to break free this year.
Prost!
A fable? At LIN, we hope not, may it all run true. Yes, even if that means BRE (Brie?) at the top. What's really important is the cozy 7th place spot for LIN, a notch up from relegation. It will be a tough road for LIN, coming up to D1, so 7th would be very welcome in ImpTown!
Nottingham Forest sends 200k
to Tranmere Rovers for Noah Reynolds (V/6 Fw; 80k)
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| 1. | Brentford FC | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2. | Cardiff City FC | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3. | Plymouth Argyle FC | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4. | Hereford United FC | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 5. | Sheffield United | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 6. | Preston North End FC | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 7. | Lincoln City FC | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 8. | Tranmere Rovers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 9. | Queens Park Rangers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 10. |
Alan appears to be dreaming again as I bet this is how he would like to the see the end of season table look??
Tip it upside down and you might be nearer the mark, oops thats got every on my case now!!
Good luck to all in the forthcoming battles.
Brentford FC sends 35k
to Plymouth Argyle FC for Edward Thomas (IV/2 Fw; 0k)
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Sheffield United sends Christian Fitzgerald (V/6 Fw; 80k)
to Nottingham Forest for 150k, Nathan Browne (IV/3 Fw; 30k), Finley Booth (IV/2 Df; 0k)
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Dan,
You can discover only 6 through the transactions process. You may buy more at auction or pay other managers to discover extra ones and sell them to you. Managers have had more than 6 Apps on teams before.
Lincoln City FC sends 725k
to Brighton & Hove Albion for Mads Haug (I/10 Mf; 480k)
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Anyone know if you already have 6 APPs (so no more available via transactions page) whether you can buy more via auctions??
Cheers, Dan.
Nice touch Al, adding in the historical data for the auction results, this should give some assistance to managers with their bids, all that hard earned data collection of auction results is now heading for the bin, thanks!!
No seriously its all good stuff and i am sure it took a while to input, so many thanks, might find some more little changes if i keep hunting.
As i have said in a message I do believe that the fixtures for Notts Forest and myself are incorrect, he is playing all 3 AP cup games in the same session and I was looking forward to meeting my old advisary Leeds but see they have cloned to Notts Forest?
I have not checked other schedules as yet but can do if you would like?
Great to the season back, more whining about results, fun on a Saturday night as there's never anything on telly!! Mind you finding time for telly would be something else, thank the lord for Sky plus now it means you can stay awake till 2am watching the shows that you might miss in the eveing while sorting out the children!
Sleep what was that again!!!
For those who haven't checked out the auction yet, make sure to peruse the listing and get some bids in. Two max level stars for sale at SW and DF as well as players at DF and MF that are just one SL off the max pace. Very useful players at FW await as well. And two Apps ready for play at SL 5 along with 3 age I BRB's. Truly a "something for everyone" auction to get us geared up for Season 5!
Port Vale FC sends 33k
to Cardiff City FC for Ashton Hughes (IV/2 Df; 0k)
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Port Vale FC sends 252k
to Sheffield United for Luke Douglas (V/6 Gk; 80k)
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The following teams receive a bonus (Season 4 Awards - Correction):
BHA (-25) BRI (25)
The following teams receive a bonus (Season 4 Awards):
BRE (250) BHA (25) CRD (300) CHF (200) HER (400) LIN (175) NOR (850) FOR (50) PLY (250) PV (100) QPR (300) SHU (275) SU (75) TRA (600) WAT (200) WYC (25)
Phil McIntosh is now the very proud father of a baby girl. Makayla joined Clan McIntosh this early morning. By reports from the chief, all parties are doing fine. Rumor has it that Phil didn't even pass out and that Mary didn't kill him during labor and delivery. He probably won't be posting much in the next week or two, though feel free to share congratulations and he'll see them soon enough.
For those who have access to sites that I do not (SESL, The Manager) where Phil also has friends who may wish to know this information, could someone please drop a note on their blog as well by Phil's request? Thanks.
Northampton Players have earned a well rest says manager Compton, they are currently on vacation in a much more sunnier area than Northampton, currently under 5 inches of snow!! Players are looking forward to returning home in two weeks time to start training in readiness for the new campaign.
Manager Compton is wondering when the new trading season embargo will be over so that he can start to put his feelers out for any players who ay be on the market.
Another fantastic season will be ahead of us I am sure remarked Compton, who will be trying to plot the downfall of Tranmere yet again as they remain favourites for the league title.
Hi guys,
We are on holiday for about a month. You'll hear from me in mid-March if not sooner. I'll be looking to upgrade some things and add some new functionality in the meantime. So relax for a month, don't be joining a bunch of other games...take a break, get some fresh air, recharge your batteries for Season 5!
Oh yeah, and comment about Season 4 and so on...
Al
The front page says ...
Session 11 orders deadline: Saturday, Feb. 20th, 2010 at 7:00 PM ?
There are not any games are there?
Do we have to enter our CP usage for this deadline ?
Last season Tranmere won the league with a 14-3-1 record. Northampton came in 2nd with a 10-4-4 mark. This season? Identical records and places for both squads. While Alon is likely quite content with this result, Simon knows what it will take to overcome the lead: 15 wins for the title next season. Unless someone figures out how to make kryptonite during the month we have off. If so, please forward to CRD. We will pay top dollar!
Port Vale finished off their dream season with two wins over the top two teams in the league going into the final weekend.
The Vale, who were in fourth place on goal difference with Brighton and Hove Albion with two games to play, needed a big weekend if they were to compete for promotion, needing to get a better result than Brighton.
With Chesterfield heading into Vale Park having not conceded a league goal in nine games, and knowing victory would clinch the division three championship, Vale were underdogs. Chesterfield even had unused GPP's, which neutralized Vale's home advantage, and came out attacking, but Luiz Barbosa made some quality saves early on in the match. After the second half, Vale Park erupted when Chesterfield finally conceded to young Elliot Davis, in what was Vale's only shot on goal in the whole match. Vale's defense held in what was otherwise an even game, and ran off the pitch having defeated the champions 1-0.
Back in the locker room, the television blared images of Leicester's penalty kick and the final: Brighton 0-1 Leicester. If the seasiders were to play in the second division, Brighton now had to beat Weston-super-Mare, and Vale needed to lose to Nottingham Forest. However, Forest still stood above Port Vale in the standings, and could still take the championship if Carlisle United could somehow hold Chesterfield; Weston-super-Mare were playing for nothing but pride (and maybe youth development). As Port Vale took the pitch for the final time this season, fans filled the stadium to the brim, hoping to taste success for the first time as a club.
Vale pestered the Forest goal with seven shots in the first 13 minutes. Vale went up 1-0 in the 12th and netted again in the 13th as Forest's defense didn't regroup well after conceding. But Forest fought back, pulling the scoreline to 2-1, but Vale made it 3-1 in the very next minute. However, Vale's supporters were standing nervously for about 20 minutes after Forest cut it to 3-2, but after Ryan Henderson's second goal of the match in the 81st minute, the 4-2 lead looked insurmountable. Vale expects a fine for the pitch invasion as the stadium's fans flooded past the preventive barriers, but for a club which has had as little success to date as Port Vale, excitement abounded.
"We completely exceeded our expectations this season," said Port Vale manager John Holden. "To finish like this, beating the top two teams on our soil, this shows me our season was no fluke."
Still, Vale needed a couple results to go their way in order to finish in second. "It was completely possible to be tied on 38 points with Brighton, to have Nottingham on 39, and lose out on promotion on goal difference," said Holden. "We owed it to our fans and players to do the best we could, and we did."
With Forest finishing in third place, two of the three promoted teams made incredible transitions to earn the right to play second division football. Port Vale were decimated after finishing last in the second division with only four points earned in Season Two; the team had no youth with an SL greater than 2 when Holden arrived. Vale improved their standing by 25 points after a 7th-place, 13-point finish last season in what was an abnormally weak bottom half of the league.
Despite losing out on 2nd place to Vale, Nottingham Forest actually had an even more impressive turnaround - 26 points, up from their wooden spoon finish last season. In fact, Forest have an even less successful history than Vale - Roy's side set records in almost every positive statistical category this season, including points and league position. Considering Forest finished 10th, 9th and 10th, had never won more than four games in a league season, and never amassed more than 15 points, Forest's promotion is perhaps even bigger for the club.
"Forest and Vale are two very similar teams," said Holden. "On paper, Forest is a better team mostly because they had more to work with at the start of season 3. We've developed at about the same rate."
Chesterfield won the championship with their defensive acumen. "Phil did very well to bounce back up from relegation, and nine league games without conceding is pretty ridiculous in and of itself," said Holden. "If not for our goal, which was our gameplan - score a goal - they would have held the division goalless for the second half of the season. Congratulations to Chesterfield and Phil for winning the Division Three championship this season."
"Brighton were unlucky not to do better in the last two games. Until the Leicester game, I sincerely thought they had a much better chance of clinching than we did," said Holden. "However I feel a little better knowing their results didn't allow us to get promoted, considering Forest's draw. Brighton should be there or thereabouts next season. I actually think this may be a blessing in disguise for them and not us. We need to generate CP next season and we're not going to be one of the better teams in the second division."
"I don't know how aging is going to play out but the third division is going to be as unpredictable next year. However I think Brighton has a really good chance to shine. Leicester should finally be able to promote as well, and the rest of the division is wide open," said Holden. "I think Vale are one of the relegation candidates right now, but we'll see how the offseason goes. CP will be vitally important next season, but everyone involved with the club is excited to be able to try to continue to develop our team in the second division."
Northampton captain Luca Barton holds up the FA cup as they defeat the holders Brentford in what was a tight affair, jubilation around the streets of Northampton tonight as fans celebrate both the Senior and Youth team victorys.
Great times for the club says Compton and nothing more than the fans deserve, we are all well pleased and finishing runners up to Tranmere ( well done Alon on retaining the title, no mean fete) means we have achieved great success this season.
Compton whilst over the moon with the silverware is already thinking about next season and commented he would like to see the league title brought to Sixfields but again it will be another awesome season ahead as we all try to emulate the success of Tranmere.
For now though though we intend to celebrate our success, have a good time and consider next seasons tactics when we come back down to earth.
Well done to Hereford who somehow forged a great fightback to defeat CBall and Lincoln in a thrilling game, we look forward to seeing both those teams plus the mighty QPR in division one next season and maybe hope that one of them can defeat the mighty Tranmere??
Well done to Chesterfield, PortVale and Forest who have been promoted and commiserations to those who are relegated, exceptionally close in Div one but I expect to see Watford bounce straight back!
Another terrific season ends and we wait for the the new season kick off date to be announced.
Delays this evening to the kick of the 2010 cup final as fans were delayed due to travel problems, the FA have decided to put the game back by 1-3 hours in the interests of safety.
FA officials stated the game would kick off when everyone was safely seated with a glass of wine in their hands and all sporting activities had taken place and been completed. We look forward to a great game now under floodlight.
The players and fans are getting warmed up for the 2010 FA Cup final between great rivals Brentford and Northampton.
Both managers on this sunny but cold day are looking forward to the match, a great game in store it will be tight says Compton but we will be looking to the players to step up to the occasion, it does not get any bigger than this for the players and they should take there chance as some of them will not be here again.
6 hours to kick off, a wembley sell out expected, bring it on.
Clyde & Calvin are as ready as they can be for the penultimate session of the season. Neither match will be a gimme, and the cats have put their best paw forward. There will be no snacking on MouseNips or CheezyMoles tonight. It's a quick sip of milk and off too bed for the cats. Tomorrow is a big day.
Meow,
Clyde & Calvin
Northampton twins with Sao Paulo in sudden overnight meeting held between officials at the council, we wonder why said the fans but then when facts emerged about the wealth of talent out there they were jumping for joy with the idea.
Shes expected on tomorrows team bus to the Final.
MInd you its emerged John Terry could be handing over the trophy, so she had better beware!
Hi guys,
Players can convert to Backroom Boys at ANY TIME except for after the session 10 deadline. In this case a team has to wait
until aging occurs to start the following season. Thus if you want to convert a player to a BRB before end of season aging, you
should do so PRIOR to creating your session 10 orders.
The most important match of Port Vale's season will likely end up being the youth cup loss to Plymouth Argyle.
"One of the reasons we went on a four-game win streak there by the end was because we were able to play our youth in the Youth Cup," said Vale manager John Holden. "Unfortunately we ran into a good Offside Trap team even though we had the better players on the field."
Since, the Vale have managed only two goals and now do not look to even be promoted.
"We've had a tough run here, no question," said Holden, "and it's even harder knowing we had promotion in our hands. But our focus, as I've always said, has been on creating a sustainable team for the future. That means developing the youth we have now to their full potential and getting our youth system up and running properly. If there are no miracles in Burslem, we're going to be one of the teams to beat next year, and I'm excited about that."
Holden admitted to playing youth instead of the best possible lineup in games against Crewe and Brighton last week.
"Those were incredibly frustrating games," said Holden. "We had the better team out against Brighton and we got more shots off against Crewe. We just couldn't finish. Even one goal in either of those games would make a dramatic difference."
"Instead we've got a lot of work to do. I'm expecting the T11's of the two teams ahead of us, and sadly they're both a lot better than we are. But starting next season, we'll have a T11 of players whose skill is all 10 or greater. That will be a huge achievement for this squad."
Lots of great matches in store for the final league weekend, not to mention the great clashes lined up in the FA Cup and Shield Finals and the Youth Cup. By Division, with what's still at stake to look for...
Division 1
Tranmere has clinched (congrats to Alon yet again!), and though this season doesn't see them in any Cup finals, being 9 points clear in the league is an impressive feat heading into the last two matches. Their match @ Lewes has relegation implications, so I expect Alon to bring a decent team and make Dave Dohm earn his way into staying up.
In Match 38, the focus for the top 3 will be on PLY @ SHU. The Pilgrims are currently in 3rd and two points above the Blades. If Sheffield United wins this one at home they move into the driver's seat and could replace PLY in third. Rob then turns around and plays @ #2 NOR in Match 39, which could decide 2nd place if NOR loses the first match and PLY wins, so I expect Simon to bring a tough squad there as well. The Pilgrims will need to get over the hangover from the AP Cup celebrations if they want to stay in the top 3 in the league as well (congrats to Rob on that impressive win!). The final 3 positions are entirely in Rob's hands. If they win both, they will be either 2nd or 3rd with NOR in the other spot. If they lose or draw one, they are likely in third, though Cardiff could slip past them. Lose both and they are out for sure as at least the Blades pass them up. CRD and SHU will be watching those matches will almost as much attention as their own to see how the tables finish out.
On the relegation end, one team similarly holds all the cards to control their own fate. Brentford is sitting in 7th right now, tied at 18 points with 6th place PNE and just 2 points above 8th and 9th place WAT and LEW (tied at 16 points). Al first hosts Dave in Match 38, and then turns right around and travels to Ian's turf for the season ending rivalry match. If BRE beats LEW and PNE, they stay up no matter what else happens. Lose both and they are relegated no matter what else happens. A draw or two leaves the door open for Watford to pass them (who currently have a better goal differential by 7 goals). And then there is the little matter of having the FA Cup Final against NOR in match 40. I don't think anyone has as much to play for in the final session as the Bees. We'll see if Al's luck can right itself after a string of disappointing league results (especially that CRD loss last session).
Ian gets the benefit of two home matches, though hosting CRD and BRE is not an easy task. They have to get two wins to guarantee staying up in Division 1. A win-draw means that they stay ahead of BRE, so even if WAT passes them Ian will be OK. A win-loss (w/ loss to BRE) and they're in trouble depending on Watford's results. Match 39 for Ian is the key. Even with a loss in Match 38, a win in Match 39 means that WAT and LEW would have to win both of theirs against some very tough teams (TRA, NOR, CRD, BRE) in order to get to 22 points and pass PNE. That's a tall order as everyone except TRA still has a lot to play for in their own positions.
James at Watford and Dave at Lewes have some rough games ahead. With PNE and BRE playing each other, the door is open to pass one or both of them as they lurk just 2 points back. However, Watford plays NOR and then at CRD while Lewes hosts BRE before finishing at Tranmere. Lewes is the worst off with regard to goal differential, though a 2-goal win over Brentford reverses that. If they beat BRE in Match 38 by two goals or more and get at least a draw in match 39, then BRE has to beat PNE in match 39 to stay above Lewes.
Too many permutations to display them all, so to sum up the race to avoid relegation: Derby is going down (6 back from 7th with 6th & 7th playing each other so at least one gets points means the Rams cannot overtake both). Lewes and Watford could advance with a win-draw scenario, though it is unlikely. Two wins is more realistic. Brentford needs a win-draw, though just one win and a loss could hold up depending on how PNE v. CRD and Watford's matches come out. Just a draw and the Bees are in big trouble. Two losses and they're going down. PNE needs one win, and if it comes against BRE they are probably safe as just one scenario puts them in 8th from that spot. A win-draw and they coast home. Two losses and they will be sweating bullets as WAT or LEW would need just one win, or WAT maybe just needing two draws depending on how the goal differential ends up, to pass Ian.
Division Two
James at QPR is in control, up two points with two matches to play. However they play teams in 5th and 6th while 2nd place Hereford gets teams in 8th and 9th. Being just two up in the goal differential category as well, Hereford could overtake QPR with decisive wins at DOR and home to SWA. QPR had best bring the A-game at home vs. a tough Bristol City squad and then finishing at DAG, who needs at least a draw of their own to be fully safe from relegation.
Even with the top spot still up for grabs, the match of the week for Div 2 has to be Southend United at Lincoln City FC in the final league game in what will likely decide the #3 position. Both have a numbers edge in their first match (both at home) so Southend is likely still two points back heading into this one. Even if LIN loses and SU wins though, a LIN win over SU guarantees that the Imps advance. If C-Ball is going to give the Sbys any time, expect to see them vs. Swindon. If LIN gets a draw against SWI, then by having an 8-goal lead over SU it is very probable that a draw vs. SU still sees LIN advance on equal points. Dave really has his work cut out for him then, as he has to get two wins to ensure promotion. We'll see how much inspiration he can draw from his beloved New Orleans Saints... Playing in the Youth Cup final will help in that regard, as he won't have to neglect any youth development while seeking those wins. Mike has harder choices to make about winning now vs. the future.
On the relegation end, Oldham Athletic and Swansea will heading to the 3rd Division. Their rebuilding efforts this season should see them in a far more competitive form next year as they will be happy to see this season close out. The Magpies still have a puncher's chance of escaping 8th place though. If DOR can pull the upset home vs. Hereford (a big "if," though not out of the question) then DOR plays 7th place Swindon Town FC. DOR is currently 3 points and 10 goals back of SWI. A 5-goal win erases that deficit, so it would come down to who won their first match more decisively: SWI @ LIN, or DOR v. HER. I would wager on both teams losing Match 38, so that leaves them still waging war for the 7th place safety spot in Match 39.
Meanwhile, DAG has to be very grateful that SWI and DOR play each other last, making just one possible scenario where they both overtake DAG (DAG lose both, SWI beats LIN and loses to DOR, DOR wins both). DAG travel to a desperate Southend team and then host division leading QPR. That's an ugly final weekend, so knowing that even two losses probably leaves them safe will help. One draw and they are very likely in the clear, having an 8-goal lead over DOR for the goal differential tie break if they both finish at 21 points. Just one win guarantees that they stay up, so a T11 in one match and all youth in the other may not be a bad way to go. The only question is who to T11?
Division Three
A great race between the top four teams will finally come to conclusion. Currently, Chesterfield sits 3 points clear of 2nd and having a very narrow 1-goal GD edge. Starting at 4th place PV doesn't help their situation, though hosting Carlisle in the last match does. Derek will be making sure to finish out the youth development plan this season, leaving little chance of a table-flipping upset between the current bottom and top teams. CHF need just a draw at PV to clinch the division if they also beat CAR.
In 2nd currently, Forest hosts WYC before also heading out to Port Vale's turf. They need one win to guarantee promotion in 2nd place. Two wins are a must to have any real chance of overtaking CHF. Chesterfield could play for a goal-fest against CAR to earn the GD advantage regardless of the PV match, though Phil's style is to take the top teams on instead of beating up on the defenseless.
So in all likelihood, Beerman's Gulls will be spectators to see how the rest of the matches play out. While currently 3rd and tied with 4th place PV on points (+2 GD), they could finish 2nd, 3rd, or 4th depending on how the other matches come out. I expect to see BHA gunning for two wins vs. LEI and then @ Weston-super-Mare. The entire time though, someone from the organization will be closely monitoring the two matches of the week:
Port Vale needs help, and have a brutal closing session of their own to navigate. At least they are at home for both matches as they face #1 CHF and #2 Forest. That's the only silver lining to this cloud as both CHF and FOR know that they need at least a draw vs. PV if they harbor any hopes of winning the division. Forest may elect to go strong at home vs. WYC and throw the youth out vs. PV. Phil may do the same and give a good lineup to CAR instead. That may be John's only hope of overtaking Brian for 3rd. Banking on seeing the youth come out is not what I want to pin my hopes on for a final session, so I think the Gulls advance by default and PV is already penciled in as next season's favorites unless Leicester can turn around their luck.
In 5th place, Crewe cannot promote and don't play any of the top 4 teams. With playing spoiler out of the question, it looks like they can enjoy a quiet weekend and finish out the youth or play for some CP as they desire. Same for Leeds in 7th. Everyone else plays at least one of the top four, so if you can afford a T11 without giving up needed youth time, go for it!
SAINTS
Northampton players in photoshoot prior to this weekends Cup Finals
Northampton fans are here again and looking forward to Wembely and hopefully revenge following the defeat suffered at the hands of Brentford two seasons ago.
It will be a sell out, i am sure that Al and Brentford will be going through their training regimes and they will not be nervous of the occassion given its like a home game to them what with the amount of times they have been here!
Compton has been impressed by his teams work ethic this season and to be in Two finals and be second in the league is a great achievement, the Chairman is well happy with the way this club is being managed.
The fans, like Compton though expect to see some silverware from this weekends action, only time will tell and we look forward to some great football being played.
Kevin bemoans his schedule over the past few weeks, being out of the Youth Cup and having to face the league favorites who were both in the Cup... this was a very good point - I hope a lot of people pay attention and take his advice. As usual, it's very sound. PLY has always taken every cup seriously, and given that I have always focused on depth and youth building, it's no surprise that the Argyles usually do well in most of the Cups (danged if we can win one though!).
This session though, PLY only has 1 Cup to worry about, but that hasn't made lineup decisions any easier. PLY and CRD clash in possibly the biggest Cup finals in MSWL-U history (not that I'm touting my own team as anything special... ) . This match has huge implications for both squads. Kevin and I have both made no mystery of our affection for shiny objects - specifically Cup trophies. Kevin has won 2 Shield trophies, but let's be honest - those are kinda worthless when compared with winning the AP Cup. We know he is going throw his best lineup at us. Better yet, we can predict almost the EXACT lineup that he will be throwing at us.
With that knowledge, you'd think it would be very easy to plan the lineups for this session... WRONG. This has been the most difficult lineup selection I have had to make in MSWL-U to date. I know what Kevin will do, yet every lineup permutation I come up with is too weak to contend with Kevin's lineup. The Argyles have been issued several challenges:
- GK Gabriel Robin must stand on his head in this match. He will ultimately be the decider here. If he has a great game, the Argyles will actually stand a chance.
- SW Luke Shah needs to have a great game. He's been great all season long, and he'll need to continue to keep most of the heat away from Robin.
- MF/FW line must really step it up and convert on the few chances we expect them to create. Conversion % of shots on goal will be the key to Plymouth's success.
PLY will throw everything we have at CRD, but we go into the match as HEAVY underdogs. But as Dancin' Dave Budvar Dowson will tell you... it's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog!
For those who downplay the Cups and focus on the league, here are two reasons why you aren't thinking quite right about this league...
1) Last session CRD v. TRA. Tranmere were still in the Youth Cup and could play all their youth there and could throw down a pure T11 against CRD. We had just the two league matches after getting trounced by Watford out of the Youth Cup the prior session, and had to play lots of youth to keep up the training schedule. Final result = CRD never had a chance.
2) This session CRD v. NOR. Even at home, CRD will have to yet again play some youth. Simon's lads are still in the Youth Cup and he won't have to spare a single slot for a Sby against us. We may only see 1-2 Apps, if any. So once again though my T11 is the closest of anyone's to NOR, because I face them late in the season when CRD is out of the Youth Cup and NOR is still in we don't have a decent chance of pulling the upset here.
So for those planning on making serious league runs in future seasons who don't want to have to completely ignore all their youth while doing so, the Youth Cup should be the focus on the planning efforts and GPP. Just some thoughts for future years to keep the league more competitive. Hate to see the same teams in the finals each season, unless it's the Bluebirds of course!
Northampton fans see another impressive weekend of football as they strive to take some silverware from this season. The board are certainly happy with progression and money already banked from non league sales, FA finalists will possibly see some frantic transfer deals again come the new season.
Good wins in the league see them move into second spot still too far away from Tranmere unless something major happens with them like swine flu striking them all down in the next two weeks. Maybe Dave Dowson could send his boys around to do a number on them!!
FA Cup saw a terrific battle with Watford, once again we make it through to the Cup Final, I seem to recall losing there before to the mighty Brentford, what forecast for this year i wonder? Brentford have a few injury worries at this stage but with a week to recover maybe they will be a full strength? We are confident that it will be a tight game and that Brentford will possibly use some underhand hardness tactics but yet again another great game in store.
The Youth Cup saw Swindon on the losing end of what was a good win for us, never having got this far before Northampton were confident that the youngsters would see it through and now the schoolboy youth take on Watford in the semis and will be hoping to emulate the senior team and reach their own final.
Sorry to see Dave King leaving the game and the Cobblers are hoping that the win was not the final nail in the coffin as the directors decided to part company with him. Good Luck.
Within the leagues, Div Two is looking like QPR, Hereford will get promoted and then either Lincoln or Southend, similarly in Div 3 Chesterfield, Port Vale and Nottingham Forest seem to have promotion all but secured.
In the AP Cup Final can Plymouth salvage something from this season and defeat the mighty Cardiff to try and take their first silverware, both teams have fully fit squads and I have never seen so many players at plus 2 fitness so should make for a cracking game, Cardiff for me, though both teams have some tricky league games before this game kicks off so it really depends on how they go.
The Shield Final sees Hereford take on Lincoln in an all Div two affair, CBall given you an Aquarian and our birthdays are two days apart you get my vote, again though you both have great T11s and it will be intersting to see how this one pans out.
Between Brian's ill birthday wishes and Kev's brutal analysis of our chances in the Shield semis, the LIN bulletin board is chock full of motivational material. Count the numbers all you want, LIN is a team of heart and soul, responding much better to this type of motivation than anything else.
Brian and KMart, you are going to owe James and Kev Hull a beer or two after today's matches, helping to drown the sorrows of the sad fate you sealed for them with your posts!
XOXO, C-Ball
C-Ball's birthday coincides with session eight this season. I'm not sure what his family got for him, but I did hear him saying he was hoping for some losses in MSWL-U the end of this season.
What do you say lads, can we all work together to make that happen?
The FA Shield Semifinals are this week? Why did I miss that? Surely the road to the title goes through the 2-time defending champion Cardiff Ci... oh. That's right. We made the mistake of actually winning our first match of the season this time around. Followed by a very quick and unceremonious ousting from the tourney by Mr. James Tiberius "I own CRD" Tucker at Watford. Not that Bluebirds get bitter or have long memories or anything.
So about the rest of you then, huh? Let's see what the slate holds...
Random notes: 8 teams have over 10,000k in Player Value currently. 3 of those are still in the Shield competition (TRA, HER, QPR). No Division 1 team has ever won a Shield (2 time champs CRD were 2nd division both seasons, and Div 1 didn't exist in season 1). Tranmere made the final and lost last season. No current team still standing has won the Shield, so it will be hoisted by a new proud owner this off-season. All four teams have 15+ GPP left so there's tons of wildcard power in play. And both the statistically weaker teams are at home to even the odds for some hopefully entertaining match play.
HER v. TRA. As one of the, if not the actual #1, toughest teams in the league to plan for and take down, Tranmere definitely have the look of favorites in this competition. However, while they may be heavily favored if they reach the final they have a tough matchup this week. First off, the league is still up for grabs and Alon can't take it lightly in his home match against a desperate PNE (that other league game can be thrown, no worries). Alon is also still alive in the Youth Cup, which helps him as his Apps don't need any playing time here (because they'll be playing in the first league match this week). Tranmere have both the top GK (16+2) and SW (16+2) in the competition as well as the best combined top 4 FWs. So why might Hereford give them trouble again?
Andy is never an easy matchup. He's not very predictable and the team is very balanced. His top GK is very good as well (17 SL+Fit), so that's only 2.25% save chance different from TRA. He's also not afraid to stack the front lines and exploit a weaker backfield or go out of position and stack the MF to play some Offside Trap. If Alon is guessing he'll have to be very careful to guess correctly, so I'm betting on the "my top 11 are better than your top 11" strategy in a 1-1-2-3-4 style or 1-1-3-2-4. Andy can get to within just a few points in each area, and with the Home Bonus on his side can come out ahead in any one area he chooses if he uses some GPP to pad things and make sure of it. With the league season slipping away, will he risk Hardness? Excellent question. Doubtful, though I wouldn't rule it out as he really has nothing to lose. Given his lineup though, I would advise not to spend any GPP or Hardness on the Sweeper. Better to spend on the GK or else straight into the DF to take away scoring chances from ever happening.
I think Hereford keeps it close, though Tranmere is really tough to take down unless you've designed your team for that purpose. Regulation has a very good chance of ending in a draw. That gives the edge to Tranmere in extra time or PKs as the top Gk comes through for Alon yet again. Tranmere by a goal is my official call, and netting that in extra time would not surprise me in the least.
LIN v. QPR. Going just by the numbers, the Imps are the weakest team still standing. They have the lowest starting SL + Fit of GKs (14) and SWs (11). The forwards make the smallest combined top 4 total. The DF only goes 4 deep and will be stretched thin with the league competitions this week. So why are they still contending? For starters, they have the home field for this one and C-Ball is not afraid of bringing the pain to even out the SL disadvantage. With the lower-SL GK and fewer SL 12+ shooters than QPR, Mike will want to finish this one in regulation. Expect a lot of hardness as he risks the PKs to get a key injury and generate more scoring chances. If he plays it safe and goes for extra time/PKs, he will likely lose.
To counter that, QPR has a good Gk/Sw combo (16/15) and a very balanced lineup. While their top 3 FWs are impressive (16,16,15), the MF leaves them open to deflation by a good offsides trap line. As this is the only area Mike really has an advantage in, James would have to come out with a 1-1-2-4-3 lineup or 1-1-3-4-2 to overcome the SL+ Home Bonus that Mike could use. If he's doing that, then he may as well go for OST himself with a 1-x-3-4-3 and use 9 GPP and 9 hardness on the midfield. That really doesn't seem like James' style, so expect him to risk that weakness and rely on the strength of his top GK and his impressive forward lines to carry the day yet again. Another advantage of James is that extra time and PKs will favor his team's odd of winning (though that's not saying much given past PK shootout results). Throwing out 7 PFD points to counter the Home Bonus may be in the cards and LIN would be best served considering how that would throw off his lines if it appeared...
So since Mike needs the full Home Bonus and some hardness to even things up, I expect to also see lots of GPP in this match from both sides. QPR's Gk & Sw & Fws give James the edge as he'll shoot more and have a better save chance. So if QPR comes out with their T11 then LIN will have to injure someone to keep it close. If they give up a PK goal they'll be done for sure. QPR by 2 is my final call (1 goal, 1 PK). Sorry, Mike. You asked for the predictions and I think they've got your number.
That being said, now C-Ball can pull the "Nobody believed in us!" card for the locker room (changing room) speeches and you can be guaranteed that you'll be the underdog again if you do make the final!
If all had in life was water, bread and Kevin's prediction posts, I could die a happy man. Kev, how about a take on the Shield semis?
Quarterfinals of the Youth Cup gearing up for this weekend, and while CRD is still smarting from missing our PK against WAT (90% scoring chance) that cost us a chance to advance again, we'll still throw out some uneducated guesses about what will probably not happen for the 8 teams still playing...
As an interesting side note for those who like looking at matchups, 4 of the teams left have Youth GK's. 4 don't. The 4 that do play other teams that do. The 4 that don't thus play each other as well. This makes for some interesting tactical choices, so I'm looking forward to seeing who pulls out all the stops or else tries to hide their hand for a surprise semifinal lineup.
BHA v. SU. Brian has the better youth team top to bottom. Dave will use max hardness to make up for that. Injuries hurt a tad less in Youth matches due to lower SL to start with, so I see this coming down to how it almost always does with Southend: whether or not they give up a PK in regulation time. My guess? They do this time out. BHA by 1.
WAT v. PLY. Both have just 8 youth players, so no surprises in who will take the field. This one is also coming down to PK's. I think Rob's luck holds out for now and he advances by a 2 goal win. Mostly because losing in the finals is going to hurt so much more than losing to a tough Watford squad now, and Olmec really doesn't like Rob!
SWI v. NOR. David got a rough break and has his top Youth FW out. He had to bring in a scrub already, and needing the 2nd on the field is just too much to overcome. Still, with top GK in play this could easily come down to a scoreless draw. I don't think I like David's chances in regulation, so playing heavy on the Df and hoping to pull out he luck in PK's is a good strategy. If SWI busts out the hardness and gets lucky, they can advance. That's a lot of "ifs" and luck involved, so the smart money is on NOR advancing.
TRA v. PNE. Both teams have just 8 youth in identical slots (2 Df, 3 Mf, 3 Fw). Tranmere have a league title in reach and are playing in the Shield Semis against a tough Hereford team as well, so they may have to trot out the backup Gk in this one (or spend some CP on Fit after the 4th match). Even so, they match up very well against Ian's team and I see Alon winning by 2 goals. Ian has two top youth and the rest need some rest or have been neglected a tad. Playing for a draw and praying for luck in PKs looks like his best shot.
==olmec quiniela==
one for home|two for away|x for draw
quiniela being a mexican football lottery
ROUND 13
Nottingham Forest - Leicester City
This is a tough game for Forest as Fran's team is underachieving but still capable of putting up some big numbers for this division. However, Fran is ten points off the promotion pace and will probably be thinking about next year already. This game means more to Forest and they'll probably take the points. PICK: 1
Crewe Alexandra - Brighton & Hove Albion
Tough game, but Brighton have the Youth Cup advantage - they don't have to play their youth players if they don't want to because of their quarterfinal berth. Granted both teams are about equal on the stats, but if Crewe goes the youth route the game may just be Brighton's to lose. PICK: X
Weston-super-Mare - Carlisle United
Carlisle seem to be snake bit but they've got youth to attend to. The southerners should be able to win this home game with their home advantage. PICK: 1
Chesterfield - Leeds United
Phil will defend his way to success, especially at home - the question is how many of Chesterfield's players will get injured by Abe's hard-tackling squad? PICK: 1
Wycombe Wanderers - Port Vale FC
Wycombe haven't done much this season, but taking down Port Vale at home might distill some momentum in Mike's camp. PICK: VOID
ROUND 14
Crewe Alexandra - Nottingham Forest
Alexandra have an uphill battle for promotion, being seven points off the mark. Two wins will put Crewe back in the thick of things, but still in fourth place. Forest, I think, are the better team. A draw, which only helps the clubs around these two, is completely possible. PICK: X
Leicester City - Weston-super-Mare
Weston have had a tough season. Leicester are too good of a team to lose to Mark's side for the second consecutive time. PICK: 1
Brighton & Hove Albion - Chesterfield
Again, BHA have the advantage next weekend because they can be flexible with their youth - but Phil is defending to some success this season. This one will end 0-0. PICK: X
Carlisle United - Wycombe Wanderers
Carlisle will put out their T11 for this one - a Carlisle victory would do wonders for avoiding the wooden spoon. However, my money is on Wycombe - home field advantage can't make up for their four-goal season so far. PICK: 2
Leeds United - Port Vale FC
I think Vale may be good enough to win this game, but I think it's also a bogey game.
PICK: VOID
Just watched 'Mad Max' getting his basket !
Must congratulate Amy on the Commentary on Al eating his 'Hot-Dog'.....
"Dribble Dribble Dribble...Thats my Baby"
Nice one Al !
Kevin...Can you give us a preview and predictions for the next round of Youth Cup? This tournament is beginning to heat up.
Clyde & Calvin have reviewed the tape and are fairly sure that they hear Mr. Sellers in the background calling for the foul..."AND ONE!...AND ONE!"
Congratulations to Dr. Death aka Dave Dowson on his Saints making the Super Bowl. Good stuff for Dave and New Orleans.
Also thank you Dave Dowson for your Red Card Conspiracy post...I can't remember when I laughed so hard at a post. The only analogy I had was that it was like thanking the arsonist for putting out the fire.
Back to an off topic item...my youngest, Max, scored a basket on Saturday in basketball (which is why games are often late on Saturday's...yep blame Mad Max)...here's the dramatic footage of his 2nd basket....
2nd Division is anyone's game at this point, with 1st to 4th separated by just 2 points as six matches remain on the slate. Similarly, 8th place is sitting just 2 points back of 5th! One win or loss will make the difference between promotion or not, and between relegation or not. No pressure or anything for this weekend's fixtures...
Some of you may be counting the points and looking at the schedules figuring out what your odds of success and failure are. We here at CRD are happy to help you with that. In looking back over the past two seasons, we have tallied the goals to shoot for when attempting to win, promote, and just survive for each division. If you want to be doing the Safety Dance in session 10, hit this by session 9:
Division 1:
Champ - 38 points. While this seems low, that's a full win over the 2nd place average. Season 2 & 3 saw the Champs at over 40 points each, however they could have done it with less. For Alon, this means 4 wins or 3 wins and 2 draws and he's all but unbeatable (though you already knew that). Dan would have to win 5 of the last 6 to have any shot of overtaking Alon, and NOR and CRD would have to run the table and need oodles of help too. So instead, they are likely shooting for...
Top 3 - 2nd place averages at 34 points and 3rd place at 31. 4th place is at 30, so there is no room for error as the season winds down. 4 of 6 sees SHU all but assured of a Top 3 finish, which would be the performance of the year in my book as they did not appear to have it in them this season. NOR and CRD have their work cut out for them as 4-1-1 is tough to pull in when having to play the youth as well. On the bright side, even if they don't make the top 3 they are already past the safey point to avoid...
Relegation woes - 7th place averaged in at 19 points. 8th place was 18 points. With the smallest gap yet in T11 and T16 from top to bottom though, I don't think that less than 20 will be comfortable heading into the last session. Derby, Lewes, and Watford are all too good and too experienced to just assume that they're going to lose any given match. Plymouth, PNE, and Brentford are well-advised to win at least two more matches in the next two weekends to go into the last session without seriously considering sacrificing youth development just to stay up in Div 1. For those currently in the relegation zone, they need to win 4 of the last 6 to overtake someone. If you can't see where those wins are coming, then enjoy playing spoiler and stealing draws (or some FIT with a well-placed injury) from the top 4 contenders while making sure to peak out the youth players for next season. Because it's likely you're going to drop to...
Division 2, where the champ is anything but decided!
Champ - Three teams tied at 25 points ensures we'll be seeing a new low total for a champ here. 44 to win on average can't be met. With the parity among the top teams, this looks to be more like a "not-2nd place" level of points to win it. That puts the bar at 36 points. Four wins needs to be the mark they aim for, or three with at least two draws as well. Winning all six is a tall order this season in the 2nd division, and though the haves and have-nots have separated nicely, guessing the final order among each grouping can't be done with any sense of certainty. Because of this, I'm putting the winner down for 37 points, leaving the others to fight for...
Promotion - 35 points needed, I think. 3 wins and a draw for the top 3, 4 wins for Hereford right now. The final promotion spot has always been hotly contested, never being more than 2 points difference from 3rd to 4th in any division, ever. 34 or 33 points might hold up, though this is about safety goals, not "please, oh please, oh please" tiers of hopefulness. At the very least, the current top 4 are all above...
Relegation - same as Div 1, 21 points should see a team through. 8th place has peaked at 18 points each season. Given how tight 5th to 8th is right now, I'm giving a win higher for this season. Every team among BRI, SWI, DOR & DAG need to find two matches and put them down as "must win." And then find a third to get at least a draw in. Swansea and Oldham are all but relegated now, so maxing youth time is good for them. The others need to be very careful not to neglect the Schoolboys in the last three sessions unless they believe promotion to be worth the loss of a full SL from them. While youth time is hurtful for staying in Div 2, neglecting the youth means that they'll be fighting for 7th place again next season as the top teams promoting will be tough to beat from the current...
Division 3 - where no one apparently likes first place for more than one session. That makes it hard to pick the...
Champ - 42 points to win was the early mark. The top 3 would need to win 5 matches in the last 6 to pull that off. If they keep playing some youth in (as they really, really should) then that's a hard mark to reach. In past seasons though, we've seen a runaway top 1 or 2 teams, at least two really bad teams, and at least two managers that NMR'd enough to throw the tables off. This season is far better for having less of all that in every respect. 4 wins and a draw should definitely crown a champ between Vale and Chesterfield. If either does that, they win. Less than that and all bets are off. That leaves the other one scrambling to hold down a spot for...
Promotion - 34 points has been 3rd place for each of the last two years. For comparison, 4th has been 32 and 33, with 5th last season at 32. One win made all the difference. With the current 5 point gap from 3rd to 4th, I see 34 holding down the line yet again. BHA would have to win 4 and have Forest go no better than 2-0-4 or 1-3-2 to finish out the year in order to overtake 3rd. Whilst I'm not counting Brian out (especially with a youth cup match to help spread the youth out while the top 3 don't have that luxury), that's a tall order given the teams on the schedule that they still play. For John and Phil, if just wanting promotion then 2 wins will do it. Pick them well and max the youth out otherwise. For Forest, Roy needs 3 wins. That's one T11 and one "youth match" per session if he cares to think of it that way. For Rob at Crewe, maybe next year, as 4-2-0 is too tall an order. For Fran, what happened this year? You were my pick to win in the pre-season rankings. 6th? Time to get back to the drawing board on the ranking tables, it would appear. After all, if Vale can be leading with six matches to go then something somewhere must be terribly wrong...
WHO DAT ?
Minnesota Vikings 28 - New Orleans Saints 31 |
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SEE YA IN MIAMI !
Brighton & Hove Albion's chances to win the third division this season are all but gone. The three dominant teams of our tier, Port Vale, Chesterfield and Nottingham, all have at least one thing in common: they have not yet lost to BHA in a divisional match. Until the Seagulls can find a way to beat the top teams, our hopes of a divisional championship, or even promotion, are slim to none.
Oh well, at least the Youth Cup is still up for grabs.
ï»Nottingham Forest got their promotion challenge back on track with a double over the weekend. First to feel the furious Forest backlash after last weekend's lost games were bottom side Carlisle who could not stop the onslaught of Forest goals (some sort of pun involving arrows raining doen would be good here but I can't think of one) 7-0 the final scoreline:
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The second game was crucial for Forest's promotion push as we took on a side who also have their eye on Division 2 - Brighton & HA. With Forest making a visit to the seaside the GPP chest was raided to counter the home advantage and it paid off as Forest came away 2-0 winners!
With 6 points under my belt I only have two complaints about the weekends matches - the teams above me who are also in the neighbourhood for promotion stayed above Forest with wins of their own. And a further 8 hardness factor added to last weekends 10 went without PK punishment.
Next weekend Forest take on another two sides in the 'hood for promotion - Crewe and local Rivals Leicester. Forest wil be looking to rob both these contenders for as many points as possible!
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"Outrageous" "Unbelieveable" "Unjust" "Victimisation"............
Just some of the reactions from the Southend Fans following the apalling Refereeing decisions made in the Session 7's Matches
The results of a combination of organised conspiracy & shamefull deception are
That almost 20% of the Southend Squad are sitting out matches in Session 8
Connor Marshall  |
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Lucas Griffiths |
Lincoln City FC sends Dylan Akhtar (I/7 Fw; 300k)
to Wycombe Wanderers for 150k, Kyle Cox (III/7 Fw; 200k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Northampton Town FC sends Masaru Yoshida (III/10 Mf; 320k)
to Carlisle United for 415k
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Lincoln City FC sends Sacha Regnier (II/9 Df; 350k)
to Leeds United for Felix Herrmann (III/6 Df; 160k), Bradley Bishop (III/6 Df; 160k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Dear John,
If you've accomplished every thing you needed in this season, please get out of our way.
Thanks.
Clyde & Calvin
(Al recommended the headline).
If you haven't checked out this weekend's Division 3 games, don't read any further, cause:
-- here be spoilers --
With two more league wins today the Vale are now
wait for it
wait for it
swallow whatever you might be drinking right now so it doesn't get spit out all over your computer screen when you read the second to next sentence after this one. swallowed? okay -
TOP OF THE LEAGUE.
Granted we are not going to finish this season
TOP OF THE LEAGUE,
but considering the franchise's history, it's pretty important to the Vale fans that we are
TOP OF THE LEAGUE
this late in the season. Consider the team's goals at the start of the year: Seven wins in the league (which would be a team record); try like heck to match the team's points in a season record of 25 (seven wins, four draws, seven losses); and finish better than 7th in the league, where we somehow finished up last season (mostly because of a muddle of directionless teams at the bottom last year) and were predicted to finish again this season.
Those goals are met. Mathematically, we could still finish 7th, but in practice it's impossible (because some teams have to lose, etc, etc) - Leeds have to go 6-0-0 and beat us on goal difference and somehow not get any better than 6th themselves.
Therefore, the next six games are like finding twenty quid in your pants pocket. The next six games are like finding an extra can of gravy in the cupboard when you're fresh out and have a giant turkey on the table and twenty people coming over in a few minutes. The next six games are like when you've just finished a spicy jumbo burrito and you just lean back in your chair a little bit and sit there feeling the big belch coming and thinking, wow, here. it. comes. I. Am. ALIVE. We've eaten the burrito, and it was good. But we've turned our sight to the belch - promotion.
However there are six games still to play. What happens is in our hands, but whatever happens, we cannot fail - the Vale have already succeeded. Currently if we get 41 points we're going up for certain - Brighton, in 4th, can only tally 40 this season. As we win and Brighton (or whoever the 4th place team) loses, this number will be revised downward - for instance, if Crewe beat or draw Brighton, our target number becomes 23+15+1=39 points. If we keep winning, though, this is a moot point. Whatever happens on the road away at Wycombe and at Leeds next weekend, we'll still be in the top three with four games to play. Three of those last four are at home too, but the home games are against Chesterfield, Nottingham Forest and Brighton - the three teams we're "fighting" against. Hopefully our luck charms which have worked so well in the league this season haven't lost their luster yet.
But, again, we've accomplished everything we need to accomplish. Youth development is more important than promotion, especially because it will be harder to develop the team in the 2nd division than the 3rd (fewer CPs to dote on our young players).
So a word to the teams the Vale have yet to play - we're still not that good of a team, so don't take us too seriously.
Seriously.
Someone has made the mistake of actually asking for predictions by me? Sweet!
Then again, predicting the Youth Cup is by far the hardest of any competition. Predicting the league results is a piece of cake by comparison. To give away some tactical strategy hints or suggestions along the way of predicting things to help other managers out, here are 4 factors that make predicting the Youth Cup so hard (not even counting GPP which can swing any game with 9 points unexpectedly placed in your opponents area of key weakness):
1. Hardness. All teams have to play at least a schoolboy or three in their eight youth players. By session 6, those can max out at SL 3, Fit 2. That's 5 for the area totals. 10 Hardness can double that. It's like playing two extra players for the match and can be a huge swing. On the flip side, most youth cup matches are lower scoring affairs than other Cups due to lower total SL in play. A full quarter of matches end in draws and go to PK shootouts. Giving up a PK goal due to hardness in the match itself can easily be the difference between a loss and a chance of winning later. Guessing how much hardness a manager is going to risk, and guessing whether or not they are going to be very lucky and not give up a PK goal or very unlucky and give up two or three goals is well nigh impossible.
2. GK vs. Extra Player. Some teams have to play a youth player in goal. Others have no youth GK and must play an older guy. Some teams have 9+ youth with one at GK and can choose what to do. Each has a benefit and downside. Teams with a youth player can field three better players at DF-MF-FW and can dominate in shots taken and shots faced. If I can keep you from shooting at my Sby in goal by playing my top DF and MF, it doesn't matter what his SL is. That's really good. On the down side, if shots are faced then they are more likely to go in. That's bad. With 1 in 4 matches going to PK shootout to determine the winner, having a great GK in the game is a very big plus. Of the 4 matches in round 1 that went to PKs, one match had identical GKs and in the other 3 the team with the better GK won every time.
3. AP Cup Semifinals. TRA, SHU, CRD, and PLY are all in the Youth Cup round 2 and also in the AP Cup Semis. That means they all have 4 matches this session. They are currently 1st, 2nd, 4th, and 6th in the First Division as well (with PLY just 1 point above the relegation zone) so they all have tons to play for in league matches. If they use a T11 or at least T13 in the AP Semi and one league match, then that leaves little to go around for their top players in the Youth Cup, especially if they want to put out a competitive lineup for the 2nd league match too. Picking which is more important to them (League, AP or Youth) will easily sway how things will play out in the Youth Cup round 2.
4. Play for Draw? 7 points is a full 12th player on the field in Youth Cup matches. If you have a good top GK and use PFD to limit shots, a team can bank on pulling through on PKs against a team that must play a weaker GK due to having only 8 youth players. So even though the team with just 8 youth might have stronger youth overall, they can be neutralized by the PFD points and then the top GK pulls out the win on PKs. This is actually a sound strategy for the Youth Cup because the other team's GK can be easily predicted and cannot compare to your top one. Guessing who may try this out is very difficult as well.
So for those 4 reasons, all these predictions are very likely wrong! And yet we'll throw them out anyway because it's fun and will hopefully lead to some witty replies and declarations of vengeance for me jinxing your team by picking them to win (all SL given are SL + Fit for ease of reading):
PV vs. PLY. PLY has 8 youth with a GK at SL 6. PV has 12 youth to pick from with 6 at SL 10 and a 7th at 9. PLY also has the AP Cup match vs. TRA at home and has crucial league matches at home vs. PNE and on the road at WAT. PLY is currently 6th and above PNE and WAT on the tables, so staying above them in huge. However, PLY has declared the Youth Cup title a goal since season 1. Something has to give. I see Rob using his CP on fitness this session and giving his best players a 3-game ride as he goes all-out in the AP Cup, Youth Cup, and at least one league match. PV counters with a better youth team and can go any direction they want with their 3 older players. If they go all youth (as they can), PV will lose. If they go with their 8 best and 3 top older guys, this one will hinge on PKs and PV has the advantage there. PV in a shootout!
DAG vs. PNE. Ian has 8 youth only and no GK. DAG has 12 youth with some everywhere. PNE's top youth players are better and their worst are lower SL than any that DAG has. PNE's top three older players are better than DAG's though. Because PNE will have their top GK in the match and two better shooters, if this match goes to PKs then PNE wins. DAG will need to stack the offense and win in regulation time. One at DF and two at FW by the old guard sees DAG through in a 2-1 win.
LEI vs. SU. Both teams have 12 youth across all five positions. Fran's are better, which gives him the definite edge. This one will come down to two factors: who plays the rookie GK vs. their top GK; and whether Dave's hardness comes back to bite him. If SU gives up a PK goal in regulation, they lose. Otherwise, the team with the best GK wins the shootout. As SU has two youth GK's needing time, I see LEI winning there. So really, this comes down to whether Dave gets lucky in regulation. If the hardness takes out a LEI player, and gives up no PK's, SU wins by one goal. If SU gives up a PK, they lose either in regulation or on PKs later. Dave got lucky last round, so I think Fran advances on PKs here.
LEE vs. BHA. Both have players to pick from. Brian has three youth players already injured to some extent, though his MF line is very impressive for a youth lineup! Leeds is overpowered on youth alone in every position. It will take some scheming by Leeds and possibly hardness and GPP to overcome that edge, and even then luck will need to be with them. I see BHA winning this one in regulation by at least one goal, maybe two.
CRE vs. SWI. Swindon's top App Fw is out on injury, leaving them with just 8 youth to suit up. They have to play an older GK, so the SL edge would go to Crewe... except that CRE is also facing injuries to four youth players! With two youth at GK, at least two injured players have to take the field, so this one will hinge on who wants to risk more hardness in regulation. If it goes to PKs, the SL 16 GK sees Swindon through to the quarterfinals. Crewe will have to stack the Fw or Mf line to generate shots and punch through at least two goals in regulation to overcome that. Talls odds, so I see SWI advance here.
CRD vs. WAT. Ugh. We've never beaten Watford in any competition, ever. James has just 8 youth players, so we know what we're facing. Like that'll help. His SL 16 GK is potent, and he's not afraid of hardness and stacking the front lines to score 3+ goals in regulation. Against his GK, CRD can't keep pace with that. Sweeper play will likely make the difference, depending on who gets luckier as CRD have an 8% stopping edge which comes out to around 3% per scoring chance better odds of a no-goal. Will that be enough? Unlikely, though possible. If WAT gives up two PK goals with their hardness, CRD advances. Less than that and James moves on. Given our luck against WAT historically, I see Watford by a goal in this one, especially as CRD are playing in the AP Cup semis and our top players will be sorely taxed before this games even kicks off.
LIN vs. TRA. Lincoln has been neglecting their youth this season. Tranmere has just eight to throw out, though they are good. Alon went with the SL 18 GK & SW combo last round to good success. Even without them, LIN has a large uphill climb with their small SL youth team. Tranmere wins this easily unless C-Ball throws down 10 hardness between the Df and Fw lines somehow and gets lucky with no PKs. That's a lot of ifs. Tranmere by 2 goals.
NOR vs. SHU. A great matchup between the 2nd and 3rd teams in the whole league currently. Both have 9 youth to pick from, with Simon having to play an older player at GK. Dan has better youth depth in terms of SL currently. With a top Blades Df and two Fws on the field, Dan has a very good chance of advancing. Should Simon counter with his top Df and Fw though, NOR may score enough past the SL 6 GK for SHU to get by. I think those two scenarios counter out and this goes to PKs. The team playing more hardness in regulation loses on a PK goal. If even or both under 3, then this goes to a shootout and NOR moves on based on a better GK.
So there you have it. Total guesses to pick apart and mock 48 hours from now. Enjoy.
Curse you, Beerman. Speculating on who might win the Youth Cup just reminds me that I have already been prevented from retaining my title. By you!
There are some good, strong teams left in the second round of Youth Cup this season. Anyone (e.g. Kevin) care to make predictions on who will advance to round three? Perhaps even predict the eventual Youth Cup championship match? Can Tranmere be derailed in their quest for a second Youth Cup title?
Hi everyone,
As you know i like a deal or two but even the best of us screw up from time to time. I put together that deal in the week with Wycombe, the transfer deadline was approaching and came and went, always delete deals prior to the transfer deadline as I have now found out to my cost.
Not that its a bad deal, its just one i possibly would not have gone through with, definateley not had Nottingham knocked me out of the cup but thankfully we got lucky, however its done now and maybe we can go on to challange in the Youth Cup, so all is not lost.
Al, love the live chat leading up to and around the games taking place, keep that up providing speed is not affected.
Northampton Town FC sends 150k, Alfie Smith (III/12 Fw; 400k)
to Wycombe Wanderers for Matais Paz (APP/6 Mf; 295k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Mr 'El Presidente' Sellers appears to have given himself somewhat of a Dilemna regarding his team for the first round of the Youth Cup;
The Bees have 29 players on their roster but only 6 Youth players.
Whilst there are still 3 Schoolboys in the Griffin Park Academy, to accomodate two of them to satisfy the Rule Book 'El Presidente' will have to wield the axe on one of his 'Old Boys'
| Dominic Hutchinson | V | Fw | 6 |
Would appear to be the most likely candidate for the chopping block
The I-Man hasn't beat a human being since boxing day:
Clearly my prayers have been answered (which is pretty ironic for those that know me...Phil?).
Al
Hi guys,
First off, I fixed the forum link up top. If you guys run across any links not working, please email and I'll try to sort it out.
For the Youth Cup discussion that Brian mentioned, I'll a new thread in the Forum.
The "Forum" link at the top of the page is also taking me to an error screen. However, the links in the middle of the page (at the bottom of the Forum section on the home page showing what's new) work fine. The "Read More of the Forum" link will take you where you want to go. You can also navigate with the sidebar from any other Forum discussion page. Just clicking one of the forum titles currently shown on the league home page and then look to the left side of the forum pages for the title you are actually seeking in the listing of all forum threads.
To be fair, forfeiture isn't be a good idea.
The way the system works now is there are incentives to field 8 youth through fines and a terrible team being fielded.
Forfeiture may be an incentive in and of itself if the choice exists, even with penalty. You have a better chance of managing EL, you play fewer games, you'd lose only a game of revenue because you'd lose the game anyway. If you're not developing youth, that actually helps you.
Since you've plenty of time to know about the youth cup, there's really no reason why you should plan on forfeiting to your advantage - and a forfeit means your opponents don't have to deal with EL BUT lose a game of youth coaching they'd have to make up elsewhere. Too many weird implications, so the incentive to field a team is proper.
As I am unable to access the forum at this time and would like to revisit this matter, I am posting this under the blog. Once the forum comes back online, perhaps some more conversation can take place on the subject.
Before season four began, there was some discussion on possible penalites for not fielding a proper youth cup team (i.e. eight youth players minimum). I was then, and still am, a supporter of what I feel to be the most concise and least complex penalty available: disqualification of the match.
I don't specifically have a problem with the current penalty system (40k fine and addition of a SBY 0/0 per instance), I just feel it is unnecessarily complex when in a real life situation the team would simply be disqualified from the match. As such, I think this is the best approach for our MSWL-U league as well.
Perhaps the current penalty system is more likely to discourage a manager from maintaining less than eight youth players; I can understand that if so. However, if someone wants to keep their team with little to no youth presence, so be it. They will obviously forfeit the first round of the youth cup and because they have more aged players than others, they might even win more division and cup games. I also suspect their team would become very weak after only a couple of seasons as they would have no youth to build upon.
I would like to reopen this topic for further discussion, if anyone else is interested. While I feel my solution to the matter is more practical and easily managed, I am certainly open to other perspectives from those of you much more familiar with this game than I. Therefore, I yield the floor.
Cheers!
4 Teams still running foul of the 'Youth Cup' Rules
DORCHESTER 6 YOUTH PLAYERS short
BRENTFORD 2 YOUTH PLAYERS short
NORTHAMPTON 1 YOUTH PLAYER short
PRESTON 1 YOUTH PLAYER short
I'm bemused as I have a Level 6 APPRENTICE for sale & have no takers with the trade deadline approaching fast
HELLOOOO ANYBODY WANT AN APPRENTICE ?
Keep it quiet Dave! Al's Bees are in need of some APPs, but we don't exactly want to help him, now do we? Dancin' Dave and Shadey don't see eye-to-eye on many things, but we have to agree on this one! 
Apprentice MF for sale but be quick
Offers in excess of 475k value players/Cash will be evaluated
Highest bid By Thursday afternoon wins
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PLAYER |
AGE | POS | SL | FIT |
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Oliver Phillips APP MF 6 1
Just read the thread John & indeed it is a sad but common story in English Football in this day & age.
My own home town club Southend United went to the brink just over a month ago with a 2.1 Million tax bill hanging over them in the High Court.
Sainsburys super market apparently bailed them out with a loan secured on a deal to build a Sainsburys Hyper Market on the site of their current ground 'Roots Hall'. This all hangs on the proposed development of their Current out of town training grounds into a Brand new 22,000 seater stadium & Hotel/Casino/Shopping Mal etc.etc.etc.
This proposed New stadium has been on the drawing board for over 30 years now. Started by erstwhile Chairman the late Vic Jobson & relentlessly pursued by his successor John Martin (both property developers).
The truth is the club has a perfectly good ground which seats around 11,000 was only built in 1955 or there abouts & boasts probably the best playing surface outside of the Premiership. What they need a 22,000 seater stadium for God only knows.
Meanwhile the club sells off all its assetts and gets deeper & deeper into debt.
Football began on this long slippery slope towards elitism & the haves & have nots many years ago when they started paying football players more for a weeks 'Work' than they pay the people that run our country for a years work!
Amen !
Last session, Ian had a murderers' row of games lined up as he faced Northampton, Cardiff City, Tranmere and Brentford in a 4-game session that included Brentford in the AP Cup (which they own historically) and Tranmere in the AP Cup (Defending Champs). It did not go well for PNE.
I came away from that thinking that I was really glad that wasn't me against such a schedule, as did most of you as well that saw what they were up against. It would appear that history is repeating itself this session though, as that schedule has been repeated...
This time it is Rob and the Pilgrims facing Northampton at home followed by CRD on the road in the league matches. They then get Tranmere in the FA Shield clash (who finished 2nd last season in that competition) and then wrap things up with Brentford in the Youth Cup opening round. With NOR and TRA at home and a neutral field for the Youth Cup, Plymouth has a decent chance of walking away as victors in at least one of those matches. They may match up best against CRD though, if they dare to pin their CP hopes on a road game. In any case, I for one am very glad that the brutal "NOR-TRA-BRE-insert other top 10 team here" list is not appearing on my team's schedule page. Best of luck to Rob in matches 20, 23, & 24! I know he's up to the challenge.
I'm talking about in real life, if anyone has a spare £47000 around they may want to take a look though: http://www.twohundredpercent.net/?p=4290
Northampton Town FC sends Cole Morrison (III/8 Df; 240k)
to Brighton & Hove Albion for 280k
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
I think there's one aspect to the game that can get overlooked a bit: Fitness.
It sure does with the Top-11 numbers (maybe I need a Top-11 PLUS FIT category).
I look at my weak, rebuilding Brentford team and we're a mess on Fitness.
But look at Tranmere...Cardiff...Northampton Town (probably others, but these jump out). Much of their rosters (and thus lineups) feature players at +2 FIT. When every "level" counts...if a team is fully set on FIT while another is average, it could mean 10 or more levels advantage for one team (like a homefield type difference).
How do they do this? Through trading, auctions, and/or youth development they have BIG SLs at the key positions. Sure, 5 SL 12 Fws may seem redundant. But guess what? A couple can get rested each session (or play little) and maintain their +2 FIT number. If one gets injured...well there are 4 others that can play while one convalesces.
For me the "deep" depth thing has seemed like overkill. But I think I've missed the point. I think it gets these quality teams the extra players so they can overcome even multiple injuries while at the same time beefing up their number on gameday with most guys on +2 FIT.
And they also look pretty good on weeks where they have 4 games and can really throw in some strong lineups.
I try to deal with getting good fitness, but it seems everyone has a personal vendetta against poor old Al (see Brentford-Lewes FC)...
Just an observation...
Andy Bate's Hereford United should secure the 2nd Division crown according to 18 managers.
There was some dissent as 6 chose current division leader C-Ball and the Imps (including C-Ball himself and Ian).
Two chose Dancin' Dave and the Kev Hull named "Saaafend" United.
At this point Hereford has a better top 11 than half the first division and has a bit of a lead over Lincoln City and James White's QPR.
We'll see what happens...as always, winning the division may be determined by when your fixture (appointment?) occurs with Dr. Death (Mr. Dowson) and his band of goons (who themselves are one point from the promo zone now!).
Al
Poll - Who will win the 2nd Division?
VOTING SUMMARY
| CHOICE | TOTAL VOTES |
| Hereford United | 10 |
| Lincoln City | 6 |
| Southend United | 2 |
VOTING BREAKDOWN
| MANAGER | CHOICE | COMMENTS | |
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Andy Bate (Hereford United FC) |
Hereford United | Gotta back myself this season - though need the luck to change to make it happen. |
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Mike Cabral (Lincoln City FC) |
Lincoln City | I hate dumb questions. |
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Brian Beerman (Brighton & Hove Albion) |
Lincoln City | |
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Dan Fitzgerald (Sheffield United) |
Hereford United | Squad depth the key to Andy winning the title for me. |
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Allan Sellers (Brentford FC) |
Hereford United | I think this is Hereford's year... |
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Simon Compton (Northampton Town FC) |
Southend United | Dave hardman Dawson to pull his team together and pull it off. |
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Dave Dowson (Southend United) |
Hereford United | Andy has the Top T11/T16 & Loads of cash so it's his to lose ! |
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Kev Hull (Dagenham & Redbridge) |
Southend United | |
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Kevin Martin (Cardiff City FC) |
Hereford United | Andy's got the team, the experience, and the desire to pull it off. I see LIN and QPR giving him a run, with Andy pulling away late season. |
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Rob Peterson (Plymouth Argyle FC) |
Lincoln City | Gotta give the nod to C-Ball. I've trained him well. |
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James White (Queens Park Rangers) |
Hereford United | If they can nurse / expand the defence through the season no one should stop them |
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Jake Hanny (Bristol City FC) |
Hereford United | |
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Phil McIntosh (Chesterfield FC) |
Lincoln City | You can't roller skate in a buffalo herd. |
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Fran Morillo (Leicester City FC) |
Hereford United | |
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John Holden (Port Vale FC) |
Lincoln City | Still a long time to go but Lincoln can finish up in first |
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Rob Baptiste (Crewe Alexandra FC) |
Hereford United | |
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Alon Atie (Tranmere Rovers) |
Hereford United | |
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Ian Lindsay (Preston North End FC) |
Lincoln City | who else? |
Clyde & Calvin are pleased with their session results, and are particularly pleased with their auction acquisition. The IV 12 MF immediately moves into the top-11 line and is already our most proficient midfield player. "We certainly have some strengths on this team, although I'm not going to tell you what those might be," purrs Clyde with a wink. "However, midfield to date has not been one of them. We expect this veteran to contribute immediately, and it's time for my nap."
With the fourth season of MSWL-U in full swing, Brighton & Hove Albion fans have enjoyed some high points and endured some low feelings already. While the team has managed to improve its goal differential from last season (currently at -1) thus far and is finding ways to win divisional matches, there are still persistent questions about the team's defense.
During a recent press conference outside construction of the team's new stadium at Falmer, General Manager and coach Brian Beerman addressed concerns from reporters regarding the overall inconsistent performance of the backfield.
"We understand fans are disappointed when we lose because of shoddy play in the backfield. There is no excuse to lose a match 6-1, or worse, 2-0 at home." When asked how the players were reacting to the recent losses, Beerman added, "No one is happy in the locker room after two losses in one session. We must improve at all facets of the game if we are to contend in this league; not just make strides on defense."
The Seagulls opened divisional play this season with two impressive wins by an aggregate score of 4:1. However, they have since dropped three of their last four divisional matches by a combined score of 9:7, with six of those goals coming in one match against Crewe Alexandra on Boxing Day. That is a sobering reality for many 'Gulls fans who went into this season expecting more even play from this team that was in second division just last season.
Scottish keeper and captain of BHA, Max Henderson, shoulders much of the responsibility. "We are making decent play in the backfield. Some of the younger players like Ben [Lee], Nils [Müller] and Gonzo (Arsenio González) are coming along great. They all hit the pitch hard for 90 minutes every game. Unfortunately, we've had a few bad breaks and that's allowed opponents to get a lead on us."
Henderson felt the greatest sting from Seagulls fans last session when the team visited Chesterfield. With the game tied 1-1 midway through the second half, Henderson gave up a goal to Chesterfield defender William Thompson in the 67th minute. Five short minutes later, Chesterfield was up 5-1, Henderson looked shell-shocked in net, and Brighton & Hove Albion fans were beyond stunned. When the final whistle blew the score sheet read 6-1 and the few BHA fans that remained in the stands jeered Henderson all the way to the tunnel.
"It was a bad night after that match," Henderson said. "I went over my mistakes in my mind that night. All night in fact. The next day at practice though, I realized I had to move on. We put our wins behind us; we must do the same with the losses as well." Seagulls fans hope Henderson can find his early season form again soon as the team has an FA Shield quarterfinal match at Queens Park Rangers on 16 January.
"I will be ready for that match," Henderson concluded emphatically. "I have to be. When Brighton & Hove give up a goal, it's me giving up the goal, and that is not something I ever want to do."
The Seagulls face two more divisional rivals on the road this week as they travel to Carlisle United and Leicester City. Both matches are important as Brighton & Hove Albion are one of five teams in division three separated by only five points. If BHA expects to finish in the top four this season, they must win these types of games. That means reducing the number of goals against sooner rather than later.
Hereford United FC sends Jose Muñoz (V/5 Gk; 60k)
to Chesterfield FC for 225k
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Hereford United FC sends Ariel Gil (V/6 Df; 80k)
to Swansea City AFC for 225k
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
It would seem as if the Division Three is going mostly as planned. The now-seasonal oil-and-water separation of the rebuilders and the contenders continues nearly unabated.
But in any event, Port Vale are the surprise package. The Vale still haven't lost a league game yet and have already gained more points in six games this season than all of last year. Vale's manager thinks he's figured it out, though.
"We've only played one team in the top half of the table so far, the first game of the season, and we drew Leicester 0-0," said Holden. "We gave up two penalty kick goals to Weston-Super-Mare and tied them 4-4 while playing for a draw. That's our only blemish against the bottom five, but none of those games has been a blowout."
The Vale have only won one game by more than a goal - last week's 2-0 result at Brighton and Hove Albion - despite playing Wycombe and Leeds United on home soil.
"Home field is huge, and I think we're an average team this year who have put together a very good string of results," said Holden. "That being said, that run will allow us to improve more than I thought we would this year. The game plan always was to have a good team on the field at the end of the season, but the fact we can improve our older players earlier is really going to help us work toward the goal of second division football by season 6."
Holden said the next run of games is going to be an interesting challenge for the Vale.
"We get to play some very good teams on the road the next two weeks," said Holden. "The fact we've been successful so far will mean we won't be taken lightly, but our goal isn't necessarily to win those games yet. This season, I wanted to set the team's season win record with 7 games won in a season - we don't need to beat Chesterfield or Nottingham on the road to reach that goal. I don't think we'll be able to sustain what we've worked hard for, but that's okay."
Dagenham & Redbridge sends 154k
to Lincoln City FC for Thomas Fraser (IV/3 Df; 30k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Brighton & Hove Albion sends 225k
to Brentford FC for Lucas Dixon (VI/3 Mf; 10k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Southend United sends Ashton Cooper (III/6 Sw; 160k), Bradley Bishop (III/6 Df; 160k)
to Leeds United for 440k
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
This is just a simple thought - would it be difficult to include an all-time teams table similar to the all-time coaches' table, sorted by percentage? I know it'd just be another "huzzah Tranmere" statistical marker, but I'd find it interesting to look at every so often and see which teams are close to milestone wins. Port Vale is nearing their 25th.
A very Happy New Year to the MSWL United Community
& a helpful piece of Information for our imminent opponents!
From Clyde & Calvin!
I wish all of you the best for 2010
Happy New Year everyone, let me be the first to wish you all a great and happy new year to you all. Its great playing along side other football/management games, good luck to all for the season ahead and maybe Northamptons fortunes will change, oh groan I hear you all say as he goes into his unlucky moments again!!!
Party time ahead as all are gathering around the Compton's tonight, a fun time ahead but with the added extra strain of more children to demolish my home, I know a killjoy thats me!
Just an aside but put your weaker teams out this Saturday for me please, also a great game in store at Old Trafford as my team Leeds take them on in the FA Cup.
As Kevin mentioned I will have some players for sale next session so give me a shout with your offers.
Simon done for 2009, bring on 2010.
I
Inquiring minds per the forum posts are wanting to know exactly how Ian is getting the upper hand this season in both Cup competitions and the Division 1 race. As PNE currently sit at the top of the league tables, this is indeed a serious issue. Toward that end, a quick roster check has revealed what I believe to be part of the secret of Ian's success so far...
PNE only have two Apprentices getting attention. The third on their roster (at Fw) is getting ignored. They have four schoolboys, however with youth coaches only two of those need to get in matches each session. That leaves Ian only needing to work in 6 roster slots for youth players out of his three matches each session so far. For most teams in the first division, the difference between playing an apprentice and a T11 player is 5-6 shots per match. A schoolboy needing time can easily cost a team up to 8-10 scoring chances lost or extra ones allowed for the other team. You don't need a statistician to tell you that 10 extra scoring chances in a match is a big deal.
My first thought was, "Can Ian pull this off without killing his team next season?" The answer appears to be, "Yes, most definitely." Last year Ian brought up several top apprentices. He has a stable full of Age I players at Mf and a good mix of Age I and Age II at Gk and Df. He doesn't use a Sw (ever) so that's one position he doesn't have to bother with bringing youth players into. With no risk of losing all his SL due to aging for at least another full season if not two, Ian can let all but one or two this year's crop of Apprentices go and focus on winning the division with most of his T11 free for each match. That's a potent recipe for success this year and teams will need to take his possible top 11 into consideration when planning on how much of their own strength to throw out there. As PNE currently sit at 6th in T16 and 8th in T11, the wiggle room for a top club to play a rookie or two is very small indeed.
Are other Division 1 teams doing the same? In looking through rosters, it appears that just two are taking a 'youth light' approach. The first is Brentford. Al has three Apps and just three Schoolboys on his team. At 30 players and needing two more youth to not be fined for Youth Cup matches, it's no wonder that Al is trying to sell of an old guy or two to make room. One of Al's Apps is at Gk though, so he has to make at least one appearance each session to stay at top form. That hurts the Bees' chances overall. Having to field fewer youth elsewhere though, he can bulk up the Df or Mf and reduce opposing scoring chances. I don't see them suffering much this season from their youth.
The other team in Northampton. Simon also has just six youth players, 3 Apps and 3 Sbys. None at Gk or Sw leaves NOR in good shape to play their T16 each match. Their future is not as set as Ian's though, as they have only one age I player on the whole roster (top Sw). Then again, why develop youth when you can trade for top players as proficiently as Simon has proven he can do? He will have to sign two more youth before session 6 though, so managers looking for a really good deal on an older guy or two may check his roster out and try to swing a bargain for their team.
And who's on the wrong end of the Youth vs. Match SL balance? Those managers who have made the mistake of trying to build up 9 youth at once, or at least having to tackle 5 Apps in one season.
Plymouth has 5 Apps, all maxed out so far, in addition to 3 Sbys, with one at Gk. Getting time for all those guys won't be easy as the Apps need two matches each session and we can't have 6 youth coaches on our teams to make it easier.
Dan and SHU have 9 youth players, though only 3 at Apprentice. The 6 Schoolboys will take up a hefty dose of SL, though 2 can be youth coached and avoid playing time, especially the Gk.
Dave at Lewes has 9 young guns, with an App at Gk & Sw leading the list of ways to hurt your own winning chances. His team has 4 Apps total, though his Apps and Sbys are getting a mix of attention, with few of them receiving max time so far. My advice is to either ignore a player or go all out. Going halfway hurts chances of winning now without greatly increasing them next season either. Not a good combo all around.
Trevor at Derby County is giving 6 of his 9 youth top attention. Having an App at Sw and Sby at Gk can be rough though, which is likely why two of his Apps are off the max pace already. While bringing up all 9 may not be possible, figuring out which ones to keep and which to let fade starting immediately won't be an easy decision.
And finally the idiot in charge of Cardiff City had the bright idea to max out some youth last season and now has 5 Apprentices getting full attention, including one each at Gk and Sw. Let me assure the rest of the league that pattern of having a Gk and Sw at the same age needing attention is NOT conducive to sound planning. Do not do it. If in desperate need of both, buy a cheap backup Sw and start on the Gk. Then get a Sw the next year. Having to find time for gaping holes in the backline and net in the same match is asking to lose multiple times this season. Being diligent (i.e. hard-headed enough to refuse to change plans mid-stream), CRD is also bringing up 4 Sbys with 2 at Fw, so shots will also be at a premium in some matches. Not wise when needing to outscore the other team because there's a weak Gk on the field. All told, CRD has effectively demonstrated this season what not to try for your own team in the first division. Maybe in Div 3 when winning is secondary to development this would work. Up here it's going to be a dogfight just to avoid relegation. CRD is not going title hunting this year...
So there's 8 of the 10 teams, leaving just Alon (TRA) and James (WAT) where the smart money lies at 4 Apps and 4 Sbys. Alon is giving his Apps max attention while James so far has just half his youth peaked on playing time through three sessions. While that has netted some good Cup results so far, we'll have to see if it leads to a sustainable future in Div 1 next year as well. I'm not in the least bit worried about Tranmere's development unless I'm playing them. Alon appears to know what he's doing in this game.
The big question is whether or not Ian has something different figured out that can carry Preston North End FC to a title or Cup crown this season. If he pulls it off, conventional wisdom may get turned on it's head. Can you ignore a season's worth of youth and still build long term? Stay tuned to the Division One tables to find out!
Oh! Yes, I see now!
What Phil is missing is that this is just the center of the field being shown. The player shooting is from one of Dave Dowson's teams. What you don't see is the corpse of a defender lying over near the corner kick area that is technically between the shooter and the goalie. They drug it off to the side while awaiting word back from the next of kin as to what morgue the body should be taken to. Unfortunately, all three subs had already been used. This image is not meant to just be a fun little goal-scoring aside. It is a warning to all who play against Dr. Death Dowson. Take heed, and respond with appropriate hardness as needed.
I'm telling you, the flag has to be up for offsides on this guy....
The first four league games of the season have Port Vale supporters raising an eyebrow for the first time since the team was founded back in Season 1.
After totaling all of 13 hard-fought points last season, the Vale already have 8 after 14 fewer games so far this season - and a positive goal differential to show for it.
But, most of all, this weekend marks the first time under manager John Holden's tenure that the Vale did not lose a game in a weekend.
"I have 34 CP to throw around right now, and that's more CP than I know what to do with," said Holden. "I know we're not going to end the season undefeated - heck, this is Port Vale, we'll probably lose in the league next weekend - but this is a big milestone, and one that shows with a season of patience any team can come back fighting in MSWL-United."
You've made your voice heard and essentially you've said its a tie...NOR and TRA to win the 1st Division...just don't tell the I-Man about that.
--------------------------------------------------------
Poll - Who will win the 1st Division?
VOTING SUMMARY
| CHOICE | TOTAL VOTES |
| Northampton FC | 7 |
| Tranmere Rovers | 7 |
| Cardiff City | 1 |
VOTING BREAKDOWN
| MANAGER | CHOICE | COMMENTS | |
|
|
Allan Sellers (Brentford FC) |
Northampton FC | I think this is probably Northampton's season after coming up empty in Season 3. Tranmere, Cardiff, and Watford will be close by but I think its Simon's title to lose at this point. |
|
|
Kevin Martin (Cardiff City FC) |
Tranmere Rovers | Until proven otherwise... though I'd definitely make a side wager on NOR is the bookie offers it. |
|
|
John Holden (Port Vale FC) |
Tranmere Rovers | You bet on them until you lose your money |
|
|
Phil McIntosh (Chesterfield FC) |
Tranmere Rovers | |
|
|
Dan Fitzgerald (Sheffield United) |
Northampton FC | Alon will take some beating but if anyone can do it its Simon's NOR . Looking forward to these two giants slug it out this season - may the best man win! |
|
|
Simon Compton (Northampton Town FC) |
Tranmere Rovers | maybe if i predict them will have some trouble along the way, te he!! |
|
|
Brian Beerman (Brighton & Hove Albion) |
Northampton FC | I have to go with Northampton this season, though I suspect it will be a tough battle with Tranmere. |
|
|
Alon Atie (Tranmere Rovers) |
Northampton FC | Simons bad luck has to turn around eventually and then its curtains for the rest of us. |
|
|
Dave Dowson (Southend United) |
Northampton FC | Simon has built an awesome offense |
|
|
Rob Peterson (Plymouth Argyle FC) |
Tranmere Rovers | |
|
|
Mike Cabral (Lincoln City FC) |
Northampton FC | With two former Imps leading his lines, how can he go wrong? |
|
|
Andy Bate (Hereford United FC) |
Northampton FC | Surely the luck must change? |
|
|
James White (Queens Park Rangers) |
Tranmere Rovers | Will be pushed all the way by Northampton |
 |
Mark Creasey (Weston-super-Mare AFC) |
Cardiff City | SL15 GKis just awesome Kev. |
|
|
James Tucker (Watford) |
Tranmere Rovers |
Merry Christmas everyone, being a dad means you generally a the back of the que for presents ! This year has not been to bad though and heres looking forward to a session of good father christmas style results!!
Good luck everyone and here's to a great and joyous New Year.
Merry Christmas, everyone!
Yep, I'm just sitting back chillin' in my Snoopy Christmas t-shirt, enjoying a Sprecher's root beer compliments of a verrrrrry cool friend of mine and reviewing the major haul of Mizzou apparel that I harvested this Christmas. Mizzou gold jacket...Mizzou stocking cap withOUT the fuzzy ball on top...Mizzou gold t-shirt...Mizzou mock turtleneck...Yessiree, folks, my wife is catching on!
Say, anyone catch the final of the Mizzou-Illinois game this week? Al, maybe?....Al? Before I go any further, I should say that Al is a verrrrry cool friend.
Also, love the new smileys, but isn't this guy here below the definition of "offside?" Please advise.
Hope you all enjoy your holidays!
Cheers,
-Beer
Looks like we'll have to bring the A-game this week. We play in sequence for our three matches:
The Season 2 Champ
The Season 3 Champ
The Season 1 Champ
All that's missing is apparently the Season 4 Champ. Based on early returns, when do we play Ian?
Kevin, you could have left your post as it was the first time... it looked good to me!
OK, so bumping "tab" right before "enter" is bad form for posting.
Anyway...
1. PLY (9 pts, +13 GD), 2. BRE (9 pts, +9 GD), 3. LIN (9 pts, +3 GD), 4. TRA (7 pts, +9 GD), 5. CRD (7 pts, +5 GD), 6. PNE (7 pts, +4 GD), 7. SHU (6 pts, +2 GD), 8. DOR (6 pts, +0 GD). These teams if meeting will have the higher number getting home field. If any meet the teams below, they will automatically get home field due to group finish (1st over 2nd).
9. SWI (7 pts, +3 GD), 10. NOR (6 pts, +8 GD), 11. WAT (6 pts, +8 GD), 12. DER (6 pts, +4 GD), 13. LEI (6 pts, +1 GD), 14. BLY (5 pts, +2 GD, 4 GF), 15. LEW (5 pts, +2 GD, 3 GF), 16. SU (4 pts)
Once again, a dreaded non-league team has managed to advance. One of these seasons managers will start to take them seriously...
With round 3 of the group stages now complete, here are the standings to determine home field throughout the remainder of the AP Cup competition. Overall rank per rules is based on Group Finish (1st over 2nd, regardless of points), Points, Goal Differential, then Goals Scored. There were no 'ties' in ranking this year, so coin flips will not be needed.
1. PLY 2.
Hereford United FC sends Svyatoslav Vasilyev (SBY/2 Df; 0k), Matthew Begum (SBY/2 Fw; 0k), Adam Cole (SBY/2 Fw; 0k)
to Carlisle United for Tadhg Quinn (III/2 Mf; 0k), Aaron Owen (IV/2 Fw; 0k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Plymouth Argyle FC sends Taylor Anderson (V/4 Mf; 40k)
to Lewes FC for 200k
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Here's notice to the league that Clyde & Calvin have turned their lineups in for this week's matches. They were carefully planned, drafted, scrutinized, criticized, revised, synthesized, analyzed, formalized, and entered.
...we would like to get one single win out of this session, but are looking more toward the regular season for that....
Meow,
Clyde & Calvin
Wow, you have my utmost respect Kevin for those well written and rounded pieces. Incredible the amount of time and effort you take to write up the league predicitions and hardness information that is forthcoming all year.
I especially like the piece on Olmec and luck and how i have had none and how i like to play on that fact, heres hoping another season does not treat me the same way? Like Alan though you are trying to be the old wily fox, Cardiff mid table, let me down the bookies quickly to get the odds on that one, you have such a good team you can push for the title and dont let me think anything differently!
Its like Alan saying he his relegation material, popycock, mind you this will, as you say be one heck of a season as any of us could see ourselves top and with some unfortunate luck also see ourselves at the bottom.
I mean i have a team postally over here that shows 12 12 27 27 81 in some matches and i still cant buy a win, maybe i was just born unlucky or something, still as we used to say when i was growing up God will reward us in heaven!! No offence meant either by the way.
Good Luck to all, Alon i am sure you need none and when you win the league title for the second year running it will be close enough to the world cup, so we will except your apology and kind invitation to sleep over and view a few games!!
Well done Kevin, keep those pieces coming although you are possibly in a darkened room now with a stiff drink?
Keep the deals coming everyone and take no notice of Kevin, he is just jealous that he is not allowed to trade with me, have to agree the team could be badly aged in a year or two, but dont worry Schoolboys are being blooded, Apprentices are being coached and made ready for me as we speak as the wheeling dealing Compton goes to work!!!
Great predictions and let the games commence.
....firstly, a great read with more depth than the Mariana Trench! 
secondly, and sadly I agree with the 
comments made about the mighty Blades - I think we're looking to go as far as we can in the Cups and get the full quota of SBYs we have + our APPS trained fully (hositalisations excluded!), this probably will mean we drop a division as a result but we'll see how we start in the first few sessions & alter any plans from there!
Division 1. Home to the mighty and devious. Some are both. Where aspirations of greatness get crushed beneath the heel of those who don't need to talk about how good they might be because you already know it, and fear them. The grueling pressure chamber where all faults are exposed and legends are refined. Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.
The Champ Until Proven Otherwise: Tranmere. Last year, this was a slam dunk. This season, not nearly as clear-cut. And here's why...
The Contender: Northampton.
Allow me, if you will, to elaborate on what should prove to be one heck of a battle this season between these two giants. Simon has the most SL 10+ in the league at 15. Alon has 14. Both have ridiculous amounts of strength and depth at the forward position, while being thin at defense. When you only play 2-3 per match to leave room for 5 FW's, you only need two good defenders though. Both have some top Apprentices in the mix for depth and future power (or in Simon's case - trade bait). NOR has 3, TRA has 4. Both have T16 scores that are better than all but three other team's T11 scores (excluding each other). How they came to power is a study in contrasts though...
Alon has built from within through steady progress since season one. 4 Sbys/Apps per year, every year. Right now, they have 4 age I, SL 10 players to prove it. That keeps top players coming into the T11 each season, with the CP going to the Age I's, Age II's, and what's left goes to an Age III or two in the weakest area (or just at FW by default it looks like). Because of this, Alon hasn't needed any big auction buys and has been very quiet on the trade front. That leaves his with over 3000k in the bank right now, 2nd in the league behind Ian (see PNE below) and more than any other two teams' accounts combined. If Alon wants a certain key player this season, none of us can stop him.
Simon, on the other hand, burns up the trade boards. He has Age II and III players at all key positions (the peak seasons for players in United) including getting two players through auction/trades that are currently starting out at SL 14. That's one higher than it is possible to build on your own, as these guys only come through auction pickups. There are currenlty just a handful in the league, and NOR has two of them. Simon's aggressive trading style has landed him 15 players that could start for any team in this league. Most of that depth is at FW, so injuries or suspensions to the front lines won't bother him at all. Simon appears to be following Watford's early example, where getting 50-60 scoring chances in a game is a very decent way to improve the chances of winning any given match. The down side to this strategy is that Simon now has only one age I, SL 10 player on the roster. Behind all those age II's what do you really need? Not much, admittedly. For this season. Simon also has three top Apps who will get time this year. His strategy for success hinges upon continuing to get managers willing to trade away stars today in return for two fading players (depth) or future-potential stars (rebuilding). If other managers wisen up and better learn to develop from within, NOR could be in trouble in two seasons when the old guard can't be kept up to top form any more.
For this current season though, Simon has the best T11 and best T16. Should NOR advance in the Cups though, the depth at Df and Mf will be sorely tested as the season progresses. Expect to see some FWs traded for a top DF or MF before the deadline. So why am I going with Alon as the Champ? Because Simon has lousy luck and Alon appears blessed by Olmec. Until proven otherwise, TRA is the team to beat and that mystique leaves many teams throwing out just the youth as they expect to lose anyway. We'll see what this season brings though, as both TRA and NOR can easily stake claim to the League Trophy. Perhaps the most crucial wildcard in play is that Alon only has one GK on the roster. One fluke injury or red card and things get very interesting, very quickly for the defending champs.
The Undercard: WAT and BRE. Brentford FC and Watford finished 4th and 3rd respectedly last season, with James overtaking Al in the final session. This season I expect a similar battle all year long. James has 12 players at SL 10+; Al has 11. James has five good age I players; Al has 4. James has 3 top Apprentices in the mix; Al does too. James has a full roster with no Schoolboys as of this post; as does Al. No schoolboys yet? Perhaps we will see a team finally experiment to see if you can survive and compete on an every-other-year policy of youth development. Both teams have very impressive T11s, though the depth behind them is suspect. Either team is capable of pushing for the title if they get some breaks against TRA or NOR and hold form at home against each other. I'm picking WAT to finish ahead of BRE because Al seems to push harder in the Cups while using more hardness. That leaves his team more exposed to suspensions in the league matches. Plus, people seem to like to play top lines against Al just because. I wonder why, given that there isn't a nicer, less taunting, less rabble rousing manager in the league?
The Also-Rans: All three teams that promoted from the 2nd Division get lumped in here. CRD, PLY, PNE. Each one has an area of strength, yet also a weakness that is going to get exposed this season.
CRD has 13 players at SL 10+, 3rd most in the league behind TRA and NOR. That depth will be good to have to spread out among the matches where they will be trying to get all 5 of their apprentices playing time. With 4 players as Age I, SL 10 behind the stars, this team is poised for a good year and perhaps title contention next season. For this year, their DF is too weak/thin to keep out the Forward-laden lines that NOR, TRA, and WAT will throw their way. Plus, this manager gets very distracted by shiny hardware in the Cups and focusing on the league has never been a priority. Expect a mid-table finish.
Rob P.'s Plymouth Pilgrims have 9 players at SL 10+, with three more players Age I, SL 9 coming up. They also have 5 good Apprentices to come up and provide depth and help next season and beyond. They current lack strength in the midfield though, and are low on cash in trying to find some experienced help in the auctions or trades. This team is too good to fall into the relegation spots, unless their luck at giving PKs gets any worse. Expect them to hold steady this year somewhere between 4th and 7th, while developing into a threat for next year's top 3 spots.
PNE and Ian have more cash than they know what to do with at 3670k as of this post. I can say that with certainty because Ian has never used the cash so he must not know what to do with it. If he ever finds the link to the auctions on the home page, we could all be doomed. Maybe he's saving up for some new speakers. Or a new van to sell speakers out of. Can't be sure about our find friend from the Lake District (if that's where he still lives and not just a ploy at misdirection in case the authorities come inquiring about where certain said electronics came from). Even without buying anything, Ian has 9 players at SL 10+ and good age I's everywhere. This is especially true at midfield where he has 3 top players coming into form this season. While he only has 2 good apprentices coming up behind them, with his money he could simply buy one or two players this season and next to fill whatever holes develop. Ian's resources definitely give him the nod over the other Division 1 contenders to stay up this year despite a T11 that comes in at 8th best. Assuming he figures out how to use them. If not, then he could be in a protracted chase for 7th along with...
The Teams in Trouble: SHU and LEW. I know I'm picking fights here by making these predictions. Kind of makes it fun though, knowing that managers might have an axe to grind and prove me wrong the old-fashioned way: on the field.
Dan and SHU have 11 players at SL 10+, more than PLY and PNE. Their T11 and T16 are lower though, and Rob has the player depth while Ian has the cash. Dan's reserves are not bad, just not great. Their four good Age I players need to peak out in a hurry to stay up in Div 1. Right now, their defense can't match up to the top team's front lines. Offside trap is risky for them with only three good midfielders. As goal differential matters (see 3rd place last season), expect to see some of the top 3-4 teams pouring on the FWs against SHU to pad the stats if possible. Dan is a good manager and may have some plans in store to correct this otherwise-glaring area of weakness. If not, they will be hard pressed to escape relegation without abandoning the youth time all together, which would be a huge mistake if they want to compete for Cups/league glory next year as well.
Andy at Lewes is a former champ and won't go down easily. Right now though, this team is simply out-classed at most positions as they only have 5 players at SL 10+. All their age I players are at SL 7 or below, so there is no help coming up quickly from within. They have no top apprentices to develop into stars, and their only two age II players are SL 9 & 10 - that's well off the pace to be a top player in this league. While they have enough in the bank to pick up one great or two good players for depth in auctions this season, the lack of top players coming up from within is more troubling. Starting next year when the age III players can't be kept up, who is going to carry this team? Andy is in the bad spot of trying to figure out if his team is better served by staying in Div 1 and fighting hard all season to try to achieve that, or focusing instead on development and trying to make it just one season in Div 2 before coming back up.
And that leaves us with just one team left. Someone has to wear the Relegation Target on their back and get circled as the team that people want to beat to ensure getting some CP every session. Unfortunately, I see that team as Trevor's Derby County this season. This all but guarantees that CRD will lose twice to them this year, so he has that going for him.
Derby has the fewest players at SL 10+ in the division with just 4. They have the lowest T11 and T16 in the division. Apart from two good FW's and one good DF, they are very exposed, especially at Defense where the depth chart goes 10-7-4-App-Sby. With the steroid-laden (allegedly only) front lines of the half the Div 1 teams, that is a recipe to get their GK killed this season by the numbers of shots his body will absorb. Fortunately, there is enough cash in the bank for another top-line DF in a hurry through auctions. Even with that, it looks like staying up again may be too much for the Rams this season. There just isn't time to get the youth developed fast enough to get the team through sessions 2-8 unscathed.
So the final predictions for Div 1 are TRA - NOR - BRE - WAT - CRD - PLY - PNE - SHU - LEW - DER. All home dates against CRD may now be circled as I've found a way to insult everyone except Alon, who I know will play me tough anyway on general principle. Looking forward to a great first season in the Big Pond with you all. Let the games begin!
Division 2! Home to those building into juggernauts and those who have been beat down too hard and too long by the existing powers-that-be. Great crossroads between teams on the rise to league and Cup glory and teams falling into the depths of disrepair and checking to see if the "reset button" forum posts were about them. As always, these predictions are entirely subjective based on arbitrary rankings of the objective numbers designed to be argumentative more than offensive and likely completely and totally wrong. For entertainment purposes only, please consult with your doctor prior to use.
The Champ: Hereford United FC. Andy will enjoy not seeing CRD to steal match after match from them this season. Hands down the best team in the division heading into this season, HER is easily a top 10 team in the league right now and arguably a top 5. Their T16 alone is better than half of Div 2's T11 ranks. They have 13 players at SL 10+, while only one other team in the division has more than 7. All their key players are age III and under except their #5 FW. They have a whopping 6 players at Age I, SL 10! They go 3-deep at DF and MF and 5-deep at FW. They can play anything well from a 4-4-2 defensive line to a 3-2-5 forward onslaught to 2-5-3 offside trap with minimal shifting of the power players. This is Andy's year. And it had best be. With only 2 good Apps there is little in the back to build past the Age I's. They will need to develop several good Sbys to sustain the pressure beyond next season in Division 1. With their strength and depth, working in a Sby here and there should be no problem. Vegas has taken the HER odds off the board. Too easy to make money on this pick.
The Contenders: LIN & QPR.
Lincoln City FC pushed for promotion last season and return to the mix as one of the favorites this year. Mike (aka C-Ball) has 7 players at SL 10+, with two at age I to build around. The age II's are strong despite Mike trading away his best two players (to Simon of all managers, whose name apparently translates in English to 'he who hoards SL 11-13 players') to get the Age I's. It was a needed move though, as LIN have no good Apps and currently only two Sbys on the roster. By their T11 strength they have an excellent shot at promotion. The bigger fear needs to be how they are going to stay in Division 1 if they get there though. All those age II's will need to be pushed to the peak along with the Age I's as CP next season will be far scarcer than their feast this season should bring.
Queen's Park Rangers are looking very good after their auction buying spree. James has built up 12 players at SL 10+, including a very impressive 6 at Forward! He also has 6 age I, SL 10 players to anchor the top lines for this season and beyond. His midfield is currently woefully exposed though, making all those forwards highly vulnerable to an OST strategy. He has 3 top apprentices coming up in the MF, though they won't be enough until very late this season. In keeping his team developing, perhaps selling off a few of those Age V players to make room for some Sbys would be in order? Only the achilles heel at MF keep this team below the Imps in odds of advancing. If that were addressed in a good trade/buy, you can ink them in for promotion instead of just using pencil.
Also-Rans: Swindon Town FC conquered division 3 last season and I expect them to do very well this year also. They have 6 players at SL 10+, with a stable of age II solid starters lacking real stand-out stars anywhere. While they have only 3 age I players, they do have 4 good apprentices coming up behind them to add depth as the season progresses. They will need it, as they are currently too thin to contend in every match without pouring all their CP into fitness, especially at Forward. Their T11 is very good for the division, and it can carry one match per session with ease as the Youth take the field in the other. With only 1 GK on the roster and that thin FW line, I don't see them playing to be able to win every match. Picking and choosing their battles around the developing young guns sees them into 4th place and in good shape to contend for promotion next season.
Bristol City FC, led by Jake, is at a critical crossroads in terms of team development. All their firepower is old. They only have two age II players on the whole roster, and their age I's are not peak players (one at SL 9, one at 8) while the Apprentices are already behind the pace for max development (two at 4, three at 3). The 7 players at SL 10+ cannot carry this team past the current season. If Jake pushes hard for promotion, they can be the wildcard in the Division 2 mix. In doing so, the youth will be neglected for another year though, and the coffers get even thinner. That would spell certain doom back in Div 1. Instead, I hope that Jake will settle for a mid-table finish and win enough to keep up the age I's and II's while converting a few of those Age V's to BRB's (you could use three more) and making room to add at least 4 Sbys to the roster who get max attention this season. 5th place is a good place. Middle of the league for a team in the middle of transitioning from age to youth while remaining a threat in Cups.
Southend United. Dancin' Dealin' Dr. Death Dowson has only 5 players at SL 10+. He has four great Age II players, though his age I's are suspect with two at FW (SL 9) having potential with no room for slipping this season if they are going to be stars in this league. He has no depth at DF or MF though, which means that those forwards will need to be winning shootouts. Expect to see lots of the hardness this season at the back end of the lineups. Their top GK will need to be in best form all season to push for better than 6th, while Dunn and Co. will need to lead the division in goals. Should be very interesting matches all around for this squad, just the way Dave likes 'em!
On the borderline: Dagenham & Redbridge. Kev Hull promoted up just to fight hard to stay up. 5 players at SL 10+ helps, though they are aging. This season will hinge on his GK play and on consistently scoring one more than the other team gets as they are woefully weak at defense. With only two age II's on the roster and no good age I players at all, the 4 solid apprentices will need to be maxed out to sustain any hope of remaining in the 2nd division next year as well. The Sby movement is a good call. I like their chances of a 7th place finish to avoid the drop, though Kev will need to push for advancing in at least one Cup to be able to get the youth time needed to keep apprentices up while also playing to win at least one league match each session. Early Cup exits mean too much youth time = poor chance of enough points to stay ahead of the...
Teams in Trouble: Dorchester Town & Swansea City AFC. Fred and the Magpies currently have a grim future. Only 3 players SL 10+ on the roster, while being the oldest team in the entire league by more than a half a point on average. They have only one age I player, and he's SL 5. They have just two Apps, at SL 2. No schoolboys as of this post. Only 1 BRB for support staff. They have 3 decent age II players and two good age III guys, yet those cannot sustain this team alone. Their T11 is weak enough that half of the division 3 teams could take them in a pure T11 dogfight. Fred has to bite the bullet and build some good youth in Sbys this year or else this team has no chance of staying up in Div 2 next year if they somehow avoid relegation this season.
Rudi and his Swansea team are in even worse straights. Only 2 players at SL 10+. They have weak Age I guys and only one decent age II (SL 9) who would not even get the time of day on most Div 1 teams. No strength or depth at Forward means no goals. They currently have 3 Sbys on the roster, which is at least 1-2 too few for the direction this team needs to be headed in. Last season, Swansea was the team that completely surprised me with where they finished on the table. I expected a youth movement and Rudi went all-old and battled into the promotion spots. That effort bought a one-season reprise from Div 3. If they can avoid relegation this will be an even bigger upset than getting promoted last season.
Oldham Athletic rounds out our list. Rene's team would likely be best off accepting their relegation fate and resolving to develop youth now and look to season 6. Statistically, they are the 2nd worst team in the league in terms of T11 and T16. Their top GK is SL 6. No depth in any position and only 1 BRB for support staff. All their non-youth forwards are age IV or V and will be toast after this season. They have just 2 players at SL 10+ worth investing CP in (top Sw and top Df), though the GK should get some by default. They have just one OK apprentice coming up, at Sweeper behind their best player on the depth chart. No good age I's to come off the bench. While all of that may seem cruel to write, my hope is that Rene will accept this neutral assessment of the team to rebuild now before the team reaches "reset" levels as it may in one more season if the team doesn't immediately focus on getting 4-5 Sbys peaked this year and next. I cannot see any scenario beyond "complete and total Olmec-blessed luck in every match this whole season" that will keep OLA from relegating. Preparing to compete next season and looking ahead to a sustainable youth development plan should be the priority.
So the Div 2 predictions in order are: HER - LIN - QPR - SWI - BRI - SU - DAG - DOR - SWA - OLA. Again, my apologies to those I just cursed to have bad luck all year...
It's that time of year again. Last season, I got very lucky with predictions and nailed all three Division winners, the Div 1 top 4, five of the six teams promoting, and 5 of the six dropping between divisions. Of course, last year things were still evening out from the season 1 scramble and it was really easy to pick the favorites. I would figure that this season would be far harder to pick the eventual winners. So with that being said, it is very probable that since I got lucky last year then this year I'll be wrong on all accounts. To those I have picked as the likely promoters, my apologies in advance for the jinx:
ï»Division 3 Champs: Fran, Leicester. Fran has 7 players at SL 10+. No one else has more than 4. They have the most CP in the division for early fitness boosts. They have the best T11 by a half-point and the best T16. They have 6 maxed Apps providing quality depth and a good future core to build around. This team would be competitive in Division 2 and should have a walkover in Div 3 for the title this season.
ï»The Contenders: Forest (Roy) and Chesterfield (Phil). Both teams have 4 players at SL 10+. Apart from Fran, the rest of the division has no more than 2. Phil is #2 in T11 and T16. They have a 14/13 at DF and an 11 at GK. They will be hard to score on so their own weak offense (9/6/App 5) only needs to net 1 or 2 per match to have a chance of winning. They do need some Schoolboys in a hurry before the season starts to keep the youth development plan in action though. While they have an excellent shot at promoting back to Div 2, if they neglect the Apps and Sbys this season they will fall right back down next year.
ï»Roy and his Forest squad are 3rd best in T11 and T16, with a full slate of Backroom Boys and 400k more than Phil if they want to buy a frontline player this season. They have good Apps and have a very young team overall with only player over age III. Whatever they develop will still be around next season as they grow in strength. Roy has the best shot at finishing #2 behind Fran due to a better chance of scoring goals this season. Phil may lead the whole league in draws, so the extra CP Roy will get in a few wins is enough to bring up one more player in the T11.
ï»The Middle Mix: Crewe, The Gulls, and Wycombe. All have just two players at SL 10+. They are all currently within a third of a point in both T11 and T16. There's also less than 240k difference in the bank between all three. The distinctions between them are in team makeup.
ï»Rob B. and the lads at Crewe Alexandria FC are going to ride the Age II players all season. Rob shouldn't have any tough choices on CP as the path is clear on who is worth keeping around. All his age I's are SL 5 or 6 and well off star track already. There are no SL 5 Apprentices on track either, as all are SL 3 or 4 and leaning toward backup status. With only 3 schoolboys in the mix this team will compete for the promotion slots and likely fall short at the season's end. Which is a good thing. If they promoted, with the age II's getting older and no good age I's to fill the gaps this team would get thoroughly trounced next season in Div 2. Instead, they will win enough matches to sustain the Age II's with CP while getting some new Sbys trained up. 4th is perfect for Rob as the team gains steam for next year.
ï»Brian and BHA are just the opposite. I see them finishing in the mid-table (4th-6th) as they develop their 5 good Apps and 5 Sbys. They have good balance without any real stars on the team. The focus on the youth leaves enough CP to keep the two decent age II's up while giving the few age I's (MF & DF) what's left after the GK. Another team that will need to view this season as a setup for a Div 3 title run next year. If they get distracted and fall off the pace with the youth then this team will be no better next year than now.
ï»Mike and WYC are in the middle. They have 3 good Apps, though no good age I's. As they focus the CP on the age II players and perhaps top two Age I's with the leftovers, they will need to bringing up at least 3-4 good Sbys to form the backbone for seasons 5 & 6. Too many holes to fill in one year with auctions or trades, so Mike can settle down and concentrate on development as their T11 is less than the T16 of the top three teams. Even a top-strength lineup can't compete for the division crown this season, so a 5th-6th place finish as they pick their battles around youth development games is a realistic goal.
ï»ï»The Rebuilders: PV, LEE, WES, CAR.
ï»John at the Vale has the third weakest T11 in the division, yet the brightest future of the remaining four teams. They have 7 good Apps and another 5 Sbys appear poised to receive max attention. Their 2 players at SL 10+ will get the CP while the remaining points will fall to the Age I, SL 7 to be next season's backups. Vale will surprise some teams to play spoiler this season, however their real danger lies in next season as the monster youth movement takes shape. Having little use for an auction pickup that will fade before the youth take form, they can hoard their cash and make a splash in the off-season auctions. For this season, I see them starting slow and picking up late points as the youth depth push them toward a 7th place finish.
ï»Abe and Leeds need to find depth quickly. They have the 2nd largest drop in the whole league between T11 and T16. With only 2 at SL 10+ and only two age IIs on the roster (SL 7 & 8), they will have to rebuild from within. Two good age I players will get max attention, though without any good Apps behind them perhaps scrapping the weakest Apps for Schoolboys wouldn't be a bad idea. Their T11 is not bad, so a top strength lineup can create havoc on teams taking them lightly. If Abe ignores the youth for another season though, the team will be heading down instead of up. With a T11 too big for WES or CAR to handle, 8th seems likely.
ï»Weston-super-Mare welcomes Mark to the league in pure rebuilding mode. A great place to learn the ropes with no expectations. They need a young GK immediately, and with only 1 player at SL 10+ the focus can be entirely on getting playing time for the Apprentices and 5-6 Sbys. If they miss a beat though, it could take 3 seasons instead of just 2 to be competitive in Div 3. Fortunately, they won't have need for much CP since wins will be few and far between.
ï»And that leaves us Derek and Carlisle United. They only have one player over SL 5, so the whole focus this season will be on getting 6 Sbys maxed out this year and next. What CP comes in can be spent on fitness for the youth if needed and into the two Age I's to build a little depth for next season's continued youth movement.
ï»So there are my fearless predictions! In order, LEI - FOR - CHF - CRE - BHA - WYC - PV - LEE - WES - CAR. In every case though, my advice to 3rd division managers is to have at least 4 Sbys at SL 5 by the end of this season or you will have lost regardless of where you finish in the division tables. For those with Apps at SL 4 or 5 to start the season, they need to be at least at SL 9. It does the team no good to push for promotion if you are going to be immediately crushed upon stepping foot in the 2nd Division.
1 Leicester City
Best T11 means they'll pick up a few wins, but like most D3 teams will be focusing on the youth in quite a few games as well.
2 Chesterfield
Oldest team in the division has some good players and will challenge for promotion, unlike the other two squads, but geezer squad will worry Phil.
3 Nottingham Forest
Roy put in a clunker of a season last year but the youth development program will pay off dividends this year with a lot of fresh I/9 players.
4 Crewe Alexandra
Missed out on promotion last season in the four spot and look to challenge again this year but aren't quite of the caliber of the top teams.
5 Wycombe Wanderers
With more CP coming in thanks to the large squad Mike should be able to at least match his 6th place finish this year.
6 Brighton & Hove Albion
A season of stabilization looks to be in store for Brighton after consecutive relegations.
7 Port Vale
By the end of the year this young team will not be one anyone will be looking forward to playing, but with fewer bad teams in the D3 this season, promotion is still a year away.
8 Leeds United
Following consecutive relegations Leeds will start fresh in the third division. This season will be their low point. What is it with consecutive relegations & MSWL??
9 Weston-super-Mare AFC
Mark has a rebuilding project on his hands and will likely do a good job, but rebuilding doesn't happen overnight in this league.
10 Carlisle United
Derek is at the doorstep of at least a three-season rebuilding project.
Leeds United sends 120k, Dylan Akhtar (I/6 Fw; 240k)
to Lincoln City FC for Billy Rees (I/8 Df; 360k)
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Leicester City FC sends 175k
to Carlisle United for Oisin Hayes (V/4 Fw; 40k)
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Bristol City FC sends 160k
to Carlisle United for Matthew Boyle (II/Youth Coach; 225k)
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Queens Park Rangers sends 200k
to Weston-super-Mare AFC for Vincenzo Greco (V/2 Df; 0k), Rian Doherty (V/2 Fw; 0k), Clément Fourcade (IV/3 Fw; 30k)
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Northampton Town FC sends Oliver Phillips (APP/4 Mf; 155k)
to Southend United for 170k, Alfie Johnson (II/6 Df; 200k)
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Southend United sends 380k
to Crewe Alexandra FC for Jake Docherty (APP/4 Df; 170k)
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Southend United sends 355k
to Brighton & Hove Albion for Noah Chapman (APP/4 Mf; 170k)
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Brighton & Hove Albion sends Dylan Rogers (APP/3 Sw; 85k)
to Southend United for 175k
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After not yet having made a significant trade as a member club here in UNITED, Lincoln City traded its top two SL players away in the wee hours last night. The beneficiary is the wily Simon Compton and his Northampton club, adding a II/13 FW and a II/12 DF to an already table-top challenging squad. So, the question is, what is in it for LIN? Has C-Ball gone crazier than he already appears?
Although the above is a likley outcome for C-Ball, the reasoning for LIN here was simple: we needed to get younger. As a result of the wild scramble that was D2 last season, youth coaching didn't always get the attention it deserved. So, although we had a good looking squad for Season 4, along with a crack manager as always, the more distant future looked scary. So via this deal, we have added a I/10 FW and a I/10 DF. We sacrificed a few SLs at some key spots for sure, but we also shaved a year off the ages of our top players at those spots. The fountain of youth strategy has returned these two lads to the all-important Age I category, where they are eligible for 5 RSD this season.
Of course, the leading question there is, will the diluted Imps be able to garner enough CP to put those 5 slots to use? Heck if I know, but it seemed like the right thing to do. We also got another $150K in the deal (along with a reserve GK swap), so expect to see LIN going all-in at the upcoming auction table. Cha-ching!
C-Ball
No longer the youngest team in the league now that Nottingham Forest went the youth route, Port Vale are poised to improve over the course of this season. Still, the plucky young side may very well be promotion outsiders in the Third Division this year.
"Based on the players we have, I think we can accomplish mid-table this year," said Vale manager John Holden. "We've got a tough cup draw so fair play to youth development there, but I believe the preseason statistics are really deceiving."
"First, all our apprentices will start out the year playing at a level of 7, unlike last year. When you take into account we only have three players above skill 7 on the team currently that becomes quite a big deal. We'll be looking to pick up a player or two in an auction as well to supplement the youngsters."
"This year is more important in terms of CP, though. Last season Vale didn't need much in the way of CP - the players we were developing weren't the top-quality players, and given the fact we had so few older players to develop it didn't matter CP was scarce, everyone still got their fair share. Now we really need to begin winning some games so some of our older ancillary players can start leveling up," said Holden.
"Our goalkeeping is also a major issue."
Vale will host Southend in the first round of the FA Cup and will pray none of their really important players get injured.
Northampton Town FC sends 150k, Kieran Page (I/10 Fw; 480k)
to Lincoln City FC for Harry Hudson (II/13 Fw; 550k)
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Northampton Town FC sends Jayden Cooper (III/8 Gk; 240k)
to Lincoln City FC for Luke Hamilton (III/9 Gk; 280k)
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Northampton Town FC sends Alfie Johnstone (I/10 Df; 480k)
to Lincoln City FC for Daniel Ritchie (II/12 Df; 500k)
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Sheffield United sends Joaquin Cortes (V/3 Df; 20k)
to Wycombe Wanderers for 150k, Billy Miller (IV/3 Df; 30k), Jay Whitehead (IV/2 Df; 0k)
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Wow Mr Alon Atie has enough Strikers to start a Revolution !
Check 'em out! All 13 YES THIRTEEN OF THEM!
NAME AGE POS SL
| Max Young | II | Fw | 13 | ||
| Luke Hays | III | Fw | 13 | ||
| Kevin Daugherty | IV | Fw | 12 | ||
| Noah Reynolds | IV | Fw | 11 | ||
| George Roberts | I | Fw | 10 | ||
| Sergio Jiménez | I | Fw | 10 | ||
|
Joe Roberts |
IV | Fw | 8 | ||
| Isaac Shaw | V | Fw | 7 | ||
| Rhys Scott | IV | Fw | 7 | ||
| Liam Foster | APP | Fw | 5 | ||
| Joseph Phillips | APP | Fw | 5 | ||
| Lee Shea | SBY | Fw | 2 | ||
| Kai Morris | SBY | Fw | 2 |
Dave, I don't disagree with getting the topic out there - I just want to make sure that the "discussion" occurs in the same place...
Sorry I did not realise there was a rule about not mixing Blog & Forum topics
I just thought that the topic of 'Loan players' needed airing more publicly as not so many managers seem to visit the forum!
Oh well back to the Flog & Borum for me!
Dave,
I have answered Andy's concerns about the notion of loan players in the Forum. Also, while it may be your opinion that loan players are an "ugly notion", who's to say that other people don't feel otherwise. Loan players are a big part of the game in reality. If we can introduce them in United in an organized, well-thought-out manner that is not easily open to abuse, and helps the game, I don't see why we wouldn't want to do it.
Let's continue this discussion in the Forum. If other folks want to weigh in, please bring your comments over to the forum!
I will pay twice the sale value for any Apprentices that you want to sell me
Hurry Hurry!
The thorny question of 'Loan players' has been rising it's ugly head on the forum recently
& Mr Andy Bate has revealed the glaringly obvious loop-hole ! Over to you Mr Commissioner
."Actually, is there anything preventing players from being traded to a team one session and then traded back again the following session? If not, loans are in the game already..."....
The Argyles have an interesting draw in the AP Cup.
- Watford - D1 perennial contender in D1 (3rd place last year). Didn't fare well in any Cups last season, but typically goes very far in one Cup per season. James is a good manager and I expect him to finish 1st in the group if he wants to.
- Port Vale FC - D3 for the past couple seasons after getting relegated in S2. Historically, hasn't fared well in Cups. Squad only has 2 players over SL 10, and appears to be in the middle of a youth rebuilding phase. It may take a lot of luck for John to advance out of this group.
- Carlisle United - Finished 3rd in D3 last season, but nothing much to say about this team other than that. Highest player is SL 6. Prospects don't look good at all for this squad.
Early prediction for Group C:
- Watford
- Plymouth
- Port Vale
- Carlise
Brighton fans are a stir with the first draw in the AP Cup Group mathes: Brentford, Northampton and Chesterfield. Some Seagull supporters are already calling this the "group of death," with the matches sure to be grand blood baths. If only two teams can advance from our group, BHA feels sorry for the other three teams that must vie for the one remaining spot in the second round.
Gulls VP, Brian Beerman, indicated his team's toughest match would "likely be versus Chesterfield. They gave us a difficult time last season and their team looks to have gotten younger and faster." Mr Beerman also added that "people see Brentford and Northampton [from the first division] and assume they will be the two teams to advance; that they are the unofficial teams to beat. However, as many pundits have noted already, both teams have grown older and not done much in the off-season to prepare their squads for future advancement." The Gulls' VP went on to add he expected both teams to play their bottom-11 versus Brighton, in "an effort to rest up for the long season ahead."
After hearing the above comments from Brighton's VP, most Gulls fans immediately began to prepare for the onslaught in the group play of the AP Cup from Brentford, Chesterfield and Northampton.
Indeed Mr Compton once again is Right on the Money.
Just slipped away for a short break
See you soon
Wish you were here
Brighton & Hove Albion sends 150k, Simon Schneider (IV/4 Mf; 60k)
to Sheffield United for Michael Watts (V/5 Mf; 60k)
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Watford sends Reece Scott (II/12 Mf; 500k)
to Northampton Town FC for Robert Bruce (I/10 Mf; 480k)
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Rumours are rife this evening that Manager Dowson has fled the country, the sale of numerous players within quick succession have left the board at Southend wondering about illegal backhanders.
The sale of these players has led to sun newspaper reports indicating that Dowson has taken the agents fees and fled to see out a life of sun, sex and booze on the spanish coast, police tonight have confirmed that they have been unable to track Mr Dowson down as they attempt to investigate the sale of so many players.
The Southend Board are worried that with so many hardmen in the team and now so little back up reserve players that they could be fined for not fielding a team of eleven players come the 2nd week of the new season.
Fans and locals alike are all left wondering!!
Brentford FC sends 88k
to Nottingham Forest for Ignacio Rey (III/4 Sw; 80k)
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Northampton Town FC sends 525k
to Southend United for Dylan Williamson (III/12 Fw; 400k)
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Dagenham & Redbridge sends 200k
to Queens Park Rangers for Muhammed Edwards (II/Physio; 225k)
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Southend United sends Jonathan Douglas (III/8 Fw; 240k)
to Queens Park Rangers for 300k
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Southend United sends Thomas White (II/5 Mf; 150k)
to Queens Park Rangers for 200k
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Sheffield United sends 60k
to Southend United for Darragh Duffy (III/3 Mf; 40k)
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The manager of Derby County today announced his thanks to his wife for providing the secret placenta juice for his sides last 2 weeks performances which saw County take 8 points and remain unbeaten and avoid the drop. There really must be something in Alon's discovery...LOL
Southend United sends Ryan Anderson (III/7 Gk; 200k)
to Brentford FC for 220k
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Southend United sends Corey Hall (III/6 Fw; 160k)
to Brentford FC for 176k
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Southend United sends Thiago Souza (IV/4 Df; 60k)
to Brentford FC for 66k
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Another excelent piece on comparative hardness.
2 hoodlums coming up from div 2 to shake things up next season. Something to look forward to?
I am allready looking forward to another great season.
Northampton had high expectations entering last season and the board whilst happy with the managers efforts expect some silverware to return to the cobblers ground in this coming season.
Runners up in the league was a great success over a season long campaign but praise indeed goes to Tranmere who dominated, despite our win at home to them we were not really good enough. This season again will see a truly competative one, as Cardiff, Plymouth and Preston all join Division One with great teams and an expectation to challenge.
The Fa Cup run was fantastic and just being pipped by the holders did not give us any joy, we will be out again with high hopes in this prestigious competition this season stated manager Compton. AP Cup semi Finalists and Youth Cup quarter finalists whilst impressive does not live up to the demanding management team at Northampton.
Good luck to everyone again this year as teams strive to conquer.
As Port Vale take the field next season, the start of Vale's "youth revolution" will begin to pay off.
Five schoolboys have already been signed for next season, and while the Vale will look to continue developing youth, the building blocks are in place to start winning a few more games.
"We lost some skill off of our better players, and that's not a good thing," said manager John Holden, "but we're basically at the same point where we left off last season."
"Vale are still committed to developing youth players, and so we probably won't challenge for promotion this season," said Holden. "The difference this year is that our first apprentice class has graduated, and our first schoolboy class will actually be a lot better than this year's age 1 class because they both started off at the same level."
"As the season goes on, we'll have a lot of players in the double digits even in the games where we run out the youth, and that will make things a lot easier from a managerial standpoint and from a winning standpoint."
"We now have an average age of just over 1 and over the next couple seasons we're going to be in a very good position as other teams lose some skill due to aging. We've moved up the stats tables a lot just as a result of aging, and that shows we've got a good plan for the future."
To answer Alon's query below, hardness is down compared to past seasons. Reasons for that can be multiple, including the rule change with regard to injuries, new managers, managers figuring out that in order to focus on the league they have to have players available for the league matches (when suspensions most often occur), and teams just getting tired of losing matches on a PK goal they gave up without seeing all the benefits of how their few hardness points may have helped them win in other matches because the math isn't as obvious and doesn't show up on the viewer (you have to crunch the numbers yourself from the reports).
Total hardness used in season 1: 2253. Season 2: 2233 (projected, I lost the session 10 numbers). Season 3: 1890. That's a really big drop-off from season 1 (363 points, 16%). Further, compare the Top Hoodlums from season 1 to season 3. Many of the names are similar, though the numbers are definitely not:
| Season 1 | Season 3 |
| PLY 275 | SU 232 |
| WAT 223 | PLY 193 |
| SU 186 | PV 133 |
| LIN 161 | LIN 125 |
| BRE 136 | CAR 104 |
| CRE 136 | no one else over 100 |
As you can see, of the usual offenders only Dave Dowson upped the ante for this year. Vale and Carlisle at the bottom of the tables were in full "nothing to lose" mode all season and were using the hardness to supplement all their youth players (which it should be noted is exactly what the Youth Master, Rob P. with PLY, did in Season 1).
On the opposite end of the spectrum, in Season 1 there were 7 teams that used 20 or fewer hardness all season and two teams that used none (CRD, LEI). In season 3, there were 7 teams that used 20 or fewer hardness all season and two teams that used none (CRD, CHF). So the 'non-use' end has remained unchanged. Overall, the shift has been away from the 10's and more toward the 2-5 range, and only when needed. I didn't see many "10 hardness just because" matches, likely due to the additional rule of hardness increasing your own injury chances as well this season.
Here's a comparison on total hardness used by matches. The hardness level is on the left, and the number of matches that a team used that hardness level for seasons 1 & 3 follows:
| Hard | S1 | S2 |
| 0 | 420 | 444 |
| 1 | 65 | 46 |
| 2 | 21 | 53 |
| 3 | 52 | 49 |
| 4 | 48 | 41 |
| 5 | 66 | 68 |
| 6 | 31 | 22 |
| 7 | 30 | 21 |
| 8 | 16 | 20 |
| 9 | 14 | 12 |
| 10 | 83 | 54 |
As you can see yourselves, 10's are way down. 0's are up. Interestingly, 1's are down and 2's are up while 5's are holding steady. It seems more managers are pushing to the middle instead of the high end. From all this and my observations across the season here are my speculations as to what is going on with hardness:
1) Managers are using less overall due to the increase in possible injury chance to their own teams.
2) Managers who have a set practice (i.e. 1 per match no matter what as the 5% increase in PK is worth the better injury chance, typically at GK so there is also a better block chance) have continued those practices without interruption.
3) Managers are figuring out how to use Hardness as a tactical tool and not just a blunt-force weapon to injure with. For example, several teams this season found themselves in spots where they were fielding lineups of 25-16-54 or similar numbers when shooting for more offense. In that scenario, the MF isn't strong enough to balance out the FW lines. So they would add 2 hardness to the MF to meet 3:1 rules and not put on any more. For every point of hardness added to the weakest area, the FWs can generate 3 more shots so the risk of PK goal and some injury is worth it for guaranteed shot production. Extra hardness is no longer being added on if not needed in those cases.
4) Many of the "10's" were split with 5 at GK and 5 at SW from teams pulling for draws against stronger clubs. That's 10% better Sw stops and 11.25% better GK saves. While Alon put on a clinic of the +5 with his GPP in the AP Cup Final, many teams burn out of those or can't afford to save them for big matches and use hardness instead. Al seems to especially like the +3 or +5 boost to GK when he's not playing for the outright win. A lot of "5's" similarly came from the +5 at GK in Youth Cup matches as well where managers had Sby or App GKs and the net seemed woefully wide open.
5) Your personal match effect from hardness is dependent almost entirely on which managers you see most. Alon said it felt like it was way down, which is understandable based on Div 1 numbers. I felt like it was just as bad or worse than ever facing Rob P., Dave D., and Mike C. a combined 8 times last season. Here's the by-division/competition breakdown for season 3:
| Competition | Total Hard | # Matches | Avg per Match |
| Div 1 | 274 | 180 | 1.52 |
| Div 2 | 537 | 180 | 2.98 |
| Div 3 | 314 | 180 | 1.74 |
| Div Totals | 1125 | 540 | 2.08 |
| FA Cup | 227 | 72 | 3.15 |
| FA Shield | 69 | 30 | 2.30 |
| AP Cup | 325 | 126 | 2.58 |
| Youth Cup | 144 | 62 | 2.32 |
| Cup Totals | 765 | 290 | 2.64 |
So as the numbers show out, a lot more hardness was poured out into Cup competitions than in league play, with the exception of Division 2. With 5 of the Top 10 Hoodlums residing in the middle tier, they came close to putting out more hardness in league matches than the other two divisions combined. With Rob P. and PLY promoting this year, I expect to see Div 1 pick up more hardness next season. Those dropping from Div 1 and promoting from Div 3 were nothing compared to Wrath of the Pilgrims. Dave D. and C-Ball will have to pick up the slack!
More so for a refresher for the newer managers than for John, since I'm pretty sure he's got all this down...
From your team page, click the "Roster" tab above your team icon.
The RSD column shows how many points the player has been raised already this season. For the age II+ players, the limit is of course 3. For the age I, it's 5.
The QNL column is for the Schoolboys and Apprentices. It shows how many games they have played toward their next level. For Apprentices, they need 4 games to go up 1 SL. If the QNL is at 3, you need one match (or Youth Coach point) to get to the next SL. If a 2, you need 2 games. If your App is at QNL 0 or only 1 going into the last session next year, they can't advance an SL and nothing carries over so don't bother playing them unless you actually need their SL on the field. While there is no RSD limit set for Sbys and Apps to go up SL, there is an effective limit of 3 for Sbys and 5 for Apps due to season length.
For Schoolboys, the QNL goes 1, 2, and then resets to 0 as the RSD goes up 1 (3 games = 1 SL). The QNL does carry over to their Apprentice season. It can be handy in case of injury where the apprentice can't play, however they can still be Youth Coached for one QNL and won't fall behind max SL potential. It's also nice going into session 10 of the season when they only need to play in one match instead of both, meaning the T11 can take the field in event of a crucial league match without sacrificing youth development.
Considering Vale's tactics were to go all out at home against Crewe, I'm not sure you have any reason to feel bad.
I wasn't sure which apprentices could still get in that last training point - I'm sure there's a way to check somewhere - and I wanted my schoolboys to be +1 on training for next year - so I went youth-heavy in that game knowing it was an almost sure loss. Considering we lost 8-0 to Tranmere earlier this year, I'm happy Vale have come as far as they have this season. Sort of strange, but watch out season 5 =)
1-0 is great and I'm happy at getting the three points but I never expected to get a 9-0 win at any time in this or any other league. If I could have stalled at 3-0 up I would have.
I am SOOOOOOO sorry to all. Please, mighty Olmec, don't hurt me. Dear Al, I really, really didn't mean to. Had I only known the full implications I would definitely have played the B-team... or even C-team... or even the bottom 11 possible! I thought there was a cheat code in place to prevent this kind of thing from happening. Or did the cheat code against C-Ball counter that out? I'll help with the priority logic for next season if you'd like an extra hand there. I definitely should have thrown that last league match... 
Instead, I mistakenly put out a good lineup that just squeezed past the Imps and took some points from them. That means that instead of C-Ball advancing to Division 1 next season thanks to 3 points in the final match... we let Ian and PNE go through! How could we have overlooked such a travesty to the fair game? 
The best I can do at this time is to promise that I will do everything possible to atone for my prior mistake by attempting to get the max 6 points when facing PNE next season. Then again, if someone is to blame, perhaps we can shift the wrath to Mike? After all, just one more win instead of all those 1-goal losses and this would be a different story entirely. Yeah, I'd definitely look to the Imps' manager for this one after all. 
My apologies again for what they're worth,
Kevin
The following teams receive a bonus (Season 3 Awards):
BRE (475) CRD (650) DAG (125) HER (150) LEW (200) NOR (625) PLY (200) PNE (100) SU (100) SWA (50) SWI (225) TRA (850) WAT (350)
Haha Alon,
The entire Derby squad attended the birth of my new son Reggie and feasted to their hearts content !!!! LOL
Here's hoping for 2 wins to keep the dream of first division football alive for the new season.
Well now that Kevins exposed Tranmeres secret about Placenta juice we will need a new secret to stay ahead as everyone is going to be using it.
I was thinking ofgiving my players some of this moon water(water was just discovered on the moon) The only problem is it is so hard to get hold of.
Mind you where was I getting all the placenta juice from.
It’s a Show Time in Div 3. The results on this session will determine the promotion spot.
Four teams are 5 points apart in current standing in positions 2 to 5 in Div 3, Dagenham & Redbridge (33pts); Crewe Alexandra FC (32pts); Swansea City AFC (32pts) and Leicester City FC (28pts).
Any surprise win in this session for any of these teams will settle the matters. All these teams are expected to field their strongest top 11 players in these matches.
It will be tough matches for Swansea City AFC (SWA) as they will face Leicester City & Crewe, all in away matches. SWA must improve their record; they need to revenge from their loss (in Round 8 match this season).
At SWA’s home in Round 9, SWA & Crewe settled with a goalless draw. Both are with 32pts; only goals different separate them apart. Against Rob’s team (
A win! We got a win and might not finish bottom of the entire league! We also hosted the newly crowned Division 3 champions Swindon and lost 6-0... Hopefully the concentration on youth development this season will make us more competitive next season. Only one of the schoolboys will need a bit of schooling from the remaining 2 games and he will be left in the hands of one of the Youth Coachs -so Forest will have their most competitive two lineups going into the last two matches of the season.
Now I may have mentioned a couple of times in press releases this season the lack of luck we sometimes come across when it comes to Olmec (don't blame it on the boogie - blame Olmec!) but we only just barely won that game 1-0. We had 26 attacks to their 0. The sweeper at 54% stopped 17 of the 26 attacks. Of the remaining 9 chances the 35% chance of a miss produced 5 misses. Only when it came to scoring with the keeper saving 75% did we convert 1 of the 4 chances and I breathed a sigh of relief (especially as I was watching the game on the viewer!)
It is no secret that many teams have been looking for Alon's secret to success. Long-time associate of Alon's, Robin Van Persie of Arsenal, who is rumored to have learned how to play at the hands and feet of the famous-within-Olmec circles South African may have finally tipped us off as to Alon's secret training methods that lead to such strong teams capable of withstanding anything thrown their way.
Actual article posted on ESPN's Soccernet. November 17th, 2009
"Arsenal striker Robin Van Persie is set to try an unorthodox method of treatment in a desperate bid to speed up his recovery from an ankle injury. Van Persie's former team-mate Danko Lazovic has experienced the Serbian housewife's healing powers first-hand.
The Dutchman will have placenta rubbed into the damaged area by a Serbian housewife who successfully healed a former Feyenoord team-mate Danzo Lazovic.
Van Persie is expected to fly out to Belgrade on Tuesday, with the backing of manager Arsene Wenger, to seek the services of Mariana Kovacevic - who has a reputation for drastically speeding up the recovery times of those she treats. Lazovic, now of PSV, visited the housewife last month after suffering a hamstring injury that was expected to rule him out for five weeks. But after having the placenta fluid rubbed into the affected area, the Serbian striker returned to action after just one week out. "She is vague about her methods but I know that she first massages you for a long time with placenta fluid," Van Persie said. "I am going to give it a try. "It can't do any harm and if it helps, it helps. I've been in contact with Arsenal's chief physio about it. The club has allowed me to have this treatment done." Van Persie, who ruptured ligaments in his right ankle during a friendly against Italy last weekend, decided to take drastic action after two separate doctors in Holland both told the striker he faces at least six weeks out."
Further investigations into use of stem-cell cloning on the Rovers' schoolboys is pending Olmec HQ review of allegations. Details of findings to follow. Press officers for Tranmere are not returning our phone calls at this time either. Though that is likely because we forgot to call them first. At any rate, there have been no official denials as of this post! Surely Dr. Death, aka Dave Dowson, and the Bostonian Hitman, aka Rob Peterson, will be outraged if such methods prove effective in lessening time on the injury list. No doubt there is already a petition forming on the forum to add "placenta juice, any other liquids possibly harvested during child birth, and any artificial or synthetic attempting to re-create said substances" to the list of banned substances for the Olmec leagues.
Best regards to you and your family and speedy recovery for the lady of the house.
With the increase in the brain trust at Derby HQ, no doubt they will be the team to fear next season!
It is with much pride that I am happy to announce the arrival of a new Rams supporter. Baby Reggie was born on 11/11 at 00:32 weighing a whopping 9lb 15oz. Mum and baby are doing well and I'm looking forward to the sleepless nights LOL.
Something went awry with the bullet points, sorry guys
Port Vale have their teamsheet submitted for next Saturday already meaning a merciful end to the season for the Vale.
Truth be told the last two games are against the champions and a promotion hopeful so any type of win or even point is unexpected but truth be told a point would be nice.
As a rebuilding year the Vale have been very successful and have reached all of our goals. This may seem strange, but the goals at the start of the season were:
- Gain managerial experience by taking over a rebuilding club
- Buy and train up youth as much as possible - considering where our Vale were at the start of the year, it made more sense to train up bad apprentices than it did to play bad I or II-year old players
- Get the skill levels as high as possible for the future
- Play physically - make the other team know they were playing the Vale!
- Do as well as possible in the cup games knowing the league won't matter.
The season was a success on all these points - fortuitously making it to the quarterfinals in the Alan Parr didn't hurt, either!
Vale will have several average age I players next season to go with seven apprentices who will continue to be trained to the fullest extent possible in order to attempt to gain promotion in a season or two.
Based on the massive disparity in skill levels, especially in the beginning of the year, Vale played with maximum hardness in most games. We had nothing to lose and we became a tougher opponent as a result, at least in my mind. If you played the Vale, you at least had to worry about a player or two getting injured - even if we lost a couple games because of conceded penalties!
All in all, probably the most successful season I've had as a manager in any Allan-created league and looking forward to watching this team continue to grow.
Good luck Saturday to those with something to play for - like Vale - we're playing to not get the wooden spoon again - that would be the final accomplishment!
Tranmere just completed a great session in which we clinched a league and cup double. However if a few variables had changed it could all be so different.
Even though it looks like our league win was easy-8 points up with 2 games to play, in the last league game played we won 1-0 and Simon lost 1-0.Reverse those 2 results and our game against Simon next session becomes a league decider.
As for the cup win, any game against Kevin Martin and the bluebirds is always going to be at best a 50/50 afair so we just have to thank Olmec and luck going the right way for our cup win.
I'm afraid those two games will have nothing to do with it. I'm destined to get two draws, both games 20-1 shots in my favour!
We should have had 2nd spot sewn up by now but the numbers didn't go our way.
Makes for an interesting last weekend though.
Congratulations to David King on winning the division!
Sorry if i have upset you here, i made no comments on the blog so i assume we are talhing about the comments made on the post match reports which when you click on NO SPOILERs on the scores pages will not show as far as i was aware.
Maybe its changed, so i am sorry if it has spoilt the viewing.
Mind the spoilers!
This post is mainly aimed at Kevin
I know you have a data base of amazing statistics. Have you considered running a report to show how much hardness is being played this season as compared to the previous 2. My perception is that since the rule changes teams are playing less than half the hardness they did last season but it is not based on any data just "gut feel".
Wrong button. Twice apparently.
Anyway, I was saying I appreciate the extra effort this week when you didn't have to make it a priority. So thanks!
Hopefully Santa will bring you something extra nice this year.
Kudos and applause to Al for taking the time out of a busy week to diagnose the issues and manually reset things as needed so we could all get orders in and have our usual playtime this weekend. I know the idea of automating everything in Olmec is so you don't have to do that as often, so I appreciate the sacrifice you
Unless I get an email from Mr. McLeod saying he can't hit the deadline, games will be run in about 17.5 hours.
Al
Are games goingh ahead as per schedule ?
Well, upon further review it appears that Kevin plays practically everyone this session. Weaker teams like Chesterfield didn't even realize four games in one session was allowable by local law. So, our answer is now revised as follows:
KEVIN MARTIN WILL LOSE
WHATEVER MATCH HE CHOOSES TO LOSE
IN THE UPCOMING SESSION
IN ORDER TO COMPLETELY DOMINATE
THE GAMES WHICH HE CHOOSES TO DOMINATE
WHILE YET STILL BUILDING HIS YOUTH
SO THAT HE MAY CONTINUE TO DOMINATE
WHICHEVER GAMES HE CHOOSES TO DOMINATE
THROUGH NEXT SEASON
AND THE SEASON AFTER THAT
AND THE SEASON AFTER THAT.
Meow,
Clyde & Calvin
If Phil thinks no one will beat Cardiff, perhaps he should take the time to look at who they play in this session's fixtures
No.
I'm just sayin'...
Mr. Kevin Martin's club is on an incredible run and haven't lost a match since session 2.
Even the 3 losses they have have been by a single goal.
Of course we could write a similar entry for Alon's Tranmere who continue to dominate...
And something has to give as these two clubs face-off in the FA Shield and AP Cup Finals soon...
Looks like relegation will be a likely outcome for next season's Brentford Bees with all these huge clubs!
Al
Forest have been winless for at least 10 matches now, with 3 draws and 7 losses. The lack of points has also dented the amount of CP accrued which means the side continues to drop away from those picking up points at the top of the table. We had a chance at home to Vale, but feeling offended at being called almost as bad as Forest my opposite number quite rightly upped the hardness for the match and crocked 2 Forest players without conceding a penalty. One of those currently recouperating on the physio's couch is Forest's first choice forward Pratt. Luck has not been with Forest this season.
Hereford United FC sends 200k, Owen Lewis (IV/11 Fw; 270k)
to Northampton Town FC for Javier Vargas (III/11 Fw; 360k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Hereford United FC sends Fionn Hayes (I/9 Df; 420k)
to Crewe Alexandra FC for 640k
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
The Argyles find themselves out of all Cup competitions earlier than any previous season (both of them). This is something that both team management and club supporters are NOT happy about. After two, count them TWO, second-place finishes in Cup competitions last season, the board expected manager Peterson to bring home at least one piece of hardware this season.
Unfortunately, this may be worse news for PLY's remaining opponents in league play. With nothing else left to distract from promotion and possibly the division title, Plymouth has no choice but to increase the pressure and go all-out in all remaining games. There's only one thing standing in the way of this task - the youth players. The youth players must be adequately trained. Team policy does not allow for youth players to be "partially" trained. A partially trained youth player a career bench player. He does nothing for the future of your squad. The team's APPs generally do come very close to being considered starters (indeed, they would be starters on some teams out there), so there is generally not much SL lost there. However, with only 2 matches per session, there's not many places to hide the SBYs. With 2 Youth Coaches, that leaves 3 SBYs that have to play in one of the matches and that means that there's about 20-22 SL lost by needing to play the SBYs in just 2 matches a session.
So, the team will do the best it can to put out the best lineup possible while still allowing the Youth players to train. We'll start off the new plan this session against hated rivals Lincoln City and Southend.
Well done Alon, admitting how lucky you have been still does'nt help Northampton fans feel any better about not being in the AP cup final but it goes someway to easing the pain, the league campaign looks to be yours but we have not lost all hope just yet.
I hear from the local press tonight that Rafa Benitez could soon be on his way and an unknown South African who goes by the name of Atie is being put forward for the post!!
Following what can only be described as a shambolic performance against Fulham with two sendings off and a bizarre substitution of Torres, Rafa has his work cut out. Atie better known to his friends as "Alon I thank my lucky stars every night" has been suggested that he has the power and and the magic touch to change the fortunes of the once great Liverpool.
Pundets upon seeing the amazing results that he has carved out for Tranmere this year, infur that this truly wise and Lucky man should be given the post forthwith!!
Simon is correct I was incredibly lucky to beat him in the AP cup semi this week. I had 3 very tough games against 2 of the top 3 in D1 and last seasons D1 winners so I had to field a weaker lineup in 1 game and this was it.
Winning was incredibly lucky,but these things tend to even out for example I also had no right beating Watford in an earlier round. OOPs thats another that also went my way,as did the league win against Al that I should have lost this session. However being knocked out by Dancing Dave in the first round of the Youth league certainly went against the percentages.
Truthfully the luck has gone with Tranmere for the most part this season and I am just going to enjoy it whilst it lasts. Not much is going right with my team I support in the premiership this season,liverpool so I have to take solace in the results that Olmec gives me and the South African rugby team of course.
You want a match against those 'BEES' just stick around in Division 2
They'll be coming down soon enough, His luck cant hold forever!
After a brief flirtation with some bad strategy choices and generalized malaise last session, the LIN Super Imps are back on track. This session, the LIN legions advanced in the Youth Cup (despite BBeer's incredulous post that he somehow lost, "boo hoo, Olmec doesn't love BHA, whine, whine, thrash, thrash"), snuck by fellow MEDITECHer and nicest guy in Olmec, AbeH and Leeds, then, and we love this one, put Darling DaveD and his SU goons in their place, 2-0 in league play. All in all, a satisfying re-emergence into the light, though we remain sufficiently humbled by last week's debacle.
Now, there is another topic to address. We are appalled at the full frontal attack by one unnamed manager. As we read the blog yesterday, we came to only one conclusion: we MUST find a way to get a match vs. BRE. A Cup match, via promotion to D1, cage fight, whatever it takes. All resources, plus some, will be FULLY devoted to settling that score, for the rest of this season, and beyond if necessary. Do these two managers like each other? Check the HARDNESS numbers if/when the big match comes to be.
Woah! Mind the spoiler, Simon! I was all set to settle down to read your match report...but no need, now. Clyde had a fresh carton of "chocolate mouse" ice cream ready to go and all.....
Well, it wasn't where we expected it to be, but Chesterfield scores another win this session. That's two sessions in a row, and this time there was even a real live manager on the other side. We'll put those CP's to good use, let me tell you.
I am off out to have a few beers, halloween Trick or Treat, not a treat to see Tranmere win 2-1 with penalties and not get a shot to Northamptons 25 in the AP Cup semi, the holders out what a traversty!!
More to follow when i recover from the upset!
This is going to be long (as the use of the above stolen adaptation from Hamlet suggests) so get a beverage refill and get comfortable before starting.
One of the ongoing undercurrents to comments and posts this season has been on a combination of points swirling around the use and efficacy of a sweeper. Should I play one? Should I try to use Off-side Trap (OST) instead? Why does my sweeper play like a revolving door while the other guy's sweeper resembles the Great Wall of China? Am I doing something wrong, or just getting shafted by Olmec yet again?
All valid questions. We'll get to them in some random, happenstance order or whatnot. In any case, it's always good to have a full slate of stats to throw out to back up my points, so that is why I'm getting around to this one after the season is past the halfway mark. Not much good to throw out theories that I can't back up. To verify what I'm posting here, I went through every single match and tallied into a spreadsheet the Sweeper for each team, who the opponent was, what the sweeper's effective SL (SL + Fit + Hard/GPP/PFD & checking for red cards or injuries & checking to see if they lost SL during Extra Time in certain Cup matches) was, how many scoring chances they faced, how many they stopped, and how many they theoretically should have stopped had they stopped exactly their assigned percentage rounded to the nearest whole number. All of that gave me this:
A table! Hurray! The table is set up to show down the left what the effective SL of the Sweepers in the matches played at. Subsequent columns are: 1) "Matches" - how many matches this SL was used in (note that extra time sessions where the SL was reduced were counted as separate matches for this purpose); 2) "Exp %" - what the expected stop percentage was, based on the Sw stop formula of [30 + (SL*2)]; 3) "Chances" - how many scoring chances against them the Sweepers faced at that given SL; 4) "Stopped" - how many stops actually occurred; 5) "Stop %" - what the actual percentage of stops from chances came out to be; 6) "+/- %" - what percentage of shots higher or lower than expected actually played out in the matches; 7) "Exp Stops" - how many stops would be expected based on the total chances and expected percentage; and 8) "+/- Stops" - how many stops over or under the expected stopping percentage actually occurred. A negative number here means that they stopped that many fewer than expected; positive means they 'outperformed' their expected SL.
| SL | Matches | Exp% | Chances | Stopped | Stop% | +/- % | Exp Stops | +/- Stops |
| 18 | 1 | 66% | 29 | 15 | 51.72% | -14.28% | 19 | -4 |
| 17 | 3 | 64% | 44 | 23 | 52.27% | -11.73% | 28 | -5 |
| 15 | 5 | 60% | 126 | 76 | 60.32% | 0.32% | 76 | 0 |
| 14 | 4 | 58% | 28 | 17 | 60.71% | 2.71% | 16 | 1 |
| 13 | 14 | 56% | 143 | 79 | 55.24% | -0.76% | 80 | -1 |
| 12 | 33 | 54% | 463 | 252 | 54.43% | 0.43% | 250 | 2 |
| 11 | 43 | 52% | 456 | 230 | 50.44% | -1.56% | 237 | -7 |
| 10 | 42 | 50% | 453 | 213 | 47.02% | -2.98% | 227 | -14 |
| 9 | 32 | 48% | 434 | 229 | 52.76% | 4.76% | 208 | 21 |
| 8 | 30 | 46% | 299 | 124 | 41.47% | -4.53% | 138 | -14 |
| 7 | 36 | 44% | 403 | 181 | 44.91% | 0.91% | 177 | 4 |
| 6 | 21 | 42% | 216 | 78 | 36.11% | -5.89% | 91 | -13 |
| 5 | 30 | 40% | 258 | 101 | 39.15% | -0.85% | 103 | -2 |
| 4 | 41 | 38% | 631 | 215 | 34.07% | -3.93% | 240 | -25 |
| 3 | 9 | 36% | 103 | 48 | 46.60% | 10.60% | 37 | 11 |
| 0 | 1 | 30% | 4 | 2 | 50.00% | 20.00% | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 345 | 4090 | 1883 | 46.04% | 1928 | -45 |
Hopefully the table makes sense when looking through it. If not, sorry. Significant points to note about "Expected Stops vs. Actual Stops":
1. All SL 11+ Sweepers (and the 9's overall, and the 0!) are stopping as a league 50% or more of the shots they are facing. If not playing a Sweeper, then Offside Trap automatically cuts 50% of shots by the opposing Forwards, which is why the 50% number is the benchmark around which Sweeper play revolves. They should hit 50% at SL 10. If Sweepers were not chopping down at least half of the shots they see, then it would strongly suggest that people are better off stacking the Mf or Df with an extra player instead and gambling on the OST to kill 50% of the enemy's chances. Turns out that Sweepers are doing a decent job after all and OST is not clearly better at this point from the 46% total shown by the tallied numbers.
2. Out of every SL that has seen at least 10 matches played (to get a better sample size), all but one are within 5% of expected totals, and that one (SL 6) is under 6% off. That means that the results are no worse than 1 out of every 20 shots as a league-wide average. So you can rest assured that when your Sweeper had a really bad game, the luck evened out elsewhere and someone else got those extra stops (probably your opponent, but that's just my eternal optimism shining through). Sweepers have let past 45 shots more than the average would call for, yet that is in 345 matches total! That's only one shot extra (which might not even be on-target) in every 7 or 8 matches.
3. Individual matches are all over the place, as they should be if the Random Number Generator sub-routine is working properly. Some have had great matches. Others were better off not playing and putting an extra schoolboy defender in who would have been more effective (see below for a few examples). These are league-wide totals to attempt an evaluation of whether or not the Sweeper position is working as it should in the big picture. Honestly, I think it is.
4. The worst performances were by the highest SL Sweepers (1 match at 18, 3 matches at 17). I'd really like to see some more matches here before coming to any conclusions. 4 matches just isn't enough to account for lousy luck in one game. My interest is in figuring out if the extra 4-6% stop chance is worth all the CP that it takes to get there, or waste GPP on, or risk extra PK's with hardness, or lose half my own shots with the Play For Draw option. If 17 and 18 are going to perform the same as 13 or 14 on average, why not invest the points into Df or Mf which can guarantee less shots on goal? As the most powerful sweepers are peaking out and people are using more GPP or hardness on the Sweepers in Cup competitions, I'm hoping to see a few more of these before the season closes.
Some of us have clearly made up our minds already about Sweeper play. Take Ian and PNE for example. Ian doesn't even have a Sweeper on his roster and has never used one this season. Either he's made up his mind that they are not worth it, or Ian hasn't read the rules to realize that the position actually exists at all. Meanwhile, Dave at Southend United currently leads the league in Sweeper usage with 18 matches. Both teams are faring decent to well in Division 2 and have had some Cup successes and failures to date, showing that neither approach is a guarantee to dominance while both are viable options for team planning. Consider these examples as well:
Best Sweeper Performances So Far This Season
3. Southend's Ashton Cooper (SL 12) vs. CRD in Match 13. Stopped 12 of 15 chances for an 80% success rate, and 50% more than expected (8). SU got the draw here thanks almost entirely to Cooper.
2. Dagenham and Redbridge's Freddie Harding (SL 9) vs. HER in Match 3. Freddie played out of his mind, stopping 12 of 14 chances for a ridiculous 85.71% stop rate and 5 over expected totals.
1. Bristol City FC's Henry Shepherd vs. OLA in Match 1 (SL 13) and then again in Match 3 vs. OLA. Oldham would not have been criticized had they called in a hit from the SU or PLY hoodlums after the first session. Shepherd stopped a perfect 6-of-6 chances in Match 1, and then turned around in the AP Cup group stages and stopped a perfect 3-of-3 against Oldham again, despite picking up a red card and playing Match 3 at only SL 7! Rene will now light himself on fire thanks to me bringing up the horror yet again.
Worst Sweeper Performances So Far This Season
It's hard to figure out which is worse: no stops, or far fewer than expected out of many chances. So we'll highlight the woes of each for example:
Of all the Sweepers that have failed to stop even one chance in their matches, 0-for-6 is the most chances faced. This was done twice. Weston-super-Mare's Brian Shea (SL 10) did it in Match 3 vs. Lincoln City FC, and Northampton Town's Max Graham (SL 8) tallied the goose egg in Match 8 vs. the Magpies. This is a clear-cut example of worst-case Sw scenario. The only reason the Sw is on the field is completely wasted and playing someone, anyone, elsewhere would be preferable.
Of those Sweepers that have faced a lot of scoring chances and failed to stop their fair share, the most out-matched so far has been poor Logan Brown (then SL 4) of Derby County, who was thrown into the fire in Match 9 against Tranmere and faced a whopping 53 scoring chances. He only stopped 10, which is half of his expected total of 20 that would be achieved just by laying down in front of the goal like a speed bump. After being beaten and bruised in the first half, Brown understandably figured the rest of the day would go better if he just stayed out of the way as Tranmere rolled on to tally the most shots in one game so far this season.
Most Stops: Leeds Sweeper Max Marshall (then SL 9) stopped 26 of 46 chances against Al's Bees in Match 15. That's the most stops in one match so far this season, of which we should all send a congratulations card because it was against Brentford.
Luckiest Team With Their Sweepers? That is either DAG (13 matches, 142 chances, 74 stops for a 52.11% stop percentage, league-best 13 stops more than expected) or BRI (14 matches, 192 chances, 115 stops for a league-best 59.90% stop percentage, 10 more than expected).
Most Unlucky? Derby County easily takes home the prize as in their 16 matches of Sweeper play they are a net 24 stops below expected totals (106 of 282, 37.59% stop rate), 8 stops worse than similarly hard-luck Lewes (39 of 112 in 13 mathces, 34.82%, -16 stops) this season. The worst save percentage belongs to Yours Truly as Cardiff City has stopped only 33.33% of chances in the very few matches we've played a Sweeper - so you can see why I tend not to play one myself this year if that's the best they're going to do for me.
Luckiest Against Sweepers? No question on this one. Alon's Tranmere may have the best T11 in the league, however they are also getting some Olmec-style love in their results as well. Of their 316 scoring chances against Sweepers in 12 matches this season, only 128 have been stopped (40.51%). That's 23 fewer than the odds called for, or nearly two extra shots per game. Dan's Blades are second, as Sheffield United has had 43.44% of their chances (96 of 221) stopped in 11 matches, which comes out to 16 fewer than expected.
Worst Luck vs. Sweepers? Swindon Town FC and Lewes FC are battling for this title, as David's SWI are at 7 shots "stolen" so far this year in 10 matches (66 of 129 stopped, 51.16%) while Andy's lads are 6 down (111 of 225 in 14 matches, 49.33%) from expected totals. Not even a shot per match for either of them, so there is hope that this will even out in the next four sessions. Rene's Oldham Athletic is faring the worst with regard to Stop %, as 56.36% of their chances never have a chance of getting on goal (31 of 55 in 12 matches vs. Sweepers). The league average is currently at 44% of chances stopped on a team-by-team basis.
And so finally that brings me to the Sw vs. OST question. Here is what you can weigh your own answers on, as yours will likely differ from mine:
1) Sweepers get a chance to stop any shot, not just those from the FW area like OST is limited to.
2) Sweepers at SL 9+ are currently performing very close or better than the 50% that OST gives.
3) Within that league-wide performance though, some sweepers are having really lousy games while OST guarantees a 50% +/- one shot in every match (assuming all their shots are coming from the Fw position).
4) With the extra player instead of a Sweeper, you can play an extra defender and guarantee fewer shots by the FWs; or an extra MF to either guarantee fewer MF shots or get more of your own; or an extra FW to get some extra FW shots if you think you'll have a better keeper and can win a shootout.
5) If you plan on the extra Df/Mf/Fw approach, that's CP you won't be spending on the Sweeper position and one less Sby/App to worry about bringing up. The extra Df/Mf/Fw then gives you a better T11 and more depth in case of suspension/injury.
6) However, if you run into a really good Mf team (see: Tranmere) who often plays OST themselves, then your midling Mf is going to get crushed, your Fw line is getting halved, and you don't have a Sweeper to fall back on for extra defensive power in case you want to try for the draw. Options include 9 hardness at Mf + 5 PFD at MF + home bonus (7 or 9 at Mf) + 9 GPP at Mf + Fetal Position. Best of luck to you.
6b) Or you could just play a top Df at Sw for the match and give up 2 SL. If you have good Df depth, this has some merit as a long-term plan since you can rest one up, getting the +2 Fitness to counter the SL loss for shifting from Df to Sw.
7) If you do get out-matched in the Mf, then OST gives away extra shots. That is something a Sweeper can never do.
8) And yet, a Sweeper will never generate any shots of their own, which is something that that 10th fielder can do for you.
9) However, the Sweeper can gift the Df with more shots IF the Df is more powerful than the other team's Fw. If your Df is stronger, you get shots at the rate of 1 per 5 SL better. If the Sw is playing for you, this becomes 1 per 3 SL better. Realistically, unless your team is so much better that you really don't need the shots anyway, this will never amount to more than 1 or 2 extra chances - though we have plenty of examples where a team's sole shot has won the game, so don't discredit "just one shot" too much.
So to summarize my advice for managers who are still trying to figure it all out themselves:
Don't play low-level sweepers (Sbys) unless you have to in getting them trained up. That's what Youth Coaches are for. When Apps, play them once and Youth Coach once. Once they are SL 8+, play them any time you want, and especially against teams that have strong Mf areas (where OST is a bad idea). Play an extra Df instead if you are worried about stopping shots. Scoring Chances that never happen are stopped 100% of the time. If you really need to get an Apprentice Sw in but don't want to play them at Sw, then play them out-of-position at Df. You'll lose the 2 Fitness that was gifted to you anyway, yet you get the playing time in while leaving the option of a better Sweeper or OST open.
Play OST instead if you know you have a better Mf and their Fw line will likely outmatch your Df. Play your extra guy then at Df to help out, or at Fw to get shots, or at Mf if there is any doubt about whether or not your Mf is better. I am learning that there are some interesting intricacies to using OST or not in my play with it this season, though that's a different matter for a different post in the future. Still working it all out myself from theory to practice.
If your Sweeper gets up to 15+ (60%+ stop chance) play him each and every time you feel like it. You spent the time and CP getting him that good, so reap the rewards and hope your luck comes out even close to average and you'll be tough to beat.
Fire off a personal message through the website if you have any questions or are interested in your own team's game-by-game or by-player stats.
Best of luck and Happy Sweeping,
Kevin
Meow. Clyde & Calvin snap a six game losing streak with their Youth Cup win over managerless Coventry. Well, you take your victories when you can. The CP will be put to good and immediate use. Next session sees us paired up with the only team below us in the standings, and another match against one of the many teams above us in Division II. Surely, if we are to stay in this division, now is the time to step up and make our mark. Another Youth Cup match. Our work is cut out for us this session.
Meow,
Clyde & Calvin
Rough stuff from the 'Vale these last two weekends has seen only one point from four league matches and only three goals scored.
However, manager John Holden still had cause for optimism after claiming II/14 Mf Jack Wilson in the auction.
"We need good players," said Holden. "Wilson won't help us win now, but whenever you have the opportunity to pick up a top player you need to take it."
The pickup boosted Port Vale's T11 statistics even higher, skyrocketing the Vale into 27th of 32 into a tie with Leeds United.
"We're not at all obsessed with points this season," said Holden. "It's not what the fans want to hear I know but our goal is to get our stats up as high as we can. CPs have been hard to come by but when you're playing youth in the majority of your positions not having CP isn't terrible."
"If we can finish in 7th, this season will be a success."
Apparently " ROBIN HOOD"
(AKA Rob Peterson top HOODlum ) reckons he's the 'Ardest Manager in MSWL UNITED
I'll have to ask his ' Merry Men ' about that not to mention 'Friar Tuck'
Plymouth be ready.
Northampton fans are full of optimism and hope for tomorrows match as 6,000 cobblers fans make the journey to seaside. In recent weeks Northampton fans have woken up to fact that they have so much still to play for this season and intend to fully support there team in what will be a very tricky quarter final cup replay.
Extra time and penalties have been banded around in what will be a thrilling encounter.
Manager Compton has been accused of upsetting his rival manager this week as he talks about Plymouth not having the experience to come through such a match and players out partying on the eve of such an important game will also make Plymouth fans wonder.
What chance of any points last weekend? None. Just like the number of points Forest collected.
A 4-0 home loss to Swindon was followed by the mauling of the season as the Daggers had it in for me battering us 9-1!
This leaves Forest rock bottom of the entire league (and the non-league teams below us are better!)
Still there's always the Youth Cup and a full XI Youths to pick from in the Forest squad! Although some will more likely play against Wycombe or Carlisle to give the Youths some experience to guide them to Youth Cup glory...
I never saw the viewer last time I was in the League, so this is a first for me.
Have to say it is the ONLY way for me to watch my games - the reports as they come through never had a "feel" of a game being played, only a set of mathematics basically - and the home score was delivered before the away team tried to convert their chances. If you were the away team you knew what you needed to get to win and vice versa.
The viewer still has the feel of a game unfolding as you go.
Maybe surprisingly but in all the Olmec games I play I don't use the viewer, preferring to see the play by play in the game report.
We are all different.....
All quiet in Div 1's table top. All upended for the others!
In Div 1, the Tranmere Rovers still hold down the top spot as the top 5 remain unchanged. With Northampton Town FC's victory in the last session though, the lead has been whittled from 5 points down to 2. Simon's two wins narrowed the gap and put a little more space above Brentford FC and Watford. In 5th, Dorchester Town FC needed all of their W-D session just to keep pace. They have to be happy with putting some more points between them and 8th place (relegation zone) though. They are now 4 points safe so one bad match cannot undo them yet.
In the bottom half of the table, Sheffield United are the big mover as the Blades use a W-D session to leap from 9th to 6th. Lewes FC's win also saw them advance out of the relegation spots up to 7th. Derby County mustered only a draw last session and falls one point behind Lewes for the last safety spot. Meanwhile, Jake cannot be happy about the Bristol City matches as they lose both to watch three teams pass them up last weekend. They now sit 9th, though only one win away from 6th. Expect all of those remaining league matches between these four teams to be hard-fought. And wrapping up the division is Oldham Athletic, who were unable to pick up any more points this session and now need at least three wins and lots of help in the final ten league matches to have a chance at avoiding relegation.
In Division 2, 7 of the 10 teams shifted spots with three teams moving at least 3 positions in the two matches. With 6 teams bottle-necked at 9 or 10 points last week, the division is starting to spread a little more as we close out the first half this weekend.
CRD is the new team on top, as they were lucky to escape PNE with a win and held out on goal differential to rise from 3rd. Just behind them, equal on points, is this season's surprise contender Hereford United FC. They continue to develop a solid T11 and have proven themselves to be every bit of the match that the other division powers can be. They jump from 5th to 2nd, and could easily be in first by Saturday night as CRD plays Lincoln and Plymouth (2nd and 4th best T11's) and will have any points at all coming at a Premium. Falling to third is PNE after holding the top spot for just one week, as they perhaps unfairly lost to CRD and managed only a draw in their other match. They sit alone at 14 points for now. Meanwhile, Lincoln City FC and Plymouth Argyle FC are in 4th and 5th place at 13 points each. Lincoln holds onto a 3-goal differential edge for now, though Plymouth had the better session to catch them on points. Dropping to 6th place from 2nd is Southend United. Dave's hooligans netted just a draw to fall off the pace. At 11 points, they are still in the thick of the race though and cannot be overlooked. Just behind them are Queen's Park in 7th and Leeds United in 8th. Both at 10 points, they'll need some more wins to start making up the goal differential on the teams just above them. Chesterfield FC has dropped four straight and now holds down 9th, though at 9 points they can easily make a move to avoid relegation with just a few wins. In 10th, Brian's beleaguered Brighton & Hove Albion are still sitting winless as teams continue to throw the T11 in their direction looking for extra CP and needed points.
Not to be outdone by Division 2, Division 3 saw a whopping 8 teams shift position! Swansea take the biggest fall as they drop both matches to plummet from 1st to 4th place and out of the promotion zone for now. Each of the three teams that had trailed them move up one spot. That gives us a new leader this week, as Kev Hull's Dagenham & Redbridge squad rally on two wins to to stay just ahead of the surging Swindon Town team. Here's hoping that Kev hasn't really figured out this league yet or the rest of us will soon have yet another team to give us headaches in Cup play. Meanwhile, Swindon hold pace with two wins of their own and sit 2 points back of the lead. Rob B.'s Crewe have a nice W-D session to move into 3rd place on goal differential over SWA. They'll need to keep that up for another session or two before their position will become at all comfortable. That's because SWA is unlikely to go down quietly and Fran's Leicester team picked up two wins last week to put the pressure on and move into 5th place. These guys can be scary when they build some momentum. Wycombe gets just a draw and falls off the pace to 5th, now 5 points back from the promotion spots. Port Vale pick up no points, yet hold position in 7th. Two 1-goal losses will have John looking forward to a lucky break and some draws or a home win soon.
Congratulations are in order for the next two teams, as both Weston-super-Mare and Carlisle United pick up their first league wins! Netting those 3 points gives us a 3-way cluster on 5 points along with Roy's Forest. While none of these teams has been expressing optimistic posts as of late, I'm sure that they will be throwing down some top lines amidst the youth movements to push for the GD edge over the others and pick up some home points whenever FOR, CAR, WES, and PV meet up. Roy appears to be taking 10th place as a Call to Arms for his team, so those facing FOR this session had best come prepared.
I'm afraid that I must add a dissenting voice to the comments about the new match format.
I've previously loved watching the matches on the Viewer, wondering how many attacks we are both going to get, and this unknown factor greatly adds to the tension of watching the minutes tick away. I like to see how long it is before I can work out whether the opposition are playign a SW and whether they might be playing the offside trap.
Now I can sit there and work that information out. And then realise that the first ten minutes have ticked by while I was doing just that!
I know that sendings off and injuries can change the team strengths, and thus the number of attacks each side will get, but for me most of the tension of watching the game has gone. I may well just head straight to the report in future.
Is there any way that those of us who want to watch blind can have a viewer that hides the teamsheets and the area totals?
Thanks for pointing that out Simon! I've been waiting for the viewer since the birth of UNITED. Was resigned to reading the reports as the viewer without lineups and stats just didn't feel right!
Excellent layout and informative. Top stuff Al!
After 2 practice seasons it seems i'm starting to get the hang of how this here game works! 
I do like the New format for the matches when watched with the viewer, seeing the levels and the team line up's makes a great difference, well done.
Rob, sorry for my mistake with New Orleans which i assume should be New Jersey, the Giants made some awful defensive errors but boy there were some terrific long passes for the touchdowns for the Saints. I take it you are a Giants fan? Its always good when the underdog wins, which is what i assume happened at the weekend?
So the Saints showed up to play like an undefeated team should. The Giants? Well, I didn't see any of them in New Orleans, so I guess they must have all stayed at home in Jersey. All-in-all, it was an AWFUL game. The Giants' D came into the game as the #1 ranked defense in the league and they left humiliated. Yes, Drew Brees is putting up god-like numbers again this season, but the Giants pass rush should have gotten to him much more often than they did - they seemed very lackluster all game. The secondary was highly exposed - granted they've had a lot of injuries, but that's no excuse for leaving at least one WIDE OPEN receiver on EVERY PASS PLAY. Then there was the coaching... 10 rushing attempts for an RB the caliber of Brandon Jacobs?? And why would you continue to call zone defense after zone defense when Brees is very easily picking apart the zone, finding wide open receiver after wide open receiver.
Ugly game. Kudos for the Saints for showing up and doing their jobs. The Giants have the Cardinals next week - if they want to reaffirm their position as one of the best teams in the league, they need to be solid in all aspects of the game... and WIN.
-
Giants-Saints highlights
Highlights of the Saints 48-27 victory over the Giants in Week 6 from NFL GameDay.
I have to say hearing all the hoo haa for the Giants defence, watching the replay highlights a moment ago it looked a cracking game and one in which New Orleans dominated. So the not so good defence falls v offense!!
Thanks for getting my interest up again.
I told you BREES was a Giant , non believers, Who can stop the Saints now huh?
As someone who, after careful planning, had the required 8 youth players already on the roster, I didn't plan on playing Dave's team the session before.
Yes, Dave played the full 10 hardness against my team, injuring my star APP FW in the process, and forcing me to sign a otherwise useless SL 2 SBY for just the one game.
Shame on you, Dowson. Shame on you.
Port Vale currently have 14 players eligible to make up the spots for the Youth Cup, more than any other team in the league by far... Dealin' Dave "Drew Brees" Dowson has 11... The youth cup should really be Vale vs Southend with a minimum 11 Apprentices or Schoolboys rule !!
Several Managers need a reality check on their rosters as the next session features the first round of the YOUTH CUP
If I'm not mistaken your teams ed a minimum of 7 or 8 APPrentices or School Boys on the field for this competition
Get down the accademy & sign your younsters lads ASAP!
DREW TO SLEW THE BLUE!
This is the year the Saints will come of age!
I'll take Saints 38 Giants 28
Brian - I couldn't be more serious. The Giants have one of the top 3 defenses in the NFL. The Saints D has been overachieving all season. Yes, Brees is great, and he's got some really good WRs, but the RBs are all injured and the Giants defense is just too good. It will all come down to how well Eli moves the ball as the RB combo of Jacobs and Bradshaw will be guaranteed for 150+ yards. Eli's been moving the ball with great efficiency all season thusfar, and I see no reason for that not to continue this week.
I will concede the Gianta can certainly beat the Saints this weekend, but 33-17?! Not a chance!!
The Saints may have a difficult time with the Giants' defense, but I still firmly expect to see Brees put up 300yds/2-3 TD's. I really do not think the NYG running game can contend with the NO passing game for 60 minutes.
Prediction: NO 31 / NYG 20
Dave's Aint's are going to find that Drew Brees can't do it alone this week. The Giants boast the best D-line in the week - they are going to contain both injured backs (PT-cruiser and Bell), and hurry Brees all game-long. Their secondary, while injured all season thusfar, have still held opposing passing attacks to statistically, the lowest output in the league. Colston, Shockey and company will be no exception.
On the offensive side, the Giants boast the best offensive line in the league. They will be more than capable of holding off the Saints' D-line at bay. From there, the mixture of Jacobs, Bradshaw and Eli will put up lots of numbers on the score board.
I predict something in the range of 33-17 in a Giants victory.
Dave knew Churchill? Who knew?
Also, as an aside, Phil is counting on your Saints this week, Mr. Dowson. In the weekly pool, Phil sides with Brees & Co., while Kevin has taken Eli.
We have to take issue with one of Kevin's comments below. He speaks of Chesterfield's rough slate of games last week against league-leading competition. Take note, Kevin, that they were not "league leaders" until after they played, and promptly dispatched, our team.
| SEASON | COMPETITION | HOME | SCORE | AWAY |
| 1 | FA Shield Quarterfinals | HER | 0 - 7 | SU |
As me old mate Churchill would say
Looking through the tables for teams on the rise or fall, here is quick recap heading into this weekend's games:
In Division 1, the top 5 remain unchanged in position. Tranmere are starting to pull away, whilst NOR and BRE are trying to hold onto #2 and #3 as Watford closes the gap to them by a point. Dorchester falls off the pace with only a draw and will need a solid session here to recover. The lower half of the table jumbled up nicely, with Bristol rising two spots on their 2nd win of the season. The biggest mover is Derby County, whose 2-win effort sees them jump from last up to 7th and out of the relegation spots at least momentarily this season. Can they repeat their fine form again? Lewes and Sheffield United both dropped two spots to remain tied on points in 8th and 9th. Just a draw last session has to leave a poor taste in both managers' mouths. Oldham currently sit bottom of the table, and were the only Div 1 team with two losses last session.
In Division 2, we came into the weekend with 1st to 8th place only separated by 3 points! With such a tight grouping, it comes as no surprise that the current table bears little resemblance to the one at this time last week. Only BHA sits in the same spot (10th), though they managed two draws for their first points of the season. Queen's Park fell two spots to 9th, as Plymouth passes them with a win and Leeds United makes a strong showing with a Win-Draw session. Only one team fared better than Leeds' four-point-session, and they are now just 3 points back from 2nd place though they have some goal differential to make up for the tie breakers. The main pack in the division is still tight, with 2nd place on 10 points and 7th place on 9 points. Plymouth currently sit in 7th, with last week's leaders, Chesterfield FC, just above them in 6th. Chesterfield had a rough weekend, though I expect them to bounce back soon as they had a nasty slate of matches against the top competitors. Sitting as the lowest team on 10 points, Hereford slide one spot to 5th place, though they have closed the gap on 2nd and caught Lincoln City, who sit in 4th. Lincoln could only manage a draw and that allowed Cardiff City and Southend United to pass them with wins over other teams and a draw against each other. Southend is our biggest mover, jumping from 6th place to 2nd place on the day. And leaves just our current leader, who was the only manager to get the full 6 points from last Saturday: Ian and Preston North End! He came up from 3rd to pass CHF and LIN, and will likely be taking out his frustrations from the undeserved AP Cup loss on whomever he plays first... which is us. Just great.
Division 3 still has Swansea on top, though they were handed their first loss and the gap to 2nd closed by a point. In 2nd place, we have a newcomer to the promotion zone, as Dagenham & Redbridge picked up max points under Kev Hull and pass up Swindon Town and Crewe, who both fell one position. Swindon's two draws allowed Crewe to tie them on points now, so the promotion race will not be nearly as clear cut as last season. Wycombe holds onto 5th, falling one point off the pace with the teams above them. In 6th, Leicester moves up from 8th to leapfrog Port Vale. Forest took the tumble from 6th to 8th as they picked up just one point from their youth-heavy efforts. Carlisle remain winless in 9th, while Weston-super-Mare hold town the bottom of the tables. Weston picked up their 2nd league point last session though, and under the capable hands of Dr. David Blair the future looks bright even if the present is far more cloudy with a strong chance of heavy beat downs. Welcome back to the league, David!
Whilst Forest are not the greatest side to ever grace MSWL United sometimes a bit of luck would be helpful! Last weekend saw the youth of Crewe cut down the youth of Forest 3-0, however the 2nd match was the one that Forest had targeted as a chance for maximum points. The games vs Weston-Super-Mare have of late been ding-dong battles with a 5-0 battering by the Mares being returned with emphasis in a 7-0 win towards the end of last season. If I had a choice of rival the Mares would be top of the list. So the Mares went into the match with hardness 6 opposed to Forest's weak 0, they suffered with a red card but of the 6 PK chances Forest had no luck with the ref. He did however see fit to award a spot kick to the Mares with a 5% chance of conceding the random number came up 1! Unfortunately the Mares converted and only a midfield strike conserved a solitary poitn fromt eh match.
Next up two sides riding high in Division 3 - the Daggers and Swindon. What chance of any points from these games!?
The Southend Faithful have re-named their home ground, Roots Hall' the 'SLAUGHTERHOUSE'
3 Home games in the league have yielded 9 points and a goal haul of 14 to 3 conceeded
Hence the Hereford Bulls must be viewing Saturdays visit here with deep trepidation
"There will be blood spilt, thats for sure"
Dagenham & Redbridge sends 300k, Jason Vogel (III/2 Df; 0k)
to Watford for Gonzalo Esteban (III/9 Df; 280k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Credit where credits due, Derby County played and performed above expectations this session even by their managers omission I am sure, to beat Lewes and Brentford he must be ecstatic this weekend. Great 1-0 wins see this relegation battle in division one blown wide open, any of the teams below Watford are in with a fighting chance of staying up.
Tranmere of course look unbeatable and on course to make history with record wins, the rest of us look like fighting over the remaining spoils but an exciting fight is afoot.
Other division highlights may follow.
Our stay at the top was a short one in Division II. Clearly we are meant for a higher Division, since our players are so bored by the level of competition at this level that they cannot manage a single shot in two matches. Moreover, to spur their matchplay to greater heights, we will now withhold their training and coaching, since we'll have fewer of those resources anyway. That ought to do the trick....
Meow,
Clyde & Calvin
How are we out of the AP Cup? We had 21 shots to 0, yet managed to draw 0-0 and lose 6-5 on penalties. I'm sure a more enlightened manager than me can work out the "odds" of that happening based on the shot count.
Outrageous.
BUT, we are at least top of the league. Look out division 1, we are coming. Probably.
Northamptons faithful have banners at the ready and will be looking forward to a great day out tomorrow at the mighty Brentford, the londoners are said to be ready for the cobblers in what I am sure will be a great game. A massive league one encounter as 10,000 travelling fans expect to hit the bees ground tomorrow, with only 8,000 seats available Brentford have set up the big screen outside the ground to avoid trouble!!
For those Seagulls fans who are trekking to Lincoln City this weekend for the big rivalry match, please be aware Brighton & Hove are sponsoring eight full size luxury caravans to and from the game, free of charge. If you have not traveled with BHA before, this is an exciting and memorable adventure for fans of all ages.
A valid ticket to the match must be presented to gain access to the caravan (this includes a ticket stub after the match for the return trip). Complementary food and alcoholic beverages will be served during the trip to Lincoln City for those patrons 16 years of age or older.
The caravans leave promptly at 0900 GMT, so please arrive at the South Entrance to Falmer early Saturday morning. To ensure you locate the correct caravans, please look for the lot of blue and red buses with slightly burned effigies of the Lincoln City coach, C-ball.
Cheers!
With Leeds United coming into Falmer this Saturday, Brighton & Hove has released a limited number of additional tickets intended for Leeds fans who may be traveling from out of town. The tickets do not allow Leeds fans into the stadium for the game, however, each one is redeemable for one (1) free box of travel-size tissues at the Seagulls Pro Shop located at the north entrance to Falmer. These tickets are non-transferable and may only be redeemed after the match is complete. One ticket per person.
As always, the Seagulls request fans who do not have a valid ticket for entrance to the game please refrain from loitering at or around Falmer as this sort of behavior creates an unsavory atmosphere.
That's not too surprising, really. A quick tally from the Vale shows I play with a 9-13% advantage at each home game as a result of the home field advantage. So cheers to that.
Also, I play above the home advantage when at home - something which isn't intentional, but if there was no home advantage, my home games would still be stronger than neutral/away games. Again, managing the Vale this year means determining where your apprentices and schoolboys can play, then slotting in the T11 players, so I'm not like home game, have to win - especially because every win is golden this season for me.
However, I wouldn't be surprised if other managers managed their home games similarly, probably producing a 5-20% swing in allocated points each game depending on the strength of the team and the importance of the game to any given manager (IE, a home team going all out versus an away team focused on another game).
Much has been made of who has the home field early on this season, as United tends to weigh more heavily than other Olmec leagues in this regard. The early returns seem to hold up that notion through the first three sessions:
| Competition | Win | Draw | Loss | Win% |
| Division 1 | 14 | 2 | 4 | 75.00% |
| Division 2 | 14 | 1 | 5 | 72.50% |
| Division 3 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 62.50% |
| FA Cup | 11 | 4 | 12 | 48.15% |
| FA Shield | 6 | 1 | 1 | 81.25% |
| AP Cup | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a |
| League Totals: | 38 | 8 | 14 | 70.00% |
| Total: | 55 | 13 | 27 | 64.74% |
Season 1 ended with a 60% home win rate, and season 2 was very similar at 59% overall. This season sees a slight jump early on, which is odd because in every season so far the FA Cup is the only one where home field has been below 50% on winning. The vast difference in team strengths are exposed here, as well as the fact that some managers ignore the Cup competitions and could care less if they have home field as they are just playing to get some youth time before looking to the league campaign.
Usually the numbers start around 50-55% and climb as the season goes on. If they follow similar form, we could see a 70% home win rate materialize this year! Can the proliferation of Groundskeeper BRBs make that much difference? Or are managers all settling into a "draw on the road, win at home" mentality? With less people playing max hardness this season, there is not as much to counter the home field edge either, so perhaps that is playing into the early returns as well. Any other theories to consider so far?
Forest finally got a win under their belt after a strange set of matches. Cardiff were far too good for us in the FA Cup and netted four times and could have got far more with a whopping 22 chances to score. The side I touted for Division 3 honours Leicester City were the first side we faced over the weekend, but fielded a weakened side against us and with a small amount of hardness paid the penalty (literally) with a spot kick converted and bizarrely we doubled our lead with our one chance of the game being converted by an SL3 defender! Hardness again was the crucial decider in the next Div3 game vs the Swans - we went with a bit of hardness and like LCFC we also conceded from the spot to lose the tie 1-0.
So two league games - both sides playing some hardness and injuring one opposition player, but conceding a match decisive penalty each time. It poses the serious question of whether to chance it in the future!
Port Vale FC sends 110k, Reuven David (III/3 Fw; 40k)
to Northampton Town FC for John Jones (SBY/2 Fw; 0k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Al always warns us... and everyone thinks that they listen, but how many really do double-check before game time? Unfortunately, PLY learned the hard way. After putting in a last-minute bid in the auction, then realizing we had to drop a player 'just in case' we won the auction, we dropped a useless piece of driftwood. This piece of driftwood was not in any of the session lineups, had not been in any lineups thusfar this season, and would not be in any lineup at all this season, until he was forcibly retired at season's end.
HOWEVER, the act of dropping this player negated our session's lineups and PLY was forced to run NMR. We ended up with a decent showing, winning one of the two league matches, and thoroughly trouncing Ian's PNE squad in the FA Cup. One of the 2 bad things to come from this episode... we lost to C-Ball - that's unacceptable! The other bad thing - none of our CP was used. With 42 CP in the session, and only 15 CP allowed to carry over to the next sesion, that's a 27 CP loss due to the last-minute notion to enter an auction bid.
Let this be a lesson to everyone! Every time you access the site, make sure you see the green dot by the Orders link.
I hope that this team put up as spirited performance against all the top clubs, they have beaten Bristol twice this session, unlucky Jake.
However with Northampton at home they went a goal to the good in the first half and despite shot after shot, my son and I sat there thinking this looks like a Sunderland V Man Utd game, then we scored the equaliser and like Man Utd today scored goals in the dying minutes to give us a thrilling 3-1 win.
Oldham threw the Gpps at us but thankfully we came out with a 2-0 win, maybe Rene you can give everyone a hard time as me??
Finally the cup game, well Brighton take the lead what a shock, but thankfully for us the teenage keeper, whilst defying the Northampton strikers couldnt maintain his energy and 3 goals toward the end of the game see Northampton into the last 8 of the cup.
Watford sends Kian Clark (APP/2 Df; 0k), Jose Ramon Cortes (APP/2 Mf; 0k)
to Port Vale FC for 5k
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Yep I was at the Watford vs Cardiff. The first goal was a dodgy penalty, 2nd a goalkeeper howler. Referee was terrible. But as I said to my brother as we left the game (at the final whistle and not early like a lot of people) that when you lose 4-0 at home you cannot really blame the referee!
Still better luck in MSWL-United I hope - better than last week perhaps!
Hours before kick off, managers are nervous and real life football gives us some surprises.
Northampton 2-2 Bradford
Brentford 2-3 Swindon
Millwall 4-0 Tranmere
Watford 0-4 Cardiff, Cardiff have scored 10 goals in two games this week and I think James Tucker may have been at this match, boy will he be grumpy!!
Lets see how the leagues shape up tonight in MSWL as we wait anxiously for kick off.
Good luck in your prospective games.
Check that, we have PLY at home for us; it's SOU we have on the road. That's even worse. Dave, at his place? We have rented each LIN player a suit of armor.
Well, there's certainly been a lot of talk this week about the fine men out here in LIN and our *perfect* 6-0 start. Wizard manager C-Ball extends his thanks league wide for the commentary, it just makes us go harder!
That said, this week is a doozy. In league play, we've got PLY and SOU. PLY is RonP's uber-youth squad all grown up. They were/are favored to contend strongly for the D2 title, and the prediction is well founded. Worse yet, we have to play them on the road. Off the pitch, Rob and I are good friends. On the pitch, well, let's just see what happens today. As for SOU, it's DDD and his goon squad. We expect to be pummelled, but not just that; Dave's got a good squad, too. How I drew these two in one session, I will never know. Thanks, Olmec.
Then there's R2 of the FA Cup. There we've got Phil and the cats. The T11s and T16s don't look that great for Chesterfield, but don't be fooled. Phil is wily as, well, a cat. We're expecting an all-out, catnip-fuelded assault. Oy!
So, that's how it looks for the much-lauded and much-maligned Imps. We are very curious to see how the tables look for us by tonight. XOXO, C-Ball
Here we are in session 3 and we finally get our long-awaited home opener!
We welcome Brighton & Hove Albion to the pitch where we'll... egads, Brian. Did you play Plymouth last session or what? You did? That makes sense. With a whopping FOUR of BHA's top players banged up and unable to even make the trip to Cardiff, including their top keeper, Beerman will be hard pressed to field a competitive lineup. The two suspensions to match ours leave them really in a lurch. While we don't plan on showing much mercy during the match, we have already spread the word that we'll pass the hat around at the gate as everyone filters out to help out with your purchase of extra crutches, ice packs, and bandages this week. Best of luck in recovering quickly.
As for the other match, we then travel to QPR. Apparently, I need to pay actual attention to league matches if I read the blog comments below correctly. I should point out several things including that:
1) I didn't pick my own team to win the league because I use the league matches for youth and play for Cups, so that should tell you something.
2) We opened on the road against the best team in the division, PLY, and missed out on a draw there as we outshot them and just weren't as lucky on the conversion numbers.
3) We then played on the road against a tough HER team and had TWO of the top 3 players on the pitch get sent off with straight red cards (best Mf, and #2 Fw) despite playing 0 hardness. That's a very tough break in a 2-1 loss.
4) We used the first two sessions to sit some players as well, leading us to now have most of our T11 at 2 Fitness already... so now it's time for the gloves to come off.
Looking forward to seeing how the taunting plays out by session 7 or so...
And then we cap off the session by greeting Roy and his Forest squad for the FA Shield opener. I can't figure out what to make of this one yet. Last season, we played every single FA Cup/Shield match on the road and pulled off the Shield victory anyway. To open our defense of it, we now get a home match? This could be a bad omen indeed...
Hi everyone, after reading that back it that sounds like i am being harsh and slightly angry, sorry about that i did not mean to come out that way.
However a trade deadline warning is nice to see like the orders deadline date.
Cheers Simon
The 48 hour deadline has now frustrated me two weeks in succession, ie I keep forgetting about it, the other leagues have it emblazened across the front screen maybe next year Al we could have that or maybe reduce this league down to 24 hours prior to kick off? What do we say should i start a forum??
Port Vale are... well... we're being successful already.
A year removed from going 1-1-16, scoring 6 goals and giving up 50, albeit in the 2nd division, the Vale are 1-0-1 with 2 goals scored to 3 conceded. Also, we've advanced in a cup, and we drew Blyth Spartans, a non-league team (who are, for the moment, still statistically better than this raggedy crew). Our T11 score is up to a hefty 7.00 as well!
Given we are a win or a draw away from equalling last season's performance in the league, and we have already surpassed expectations in any cups, the only thing which would make this Port Vale season "unsuccessful" would be career-threatening injuries to each of our schoolboys and apprentices. Yeowch.
Now you've done it, Dave. Kevin's full attention is now focused upon league matters, and he's circled your team on the schedule with a red pen. Let sleeping dogs LIE, mate!
Meow,
Clyde & Calvin
No Worries Al 
They're coming to Roots Hall next
We'll Stop the Madness For ya mate! 
2ND DIVISION |
||||||||||
| TEAM | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS | |||
| 1. | Queens Park Rangers | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 6 | ||
| 2. | Hereford United FC | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 6 | ||
| 3. | Lincoln City FC | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 6 | ||
| 4. | Southend United | 1 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 2 | 7 | 3 | ||
| 5. | Preston North End FC | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | ||
| 6. | Chesterfield FC | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | -1 | 3 | ||
| 7. | Plymouth Argyle FC | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 6 | -2 | 3 | ||
| 8. | Cardiff City FC | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | -2 | 0 | ||
| 9. | Brighton & Hove Albion | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 8 | -6 | 0 | ||
| 10. | Leeds United | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 10 | -10 | 0 | ||
Somebody Better tell Kevin hes favourite to Win this Division Quick!
It was cute when Lincoln City won their first three games. Now, they've done it again this session and have won all six of their matches this season.
STOP THE MADNESS!!!
If you don't, we're going to hear about this non-stop from Michael Tiberius Cabral (aka C-Ball) all season.
Once again, I beg you, please...
STOP THE MADNESS!!!
Hey a full set of orders in, all but Al sellars are on time.
Maybe Al feels safer in the knowledge that the NMR program will see his team play better!!!
Here's to week two's thrills and spills.
The league has spoken. The target should be placed on the back of Mr. Kevin Martin. Expectations are very high for Cardiff! 
Plymouth picks up three votes, LIN two, and Chesterfield one.
No need to call out any shameless voting for one's own team.
New poll up shortly...
Poll - Who will win the 2nd Division?
VOTING SUMMARY
| CHOICE | TOTAL VOTES |
| Cardiff City FC | 8 |
| Plymouth Argyle FC | 3 |
| Lincoln City FC | 2 |
| Chesterfield FC | 1 |
VOTING BREAKDOWN
| MANAGER | CHOICE | COMMENTS | |
|
Allan Sellers (Brentford FC) |
Cardiff City FC | This is Cardiff's to lose...Plymouth may push Kevin, but I think Kevin's club has too many weapons to finish anywhere but first. |
|
Simon Compton (Northampton Town FC) |
Cardiff City FC | Cardiff will be too strong for this division, Plymouth will push them and maybe with an auction buy or two they could take it. |
|
Mike Cabral (Lincoln City FC) |
Lincoln City FC | Let me be the first to cast what I am sure will be a popular vote! |
|
Rob Peterson (Plymouth Argyle FC) |
Cardiff City FC | Olmec rarely favors me - I'll probably end up chasing a couple Cups as I usually do to the detriment of my League chances. |
|
Alon Atie (Tranmere Rovers) |
Cardiff City FC | I was Amazed they were not promoted last year. |
|
Dave Dowson (Southend United) |
Cardiff City FC | Number Crunching Kevin should figure this out! |
|
Kevin Martin (Cardiff City FC) |
Plymouth Argyle FC | Rob took care of his one area of weakness, and everyone else is afraid to play their top guys against his 10 hardness death squad... |
|
Phil McIntosh (Chesterfield FC) |
Chesterfield FC | Why not? |
|
Brian Beerman (Brighton & Hove Albion) |
Lincoln City FC | He's my boss -- I have to vote for him. |
|
James Tucker (Watford) |
Cardiff City FC | Kevin will get the job done this season |
|
Dan Fitzgerald (Sheffield United) |
Plymouth Argyle FC | time to reap some rewards |
|
Fran Morillo (Leicester City FC) |
Cardiff City FC | |
|
James White (Queens Park Rangers) |
Plymouth Argyle FC | Very hard to call depends who wants title and who is happy just to promote |
QPR have a player available for trade he is eligible to promote to the backroom boy of your choice
offers invited of around 300K plus a player of any age, position and SL to replace him.
Brian,
It's an unwritten rule in MSWL United, and all other Olmec leagues, that you play the best team you can possibly field against C-Ball. Don't worry that he's your boss's boss - out here, he's fair game. 
Just to make sure the entire league is aware, after only one session in my first season as a manager, I am hooked. I am addicted like a junkie; drunk on MSWL UNITED like a poet on payday. I think I may have forgotten some of my childrens' names already since all I can think about is getting Max Henderson up to a stronger level, developing my APP's and SBY's...and eventually put a couple of W's in the column versus Mr Dave Dawson (thanks for all the DP's, Dave).
Thank you, c-ball, for introducing me to my own personal speedball. However, don't expect any mercy on the pitch.
Cheers to you all!
Brentford FC sends 25k
to Port Vale FC for Harry Rees (IV/2 Mf; 0k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
With Forest starting a second season of schoolboy/apprentice team bulding the side is fairly understrength so I thought I'd up the hardness a little bit to level the playing fields. Unfortunately this backfired somewhat with multiple yellow and red cards penalties and even worse injuries to key players. Forest can claim to be the one side not to lose to the mighty Blyth Spartans, but I really wish we had as we now face four sides next weekend without my first choice keeper and forward and a couple of players suspended. It will be a schoolboy heavy side taking to the field for next Saturday' FA Cup match vs Blyth Spartans to make sure we don't go through!
How many of us can say we had a better opening weekend than an NMR-led Non-League Team that ranks 4th to last in the league in terms of team strength? Blyth Spartans AFC went 2-1-0. By my count, only the 3-0-0 teams (LIN, PNE, WAT) can claim to be truly happy with their opening clashes. BRI also managed a 2-1-0 to claim "just as good as the guys who never show up" status. The rest of us don't have much more to boast yet...
John
Sorry to hear about your mistake, ask Al nicely and he can probably reverse it for you.
Give it a go
Simon
Well, what a start as the new season kicks off.
Surprises all round see both Tranmere and Cardiff exit the FA Cup, Tranmere despite maybe wishing to concentrate on league success, will I am sure, not be happy at this performance and result likewise Cardiff. Both sides saw the opposition as nothing more than a pushover and the FA Cup has this ability to the see the underdog spurred on and put up above par performances.
Coventry not a million miles from the mighty cobblers was heard to be a sea of blue chanting, cheering beer swilling fans as they partied into the night on Saturday, police reports were that whilst boisterous, they were well behaved generally and it was all in good spirit as they have never seen a more mighty result in this part of the land.
In the Valleys of Wales singing again was heard into the early hours as the local derby saw underdogs Swansea come away with a win against Cardiff with a superb result, good natured was not the order of the day here though as the Police had there work cut out keeping the avenging fans at bay. Cardiff not known for there tolerance ran riot in Swansea town centre as the locals had feared trouble and with the freakish result there were not let down. Swansea manager was not even in attendance as the assistant manager took charge for the day.
Other results saw holders Watford demolish Swindon 6-0, Sheffield hit Hereford for 7, other big wins for Bristol, Lewes, Preston and Northampton. Not forgetting Brentford who dispatched Wycombe 1-0, although with 26 shots it was a wonder how it was'nt more, the keeper Thomas Wright pulling off incredible saves to keep it to just the 1 goal.
We look forward to the draw for the next round to see who is pulled out of the bag, as the bookies still have Watford and Brentford as the odds on favourites.
...while fiddling around with the Transactions page - looking to see how much I could get for my players by selling them to the non-league squad - I accidentally clicked the "reassign player" and now my V/10 goalkeeper Sebastian Nuñez, who was the second best player on the team, is now a Backroom Boy. 
Yup, Port Vale are really going to contend this season...
Northampton Town FC sends 325k, Cian Jackson (III/11 Fw; 360k)
to Preston North End FC for Jeremy Cruz (III/13 Fw; 440k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Brentford FC sends 25k
to Nottingham Forest for Cameron Palmer (IV/2 Mf; 0k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Port Vale kicked off their long, hard season in style by losing two of their three games and drawing the other.
Given Vale's team line-up tactics revolves around when their schoolboys and apprentices CAN'T play, it's not that bad of a start, despite two penalty misses. IV/11 forward Lucas Hall is doing duty as sort of a "third youth coach" with the boys up front, and V/10 Goalkeeper Sebastian Nunez is helping out the two young goalies in the Vale system.
However, the chance Vale will be able to pull of a win this season are slim, given Len Lear's mismanagement of the team last year (though, honestly, Brighton didn't fare much better). I specifically asked to take control of Vale to learn about player development in MSWL and to take some pressure off myself to get results. If we can put together some wins NEXT season, I will have been successful.
Apparently we requested a Red Card in each match today, despite only playing a little bit rough in the first match. In hich I notice that we got injured, not the othe team.
Think we picked up an injury in each of the other games too, so that was a fun day out for the team.
If anyone needs us we'll be in the physio's room.
Crewe Alexandra FC sends 300k
to Swindon Town FC for Hayden Jenkins (I/Youth Coach; 275k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
The Honey laden BEES arrived at Upton Park(West Hams ground)with instructions to Sting the Skillful Southend United players
But their hapless Brutality resulted in a painfull injury(-6) (broken Wing) to their own FW Bradley Shaw
Whilst the Blues Physios report a Fully fit squad for Session 2
Let it BEE Let it BEE Let it BEE Let it BEEEEE
3 hours before the first season FA Cup matches kick off and nearly a full house of orders, worries for Swansea, Bristol and Weston Super Mare as their line ups are still to be submitted.
Fans are nervous around the grounds as the stadiums start to fill up, lets see some entertaining matches and a fun season ahead.
Northampton Town FC sends 270k, Alex Sauvage (I/9 Df; 420k)
to Crewe Alexandra FC for Luca Barton (I/11 Df; 540k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Watford sends Samuel Healy (V/5 Fw; 60k)
to Leeds United for 330k
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
And we're back to wrap up our pre-season reviews with Division 3! This group of teams easily splits into three categories as things appear right now. While one solid auction buy or trade could shift the balance of power within their group, the splits are noticable enough that it would take quite a bit for any team to jump to another tier within the division. All the teams save one have a starting GK at SL 10 or 11, so they are even there. Only four have a Sweeper at SL 8+ though, and several of the defensive units are very thin. With six of the teams able to field some decent front lines, we could see some high scoring affairs as these managers hone their teams into shape as the season progresses.
The Contenders
Two teams stand out as the ones with a clear shot at the division title: SWI and LEI. Swindon Town FC and Leicester City FC both just manage to make the top half of the league with regard to T11 and T16 stats, with LEI having a very slight T11 edge (.09) and SWI having the better depth. Both have a full complement of BRBs, with David's SWI actually having 6! We'd give him some bonus points for that, except that he can't actually use that 3rd Youth Coach this season. Swindon Town does have the most balanced strength as a whole and a favorable Cup grouping (LEE and FOR are beatable) to get an extra match or two for some extra youth time and CPs. Fran's LEI meanwhile boasts the best midfield in the division (which will help out as a guaranteed advantage in every match as their Df is one of the weakest) and a legitimate shot at advancing in both the FA and AP competitions. Expect the T11 when these two teams meet. Unfortunately, this race may come down to who puts off getting the Apps more playing time in favor of a slightly more skilled consistent lineup. That would be a mistake in my opinion. The slight boost in bonus cash for winning the division is more than offset by the resulting quick return to Div 3 after next season if they don't keep up a solid youth rotation. Fortunately, both managers appear skilled enough to not make that mistake.
The Muddled Middle
I really can't pick out who is the most likely to get the #3 promotion spot, or even #2 if SWI or LEI stumbles badly. The next four teams (WYC, DAG, CRE, FOR) all have some good points that could carry them through, yet all also have a glaring weakness.
To start with, three of the four badly need some youth players to get developed in a hurry. Roy's Forest is the sole exception, as they are set up very well to grow into a solid force across the field. With good apprentices all around and schoolboys in place as well, their biggest problem will be getting playing time for all their developing talent. In a mixed blessing, at least four of those are already part of the top eleven so they'll have a guaranteed spot each match. I see Forest finishing strong, however they may not have the firepower to get enough points early to overtake the other three competing for the third spot. Expect to see them in the role of favorite next season as Roy has this team moving in a good direction. We wish them the best of luck, as we have to cheer on a fellow fan of Terry Prachett, one of my favo(u)rite authors as well (along with another Brit, Neil Gaimen, and currently Canadian author Steven Erikson, whose Malazan Book of the Fallen series is so ridiculously deep, detailed, and brilliantly written that I struggle to put them down and do more important things, like eat. If you like Fantasy and haven't read Erikson yet then go get the first book, Gardens of the Moon, very soon. But I digress...)
The other three with a decent shot of promotion all neglected their youth development last season and hang in a lurch between an aging T11 and bringing up some good Schoolboys quickly at most positions. That leaves them very exposed to injuries or suspensions as depth is minimal. They all currently hold the T11 edge over Forest, though if they slip up early that will be gone by season's end. Kev Hull's Dagenham & Redbridge squad may have the best chance based on their star power. There are currently only two SL 12 players in the whole 3rd division. Both are on DAG's front line. With a good top Mf, decent depth at Df (though without any stars) and the 2nd best Sw in the division as well, they can easily compete with any other team on the defensive end. No one can keep up with them on offense. That definitely gives them the edge. Having ignored the Sbys last season though, they are very exposed to one bad injury or suspension from undoing their shot at a top three finish. Definitely the Dark Horse of the division if luck holds their way.
Mike Mcleod's Wycombe Wanderers also have a balanced team without a glaring weakness. At the same time, they only have two SL 10 players and could use some star power if they want to take down SWI, LEI, or DAG in a T11 match in the final session or two. They also need some Sbys to get max attention this season to provide depth as their current T16 will be badly hit by aging this offseason and incapable of carrying the team if they achieve promotion. They do have a good cash balance though, so perhaps a nice mid-level auction pickup or two could ease that transition and provide the depth for a strong late-season run.
The self-proclaimed Rob "Bobby" Baptiste (you'd prefer Bobby over Rob? If so, just let me know and I'll use whatever name you'd like as long as it stops short of "Lord High Ruler Over All He Surveys," since that's Al's official title) is in a similar situation. Prior management has left this team with no good Apprentices to carry forward this season. Their balanced lines don't instill fear in anyone yet, though their Df and Mf should hold form and keep them close enough for a deeper front line to steal some points. Their biggest fear has to be injury though. Only 4 Dfs and 5 Mfs leave them woefully exposed. One bad match and the floodgates could open for a session or two that would drown their decent Gk tandem in shots. Their Physio will need to be on his toes all season!
The Youth Movement
The remaining four teams need to focus on one and only one thing this season: Max out 5-6 schoolboys! All have only one or two age 1 players, and none of SL 9-10 star-level development. None have an App higher than SL 3, and indeed nearly every App even on their roster is SL 2. This means that all the Sbys last year were completely ignored. That cannot continue if they ever want to get off the bottom of the tables.
Weston-Super-Mare has the brightest immediate future, as they have a good Sw/Gk combo and a good top Mf to go with a balanced if unremarkable Df and Fw lineup (7-7-7 each for top 3). Working in the Sbys will be easy with this team. If they neglect them again, then their current bright points will quickly fade. With the definite edge over the other three is this group though, they can also get some CP to keep their few age 1's from becoming quickly irrelevant.
Swansea City AFC only has three Apps (all SL 2) and just two Age 1 players. If they max out the Sbys this season, by session 6 they will be part of their T11 and every position except Gk. Without much offensive firepower (current top 4 Fws = 9,7,4,3 for area totals), their solid Gk and top Df will have their hands full all season long.
John Holden has 5 Apps, yet all are SL 2 and at this point may not be worth investing time into. However, the rest of the team is so thin that they can't even field an 8-man side without including at least one of them. Their top Gk and Fw will recieve some attention, with perhaps the Mf and Df getting a few CP as well. Right now, this team is weaker than the two non-league sides though, and they need to be sure to get every point possible into the Sbys and Apps so that they even have eleven players to take the field next season.
And finally, we come to the statistically weakest team in the league this season: Carlisle United. Mr. Derek Purvis (as his e-mail address demands we title him) starts the year with no player higher than SL 7 and a 6/4 combo at Gk and Sw. They only have 3 Fws on the roster, including an SL 2, making goal-scoring highly improbable. They have nothing to lose by playing Sbys and Apps every moment possible, and possibly even buying a 7th or 8th Sby for 5-10k from a team that doesn't plan on using all 6 of theirs this season or next. While they have over 2000k in the bank, there is not any one or two players they can buy which will give them a shot at promotion this season. They are better served to save up all their cash and in two seasons' time hit the off-season auctions hard to buy two star players to lead a team full of age 1, SL 10 potential stars and SL 5 Apps coming into form. This season needs to be focused entirely on getting to that point at the end of season 4, or this team will remain at the bottom of the standings for the foreseeable future.
That's the beauty of United. Youth development costs you nothing! With static income, it's also not like you're missing out on gate revenue from having a losing team. Any team can go into full rebuilding mode and hoard the cash at the same time. A team fully committed to the concept can perhaps field 6 age 1, SL 10 players (if injuries/suspensions are kind to you) and 6 SL 5, Fit 2 Apps to start off the 3rd season once they begin the rebuild in earnest. That team would very likely be the 3rd Division favorite and able to push most 2nd Division squads to fits as well. At the same time, those teams who ignore their youth in hopes of 'staying up' in a higher division for one more season only end up guaranteeing an even harder fall the following season. I'm hopeful that these four teams' managers will take this idea to their planning boards and put some youth movements into motion that will bring these teams to respectability for seasons 4, 5, and beyond.
Northampton Town FC sends 8k
to Crewe Alexandra FC for Min Kyung Shin (III/2 Df; 0k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Crewe Alexander has decided to embrace the youth movement with the signing of 5 schoolboys: LeRon Azulai, Sam Blake, Jake Docherty, Mo Green and Scott Stewart. Management also opened the wallets to acquire skilled rookies, Luca Barton (Df) and Tom Andrews (Fw). Standouts Michael Healy (Gk) and Ben Roberts (Fw) return to help usher in the new teammates providing the new breed with expertise and on-field leadership. Although this team has been very competitive in the past the new coach Bobby Baptiste expects to play his young footballers right away. "We're still looking to be competitive however we plan to do so while adhering to professionalism that is expected of a MSWL-United team unlike some others out there that bully their way into the upper divisions. ",
Brentford FC sends 45k
to Dagenham & Redbridge for Reece Davies (IV/3 Mf; 30k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Back with the Division 2 preview!
The Favorites
Looking at the early returns on the Division 2 poll (vote now!), it appears that most managers are agreeing with what my numbers show for now: Cardiff City FC and Plymouth Argyle FC are the teams with the best shot at the Div 2 title this season. Both have T11 and T16 ranks in the Top 6 for the league, and CRD has the cash to add another key player while PLY has the great depth to weather an injury or two or make another solid trade for immediate help. They are a full point ahead of the nearest competitors in terms of average strength. However, neither team is a clear-cut favorite. Both managers have shown a strong commitment to developing youth players in the first two seasons, and league matches have to be used at times to get those games in. This is especially true as both Rob and I have openly admitted an addiction to shiny objects. Rob is free to correct to me if he's changed his tune this season, yet I see both of us dropping several league points as we save the T11 for Cup clashes and futile efforts to knock off the top Division One squads as we come across them. Rob especially is still looking for his elusive Youth Cup title that he has vowed to claim. All that leaves the door open for...
The Dark Horse
Ian. Yep, Ian. Preston North End FC had a rough go last year in the first division. They used that time to build up strength and come into this season with a T11 that just makes the top ten for the whole league. They also currently have more cash than any other team to get even better through the auction or trades. Ian also has a tendency to focus on the league where Rob and I do not. PNE also got a very favo(u)rable AP Cup draw, getting placed in with three Div 3 teams. They can afford to rest a key player or two and won't be distracted at all in the league openers in session two. All the pieces are in place for a very good year at Preston North End as long as Ian's team starts with some early league wins. Their biggest obstacle may be the tendency of Dave, Phil, and I to just T11 Ian whenever we can on general principle!
The Contenders
LIN, SU, HER. I mean no disrespect by listing these three after Ian. Any one is capable of winning this division if they make that their focus. The team that is wililng to sacrifice Cup glory and youth development the most will have the definite edge this season. Predicting which manager is going to do that is impossible (unless they openly admit to that strategy. Anyone care to help me out here?)
Lincoln City FC has been building steam since midway through season one and their total player value is up to seventh in the league. The Imps have brought along the younger players very well and their T11 can run with anyone outside the top five Div 1 teams. Decent cash reserves and a stable of BRBs mean there are no real holes in this squad. Luck has gone against their manager in past season's so with a little change in that department it's a whole new ballgame.
Equally nasty will be facing the infamous Dancin' Dave and his Hardness Hoodlums, aka Southend United. While the T11 needs a little help, they have the cash to correct that area and are more than willing to use ample hardness to even up the area totals. When they get lucky, bodies lie in the wake of their league campaign. When the Fickle Lady turns away, PKs and DP suspensions steal precious points at every turn. As Dave refines his hardness usage as the seasons progress, this team becomes more deadly. Fear them and discount their might at your own peril.
While many managers are more than familiar with the names and faces of the prior five teams, Hereford United FC under headman Andy has quietly built up a team to be reckoned with. Their T11 and T16 fall just outside the top ten, giving them little press as a juggernaut. Their manager also does far less taunting, which keeps the team out of the headlines on the blog. Still, they have a solid top line and a full complement of Apprentices waiting to develop into a fearsome team all around. In fact, the only thing that might stop the Mad Cows is their own players! Having to get playing time for all those guys (and assuming he adds at least one or two Sbys) keeps some of the top guys off the pitch a match or two each session. If they don't get promoted this season and can maintain at least 4-5 of their current stars, this could easily be the team to beat next year. For all other Division 2 managers, you are warned to beat HER early. By the time the replays come around, we may not be able to!
Survivor Series
These four teams have managers that know what they are doing and have their teams heading in the right direction. All four neglected youth development a little in season one and are suffering the last effects of that this year. Of the four remaining (QPR, CHF, BHA, and LEE) Chesterfield FC has the edge on T11, T16 and total team value. When they get around to converting a few BRBs, they have the support staff to hold form this staff. Their top Df is the best in the league, and their Gk is going to get the attention to keep them in matches all season long. With the youth development in swing, the future is bright even if today looks cloudy with a chance of rain (i.e. every day in London). Just behind them in strength are BHA and QPR. James has his sights set on staying up after last season's promotion, while BHA's manager will find his feet after last season's trial by fire in Div 1. I expect to see these teams pushing for several draws against the top clubs and playing all-out against each other. At the same time, ignoring the youth development would be a huge mistake that will cost them any chance of real success next season.
That leaves Leeds United under Abe as the team most likely to drop. They start out the weakest in T11, though with over 1000k in the bank they can quickly make a splash in the auctions if they choose. If they key on some winnable Cup matches (beating SWI and FOR in the AP Cup?) to get the quick extra CP and a few more matches for youth distribution and playing time, they might find some wiggle room. Of all the teams, they are also the most likely to see youth players from the Div 2 contenders. Against PLY, that's really not much help. Against the rest of us, that could be just the edge they need for some upsets. I'm interested in seeing whether Leeds will be playing hard to stay up, or willing to accept relegation for what would probably be only one season to bring along the youth players and develop a more potent starting eleven. We'll see how that plays out soon enough.
So now that I've manager to indirectly insult just about every other manager in my division, I look forward to a season full of injuries and top lines. Too bad Bluebirds really aren't migratory. We're planning on hanging around Div 2 for a while because our focus always... oh, look! A shiny bauble! I want one of those...
Excellent piece Kevin, well calculated and written, you surely do have some time on your hands, mind you i remember those times with the babies waking us up, our three now are slightly older and thankfully we get some good nights kip, its all worth it though and those early years are really memories to treasure.
I have to say that I agree with your stats, however feel that anyone from Tranmere, Brentford, Watford, Lewes and myself can win the title, Oldham as you say deserve a medal if they stay up and will be fighting with Derby, Dorchester and Sheffield.
An exciting season is ahead for all us as all the divisions will have similiar battles.
Good luck to all as the season 3 start is nearly upon us.
Pre-season auctions are done, and while teams can still add Sbys and Apps to the roster and make a few trades this week, for the most part the teams look about as they will heading into week one in terms of T11 strength and starter depth. As such, it's time for the pre-season predictions to start rolling in!
I took the liberty of ranking every team by my own system of scoring to help clarify the confusion about who is the team to beat this year. Of course, it's highly subjective. Do you give more weight to a pure T11 for the winner-takes-all match, or to the T16 because more depth = better fitness (translates directly to +/- shots in this league) and better ability to withstand an injury or suspension? How much credit do you give for a large cash balance, which gives far better odds of getting a key player in the auctions as the season progresses? Backroom Boys are very important as not only can they help you win (Physio/Groundskeeper) in each match, they can also keep weaker players off the field (Youth Coaches) and make the CP go further for stronger players as a whole (Coach). Is having all 5 BRBs more important than 1000k in the bank? 1500k? or a 9.00+ T11 average? These are the things that keep me up at night... well, that and a one-month-old who is perfectly in sync with the 2-yr-old so that one wakes and cries just as you manage to get the other one back to sleep. So at least I'm productive while sleep-deprived.
Anyway, enough prelude. Here are the picks for Div 1:
The Contenders
No surprises here. Tranmere takes the top spot due to the best T11 and plenty of cash for another trade or top auction buy. Alon is very closely followed by Brentford and Northampton though. All three are top three in T11, T16, and top four in combined cash/player value (with Plymouth Argyle as the 4th, a 2nd Div team!). All have 5 BRB's and no glaring weaknesses in the rosters. Since suspensions hurt league play far more than Cup play, the team that focuses most on the league and avoids using excessive hardness in the Cups will have the edge - assuming that they don't use the league matches to train up the youth players. Too many variables to fully predict how the managers will approach these games, so we'll just leave it with saying that these three teams are far and away the strongest and most skilled and clearly the cream of the United crop as season three starts. Simon's depth is ridiculous compared to the rest of the league, so we should just count our blessings that they can only play 11 men at a time. Unfortunately, it really doesn't matter which 11 he chooses since all but 4-5 other teams will be outclassed anyway! If I have to rank them (and I do, since this is a prediction column after all), I'll go with Tranmere first based on T11, careful hardness usage, and great cash to get one more star player this year. Northampton 2nd as they can withstand injury/suspension better than anyone else, and Brentford in 3rd as Al can't resist sipping from the Cup O' Hardness (or is that rather throwing it in the opponents' faces? 
) too frequently and ends up with a key suspension or one too many PKs in a crucial clash.
The Returning Champs
Watford was the Season 1 juggernaut. 
Lewes is our Defending League Champion for Season 2. 
Overlook either team at your own peril. Both have accomplished managers and solid teams. While there is a noticable drop in talent level from the Big 3, these squads also have less cash to make up that gap with an auction buy or trade. Lewes is also short one BRB, a minor problem if not for the fact that all their main competitors are running at full strength there. Again, hardness usage may be the key as the rules have shifted. Watford definitely liked hardness for the first two seasons. Lewes avoided it last year and rode the lack of suspensions to the title. How will the managers play it out this year?
The Dark Horse
Bristol City FC. Solid team, good cash reserves, respectable T11, 5 BRBs, favorable Cup matchups for some extra games to distribute the youth time, clever manager... it's all looking up for this squad. Maybe not this season, though if things fall just right this is the team that will capitalize on the B-teams as the top 5 all have to slug it out against each other and save their best for Cup glory as well. Bristol could catch more than one team playing heavy on the youth and steal points all season long. Seeing Jake pull this team into the top 3 or 4 would not surprise me at all.
Hanging On and Laying Low
Newly promoted Sheffield United and returning Div 1 vets Dorchester Town and Derby County will likely be battling to avoid the relegation zone all season. Of them, right now Dan's Blades have the slightly better team and far more resources so he gets the early nod to survive. The Magpies are just a tad weaker than Derby, though without any BRBs at all (?) and little cash that slight deficiency may prove too great to overcome. 
Little Fish in the Big, Big Pond
That leaves just Oldham Athletic left to discuss. By far the weakest Div 1 team to start the season, OLA will need to quickly add some solid depth or a key player with their decent cash balance. Winning outright may be too much to ask until the Cup seasons progress in earnest. Playing for the draw early and then catching the big guns napping or playing all youth while saving Fitness for the table-top clashes and Cup quarterfinals or beyond is this team's only shot at avoiding relegation. They will have to push hard to get some extra matches in the AP Cup and FA Cup/Shield as well for the first five sessions so that they can afford to T11 in the league without ignoring youth development. Pulling off another season in Div 1 will definitely earn some consideration for 'Manager of the Year' voting in my book.
So there's my thoughts. Div 2 and 3 predictions to follow later this week as time allows. I'm sure my young ones will be helping me find that extra hour at 3 AM soon enough...
The first poll results of the season are in! Looks like folks think Mr. Atie (last season's 2nd Division winner) has the edge this season. New poll up shortly.
Al
Poll - Who will win the 1st Division (Lewes FC are your returning champs)?
VOTING SUMMARY
| CHOICE | TOTAL VOTES |
| Tranmere Rovers | 5 |
| Watford | 2 |
| Brentford FC | 2 |
| Lewes FC | 2 |
| Northampton Town FC | 1 |
VOTING BREAKDOWN
| MANAGER | CHOICE | COMMENTS | |
|
Rob Peterson (Plymouth Argyle FC) |
Tranmere Rovers | Gotta go with Alon... he wins everything, right? |
|
Kevin Martin (Cardiff City FC) |
Tranmere Rovers | Best combined player value + cash totals. Top 5 in T11, T16. And has shown a history of ignoring Cups for League Glory while avoiding excessive hardness which gets key players suspended for league games. Fear Alon. |
|
Allan Sellers (Brentford FC) |
Watford | With three titles already its hard to bet against Mr. Tucker. I think Tranmere will be right there along with Northampton and Lewes. The Bees will likely get relegated. |
|
John Holden (Port Vale FC) |
Watford | |
|
James Tucker (Watford) |
Northampton Town FC | Simon's team will be too good |
|
Dan Fitzgerald (Sheffield United) |
Brentford FC | He writes the code! ;-) |
|
Dave Dowson (Southend United) |
Tranmere Rovers | Sooner or Later Alon will win it |
|
Alon Atie (Tranmere Rovers) |
Brentford FC | Got to go for al... |
|
Abe Hamdali (Leeds United) |
Lewes FC | I vote for Lewes FC. I think they are capable of winning the championship again this season. |
|
Phil McIntosh (Chesterfield FC) |
Lewes FC | |
|
Simon Compton (Northampton Town FC) |
Tranmere Rovers | Join the division with impressive morale and will see no one as a threat. |
|
Fran Morillo (Leicester City FC) |
Tranmere Rovers |
Watford sends 25k, James Clark (II/Physio; 225k)
to Sheffield United for Jayden Atkinson (I/Physio; 275k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Northampton Town FC sends Tyler Reid (APP/5 Mf; 210k)
to Plymouth Argyle FC for 635k
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Tranmere Rovers sends Reece Scott (I/9 Mf; 420k)
to Watford for Noah Reynolds (III/12 Fw; 400k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Brighton & Hove Albion sends 125k
to Leicester City FC for Finlay Pearce (V/5 Gk; 60k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
One would suggest that selling those age 3 level 2s would be a start to sorting out your predicament, but I am sure you have your reasons for carrying such low level players in your team??
Good Luck in the top flight division this season, the question is can you handle the mental strains that will be placed on your shoulders.
Regards and may battle commence in a couple of weeks time.
Simon
Is there any chance that we can susped auctions till next season as Tranmere already has 30 players and 5 Backroom boys.
Further auctions at this point just seems pointless.
Brighton & Hove Albion sends 50k, Max Marshall (II/5 Sw; 150k)
to Leeds United for Jason Kaiser (I/6 Mf; 240k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Hi guys,
This is a kind of white paper (I need to create a specific section for White Papers) on how you use SBYs/APPs to build your team. Feel free to comment here or email or whatever. I'm happy to answer any questions you have. Bear in mind though, I'm a novice here, its people like Andy Lewis, Simon Compton, and Alon Atie that you should be afraid of...
Schoolboys (SBYs) and Apprentices (APPs)
If you neglect one or both of these areas you will have a hard time winning. Its really that simple. It can be tough to get your arms around how these work, so here are some basics.
SBYs
- A SBY can either play in one (and only one) match a session (there are exactly ten sessions of matches) or in lieu of playing he can be Youth Coached (if you have one).
- For each session where they play a SBY has their QNL (qualification for next skill level) raised by 1. Once their QNL hits 3, they go up by 1 SL.
- CP may NOT be used to raise the SL of an SBY.
APPs
- An APP can play a maximum of two games a session or he may play in one match and be Youth Coached in that session.
- For each session an APP is given 1 QNL per match played or Youth Coached (a maximum of 2 QNL a session).
- For every 4 QNL an APP is raised by 1 SL. So if they start at SL 5, and play or are Youth Coached twice every session, they reach SL 10 at the conclusion of the season.
- CP may NOT be used to raise the SL of an APP.
Okay, those are the basic and key facts. Let’s do some charts.
SBY progression in a season IF they are played OR Youth Coached once a session
| Session | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SL (QNL) -> | 2 (1) | 2 (2) | 3 (0) | 3 (1) | 3 (2) | 4 (0) | 4 (1) | 4 (2) | 5 (0) | 5 (1) |
So, with just 1 game played OR youth coached for each session, a SBY goes from SL 2 to SL 5.
APP progression in a season IF they start at SL 5 and are played twice OR Played once and Youth Coached once a session
| Session -> | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SL (QNL) -> | 5 (2) | 6 (0) | 6 (2) | 7 (0) | 7 (2) | 8 (0) | 8 (2) | 9 (0) | 9 (2) | 10 (0) |
Oh and a slight note on the above…if your SBY ends their season as an SL 5, QNL 1, then they start their APP season with that one QNL in tact. That could come in VERY HANDY if you run into a session where your APP gets suspended or injured. That’s because, even if they are suspended/injured, they can STILL get 1 QNL through the Youth Coaching (even if they can’t play)…and that could be the difference to get them to their optimal SL 10 at the end of their APP season.
So using the above table, I can take up to 6 players per season as SBYs, and after two full seasons have them progress from SL 2 to SL 10.
But Al, why does this take so long and won’t my team lose some games? Yes it takes time and yes you may lose some games. But if you don’t build your team up from SBYs, you won’t have much of a team after 2 seasons.
Quick Tips Depending on the status of your team
My Team is Horrible
You may need to bring up and actually use 6 SBYs this season. But maybe do the same in Season 2 and only focus on 4 SBYs the 2nd season. You can also help your team through auction purchases.
My Team is So-So
Perhaps over a two year period bring up and focus on 5 SBYs each season. Then settle down into focusing on building 3-4 SBYs/APPs per season
My Team is Great
Well then maybe you shouldn’t read this because you already know what you are doing. It seems like though there’s a sweet spot here that if you focus on 3-4 SBYs each season (perhaps having a total of 7 SBY/APP players you really focus on building), then that may be the optimal strategy. It allows you to keep growing your team while still picking up occasional auction players.
Will I lose games if I work on all these youth?
Well, yes and no. Everyone else, in theory, should be doing the same (its just that some teams may need to use more to do more team building). The nice thing about winning too is the more games you play and thus the more games you can spread your youth players across. So any advancement in cup competition is helpful in that respect.
What About Youth Coaches?
I'd recommend getting/keeping/always having two of them. It allow you to play your better players more and limits the exposure/playing time of the weaker SBY players.
In summary, it takes some discipline to build teams in this league and keep them stocked. The above may not work for everyone as other strategies are out there. But for those of you starting out, it might be a good way to go. Be patient, build from within, and add Auction players strategically where needed.
Al
Plymouth Argyle FC sends Oscar Gibson (IV/8 Sw; 180k), Kevin Lane (I/Youth Coach; 275k)
to Leeds United for 375k, Quentin Leon (II/Youth Coach; 225k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Love the new additions Al. I like being able to look at the individual player stats over time. I also like to see how brutal of a manager Dancin' Dave Budvar Dowson is. 
If I could make one request... could we get players' career totals? Down the line, this could lead towards a Hall of Fame that I'm sure would be filled with players from Alon's squads.
Hi All,
Southend United sends 100k
to Dagenham & Redbridge for Lukas Kaiser (V/2 Mf; 0k)
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Southend United sends Kieran Hayes (III/8 Fw; 240k)
to Brighton & Hove Albion for 300k
Click this link to comment on the trade (if logged in).
Ding Ding Ding... Kevin wins a prize. I'm looking to bring balance and set my team up to have a manageable and easily maintainable system for the future.
I'm guessing that's because Rob is looking for an age II BRB, not an age I.
By getting an age II, he can spread out the ages of his BRBs and not have four of one age and only one the other. Then he'd have to replace 4 in one off-season which is a tall order. By going the 2-3 route instead, you can manage your roster to replace your BRBs each season internally and never have to buy one or trade for one.
Why not just convert your age 5 player into a Youth Coach yourself!
just click a button ...
Simples Mr Peterson!
Hi all,
PLY is looking to acquire an Age II Youth Coach. We have cash, Age V+ players and other players to offer.
While we here at CRD would be more than happy to take some of Dancin' Dave's money, we unfortunately have only one age V+ player that we cannot part with: our backup GK. It appears that someone else will get to profit from Dave's search for players that might be older than the manager. Unfortunately for Dave, with the way aging and skill advancement works out in this league, there is currently no way to have any age 8 players on our rosters... looks like we'll all still have to be respectin' our elder this coming season while he can graciously ignore such things in the return direction.
I've just read through the changes to Season 3 rules this season and I think they're good.
Although my side didn't really suffer too much from DP/suspensions etc last season I like the changes - suspensions to carry over but not the DP, and less of an impact on injuries if your own team plays low/no hardness.
I like the idea of the participation bonus and the points system - in SFLSL we call it the Party Bonus
I wish to purchase an age 5 player . will pay 100k for any level age 5 player
Send me a message to do a Deal!
Well Mike, may i wish you good luck next year with your fledglings from Lincoln because i believe that you will need it, sorry. I see Cardiff and Plymouth delivering next season and shilst you have 5 good players i cannot see you ending up more than close to mid table.
However the good news is that i see you being above both Leeds and Brighton so you can sleep easily knowing you work colleagues will not defeat you, of course with such close rivalvry they may choose to use all the Gpps against you!!!
Division one of course sees some competiition from new boys Tranmere, Brentford and Watford, never rule out Lewes always 1-0 victors how did you do that Andy last season well done, not sure that you can achieve the same again this year. Of course chief Al Sellars is playing down his chances but we all know that gpps should be saved for him!
Another exciting season ahead and whilst I can see Tranmere getting some victories it will not be on the same scale as division two.
Good luck to all and i think the first auction will play a big part in the division one outcome and heaven help the Cobblers if we are still on holiday when the first auction is run!!
Good Luck to all and I am certainly looking forward to another great season. Of course the Cobblers board will be looking for another trophy!
Our new friends in D2 are being put on notice. Aging has been good to Lincoln City, boosting our T-11 to 12th overall and our T-16 to 10th overall. Put that together with the league's 2nd highest bank and the league's 2nd youngest roster...and you have a team on the rise!
I can't wait for the new season to start. By moving up a division, we have been reunited with rivals old and new. Promoted along with us was Dancin Dave Budvar Dowson and his travelling band of emoticons. There's no getting away from that guy. Late season D3 upstart QPR., who NO ONE could score against, is also moving on up with us. Already in D2, we find perennial nemesis RobP and his Argyles, Kevin and his much welcomed statistical onslaught, and uncharacteristically well-dressed Phil. Ian is also here <insert Al's snide commentary>. Top it off two gents with I work with every night, Abe at Leeds and newbie BrianB at Hove. You'd better believe I don't want to listen to them if they beat me!
Two managerial changes to announce. Len Lear has moved on and former Brighton boss John Holden will takeover at 3rd Division Port Vale. John disclosed some very politically correct reasons (wanting to learn the game, etc) for not following his Brighton team to the 2nd Division. But if we're honest with ourselves, and the Olmec Head always is, we know that his utter distaste and hatred for Sir Ian Lindsay was the real reason (as PNE somehow managed to stay in the 2nd Division) as he didn't want to deal with him.
Taking over the reigns at Brighton & Hove Albion is Brian Beerman. We don't know a lot about Brian, but obviously we know a lot about the first half of his last name...and if that's wrong, the Olmec Head doesn't want to be right. Welcome aboard Brian!!
Aging has been completed. Please go to your team page and then click Team/Player logs to see "what happened" to your club during aging. Bear in mind that the poor Brentford team did not age well and this will be a rebuilding season.
The following teams receive a bonus (Bio):
DAG (50) OLA (50) PV (50) SWI (50)
The following teams receive a bonus (Season 2 Awards):
BRE (450) BRI (225) CRD (275) DAG (200) HER (75) LEW (500) LIN (50) NOR (475) PLY (225) QPR (100) SHU (100) SU (225) TRA (475) WAT (700)
I actually feel a little like Len and John. I had a distinctly average first season and even still am not fully sure how best to develop my team.
I said as much to Al during the first close season, but as we were all in the same position it didn't matter. Ok, some of the guys have played this game before but not many. If Len feels better off taking a step back and observing, then fine. John's taken a similar approach and is coming to join us down here in Division 3 so he can still stay hands on.
Luckily, I already am in Division 3 so can continue on down here whilst I work out how to look after the team, season on season and balance out the wee details like BRBs, youth, sweepers, offside trap, GPP, hacking (hardness :-)), etc, etc.
It's for managers like us that I'd say that it might not be good to put in too many rule changes too early, especially where it affetct team development.
I read with interest some of the veteran managers suggesting all sorts of new types of players of which it seems you actually end up developing your entire team round. I'm pretty sure someone will suggest wingers soon, despite that making absolutely no sense what so ever in this league :-)
Thanks again to Al for developing and running this game. Despite my comments which might seem to indicate otherwise, i do find it a lot simpler. well, at least submitting orders is simpler. It's so nice to put in your entire session on the one page and have the comp tell you where you're missing info.
'You don't have a keeper.', 'No, you don't have a keeper!'. 'Where's the keeper?'. 'Who's in goals you idiot?' Well, it's not quite like that, but not far away :-)
I hereby am announcing my resignation as manager of POV effective immediately. My frustration with my team's perfromance this season and inability to totally grasp the concept of the MSWL United led to my decision. I will sit back and observe for a season and then hopefully woud like to come back as a manager, depending upon teams available. I find the MSWL United concept very refreshing and motivating. Many thanks to Al for the tremendous amount of time, effort, and communication spent on keeping this league running in an excellent fashion. Well done, Al!
I have stepped down from Brighton with immediate effect. I'm still interested in playing MSWL-United but had a tough go in my first season and still don't feel as if I've wrapped my mind completely around this game, so I've asked to be reassigned to a third-division team where I can focus more on learning how to develop players and less on getting results.
Thanks to Al and all the competition for a great season.
Tough Luck James , you pushed me all the way & in the end it was only goal difference that wom ne the Division 3 Championship
Come on you Blues!!
I would like to apologize to Oli for I have run his team into the ground this past weekend. One real tough loss on one shot and another where the PK taker just took advantage of our aging Gk. Being a rookie coach does not excuse the poor play of my team during my reign. The numbers were either even or in our favor yet we still failed to execute. More to come later as I have been informed I have 7 minutes to get ready...
Sorry to Brag ,but the Tranmere home page is looking really good at the moment,reflecting 10 wins in the last ten played.
We probably wont ever have that again with 1st div footy from next season.
Seriously though probably a bit of an error last season,concentrating on the cups ,winning none and ending up in a second div that was tougher than the 1st. If Id got my tactics right last season I reckon Id have had a really good shot at the 1st div title this season which I always see as the ultimate prize.
Well done Lewes on winning the inaugural 1st division title though. Phil cant be happy
Things have gone from bad to worse at Port Vale. Different lineup combinations, injuries, etc., have all contributed to the demise of the Valeites this season.
Vale Manager Lear has yet to hear anything from the emergency meeting of the Vale Board of Directors as to the status of his contract for next season. Lear stated,"I sure would like to know what is going at this meeting. All I can say is that it doesn't look good for my returning next season due to our absolutely horrible record. I have never had such a terrible time managing a team as this season with Vale. In the other PBEM leagues I am involved managing teams, I have two teams in first divisions, another team that has earned auto promo to the 1st division and another team that although they are in D-3 they had a winning record coming just short of a playoff spot."
We have some good young players at Vale that are about two seasons away from being top notch players but that isn't going to help us. We need help right now. All I can say ,"there is always next season.....maybe!"
A great cup final and a shock tactic from Plymouth saw everyone pulling out of tackles one instruction which manager Peterson may well have regretted?
No hardness from Plymouth saw Northampton take shot after shot but with little success, a goal from the fantastic Yoshida saw a 1-0 lead despite dominating the game Northampton then proceeded to give awat a penalty and so it went to extra time.
The additonal training from the strict Northampton camp came in handy as Northampton slotted a chance away and went onto to win 2-1 in a nailbiting finish.
Beers all around in Northampton tonight as some silverware is being brought home.
Congratulations to Andy Lewis on winning the 1st Division with a session to go!
Congratulations to Alon Atie on winning the 2nd Division title with plenty of breathing room as well. Hmmm...where have I seen that before?
Meanwhile in the 3rd Division, there's still some football to be played to decide that title, with Southend, Queens Park, and even Lincoln still in the running (barely). Should be a fun final weekend in that division.
Congratulations to Simon Compton on winning the Alan Parr Cup crown in a hard-fought match with Rob Peterson that went into Extra Time. Northampton's Ben Smith scored the game-winner in the 98th minute to defeat Plymouth 2-1.
Three finals to be played next Saturday. Good luck to all!
Al
Hi guys, the new poll is up...thanks for voting for the last one...apparently its Dave's division to lose?
I note ZERO votes for James White's QPR? Erm...WHA?!?!?
Al
Poll - Who will win the 3rd Division?
VOTING SUMMARY
| CHOICE | TOTAL VOTES |
| Southend United | 12 |
| Lincoln City | 4 |
| Weston-super-Mare | 1 |
| Leicester City | 1 |
VOTING BREAKDOWN
| MANAGER | CHOICE | COMMENTS | |
|
Mike Cabral (Lincoln City FC) |
Lincoln City | Duh? |
|
Dan Fitzgerald (Sheffield United) |
Southend United | Hardman Dave for the Title! |
|
Kevin Martin (Cardiff City FC) |
Southend United | One match from halfway through the league campaign and no one has beaten them yet. Hard to argue against that simple fact. C-Ball has a big uphill climb to overtake Dave, who refuses to be distracted by any other hardware than the Div 3 trophy... |
|
Andy Bate (Hereford United FC) |
Lincoln City | Surely DD can't keep it up... |
|
Alon Atie (Tranmere Rovers) |
Southend United | I dont see C-Ball and the others making up 5 points on dancing Dave |
|
Dave Dowson (Southend United) |
Southend United | What a Daft Question ! ;-)) |
|
Allan Sellers (Brentford FC) |
Southend United | This looks like promotion for Dancin' Dave... |
|
Len Lear (Port Vale FC) |
Weston-super-Mare | |
|
Rob Peterson (Plymouth Argyle FC) |
Lincoln City | C-Ball or Dancin' Dave Budvar Dowson? Tough choice, but I'm going with the manager with the shorter moniker. |
|
Phil McIntosh (Chesterfield FC) |
Southend United | Is this a trick question? |
|
Roy Rolsten (Nottingham Forest) |
Southend United | |
|
James White (Queens Park Rangers) |
Southend United | Dave seems to have made it his priority and already has a big lead |
|
Fran Morillo (Leicester City FC) |
Leicester City | |
|
Simon Compton (Northampton Town FC) |
Southend United | Just looking too good for anyone to catch. |
 |
Derek Purvis (Carlisle United) |
Southend United | |
|
James Tucker (Watford) |
Southend United | Dave's Cloggers are the champs |
|
Rene Wilkens (Oldham Athletic AFC) |
Southend United | |
|
Rob Baptiste (Crewe Alexandra FC) |
Lincoln City | Best manager plus I value my job |
Not a lot of action this time around due to fewer matches as the Cups wind down. 29 teams played hardness to no avail with regard to end match results. Only four had an impact with theirs:
Match 29. OLD (10) @ NOR (2). Oldham gave up a PK goal to lose 0-1. Without playing hardness here they get a draw with 66% probability. -1 LP, -5 CP for OLD. Northampton's hardness had no impact on goals scored.
Match 29. LEW (0) @ DOR (10). Dorchester used 10 hardness and prevented 3 Lewes' scoring chances for their effort. Those had a net effect of 25.29% to score one or more goals. Instead, DOR gave up a PK goal to lose what would have been a 75% chance of a draw. -1 LP, -5 CP for DOR.
Match 30. OLD (10) @ LEE (2). Oldham makes up for their prior game with this one. Both of Oldham's 2 shots were generated thanks to their hardness area totals. They scored on one of those for a draw. Without any hardness, this is a guaranteed loss. +1 LP, +5 CP for OLD.
And the big one, which of course I'm on the losing end of again... it's getting kind of old watching 7-10 hardness points matter more in determining match outcomes than an entire team worth of SL + Fit that has taken a season to build up. This makes 4 cup defeats in two seasons that hardness by the other team has made the difference in while the difference in a 5th match was to our advantage as the other team gave up PKs to let us win. Of the 9 Cup match quarterfinals, semis, and finals CRD has played so far, 5 of them were ultimately determined by hardness used.
Match 33, Youth Cup Quarterfinal. PLY (10) v. CRD (0). Without playing hardness, Plymouth gets outshot in this match by a 27-9 margin and gives up one PK goal anyway. Based on those odds, CRD wins this match 37% of the time, gets a draw another 35% and we go to PKs (which PLY admittedly would have the edge in due to a stronger GK), and PLY wins only 28% of the time in regulation. Instead, Plymouth injured three players and their hardness in the MF area overtook CRD's so they both took shots and got extra shots because of it. They scored on one of their MF shots they wouldn't have got otherwise to provide the winning goal. Combined, the 27-9 shot chance was cut to 15-10 and the extra PK goal wasn't enough for CRD to make up the difference. PLY wins 3-2 due to hardness played and gains 10 CP as well as advancing to the Youth Cup Semis. Will this mark the 2nd straight season we lost a close one to the eventual champs in the quarterfinals?
Northampton's poor showing in the FA cup Semi was not down to poor tactics although the board are questioning them, but cobblers boss said when he saw the size of the mascot in goal for Brentford he knew his team had no chance of scoring.
Well played Brentford and can they retain the cup for a second year?
An emergency meeting has been called by the Board of Directors for the Port Vale Football Club. POV President," I. K. Nothing About Football stated," The entire board of directors at POV along with myself thought that due to the extreme dismal showing of our club this season. it would be in the best interests of everyone involved to have this meeting." Rumour has that the main topic on the agenda is the renewal of Manager Len Lear's contract for next season.<br>
<br>When informed of this meeting, Manager Lear said,"I am not the least bit worried about the outcome of this meeting. Sure, we had an absolutely disastrous season at POV but when you don't get the full support of the Board Of Directors then my job can become rather difficult. However, I fully expect to be back at the helm of POV next season."
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Commish Al Sellers for the time he has spent in making this league a huge success. Thanks. Al!
But where'd you get the jersey you're wearing? Did you order one or make it yourself?
Ian will be seeing this in his nightmares tonight after our league match this session:
I knew missing that apostrophe out was a mistake! (Could I have Nott's and is that how you spell apostrophe?! 
)
As a league 2 fan of the mighty Darlo I'm used to seeing Notts County turn up to give us 3 points each year...
We did beat Forest in the cup about 9 years ago as well!
I was going originally for Nott The 9 O'clock News but thought it too unwieldy - so no more Notts from me
Sorry to be Pedantic Roy but the fact of the matter is that Nottingham Forrest are Forest or Nottingham Forest but never Notts!
Notts County are County or Notts
Forest were dumped out of the Youth Cup this week by local rivals Derby County 1-0 - i thought we may have had a decent run with the Youths until i looked at other sides young players and realised I was a season behind on training them up. Hopefully next year we'll be stronger!
We granted Carlisle their first league win of the season 2-1 with the northern boys reminding me not to forget using the GPP available before the end of the season - they really wanted to win this one using the full 10!
And finally we got revenge against Weston-Super-Mare after losing 5-0 earlier in the season, a hat-trick from Gardner contributed to a 7-0 win!
Thanks to those guys who have helped with my queries in the forum - I will have 4 players qualifiying for Backroom Boy status next season - no need to look at the Auctions for a while!
Hi Guys,
I am wondering what happens when we start to take holidays during July and August, in Odfl i assume that i can enter the orders for games in advance, however in MSWL we wait for each session end, Al can you suggest anything please as i will be away and miss potentially two saturdays of matches.
So first up are we taking a break at the end of the season?
Can orders be submitted for some one to enter for me?
Any suggestions please
Regards Simon
Relatively quiet on the hardness front this session, though Match 27 was the outstanding exception. We'll get to that one in a bit...
Match 25. BRE (0 hardness) @ DAG (7 hardness). DAG's 3 hardness at Sw did not stop any extra shots, and the shot they gained at Df did not score. The injuries that were caused would have happened without hardness based on the numbers generated. The two shots they took from Brentford had an 18.75% probability of at least one scoring. By giving up the PK goal through using hardness, an 81% chance of a draw turned to a loss. -5 CP, -1 LP for DAG.
Match 25, DOR (0) @ BHA (3). By area totals and an injury caused, BHA took away two shots and gained five. They did not score on any of their gained shots and gave up a PK goal in return for their trouble. The two scoring chances they prevented through hardness had a net 31.21% probability of scoring at least one goal, so a 69% draw turns to a loss. -5 CP, -1 LP for BHA.
Match 26, PLY (5) @ TRA (1). Plymouth's net effect of hardness was to take away two shots from Tranmere which had a 10.92% chance of scoring at least one goal. Instead, they gave up a PK with a far, far greater chance of scoring which was converted for a 1-0 Tranmere win. -5 CP, -1 LP for PLY as a draw slips away.
And that brings us to the AP Cup Semifinal Matches! Lots of action and top lines in these, so if you haven't checked them out they are some of the better matches of the season to date. Glad to see all managers turning out in style with real effort for these clashes.
Match 27, NOR (7) @ CRD (0). Northampton's hardness got them three extra shots by their forwards, the last one of which went in for a 1-0 victory. Without hardness, Northampton gets outshot 26-3 and the odds are for them to lose in extra time or PK's as CRD had the better keeper and top 3 shooters. At the very least, they turned a draw to a win, if not a loss to win. +5 CP, advance to AP Cup final due to hardness used.
Match 27, HER (0) @ PLY (10). All 7 shots by Plymouth's forwards were generated by hardness, either in area totals or the injury caused. Without hardness, PLY doesn't even get a FW shot as Hereford turned out a great defensive effort. Plymouth scored on 3 of the 7 shots to win easily. They also took away 4 shots from Hereford, which had a 23.47% chance of scoring at least a goal. If Plymouth doesn't use hardness, this is a likely draw (77%) or even a Hereford win (23%) in regular time. +5 CP and advancement to the AP Cup Final for PLY due to hardness. Rob's mean streak finally pays off for him this season!
Though the PLY-DOR 10 hardness each match in the Youth Cup (Match 28) was interesting to watch, none of the Youth Cup matches were ultimately swayed by hardness used this session.
For the session there were 2 teams helped in a big way, 3 teams hurt, and 29 teams not impacted with regard to wins, draws, and losses by the hardness they used. Season totals are: 15 teams helped, 27 teams hurt, 268 teams using hardness to little avail. -80 CP overall for teams using hardness, and -15 league points. 5 teams have put themselves out of a Cup competition, and 3 have advanced due almost solely to hardness used including both teams in the AP Cup final. 1686 hardness used overall, on pace for 2408 for the season. That's 155 over last season's total of 2253, or a nearly 7% increase in overall use from last season.
Northampton have pulled off a major upset in the Alan Parr semi final, the fans have stayed on in cardiff to take in the enjoyment and excitement of the win.
Northampton not outplayed but outshot kept Cardiffs forwards at bay with some excellent work by both Holmes(sw) and Cooper (gk) as shot after shot reigned in.
However in the 40th minute apprentice Leon Turner saw no fear as he sidefooted in from the edge of the box to silence the home fans.
Northampton held on for a famous win and await the winners of Plymouth v Hereford.
Party Time in Northampton tonight, wooooooa.
Hey Happy 4th of July celebrations everywhere, you do know that we all have a 4th of July!! I do hope that this will not slow down events today and take us into the midnight hours?
No seriously, its sunny, barbecues are being lit and beers are being consumed over here at 4pm in the afternoon.
Fans will be gathering around the Tv screens in a couple of hours ready for the major game of the day.
Good luck to everyone in there matches today, all that is except my opponents of course.
Lets see some attractive and well crafted football in the cup semis today in both matches.
Happy 4th of July to all the U.S. managers!
We're hoping for some fireworks of our own here at Cardiff City, with the Cobblers and North Enders being the recipients of the impending scoring explosion. Typically a very defensive team, we'll have to change strategy some to get past the formidable back lines and keepers that we're facing as we move deeper into various Cup competitions.
Thanks to Manager Compton for his fine words about the Cardiff faithful. We take pride in being the cleanest team in the league (0 zero played in 1.6 seasons and counting) while still compiling a respectable record, and demand the same from those holding season tickets. The bandwagon fans tend to get a little crazy behind the home goal, though we are bringing in extra security for this powerhouse clash between two of the top league teams. If we can even hear the Cobbler fans raise their voices tonight, we will be sorely disappointed and will likely mean a very quiet crowd due to a big scoring deficit.
Three hours 'til the opening kickoff is scheduled. Looks like I have time for a little nap before anything important happens today...
Thanks we are going to need it as this Cardiff Team are one of the strongest seen within this league, coaches are struggling to get through the mayhem at the moment of Cardiff fans as the build up and tension heightens.
Police at 1.45 are now on high alert and are begin to wonder why the game did not have a lunchtime kick off, as fans will be hot and bothered from drinking and from the heat of the day.
Police security within the ground will be strong as the 7,000 strong following from Northampton are expected to be in good voice. Question marks arose at to why they did not have more tickets as Cobblers fans are packed in at Sixfields expecting the big screen to be switched on for kick off at 6pm.
Perhaps the program knows that the Cardiff fans are ruthless (think Boston Red Sox fans with the New York Yankees in town).
No wonder that team performs well - his manager likes to go home in one piece after every game. Good luck, Simon.
Al,
There must be a limit of text is there within this programme as i just tried to right more lines and it came up with an error, so i took some text out ( the stuff about how nice the cardiff fans and how welcome they will make us all feel!!) and then it was fine.
Simon
So we're taking our own!
After all Once we beat Lincoln for the second time this season
You might as well hand us the League trophy before we leave Sincil Bank
Has anyone ever seen Kevin Martin & Mike Cabral in the same room ?
...............
MIKE........................KEVIN...
Kinda scary likeness there!
We knew it had to happen eventually. Dancin' Dave Dowson and his band of goons are finally rolling into Lincoln City this Saturday, for a match that will either cement the Southies' D3 title chances...or put them in their proper place once and for all.
For the LIN boys, it's do or die. Budvar Dave's thugs have put themselves safely atop the D3 table, so it's really must win for LIN. The question is, what sort of strategy to employ? Try to beat Dave at his own thuggery by going 10 HARD? Or play it clean and let the LIN on-field skills do the talking.
These and other important decisions are currently being considered carefully at LIN headquarters. Don't expect the red carpet Southies!
Results tallied from the last session including all the Youth Cup matches with regard to whether or not hardness helped or hurt the teams playing it. Overall, it was a rather uneventful session in that regard. Plenty of action all around with some big Cup clashes and games coming down to PKs. In the world of Hardness though, there were fewer big numbers than usual.
Of special note is that my spreadsheet kept giving me an error message in the Plymouth column. Specifically, it kept reading, "Plymouth Hardness # is less than 10. Please correct your obviously mistaken entry." Good to see Rob getting back in typical hoodlum fashion in the Youth Cup. Though I must add for his benefit, that this session now marks the second in a row that he has NOT had a player suspended for the upcoming weekend. The last time I saw the Plymouth roster without at least one player suspended was back in season 1, session 1. To have two in a row must be very disconcerting for my favorite Mets fan (though it is admittedly a very, very short list). He probably opens his roster and has to double-check to make sure he's looking at the right team...
But on to the matches! Almost all the action took place in the League matches, with match 20 getting the hardness effects out of the way for a very quiet followup in match 21.
Match 20, NOR (4) @ LEE (5). Northampton's hardness used (4), resulted in a few shots that missed anyway. Leeds also missed their shots. The big effects was that Leeds gave up 2 PK goals. If they don't play hardness here, this one ends in a 1-1 draw all the time. -5 CP and -1 League Point for LEE.
Match 20, PLY (0) @ BRE (4). This match was a mixed blessing and is listed here as a great illustrator of the possible gains and risks that come with even lower hardness numbers. Brentford (playing at just 4 hardness) gave up a PK goal, yet then turned around and scored a goal on one of their four shots that hardness generated. This match ends in a 0-0 draw instead of a 1-1 draw without hardness, so no real gain or loss except for one more goal scored in case that tiebreaker comes up for either team.
Match 20, DER (3) @ BHA (3). Derby's hardness had no real impact on the match. Their shots didn't result in goals and the injured Sweeper ended up having no bearing on whether or not scoring chances were stopped. The numbers would have all been blocked or let past anyway. BHA though, gave up a PK goal to lose 0-1. Without hardness they draw 0-0 with a 100% probability. -5 CP, -1 LP for BHA due to hardness.
Match 20, WES (3) @ CAR (8). One team gets lucky, the other one does not. Carlisle scored 2 goals on shots by their forwards that were only made possible by the red card that Weston-super-mare's defender received due to increased hardness. Carlisle also took away four shots from Weston that had a net chance of 64.69% for scoring at least one goal. Combined, Carlisle's hardness used prevented a likely Weston goal while Weston's hardness used ended up resulting in 2 Carlisle goals. +5 CP and +1 LP as Carlisle turns a likely loss to a draw though hardness. -5 CP and -2 LP for Weston as they turn a probable win into a draw.
After that match, there was no impact on wins/draws/losses until the Youth Cup matches. Even then, only one outcome was possibly swayed by the hardness used.
Match 24, CRE (9) v. SWI (0). Crewe picked up no goals from the hardness they used. They did give up a PK goal though to lose in regular time. Without that goal, this match goes to a PK shootout and Crewe had a far superior keeper. The odds of them advancing instead of Swindon Town were better than 70% if it went to PK's. At the very least, they would have picked up some CP for the regular time draw. -5 CP and out of the Youth Cup for Crewe due to hardness.
For the session, that gave us 1 team helped, 4 teams hurt, and a whopping 50 teams that played hardness without impacting the end result with regard to wins, draws, and losses. Lots of DP picked up and several big injuries in the session thanks to hardness though, so the impact was felt everywhere but the scoreboard in a lot of matches.
As a side note, to date this season there have been 5125 scoring chances that have resulted in 686 goals. That's an average of just under 7.5 chances to get one goal for the entire league. So when figuring out how many chances you need to generate to get one goal on average, the conservative estimate right now is at 8.
Ian,
All attacks get halved: Df, Mf, & Fw.
Anyone within shouting distance of MSWL United recently will know we are clearly outmatched in our upcoming game against Cardiff's rather well-endowed youth setup.
Since it's only the youth cup, and my league position is rather precarious, I was considering a bit of an experiment. The experiment being I field a weak team to save my best players for the league matches and use the play for a draw tactic to maybe snatch a win on penalties. The rules though, seem unclear:
5 .3 PLAYING FOR A DRAW (PFD)
A team choosing to PFD has 7 extra levels to split between Sw, Df and Mf areas, but it's attacks for each area will be halved (round up
fractions).
So, does the team playing for a draw only get half the shots from SW, DF and MF, or does this apply to their FWs as well?
Your opinions are requested on the above subjects ASAP
click link to get involved please :
Only 1 of the 30 team league is still UNBEATEN after 10 rounds of league matches!
Guess who?
THE TRUE BLUES!
SOUTHEND UNITED
GO SHRIMPERS GO!
Never mind luck for Leeds it would appear that Mike Cabral and Lincoln had a get of jail card in the youth Cup.
28 shots for the cobblers sees 2 goals and late 93 minute equaliser for Lincoln took it to the lucky dip penalty shoot out and they come out on top!!
Penalty shoot out drama good for the neutrals, but fans and managers boy its shacky.
Cobblers manager who had fancied this trophy is feeling bitter and twisted tonight as tries to control his emotions, he said his team of youngsters served him proud and with a little more shooting practice they should have walked away winners by 3 or 4 goals.
Good luck to Lincoln for the remainder of this competition as Compton tries to settle his team for next weeks Cup Semi Final.
My ascerbic blogger alter-ego, C-Ball, is stepping aside for a moment to wish my friend AbeH good luck in his first matches today. Abe has inherited the Leeds boys, so he is thrust right into Division I. Abe and I have had some advisory meetings to get him to speed; learning from me can only hurt him, so I hope he can rise above such a weighty obstacle.
Also interesting is the Leeds Youth Cup match today. Abe and the Leeds gents are pitted against Shadey Ron Peterson and his Argyles. As we all know, Ron would play HARDNESS +20 if we could, so watch you back, Abe. Abe and Rob both also work with me, but dont know each other, I dont think. After this brawl, the will now!
Pity Cardiff are not in Division 3
We'd put a few of them in the treatment room & keep the Physio Honest!
In Division 1, Watford and Lewes FC are battling for the top spot and leaving the others behind. Bristol City FC needs to make a strong run in a hurry to have an outside chance at the title, while Northampton and Oldham are already three games back as we hit the halfway mark this coming session.
In Division 3, Southend is leading the charge while Lincoln City is in hot pursuit. Other possible contenders in QPR, SWI & CRE are already three games back and have a very tough climb to overtake the top two.
In Division 2, it's a completely different story. Alon's Tranmere Rovers are in front, though only by two points. Right behind them is not just one challenger, but four! Brentford, Cardiff City, Plymouth, and Sheffield are all sitting at 14 points and can easily overtake the division leader with just one session's results. Right behind those four, Wycombe and Hereford are in good position to make a run as the top five teams all focus on each other, allowing for some upsets to brew as the top lines start to get spread thin as the Cup season progresses and requires more of the T11 to advance. To get to the "three games back" mark where a division title starts becoming long odds, you have to go all the way down to 8th place in the division, where Ian's Preston North End team is lurking to start spoiling some hopes for the teams above them.
So why is the 2nd Division so tightly packed compared to the other divisions? For starters, the top teams are far closer in overall talent (of the players that is. I'll refrain from commenting on managerial skills). Further, every team is capable of beating any other depending on who gets the Top 11 and who catches a lucky break. For a good visual on what I mean, go to the Stats link and sort by T11. A whopping seven of the top 10 are in Division 2, making Div 2 the overall strongest division in the league this year. Sorting by T16 Division 2 still has 6 of the top 10, with PNE as the 7th team falling to 11th as Lewes FC shows off their depth. In the Player Value column, four of the top five are Division 2 teams. In short, the competition for the Div 2 title this season is going to be long and brutal. I doubt that any team will be capable of winning both the division title and a Cup this year as the Top 11 will need to be reserved for the league matches. Those of us (see: CRD) who can't resist reaching for shiny things will likely fade out of the division hunt if we can make it to the Semifinals of any Cup competition this season.
Which brings me to this session for CRD. We go to the current leaders Tranmere, then get a nasty Plymouth team at home, followed by a Shield clash in a return trip to Tranmere before settling down to watch the youngsters play against BHA. This schedule could only get worse if we had Plymouth on the road and if we threw Defending Champs Watford in instead of BHA for the Youth Cup. Our hope and consolation is that TRA and PLY also have four tough matches themselves and will have to spread the top line out like I will in order to have a chance to win each match. From this point forward in my schedule I see only one match that I can already jot down in the "W" column, yet that won't come until Session 10 when we finally get Brentford's perpetually rebuilding and charity needing C-team at home. Everything else is going to be earned the hard way.
So for those leading the 1st and 3rd Divisions, enjoy the rest of this season. Because next season the Div 3 winners will get to join this cutthroat grouping while the Div 1 teams will find a few more sharks circling with them in the big pond. It really makes me start to rethink my strategy. Perhaps I'd be having more fun if I tossed a match or two and merrily waved goodbye to Alon, Rob, and Al or Dan for at least one season. Of course, that would then come with facing Dave and C-Ball twice each. Hemlock or cyanide? Looks like we'll be picking our poison one way or another. Any chance the league will let us pull a Notre Dame and go 'independent' and schedule cupcake teams like Blyth and Coventry City for our league matches each week before giving us a shot at the league title due to booster cash and TV revenue more so than anything resembling actually earning that shot?
It took awhile, mostly due to some very silly coaching errors in the inaugural season, but the Lincoln City Imps are now assuming their proper place in the MSWL-UNITED world. We are nearing the top of D3, with only perpetual nemesis Dancin' Dave Dowson in our way. What is it with that guy, he always seems to be in our way!?
Anyways, the Imps now fashion a 5-3-5 record this season, which in itself is deceptively underwhelming. The real story in in league action, where da Imps are 5-2-1. Being a stereotypically soccer-ignorant American, the LIN manager doesn't know a Cup from a saucer. At LIN headquarters, it's all about winning the league, the lasting glory of embarrassing the teams you get to play all the time.
With that in mind, we are undefeated in our last six league matches, mostly recently sweeping a pair this past session from Nottingham and Carlisle. Our last league loss was, of course, at the hands of DaveD; I am starting to see that bearded mug in my nightmares. This week, we host two matches vs. Swindon and Leicester. Be warned, men, the LIN pitch is a hellish spot (though we have stopped playing hard, cuz Kevin says it's a bad idea).
Rave On,
C-Ball
Well, your list is below...the teams you should beat are Plymouth, Tranmere, Cardiff, and Sheffield. All the rest of the managers say so too...this isn't me talking...its your colleagues...
But before we get to that...
Kevin's Hard play discussion is another tour-de-force...however its unfortunate the way he's chosen to lash out at the meager Brentford side in the following manner:
Sheffield was assaulted, mugged, and dang near murdered at midfield in this match as the ref swallowed his whistle or simply turned his eyes back toward the bulging envelope that someone from the Bees' sideline slipped him before the match. BRE ended up winning 2-0.
I think the Brentford manager (whoever he is...pay him no attention) and his luck was due to change after 10 seasons of bad luck in the regular MSWL (see seasons 9-18 inclusive).
Then there's another manager providing some disparaging remarks at the poor Brentford side with...
Al Sellars with in house knowledge of this Northampton team is quoted as saying 'he is not worried by these upstarts from some old shoe making town'!!
Let's start with the spelling of the last name...the program looks for that and automatically gives a penalty kick to the opposition whenever that last name is spelled wrong. Furthermore...I think we all know that unless the Northampton manager plays his 'Youth Cup' team against the meager Brentford side in the FA Cup Semi...then Brentford won't have a chance...they are already out-managed and have a weaker roster...only some professional courtesy can allow the Bees to be competitive against the Cobblers...
Okay, back to the 2nd Division Poll (the 3rd Division one is up...don't vote for Dodgy Dave...just kidding Dave...)
Poll - Who will win the 2nd Division?
VOTING SUMMARY
| CHOICE | TOTAL VOTES |
| Plymouth Argyle FC | 4 |
| Tranmere Rovers | 3 |
| Brentford FC | 2 |
| Cardiff City FC | 2 |
| Sheffield United | 1 |
| Port Vale FC | 1 |
| Dagenham & Redbridge | 1 |
| Wycombe Wanderers | 1 |
VOTING BREAKDOWN
| MANAGER | CHOICE | COMMENTS | |
|
Dave Dowson (Southend United) |
Tranmere Rovers | Alon will sort this sorry bunch out soon |
|
Allan Sellers (Brentford FC) |
Sheffield United | I believe Dr. Dan is the man to beat. |
|
Fred Wilkens (Dorchester Town) |
Plymouth Argyle FC | |
|
Len Lear (Port Vale FC) |
Port Vale FC | |
|
Alon Atie (Tranmere Rovers) |
Brentford FC | They just hada bad session,but I think Al will recover. |
|
John Holden (Brighton & Hove Albion) |
Plymouth Argyle FC | And I don't know why! |
|
Mike Mcleod (Wycombe Wanderers) |
Wycombe Wanderers | |
|
James Tucker (Watford) |
Cardiff City FC | Last year's planning will bring fruit this year. |
|
Ian Lindsay (Preston North End FC) |
Brentford FC | Don't listen to the moaning, the crying, the calls for sympathy, the "play your 'C' Team"...none of it. Come on, have you seem the stats? Do you know who this guy is? Have you got any idea how far he will go just to cheat you out of a victory over his team? How about a poll on who finishes 2nd? |
|
Dan Fitzgerald (Sheffield United) |
Tranmere Rovers | |
|
David King (Swindon Town FC) |
Dagenham & Redbridge | Write them off at your peril. |
|
Andy Bate (Hereford United FC) |
Plymouth Argyle FC | |
|
Rob Peterson (Plymouth Argyle FC) |
Plymouth Argyle FC | A year of youth development may just pay off in Season 2! |
|
Kevin Martin (Cardiff City FC) |
Tranmere Rovers | This manager has a pretty good history of winning titles lately. Hard to argue against that as his team comes into top form... |
|
Simon Compton (Northampton Town FC) |
Cardiff City FC | I would have said Plymouth but i am not sure that their Vinny Jones coach can tame the levels of hardness being used and as such will soon have more players suspended than can actually play!! |
Two sessions to review here! With all the unintended features Al worked into the system last week regarding mystery update times and lots of "Is the website up now? Can I enter lines yet?" action, I did not have a chance to go through the matches in detail to keep the Hardness checks updated. On the flip side, last week's matches were rather dull in that department anyway. This past weekend more than made up for it though, with some exciting play and strong returns on Hardness used on both the plus and minus sides. Because there are two sessions being reviewed, I'll recap by team instead of by matches. Make sure you check out the Brentford entry for further proof that Al is to be feared and T11'd at all opportunities:
BHA (8 hardness) in Match 16 @ CHF (0 hardness). BHA took away 4 shots from Coach Mac's squad that had a net 39.21% chance of scoring a goal. They then gave up a PK goal in return to make that effort all for naught. A 60.79% chance of a draw turned into a loss due to hardness used here. BHA loses out on 5 CP and 1 League Point (LP).
BRE (6h) in Match 16 @ SHU (0h). Sheffield was assaulted, mugged, and dang near murdered at midfield in this match as the ref swallowed his whistle or simply turned his eyes back toward the bulging envelope that someone from the Bees' sideline slipped him before the match. BRE ended up winning 2-0. With their hardness used, they gained 2 shots in the midfield (one of which scored) and took away 2 shots from SHU's forwards. And then the real effects kicked in as Brentford took down Sheffield's top two (not just one!) forwards and cut 14 SL from the front lines. The net result was 11 shots lost by SHU and BRE's defense gained one shot (which they promptly scored on). So to recap, hardness got BRE both the scoring chances that resulted in goals while keeping SHU from taking 11 shots of their own. Without hardness in this match, SHU wins over 70% of the time and draws the remainder. BRE cannot win without playing hardness in this one based on the actual returns in the match report. So for anyone who needs proof that there is a place for Hardness in this league as a game-changing tactic to be used when needed, this match is an excellent example. BRE nets 10 CP and 3 LP. SHU gets a hospital bill.
CAR (2h) in Match 12 @ SWA (0h). Carlisle gained 1 shot through their two hardness played due to causing a slight injury. However, they did not score on the shot and gave up a PK goal in return to lose 1-0. This match is a draw otherwise. CAR loses 5 CP and 1 LP for their trouble.
CRE (8h) in Match 16 v. QPR (0h). Between hardness adding to area totals and causing an injury, CRE took away two shots. They then turned around and gave up 2 PK goals on 3 PK shots to lose 1-2. Without those PK goals given to QPR, Crewe wins this match 66.38% of the time and draw another 30.19%. With no hardness played, they have only a 3.43% probability of losing. Likely win turned to loss by hardness here, so CRE misses out on 10 CP and 3 LP.
LEI (10h) in Match 13 @ NOT (5h). LEI gave up a PK goal to lose 0-1. Without hardness for either team, Nottingham Forest gets 4 shots instead of just 1, and LEI gets 1 instead of 0. That results in a draw 64.44%, with a 29.32% of FOR winning and 6.25% for LEI winning. Likely draw ends in loss due to Hardness PK goal, so LEI gave up 5 CP and 1 LP here.
OLD (10h) in Match 13 @ DOR (0h). Oldham gave up a PK goal for the draw in this match. Without the hardness they played, they would have given up just one more shot (11.46% of scoring) and one shot that the Sweeper stopped would have passed by (22.91% of scoring). Oldham's goal happens anway, so one of those two shots has to go in for Dorchester to make up the goal. End result is a win for Oldham at 68.25% probability, 29.12% draw, and only 2.63% loss. Likely win drops to a draw due to Hardness PK goal so Oldham missed a shot at 5 CP and 2 LP.
PV (5h) in Match 17 @ DAG (5h). DAG played 5 hardness as well, however their area points were exactly countered by PV's. PV's hardness also caused an injury that prevented 2 shots, yet gave up 2 PK goals in return. Without hardness, DAG scores on those shots at only a 14.91% rate (0.66% of scoring both), meaning that PV wins this match at over 84% probability if they don't play any hardness, and draw ~15%. Less than 1% chance of loss that hardness brought about. Very likely win turned into a highly improbable loss by hardness played. PV loses out on 10 CP and 3 LP.
PV (5h) in Match 16 v. HER (0h). This was not PV's session. PV's hardness area totals and causing an injury took away a combined 7 shots from Hereford. Those shots had a total chance of 44.69% of scoring at least one goal. PV gave up a PK goal though, with a far higher chance of scoring than the other 7 shots to lose 0-1. Without hardness they get the draw 55.31% of possible match results. While the odds were far closer on this one than in Match 17, it's still a probable draw reduced to definite loss, so another 5 CP and 1 LP didn't make their way into PV's coffers this session.
WAT (4h) in Match 17 @ LEW (0h). Watford's calculated use of just a few Hardness points here really paid off. Their 4 hardness generated 4 shots, one of which scored for their 1-0 win. They also prevented 5 of Lewes' shots due to causing an injury. Without hardness, this match ends in a draw 72.08% of the time and Lewes wins the remainder. Watford only wins with lucky breaks due to hardness here, and a likely draw turns to victory. +5 CP and +2 LP sees Watford remain on top of the league for now.
WYC (8h) in Match 16 @ PLY (0h). Wycombe have been having ridiculously good luck with hardness this season. They should perhaps consider stopping while they are ahead. In this match they scored twice from Fw shots generated due to hardness played and injuries caused. More importantly, the injuries and area totals took away 11 Plymouth shots. Plymouth scored one goal anyway as WYC wins 2-1, though Plymouth had ~80% chance of scoring another goal on those 11 shots that never happened. Without playing hardness here, WYC doesn't score their goal, Plymouth scores anyway, and the Wanderers lose every single time. Guaranteed loss turned to victory thanks to hardness here, +10 CP and +3 LP.
That brings the totals this season to:
12 helped by hardness they played, 20 burned by their own hardness, and 189 teams playing hardness that had no bearing on the end result with regard to whether they won, draw, or lost the match. Total league impact by teams playing hardness is -60 CP and -9 LP. Combined, this means that so far this season the teams consistently playing hardness have hurt their teams more than helped themselves. Even so, the exceptions to the trend (see BRE, WAT, WYC above in this post) show that the gamble can pay off. Just don't go betting your whole season on hardness coming through when you need it most...
Northampton Town hit an impressive 8 goals past sheffield United in the FA Cup quarter final game at the sixfields stadium.
A record win now sees them take on the impressive Brentford who are the Cup holders in the semi final on neutral ground where a full house is expected.
Al Sellars with in house knowledge of this Northampton team is quoted as saying 'he is not worried by these upstarts from some old shoe making town'!!
5 Days to go to Kick off in this Years Yoputh Cup & these teams STILL do not have the required number of youth players to compete in the Cup!
the number after the team is the number of APP's or SB's they need to be eligible for YOUTH CUP
BRIGHTON -3
DAGENHAM -5
DORCHESTER -2 (only 1 roster space left )
LEICESTER -2
OLDHAM -2
PORT VALE -4
SWINDON -2
WESTON -5
Come on guys , dont make hard work for AL & even maybe delay the deadline!
& Dont forget to add the players before you enter any orders or they will reset
All this waiting its making me anxious and nervous, I see James on line waiting for the big results to appear!!
Soon maybe, time will tell whether fathers day is a good or bad one!
Results, no fingernails left soon.
Simon
Dave makes a good point in calling out a number of managers.
If there are any teams that fall short of the required 8 youth players for the Youth Cup, that means that Al has extra work to do before running matches that day. Let's all do our part to make Al's job as easy as we can make it by ensuring we all comply with the rules for youth players.
My 'wake Up Call' Blog does not seem to have alerted Kev Hull
Or any of the other 15 Managers whos SQUAD ROSTERS fall short ( Some of them WELL SHORT) of the required 8 youth players
on the field for YOUTH CUP GAMES!
Just noticed my opponents in Round 1 of the Youth Cup
(Dagenham & Redbridge) Only have 3 youth players on their roster!
Just a heads up on the Rules Kev!
15.6 THE YOUTH CUP will have its matches skewed towards the end of the season, when youth players will be
of higher levels. In Youth Cup matches each team must have a minimum of 8 Youth players (SBY/APP) in the lineup.
There were a smattering of votes in the first poll of the season...
Below are the results...looks like folks have placed the target on Mr. Tucker's back?
Looks like the next poll is now up on the front page.
Poll - Who will win the 1st Division?
VOTING SUMMARY
| CHOICE | TOTAL VOTES |
| Watford | 3 |
| Leeds United | 1 |
| Bristol City FC | 1 |
| Northampton Town | 1 |
| Brighton & Hove Albion | 1 |
VOTING BREAKDOWN
| MANAGER | CHOICE | COMMENTS | |
|
Dave Dowson (Southend United) |
Watford | If they can Keep their best players on the pitch ! |
|
Allan Sellers (Brentford FC) |
Watford | BHA and Northampton are off to fast starts, but Watford has 6 Fws that are SL 10 or above. SIX! Even with slowing that down via tactics, I still think that James Tucker is the frontrunner... |
|
James Tucker (Watford) |
Northampton Town | |
|
Ian Lindsay (Preston North End FC) |
Leeds United | Since I can't vote for Brentford...I mean, they will win it somehow won't they? |
|
Andy Bate (Hereford United FC) |
Bristol City FC | |
|
Rob Peterson (Plymouth Argyle FC) |
Watford | |
|
Simon Compton (Northampton Town FC) |
Brighton & Hove Albion | Firstly do not vote against a lawyer as it might come back to haunt you and anyone supporting Rushden and Diamonds neighbours to Northampton deserves my vote. |
| Team | +/- League Points | +/- Coaching Points | Competition results |
| CRE | +1 (match 5) | +5 (5) | |
| LEI | -3 (9) | -10 (9) | |
| LIN | -5 (2) | ||
| NOR | -2 (8) | 0 (1,8) (+5, -5 total) | |
| PLY | -5 (4,5) | -20 (1,4,5) | Out of FA Cup |
| QPR | +1 (4) | +5 (4) | |
| SU | +2 (5) | 0 (1,3,5) (+10, -10 total) | Advanced in FA Cup |
| SWI | -5 (10) | Out of FA Cup | |
| TRA | -3 (4) | -10 (4) | |
| WAT | -5 (3) | ||
| WES | -10 (11) | Out of FA Shield | |
| WYC | +4 (4,5) | +15 (1,4,5,7) (+20, -5 total) |
So far, the net league-wide result of playing hardness is not looking good...
Only four matches were swayed by the use of Hardness in Session 3, though a 5th is worth noting for the activity.
In Match 8, NOR played 6 hardness against BHA. Their points at Gk had no impact on actual goals, and they did not score off of their extra shots. They did cause an injury, which the BHA physio took care of. They did take away one shot from BHA (9.26% of scoring), however they also have up a PK goal. The end result was a 2-2 draw thanks to that PK goal, so if NOR came in playing 0 hardness they win that match outright with 90.74% probability, with a draw anyway if they were unlucky. Net result: Win reduced to draw, -5 CP for NOR.
Match 9, LEI v. CRE. LEI played 10 hardness & Crewe played 5. Both teams got 5 shots out of their hardness points, none of which scored. LEI's boost at Sw had no impact on stopping scoring chances. Since their were no red cards or SL lost to injuries, the only impact was through penalty kicks. LEI gave up 2 PKs and lost 2-3. If they don't play hard they win 2-1. Net result: Win reduced to loss, -10 CP for LEI. Crewe's hardness used had no actual impact on final results either way.
Match 10, FA Cup 2nd round, SWI v. DAG. Swindon Town plays 5 hardness to DAG's 0. Swindon Town gave up two PK goals and ended up losing 0-2. If they don't play any hardness, they only give up 1 extra shot and get a draw with 88.54% probability. Instead, they lose out on a draw (-5 CP) and are out of the FA Cup entirely instead of having a shot at the replay next week.
Match 10, FA Cup 2nd round, SU (10 hard) v. NOR (7 hard). A red card and injury would have happened anyway, yet the PK goals, 2nd injury, and 4 less shots for Southend were due to hardness. SU's keeper stopped a shot that would have otherwise scored due to hardness used on the Gk. On the flip side, NOR's shots that they took from SU result in one or more goals 36% of the time. The end tally if neither team plays hardness is a draw anyway, around 56% of the time. With no hardness, NOR wins 26% of the remaining possible results, with SU winning outright 18%. You could make a case that both teams were helped by the hardness used here, with the slight gains cancelling each other out. Should be a great replay this coming session!
Match 11, FA Shield 1st Round, COV (5 hard) v. WES (3 hard). Weston-super-mare gave up a PK goal to lose 2-1. If they don't do that, the game finishes regular time in a draw. WES held a significant advantage in SL and shots if the match went to Extra Time or even PK goals. Without a draw being possible, Weston's probability of winning was at 72% if they did not play hardness. Instead, they lose and are out of the FA competitions for this season. Coventry's hardness used had minmal impact on the number of shots (gained one which they didn't score on, took away 1 of 14) or goals scored. Net result: likely win reduced to loss (-10 CP) and they fall out of the FA Shield.
That brings our total for the first three sessions to:
Teams Helped by using Hardness in their matches: 9. Teams Hurt by using Hardness in their matches: 13. Teams playing Hardness that did not sway the likely end result: 120.
I have not done a proper study but a quick glance around the team pages reveals a telling fact!
If you dont have a BRB Physio you are asking for painful trouble
Just check out the injury levels of teams without physios against those with Physios
It will make your eyes water if you are one of the banged up teams without a Physio!
Northampton come away from this session battered, bruised and astonished at the level of violence shown on the pitch.
Oldham took no prisoners as they meant business at home to the cobblers, Northampton came to play for a draw and managed to get 3 goals and still lose. Oldham kicked the Cobblers of the pitch whilst they gave away three penalties they also injured three Northampton players in the process. Violence at one stage spilled onto the terraces as the away fans were enraged that no players were sent off, the referee was escorted from the pitch in a scene from Chelsea v Barcelona!
Despite scoring 3 goals Northampton were denied the point with a dubious goal one minute from time as the scorer looked a mile offside.
In Northampton's other games despite dominating at home to Brighton in the top of the table clash they were held to a 2-2 draw.
The FA cup game saw a mighty entertaining game as Southend took it to Northampton with an all attacking formation, the cobblers soaked up the pressure, both teams scored twice, once each from the spot as Southend again showed how tough they are despite being a southern softy team, a fair draw was played out and both teams will replay next week in a bid to reach the next round of the cup.
Cobblers boss Compton commented that the Cup holders Brentford looked yet again favourites and hoped to avoid them should they proceed after they went through 6-0.
Division one is hotting up as James Tuckers Watford look set to try and retain the championship this year.
Because it's been at least a week or two without a table from me... 
Here are the tangible impacts of playing Hardness for the following teams whose end results were impacted by the Hardness that they played. This does not include the teams that they played against, only teams who helped or hurt themselves by choosing to play hardness.
| Team | +/- League Points | +/- Coaching Points | Other Less Quantifiable Results |
| CRE | +1 (5) | +5 (5) | |
| LIN | -5 (2) | ||
| NOR | +5 (1) | Eventual advance in FA Cup replay | |
| PLY | -5 (4,5) | -20 (1,4,5) | Out of FA Cup, lost AP Cup homefield |
| QPR | +1 (4) | +5 (4) | |
| SU | +2 (5) | 0 (1,3,5) (+10, -10 total) | Advanced in FA Cup, likely lost homefield in AP Cup |
| TRA | -3 (4) | -10 (4) | |
| WAT | -5 (3) | ||
| WYC | +4 (4,5) | +15 (1,4,5,7) (+20, -5 total) |
For the table each column has a number and then the number in parentheses following it is the match number that was impacted by hardness. For example, Crewe Alexandria played hardness in match 5 that ultimately resulted in getting a draw instead of a loss, netting them 1 point in the division standings and 5 CP.
So as you can see, some teams (Wycombe especially) have gotten good returns on Hardness, while others (Plymouth and Tranmere) have only hurt themselves with it so far this season. Net results for the league as a whole are +/- 0 league points (+8, -8) and -10 CP (+30, -40) for those teams playing hardness. The Blyth Spartans AFC and Coventry City (non-league teams) have also impacted results with hardness play, however I don't think any of us particularly care if they gained or lost CP or not since they don't use it anyway and neither advanced or failed to advance in Cup play solely due to their hardness used.
Thanks, Phil & Alon. As long as someone is getting even a little help or slight entertainment value from the posts I'll keep them coming.
Match 5 hardness usage effects:
WYC v. CRD. Wycombe added 2 shots with their hardness (4) but also took away 2 shots and further took away another 6 when they injured a player that would not have happened without the increased hardness. If CRD gets those 8 shots, they have a 76% chance of winning. Instead, the match finishes in a 0-0 draw. Loss turned to win by hardness here.
PLY v. SHU. Plymouth plays 10 hardness and gives up 2 PK goals. The extra 11 shots they generated resulted in 0 additional goals. The extra hardness they played at Sweeper had no impact on goal results for Sheffield. What would have been a 3-2 win turned into a 3-4 loss due to PKs.
SU v. LIN. Southend gained 2 shots through their 10 hardness, and scored on one of those for the win. They also took away 1 possible goal due to increased Sw ability. That shot had an 18% chance of scoring. So Southend's 18% chance of a loss and 82% chance of a draw turned into a win by playing hard in this match.
That's 2 helped, 1 hurt, and 10 no effects for match 5.
For match 6, no end results were impacted and there were 4 "no effects."
Match 7 results:
BLY v. BRI. Blyth County's 6 hardness took away 3 shots and caused an injury that removed 4 more of Bristol's shots. If Bristol gets those 7 shots, they win ~60% of the time. Probable loss turned into a draw here.
WYC v. LEW. Wycombe again gets lucky and plays 4 hardness to good effect. They gained only 1 shot, however they scored on it for the 1-0 win! They also took away 2 scoring chances from Lewes with hardness impacting area totals and causing an injury. Without hardness, Lewes scores 35% of the time, so Wycombe had a 65% chance of draw and a 35% loss turned into a win in this match.
PLY v. COV. Mostly because I like picking on Rob P. for this one. Plymouth is going to win this match anyway so hardness does not impact the end result. However, what the hardness did do was give up 2 PK goals. Ultimately, that means that in the AP Cup Rob lost the overall top spot for homefield advantage due to goal differential... which went instead to CRD! So now I've got home field if we meet up, which will definitely help our chances of surviving the injury onslaught he'll likely try to bring to the match.
So that's 2 helped and 1 "sort of hurt" in match 7 with another 13 no effect matches.
Bringing our grand total for the season to date to: 9 helped (better result with regard to L,D,W), 9 hurt (worse W,D,L result), and 80 no end result impact matches.
I am enjoying Kev's analysis.
Especially as there is not enough blogging in this league. I know I am often a culprit of not participating enough in other leagues,nontheless I like to see what others are thinking.
So two rounds into my inaugeral MSWL Utd season with Nottingham Forest and it's been an interesting start.The first round had two good wins and a loss and gave hope for the future. Temptation came forward in the shape of the FA Cup and the possibilty of winning something from one-off matches rather than the league formats of the AP Cup or league. A win vs Cardiff saw Forest through to the next round and... Sheffield Utd. Already a brick wall had appeared in front of our cup dreams and whilst the purchase of Cian Jackson in the post-season Auctions for a record 1600+ was the start of building the jackhammer to break open stubborn defences, we're not quite ready yet.
Round two brought though the reality of football's unpredictability. A 2-0 loss to QPR seemed harsh even though they had 9 chances, mainly from midfield (maybe playing the OST vs a stronger midfield wasn't such a good idea), but this was put into context with our 0-0 draw vs Carlisle where we created 10 chances and had 4 50/50 chances to score and failed to find the back of the net once! As for the 5-0 loss to Southend... the much better side won and Southend will be one of those contending for the division title this season.
But let's go back to that Auction purchase of Cian Jackson. I wanted the player and had the funds for him so I went for it and had to pay through the ear to get him. Now I'm not going to mention any names, but I've had an offer this season for Jackson for 'about 600' ... I politely turned down the offer 
Four matches worth noting in the match 4 games with regard to hardness impacting end game results:
TRA v. WYC. This one was a mixed return. Tranmere played 5 hardness and suffered because of it in their 3-5 loss. They gave up 2 PK goals and the hardness played at Gk ended up having no impact at all on shot stopping. Wycombe played 6 hardness and gave up a PK themselves, however they generated three extra shots by playing hard and scored on two of those to win. If neither team played hardness at all, Tranmere wins this match well over 80% of the time. If just one team played hardness, it ends in a draw far more than any other result. Tranmere's lousy luck coupled with Wycombe's great luck as both teams played hardness ended up flipping the result from a Tranmere win to a Wycombe win.
CRE v. WES. Crewe's 5 hardness on the GK gave them a draw that would have otherwise been a loss. The extra stopping power kept one of Weston's shots from going into the net, and the end result was a 2-2 draw. At the same time, Crewe was incredibly lucky that both of the PK shots they gave up ended up missing or they would have lost anyway.
PLY v. CRD. Plymouth played 10 hardness and gave up a PK goal. CRD didn't get any shots in the match themselves and only got the draw because of PLY's hardness. Rob ended with a 1-1 draw that his team wins nearly 100% of the time without hardness.
CAR v. QPR. QPR got a draw from a match they would have otherwise lost. By playing 6 hardness they caused an injury which gave them 2 more shots. They scored on one of those final two chances to even the match and get the draw. CAR's 1 hardness point had no bearing on the match results.
So for Match 4 we had three teams improve their lot with hardness and two teams suffer because of their play. That brings the season total for the first four matches to:
5 teams helped by playing hardness (better result than was likely or possible w/o hardness);
8 teams hurt by playing hardness (worse result than was probable or possible if they had not played any hardness);
53 teams playing hardness that had no bearing on final match results with regard to wins, draws, and losses.
On a more serious note...and that's not to say that we understand all of Kevin's notations and methodologies outlined below--we do not--but that's what makes these OLMEC games strong. Some of us are number crunchers, some of us are game strategists, some of us are purely in it for fun...it's a good mix. We don't crunch numbers so well, but here's our thoughts on the subject.
We're very interested to see Kevin's conclusions of real results from certain tactics. As a real life attorney/political scientist/social scientist (that's a fair assessment of what I do, isn't it, Kev?) I love to see sound methodolgies attempting to quantify the heretofore "unquantifiable." I love it. My perception is that the overall impact of "mean" play will be slightly/somewhat more harmful than helpful. And that's probably the way it should be...probably the way it works in real life. Occasionally, the aggressors win championships. More frequently, though, built-in penalties derail their efforts short of the title. I think of the Oakland Raiders in this respect. Their whole program for a generation has been built on a "bad guy" image and playing beyond the rules. Well, and trading for whoever last season's Super Bowl MVP happened to be. Even their fans are outrageously abusive. That system has resulted in championship success. But more often, it results in a team leading the league in penalties...the equivalent of shooting yourself in the foot.
Now, let's talk 
about the Denver Broncos. This is a team that has had some higher degree of success in their illegal scheming. Chop blocks on the O-line, falsifying IR reports, building a stadium in high altitude, obtaining a HoF QB that they didn't draft but who refused to play for the team that rightfully earned the No. 1 pick that year...Most of these, however, are not tagged as "aggressive" or "dirty" play. In fact, with the exception of Romanowski, the keys to Denver's success has been "back door" cheating....cheating that is under the table...not out in the open. Any NFL fan will tell you that cheating that is not out in the open is not fair.
But we digress...
Our team played all season without an ounce of aggression, and we won yet another inaugural season title (division champ). This season, we have experimented with a bit o' the nasty just to keep others honest. Agression has it's place in the game...it's realistic, it's fun, and you've got to have it. However, where Clyde & Calvin have an issue with it is the ability to intentionally impose long-term ill effects upon your opponent via your aggression. Don't get us wrong...I'm not saying we need to change the system, and we're certainly not complaining about injuries. The injuries in MSWL-U are more realistic than in any other OLMEC game. (Let's be honest, in some leagues they're just down right non-existent for all practical purposes...and that's not realistic). However, it does seem like a manager can say, "I'm going to play aggressive and screw up your roster...your game...your season. Watch this..."
Maybe that is realistic, after all.
Meow,
Clyde & Calvin
That's never stopped the cats from posting replies and rebuttals before, has it?
Entirely too little has been said about Clyde & Calvin taking yet another inaugural season title by winning their division, paws down, last season. The cats demand the respect they deserve and will stare at you until they get it.
Who's first?
Meow,
Clyde & Calvin
We're speechless....
Clyde & Calvin
Sorry, Dave. I of course overlooked Match 3, Oldham v. Southend (as your prior posting nicely illustrates anyway). While Dave states that Oldham doesn't deserve credit for earning a win, perhaps they can be applauded for refraining from using the hardness that cost Southend their otherwise-earned victory? If Southend doesn't play any hardness, they win that match 100% of the time based on the numbers given. And Dave becomes the first manager of the season to give away 10 CP simply by being mean and nasty!
Last season, I kept a running update on the effects of Hardness with respect to injuries caused, yellow and red cards received, and penalty kicks given up. The intent was to see if the overall benefits of hardness (increasing shots, taking shots from the other team, injuring opponents) were balanced out by increased negatives as well (giving up PKs, increased cardings and suspensions). While the average number of injuries, etc. was tracked last season, the end result was not.
So this season I'm looking deeper into that end result: whether or not playing hardness actually helps a team get better results in their matches.
So far, I've compiled the numbers from session one and have started on session two. I'm posting the early returns in case someone sees flaws in my thinking and can let me know before I get too deep into the game results and waste several hours when I have to start from scratch.
So here is the thinking:
Hardness helps your team to get a better result from a match in Four Ways:
1) If at Gk or Sw, increased chances of stopping scoring chances/shots.
2) If at Df, Mf, or Fw, can increase the number of shots your team takes when you out-skill the opponent.
3) If at Df, Mf, or Fw, can take away shots the opponent takes when you are out-skilled at that position.
4) Increased chances of injuring the opposing players, resulting in increased shots, decreasing their shots, or decreasing their chance to stop your shots.
Hardness hurts your team in a match in Two Ways:
1) Increased chance of red cards leads to decreased area stats resulting in less shots for you, more shots for the enemy, or worse chance of stopping shots.
2) Increased chance of giving up PK's leading to vastly easier scoring chances for the opponent.
What I cannot measure is the long term impact to teams:
Losing a player to suspension - who can say if that player was going to play in the next match or session anyway?
Injured players - was the player going to sit out anyway to rest up? Did the -1 Fit affect your results next session? Did the CP you now spent on Fitness keep you from coaching a player up who could maybe help you win a match four sessions down the road? Did the injury to the Apprentice keep you from maxing out the player or were you going to stop at Rsd 4 anyway? No way to tell on those without polling every manager about every injury and taking lots and lots of guesses about how things "may" have played out if the injury didn't happen.
So focusing only on what can be measured in a given match, here are the stats I'm tracking:
1) Total additional shots generated by hardness through adding to area totals or injuring other players to reduce their area totals (when that opposing player was only injured due to the increased hardness, i.e. injury number over the 2.5% base, 1.25% for Gks).
2) Total shots taken from the other team through increased area totals or injuring other players to reduce their area totals (when that player was only injured due to the increased hardness, i.e. injury number over the 2.5% base, 1.25% for Gks).
3) Total scoring chances or shots stopped by a Sw or Gk that would not have been stopped without the additional hardness on that player (+2% Sw stop per hardness point, +2.25% Gk stop).
4) Total shots or goals that would have been stopped if a player had not been red carded due to increased hardness (your team).
5) Total shots or goals that would have been stopped if the Sw or Gk had not been injured due to increased hardness (other team).
6) Penalty kicks given up due to increased hardness.
7) Penalty kick goals given up due to increased hardness.
And then once all those shots and goals and scoring percentage chances have been tabulated, we take them all and ask the following questions:
A) How many more or less shots should each team have gotten if no hardness was played?
B) What is the percentage of scoring on shots that a team would have had (so we can see what the final score odds were)?
C) What would the score have been if a team had not gotten those extra shots from hardness?
D) What would the score have been if the team had not given up PK goals due to hardness?
And the end result is a high percentage probability of what the final outcome of the match would have been without hardness played, based on all the randomly generated numbers in the match report staying the same and calculating probabilities on shots that never happened.
So far, here's what I have:
Of the first 96 matches, only 7 were directly impacted by Hardness played. That's direct Losses or Draws or Wins likely altered by the hardness used.
Match 1, NOR v. LEW: NOR went from likely Loss to a Draw. Northampton played 4 hardness and generated four shots in addition to injuring a player and getting an additional 5 shots. They scored in those 9 shots to get a draw from a match that they would have lost 100% of the time without the hardness.
Match 1, CHF v. SU: SU went from likely Draw to a Win. Southend played 8 hardness. While injuries did occur, both were below the 2.5% cap and would have happened without hardness. Southend got dang lucky and CHF missed on BOTH of the PKs generated. Where the hardness shone out was at Gk and Sw, where the Gk made a save that would have been a goal and the Sw stopped three chances from getting through. Without those increased percentages, the game ends in a Draw 44% of the time compared with 42% for a win. Not really a shocker here due to those close chances anyway, however it did seal the win though it more easily could have resulted in a bad loss if those PKs had been converted.
Match 1, PV v. WYC: WYC went from likely Win to a Draw. The Wanderers played 6 hardness and gave up a penalty kick and goal as a result. The shot they got from the injury would have happened anyway. Without giving up that PK, they win 87% of the time, drawing 12.5% and losing .5%. Burned by hardness here.
Match 1, DAG v. PLY: PLY went from likely Draw to a Loss. Plymouth played 10 Hardness (as always) and ended up giving up a PK goal. The player they injured was helped by the physio and no shots resulted. They did take away three shots from DAG due to hardness, so there was a chance of a loss anyway. However, that chance was 21.9%. 78.10% chance of a draw and a shot at the FA Cup replay had they not played any hardness at all.
Match 2, CHF v. COV: COV went from likely Win to a Draw. Coventry City (per the NMR program) played 6 hardness and gave up a PK goal as a result. Phil's luck has been atrocious btw, as for the whole of session 1 they only converted 1 of 5 PKs! If Coventry doesn't play hard and that PK doesn't go in, they Win 55% of the time. A draw happens 38% anyway.
Match 2, LIN v. PNE: Lincoln City falls from likely Draw to a Loss. Lincoln played 10 hardness and gave up a PK goal. As no shots were taken from PNE by Lincoln's hardness over the course of the match, if Mike refrains from playing hard he gets a draw 100% of the time.
Match 2, NOR v. WAT: Watford gets Loss from a likely Draw. While both teams played hardness (NOR 4, WAT 10), Watford was the one to get burned. The injury would have happened anyway. The four shots they took away from NOR helped while the two PK goals they gave up didn't. NOR's PK goal they gave up in return wasn't enough to even things out, nor was the extra 4 shots that Watford got from their hardness in area totals. The end result was a Watford loss when without playing hardness they would have drawn 55% of the time, losing 28% anway, yet having a 17% winning chance to balance that out.
Yes, hindsight is 20/20. Yes, none of us have any idea how the numbers are going to fall in a match before it gets run. No, no one can predict what the opposing manager will do to see if those extra hardness on the Sw were wasted when you didn't see any shots anyway.
What I'm trying to get a numerical value on is whether or not Hardness is actually helping teams. For session 1, it helped only 2 teams while 5 others ultimately suffered because of playing it. For everyone else who played it you got the result you were most likely to get anyway, so I hope you're enjoying the extra DP! If nothing else, perhaps we can see a bit more chatter around these parts on the subject or anything else you'd like to chime in on?
Northampton are looking forward to the seaside trip to Southend this weekend, ice creams after the game with our feet dipping in the sea after a hard fought win!!
Looking forward to the hospitality and the 10,000 strong crowd invading Southend i trust Dave, should give your tourist attractions a reason to celebrate because the home fans are going to have their heads in the fish and chips come 8pm.
The Cobblers 
Are going out of the FA CUP in round 2
Shame aint it !
Dave, I think you and James (Watford) are in the same crying room this weekend after these results.
Tactics of Oldham and Northampton shine through against the teams that play high hardness levels as both you and watford loose to our teams who have virtually no shots.
All makes for interesting reading and the difficult decision of playing hard.
Good Luck to all as another interesting season unfolds.
OLDHAM ATHLETIC 2 SOUTHEND UNITED 1
Kuan-Yin Zhào (74)
Kuan-Yin Zhào (78)
Nahuel Sanchez (87)
Morgan Howard (89)
Zac Barnes (4)
George Cox (5)
|
0 |
Attacks |
4 |
|
0 |
Shots |
3 |
|
0 |
Shots On Goal |
2 |
|
1 |
Saves |
0 |
|
2 |
Penalty Kicks |
0 |
Rene Wilkens hold your head in shame!
| TEAM |
W |
D |
L |
GF |
GA |
PTS |
| OLDHAM |
1 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
| SOUTHEND |
1 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
3 |
| DORCHESTER |
1 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
3 |
| SWINDON |
1 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
3 |
With respect I think the 'Group of Death 'tag fits AP GROUP C ( above)
The subject line says it all...Ian (Preston North End) plays a 27 Df, 14 Mf, and a 10 Fw and WINS over Lincoln 1-nil on a PK.
(although maybe C-Ball...aka Mike Cabral...shouldn't have played 10 Hardness...but that's not the point).
I look for a full apology from Ian soon on this matter. 
Northampton Town are over the moon with a draw and a win in what is considered to be the group of Death. Northampton overrun by the great Tranmere managed to find resolve and come back to draw 1-1. In the game v Watford an avalanche of shots was expected by the crowd, Northampton tacticians had other ideas and with Watford putting it about a bit Northampton came out on top with 2-1 on penalties.
Another great season in prospect and many thanks to the Al Sellars FA for what could be the best season yet.
Regards Northampton press officer
Part 3 of a 3-poster:
Overall Best Streaks for Season 1 (apart from that one match where thankfully the police caught Dowson before he could make it onto the pitch and get on camera):
Best winning streak - Watford, 6. Honorable mention for 5 wins goes to PNE, NOR, CRD.
Best undefeated streak (wins/draws) - Cardiff City FC, 12. Honorable mention for 11 goes to WAT.
Worst losing streak - Nottingham Forest, 9. Honorable(?) mention for 7 goes to LIN.
Individual team bests for Season 1 with current streak carrying over to this season (W=wins, U=undefeated, L=losses):
| Team | Wins | Undef | Losses | Current |
| BRE | 4 | 4 | 2 | 3 U |
| BHA | 4 | 6 | 2 | 1 W, 6 U |
| BRI | 4 | 5 | 4 | 2 U |
| CRD | 5 | 12 | 3 | 5 U |
| CAR | 3 | 7 | 6 | 1 W, 1 U |
| CHF | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 L |
| CRE | 3 | 4 | 5 | 2 W, 2 U |
| DAG | 4 | 6 | 4 | 4 W, 6 U |
| DER | 4 | 5 | 2 | 2 L |
| DOR | 3 | 7 | 3 | 1 W, 3 U |
| HER | 3 | 4 | 2 | 1 L |
| LEE | 4 | 7 | 3 | 1 W, 1 U |
| LEI | 1 | 5 | 4 | 2 L |
| LEW | 4 | 7 | 2 | 2 W, 7 U |
| LIN | 2 | 2 | 7 | 2 U |
| NOR | 5 | 5 | 3 | 1 L |
| NOT | 2 | 2 | 9 | 9 L |
| OLD | 3 | 5 | 2 | 1 L |
| PLY | 2 | 4 | 2 | 1 W, 1 U |
| PV | 2 | 6 | 2 | 1 L |
| PNE | 5 | 8 | 4 | 3 U |
| QPR | 3 | 5 | 2 | 1 L |
| SHF | 3 | 4 | 2 | 1 W, 4 U |
| SU | 2 | 3 | 4 | 1 W, 1 U |
| SWA | 1 | 5 | 5 | 3 U |
| SWI | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 L |
| TRA | 4 | 7 | 3 | 7 U |
| WAT | 6 | 11 | 2 | 2 U |
| WES | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 L |
| WYC | 2 | 5 | 4 | 1 L |
Best of luck to all in beating the old Wins column and avoiding a new high in the Losses!
Part 2 of a 3-poster:
Last season only 10 of the 28 teams fully developed a youth player (3 PU for Sby or 5 PU for App). Overall, only 42 of the 312 youth players in the league at some point were fully developed. That calculates to 13.5%, or roughly 2 of every 15 youth. Teams that did finish youth training are:
| Team | Sby | App |
| BRE | 3 | 4 |
| CRD | 4 | 3 |
| DER | 1 | 0 |
| LEE | 0 | 1 |
| LEW | 0 | 1 |
| LIN | 3 | 0 |
| NOR | 3 | 0 |
| PLY | 6 | 3 |
| TRA | 5 | 2 |
| WAT | 1 | 2 |
| Total | 26 | 16 |
Given that player value for non-league sales uses age as a multiplier, it is no surprise that the top teams in total value are on this list as well. We'll see this season if young talent will see teams through to success, or if those who neglected youth while striving for early victories still have enough of an edge in SL to hold out for the Championships this year.
Part 1 of a 3-poster on random stats to peruse and discuss:
Last season's final stats for Home Team Winning Percentage. Neutral games not counted (AP Cup group stages, all Youth Cup matches, FA semis & finals).
| Competition | Wins | Draws | Losses | Percentage |
| League | 133 | 64 | 73 | 61.11% |
| FA Cup | 12 | 13 | 16 | 45.12% |
| FA Shield | 9 | 2 | 4 | 66.67% |
| AP Cup | 9 | 1 | 5 | 63.33% |
| Total | 163 | 80 | 98 | 59.53% |
For those who have followed professional footie far longer than I, how does a 60% home win rate compare with real life league matches?
Given that I had a plethora of SBY/APPs, I never needed to use CP on Fitness for anything other than getting an injured player back down to -2 fitness. It never really became a problem for me with players losing fitness due to excessive usage. I had enough players in all positions to be able to make sure that players either stayed at the same fitness, or moved up due to not playing in the given session.
At the end of the season, most of my players were over Fit 0 without ever being coached in that area.
Then you can play your T11 & they wont be -3 EL after 3 sessions!
Hi guys,
In response to Mr. Holden's question, here are a few thoughts:
- You might want to decide up front: What competitions do I want to go deep into? Or do I want to just focus on the league? Or both. That will determine how you play your better skilled versus lower skilled players.
- Unlike the other Olmec leagues, this league places more emphasis on building from within (which I think is fun). On average you might get 1-2 players in the auctions over the course of a season. However, you probably also need to work on 3-4 SBYs and 3-4 APPs each season to keep a pipeline of players moving forward into eventual Backroom Boy roles.
- On the Backroom Boy front, I think this is a nice feature too as previously players just "retired"...here, an age IV has value such that you want to keep him if you have a slot for him in a Backroom Boy role.
- By playing your SBY/APP players, it does mean that you won't have "top 11" type lineups every game, so you need to decide how to play them (back to that league vs. cup competition decision). On the other hand you can just ignore SBY/APP development, but I think that won't work out too well in the long run (though it may for short term wins or if you have a focus on winning the league for example).
- The FIT (Fitness) level is something I like...as it allows you to decide how to play players. For example...if you have a surplus at a position, you might not play a player at all to send them from FIT 0 to FIT 1 after the session. If you coach for FIT too they'd be a FIT of 2. That number is important as for outfielders SL + FIT is what gets used in the area totals. So a positive fitness level has an important impact in a lineup.
- On your Gk question, yes a 2 out of 3 game format to keep the player at the same FIT will work. It gets interesting though if you have 4 game sessions (which you 'may' if you advance into cup competitions).
- In this game you earn CP each session (for non-injured Age I+ players and for wins/draws)...so you are certainly incented to do well in some of the games. How you spend them is your choice, but its likely you'll want to focus on some players for SL and occasionally some for FIT. I did both...though I didn't have a pre-season strategy and sort of made it up as I went along...
- For players there's a point of diminishing returns too...so you need to determine...do I really want to CP a I/8 player? The best he can ever be is a 14...while a I/10 player has an SL 16 potential (see this table from Rob Peterson on player start/end potential).
Those are just a few thoughts...
Al
Seeing as this is my first Manager-style online football management game, I'm just a bit confused on the strategy here.
It seems as I could play my T11 for the first 3 sessions but then they'll be down to -3 EL. What are the squad rotation strategies? Say for instance if I play say my top keeper 2 out of every 3 games each session will his EL never go down? And how do you use CP in order to increase your players' statistics? I understand the concept but I don't understand the strategy.
Thanks,
John
Veteran Southend United GoalKeeper Joshua Hunter has agreed terms with West Coutry outfit Hereford United
Pending a medical examination he will be joining The Bulls pre-season training camp shortly
The fee is believed to be in the region of 100k
The Board,Management & players of Southend wish him well!
Hurray! We won two top notch players to shore up our defense and midfield. With those guys covering our weak spots this team looks in good shape to make a push from the 2nd to 1st division next season. Unfortunately, I didn't really want to win either of them. 
I was aiming for the whole "make the guys with tons of money actually have to spend some to get a good player"-level of bidding. I overshot apparently. Oh well. Live and learn and prepare for the Bluebirds to poop on your happiness next season! Our FA Cup final loss to the evil Brentford Bee empire will be avenged!
Al - that table tool is awesome! Howcome I hadn't known about that sooner?!
Couldn't make it to the first division... couldn't win any Cups... lost a lot of auctions. It's good to know that I can finish first in something...
Hi All,
Just a little more data to follow-on Kevin's excellent season long tracking...
This table shows the average hardness played this season broken out by team.
Al
| Pl | Team | Abb | Total Hrd | Matches | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Plymouth Argyle FC | PLY | 275 | 28 | 9.82 |
| 2 | Watford | WAT | 223 | 29 | 7.69 |
| 3 | Southend United | SU | 187 | 29 | 6.45 |
| 4 | Coventry City | COV | 38 | 6 | 6.33 |
| 5 | Lincoln City FC | LIN | 161 | 28 | 5.75 |
| 6 | Blyth Spartans AFC | BLY | 54 | 10 | 5.40 |
| 7 | Crewe Alexandra FC | CRE | 146 | 29 | 5.03 |
| 8 | Brentford FC | BRE | 135 | 31 | 4.35 |
| 9 | Northampton Town FC | NOR | 110 | 26 | 4.23 |
| 10 | Weston-super-Mare AFC | WES | 87 | 24 | 3.63 |
| 11 | Preston North End FC | PNE | 90 | 28 | 3.21 |
| 12 | Sheffield United | SHU | 92 | 29 | 3.17 |
| 13 | Port Vale FC | PV | 70 | 26 | 2.69 |
| 14 | Swindon Town FC | SWI | 68 | 28 | 2.43 |
| 15 | Wycombe Wanderers | WYC | 62 | 26 | 2.38 |
| 16 | Swansea City AFC | SWA | 55 | 25 | 2.20 |
| 17 | Dagenham & Redbridge | DAG | 54 | 28 | 1.93 |
| 18 | Tranmere Rovers | TRA | 60 | 33 | 1.82 |
| 19 | Dorchester Town | DOR | 46 | 27 | 1.70 |
| 20 | Hereford United FC | HER | 43 | 28 | 1.54 |
| 21 | Nottingham Forest | FOR | 38 | 25 | 1.52 |
| 22 | Bristol City FC | BRI | 37 | 27 | 1.37 |
| 23 | Derby County | DER | 35 | 29 | 1.21 |
| 24 | Leeds United | LEE | 25 | 27 | 0.93 |
| 25 | Chesterfield FC | CHF | 24 | 27 | 0.89 |
| 26 | Queens Park Rangers | QPR | 19 | 29 | 0.66 |
| 27 | Oldham Athletic AFC | OLA | 10 | 26 | 0.38 |
| 28 | Carlisle United | CAR | 9 | 27 | 0.33 |
| 29 | Lewes FC | LEW | 8 | 27 | 0.30 |
| 30 | Brighton & Hove Albion | BHA | 4 | 28 | 0.14 |
| 31 | Leicester City FC | LEI | 0 | 26 | 0.00 |
| 32 | Cardiff City FC | CRD | 0 | 30 | 0.00 |
Well done to Chesterfield, Watford, Oldham and especially Lewes who now hold the mantle of most disliked club by the fans at the Cobblers after they pipped us to the 4th place spot.
Penalties in the dying seconds gave Lewes the reward of a draw against arch enemies Northampton and then went onto to win in their last game, well done Andy from the coaching team at Northampton, however cannot guarantee the fans will give a warm welcome when we meet again in the forthcoming season!!
In the final games a massive well done for Watford who secured the title, even still playing high hardness and attractive forward thinking football, next year division one teams will need to build a brick wall at the back to stop Watfords hardmen taking a second title?
Good luck everyone for next season and a big thanks to Al for coming up with this league.
Simon
Chesterfield FC
Inaugural Season Division Champions
How sweet it is!
Clyde & Calvin
Season One of MSWL - United has come to a close, with only the 6 matches left to determine the overall League Champion. 846 total matches' worth of stats are now available for processing to see how things shaped up and with an eye toward possible changes that could be made in future seasons to improve the league through gameplay, competitive balance, or to make it more fun in certain areas.
As an example, I propose a taunting contest where we get a Manager of the Week for each division, and the opposing manager from that division with the best taunt or good-natured barb thrown their way gets a 10k bonus or so. Who would pass up the chance to get league-sanctioned and outright encouraged shots at Dancin' Dave or James "The Hitman" Tucker?
Some other managers though, prefer to throw elbows and let their late slide tackles and deliberate headbutts when leaping for a ball do all the talking. Which is why I've been tracking the effects of hardness in this first season so everyone can get a clearer picture to debate over. Decide for yourself whether or not the added area totals as well as the increase in chance to take out the opposing players is truly offset by the odds of penalty kicks going up and getting suspended more frequently (or if they even are getting PKs/red cards at a rate high enough to be statistically significant).
So with that in mind, here is the final installment of the running table for Hardness Tracking in Season 1. This is through the end of Session 10 and includes matches 1-42, cumulative.
| Hardness # | Matches | Yellow Cards | Red Cards | Injuries | PKs | Avg YC | Avg RC | Avg Inj | Avg PK |
| 0 | 420 | 208 | 44 | 123 | 19 | 0.50 | 0.10 | 0.29 | 0.05 |
| 1 | 65 | 37 | 11 | 24 | 10 | 0.57 | 0.17 | 0.37 | 0.15 |
| 2 | 21 | 16 | 3 | 14 | 5 | 0.76 | 0.14 | 0.67 | 0.24 |
| 3 | 52 | 45 | 10 | 23 | 22 | 0.87 | 0.19 | 0.44 | 0.42 |
| 4 | 48 | 47 | 10 | 32 | 29 | 0.98 | 0.21 | 0.67 | 0.60 |
| 5 | 66 | 87 | 8 | 46 | 32 | 1.32 | 0.12 | 0.70 | 0.48 |
| 6 | 31 | 37 | 5 | 24 | 15 | 1.19 | 0.16 | 0.77 | 0.48 |
| 7 | 30 | 49 | 9 | 30 | 19 | 1.63 | 0.30 | 1.00 | 0.63 |
| 8 | 16 | 30 | 7 | 16 | 14 | 1.88 | 0.44 | 1.00 | 0.88 |
| 9 | 14 | 33 | 8 | 18 | 12 | 2.36 | 0.57 | 1.29 | 0.86 |
| 10 | 83 | 192 | 28 | 97 | 79 | 2.31 | 0.34 | 1.17 | 0.95 |
Congratulations on Chesterfield sneaking the top of the 1st Division.
I say that as if BHA's game v Dorchester Town had ended with a win for either team, that team would have won the division.
Not that we both didn't try - the dice just didn't happen to want to provide a goal for either team.
I just wish we had been more adventurous in the early part of the season , as we finished with 6 wins and a draw in the last 7 league games (19 points from 21) - the only draw being the 2nd last match v Dorchester.
Anyhow thanks to everyone (especially AL) for the 1st season - I am sure this will go on to greater things once it beds itself in.
Not sure about season 2 for myself though - will confess I am not into this thuggery hooliganism hardness part (designed for no other reason but to cause injuries - that's the way I see it, sorry!)
But off to celebrate at least putting BHA into the 1st division for next season's proper start!!
Hello
So with 2 games left in the season I've taken over the reins to Division C bound Nottingham Forest.
Unlike the real Forest there is no hope of survival this season.
But I've put in the final line-ups for the season and as per Al's advice CP'd up to the max.
Any further advice for the newbie would be appreciated.
Looking forward to trying out MSWL
Here is a table of the Total CP Earned through Session 9. Since Session 10 will carry over to next season's starting tally, this is the total amount of CP earned by each team (minus the 2 Non-League Teams) and not counting the 30 CP we all started with. This is for comparison sake so you can see who fared the best this season and also for comparison between first and last on the listing. If nothing else, the top 3 teams should be more potent early next season - so at least you'll know who to watch out for!
Table is set up by teams, then CP earned for each session (S1, S2, etc.), and then totals for each team. Averages for each session on the bottom rows, as well as overall averages so you can see how you fared vs. everyone else.
| Team | S1 | S2 | S3 | S4 | S5 | S6 | S7 | S8 | S9 | Total |
| Watford | 30 | 40 | 26 | 35 | 26 | 36 | 41 | 45 | 41 | 320 |
| Tranmere Rovers | 39 | 34 | 40 | 25 | 35 | 45 | 25 | 26 | 41 | 310 |
| Derby County | 29 | 28 | 38 | 30 | 42 | 19 | 46 | 26 | 45 | 303 |
| Cardiff City FC | 24 | 28 | 21 | 36 | 46 | 31 | 41 | 36 | 31 | 294 |
| Oldham Athletic AFC | 20 | 46 | 31 | 38 | 23 | 37 | 27 | 37 | 28 | 287 |
| Queens Park Rangers | 35 | 40 | 20 | 45 | 26 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 26 | 285 |
| Preston North End FC | 34 | 29 | 43 | 33 | 23 | 43 | 36 | 16 | 25 | 282 |
| Brentford FC | 29 | 39 | 22 | 33 | 45 | 35 | 20 | 34 | 24 | 281 |
| Brighton & Hove Albion | 24 | 44 | 19 | 35 | 20 | 40 | 24 | 35 | 34 | 275 |
| Leeds United | 24 | 43 | 38 | 25 | 25 | 40 | 34 | 30 | 16 | 275 |
| Dorchester Town | 35 | 40 | 30 | 35 | 29 | 25 | 33 | 23 | 24 | 274 |
| Sheffield United | 25 | 39 | 34 | 28 | 34 | 30 | 25 | 24 | 33 | 272 |
| Port Vale FC | 35 | 30 | 41 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 30 | 27 | 268 |
| Lewes FC | 19 | 35 | 33 | 29 | 24 | 34 | 24 | 34 | 34 | 266 |
| Chesterfield FC | 34 | 34 | 44 | 24 | 23 | 33 | 23 | 22 | 23 | 260 |
| Northampton Town FC | 24 | 22 | 33 | 33 | 23 | 34 | 43 | 28 | 19 | 259 |
| Plymouth Argyle FC | 29 | 19 | 34 | 24 | 39 | 33 | 28 | 34 | 19 | 259 |
| Crewe Alexandra F.C. | 35 | 19 | 23 | 29 | 24 | 34 | 35 | 35 | 20 | 254 |
| Bristol City FC | 40 | 30 | 28 | 35 | 29 | 15 | 36 | 29 | 9 | 251 |
| Hereford United F.C. | 39 | 18 | 33 | 29 | 34 | 18 | 24 | 22 | 32 | 249 |
| Southend United | 23 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 34 | 36 | 36 | 25 | 246 |
| Dagenham & Redbridge | 39 | 19 | 30 | 39 | 13 | 37 | 14 | 15 | 35 | 241 |
| Swindon Town FC | 25 | 44 | 34 | 24 | 20 | 29 | 19 | 29 | 14 | 238 |
| Wycombe Wanderers | 30 | 29 | 19 | 25 | 25 | 35 | 31 | 16 | 26 | 236 |
| Swansea City AFC | 25 | 15 | 25 | 25 | 30 | 29 | 29 | 24 | 19 | 221 |
| Weston-super-Mare AFC | 19 | 33 | 23 | 33 | 21 | 26 | 21 | 17 | 27 | 220 |
| Carlisle United | 40 | 48 | 20 | 21 | 24 | 17 | 11 | 12 | 21 | 214 |
| Leiecester City FC | 28 | 33 | 20 | 14 | 27 | 27 | 22 | 17 | 22 | 210 |
| Lincoln City FC | 29 | 28 | 22 | 13 | 13 | 32 | 23 | 23 | 13 | 196 |
| Nottingham Forest | 28 | 38 | 19 | 15 | 25 | 25 | 13 | 15 | 14 | 192 |
| Totals | 889 | 966 | 866 | 860 | 819 | 930 | 840 | 801 | 767 | 7738 |
| Averages | 30 | 32 | 29 | 29 | 27 | 31 | 28 | 27 | 26 | 258 |
So the overall Average CP per Team for the season was 258. Per session average was 29.
For the stat guys: Median (middle number if they were all laid out in sequence) was 28.5. Mode (# appearing most frequently) was 34.
The most earned in one session was 48 by Carlisle United in Session 2. The fewest was 9 by Bristol City FC in Session 9.
Not to steal Rob "Youth Trainer Extraordinaire" Peterson's thunder with this post, as I'm sure he'll give us a more thorough rundown in the future, yet to call attention to those of you who can still get one last RSD point for your youth players this season...
Of the 132 Schoolboys in the league, only 14 (10.6%) have already reached the max of 3 RSD for the season. Another 13 (9.8%) can make it with some attention for Session 10. Of those 27 total though, they come from only 9 teams and over half of them come from just 3 teams combined: PLY (6), TRA (5), and CRD (4).
Of the 180 Apprentices in the league (6 for each team at the start of the season), only 17 (9.4%) still have a chance to max out at 5 RSD for the season. While suspensions and injuries can prevent a player from reaching that mark, on most teams it appears that lack of attention played a far greater role. Those 17 players all come from only 7 teams, with over half coming from only three teams: PLY (4), BRE (4), and CRD (3). WAT (2), TRA (2), LEE (1), and LEW (1) are the other four.
While it will probably be another two full seasons before we see the full impact of youth development on total team SL, there is little doubt that those teams will have the edge in team depth to absorb suspensions/injuries and also have some trade bait once that aspect of the league swings into full gear next season.
On the negative end of the youth equation, the rules note that any App who has not reached at least SL 5 will retire from the league and not age to age I for the next season. Of those starting at SL 4 (3 per team to start the season), only POR (1) and QPR (2) will lose some players. QPR, LEE, and CAR also have Apps at 2 QNL that need both matches in Session 10 to prevent them from retiring without benefit to the team. If they get those points, at least they can be on the roster next season to sell for cash or sit there and earn 1 CP per session for not getting injured.
Of the Apprentices that started at SL 3 (1 per team to start the season), the following teams will lose that player: QPR, TRA, SHF, LEI, WAT, BRE, BHA, DER, & PV. The following teams have to sink 2 QNL into their player to keep them afloat for next year (RSD 1, QNL 2 right now): CRD, DOR, LEE, NOT, WES, WYC. And CAR and CHF need 1 QNL to keep theirs in the league (currently at RSD 1, QNL 3).
Any teams not mentioned will have to check on their own to see if they can scrape one last RSD point for this season, though they can at least rest assured that they will not be losing any players if not noted in the two paragraphs above this one.
With the completely different format of youth development than other Olmec leagues, I am interested to see how all this will play out by this time next year. Will any of us be able to withstand the entire T11 of SL 10+ players that Plymouth may be throwing our way every match soon enough? Will the lack of youth attention come back to bite some teams having success this first season like OLD, CHF, PV, & QPR? Or can early victories and cash bonuses allow them to buy their way out of trouble with some quality off-season auction purchases? I guess we'll all find out the answer to that one soon enough.
As we draw to the conclusion of season 1 of MSWL UNITED The Management & playing staff of Southend United United would like to thank 'El Presidente' Al Sellers for instigating & procurring another fine cousin of the 'OLMEC LEAGUES'.
Season 1 has been a mixed affair for 'The Blues' ...
We enjoyed a fair amount of success (reaching the semi-Finals of both the FA Shield & the Youth Cup) was very rewarding.
With just the two league games to play for us we find our selves in the position that if we win both we will start season 2 in the second Division
If we do not win both it looks pretty certain that we will be in Division 3.
The upside is that our games are (1) at home to Cup Finalists Brentford & then (2) away at Weston Super Mare, the two teams directly above us in the league
As I said if we beat those two they will both be condemned to Division 3 Football next season & we will be playing in Division 2
All in All a Very Enjoyable first MSWL UNITED first season whatever the outcome
Thanks Al!
Latest update on Hardness effects through the end of Session 9 (matches 1 - 37 cumulative). As always, if anything is unclear check the prior postings for explanations or drop me a note. These account of 780 of the 846 match totals we will have this season, for 92% of the season completed.
| Hardness # | Matches | Yellow Cards | Red Cards | Injuries | PKs | Avg YC | Avg RC | Avg Inj | Avg PKs |
| 0 | 393 | 191 | 44 | 119 | 17 | 0.49 | 0.11 | 0.30 | 0.04 |
| 1 | 63 | 35 | 9 | 22 | 10 | 0.56 | 0.14 | 0.35 | 0.16 |
| 2 | 19 | 14 | 3 | 11 | 5 | 0.74 | 0.16 | 0.58 | 0.26 |
| 3 | 49 | 43 | 9 | 22 | 21 | 0.88 | 0.18 | 0.45 | 0.43 |
| 4 | 45 | 45 | 10 | 30 | 25 | 1.00 | 0.22 | 0.67 | 0.56 |
| 5 | 58 | 80 | 7 | 40 | 25 | 1.38 | 0.12 | 0.69 | 0.43 |
| 6 | 31 | 37 | 5 | 24 | 15 | 1.19 | 0.16 | 0.77 | 0.48 |
| 7 | 27 | 43 | 8 | 27 | 16 | 1.59 | 0.30 | 1.00 | 0.59 |
| 8 | 16 | 30 | 7 | 16 | 14 | 1.88 | 0.44 | 1.00 | 0.88 |
| 9 | 12 | 25 | 6 | 15 | 10 | 2.08 | 0.50 | 1.25 | 0.83 |
| 10 | 67 | 154 | 20 | 81 | 65 | 2.30 | 0.30 | 1.21 | 0.97 |
Rob's idea on Apps aging and getting CP credit has merit. However, if we're aging prior to assigning CP then you'd also have to age out the rest of the squad and that could lead to retirements also affecting CP allocation. It's a lot simplier to just assign the CP based on the squad at the end of the Session 10 as the program would do anyway. Then the totals are in the 'bank' so all the aging, retirements, brb conversions, etc. can be processed independently without having to do all of that at the end of the session before CP can be allocated.
Hey Al,
One suggestion... The rules indicate that you get a CP for all fit, "non-Youth" players. Since the last session is a little unique whereby players age and then the new season starts, can we make sure that the CPs awarded account for the APPs that will graduate to Age I's ?
Manager Trevor Taylor showed nothing but praise for the way his team performed in the AP Cup Final. In an unusually open and attacking final chances were plentiful and the 1-0 result was not reflective of the game. Taylor thanked the Fan's of the club who made the journey to Loftus Road stating that they made all the difference. They were the 12th Man in the game.
Curiously, the Rams pick up their first silverware since the days of Brian Clough in the early 1970's just as the prodical son takes control at Pride Park. Is this an omen for next season in the Championship?
Good question.
There are probably a lot of different ways to do this, however, here's how I'm planning to handle it. The CP you have in your bank account after session 10 will be EXACTLY the amount you will have to start session 1 next season. I'm not sure if other leagues allow "close season" coaching, but I'm not setup for it now anyway.
So if you have a total of 35 CP after session 10, that's what you'll have to use for session 1 next season. I'm not planning for any CP purchased in the off-season or anything like that.
Here's how I've updated the rules to clarify this (they weren't clear before):
10.1 COACHING POINTS (CPs)
At the start of each session, a team receives CPs as follows:
1 CP for each non-youth fit player (fit means better than -3 fitness.)
10 CP for winning any game
5 CP for drawing any game
No more than 15 CPs may be carried over from one session to the next. All CP earned at the end of session 10
will represent the amount that team has to start the following season in session 1.
Al
Does anyone know if CP earned in session 10 are what we will start with as our CP allocation in season 2 for session 1.
I cant find the referrence to it in the rules.
Shame on El Presidente for exposing his Offspring as a Hoodlum!
|
Doesn't he know ..
You need facial hair to be a real HOODLUM!
Match 38 features the Alan Parr Cup Final between Trevor Taylor's Derby County and James White's Queens Park Rangers.
Its probably, very likely, or at least possible that these two managers do not like each other, so...
THESE TWO MANAGERS DO NOT LIKE EACH OTHER!!!!
My prediction is that we'll need AT LEAST Extra Time to decide the winner if not penalties.
Good luck to both managers.
Al
It's getting to the stage of thinking about next season. Trouble is, I didn't have a coherent plan for this season.
Not sure how I'm going to come up with a plan for next season!!
Our resources aren't too bad at this stage. We seem to have plenty of cash so we'll be able to buy plenty of TP and CP in the close season.
No, er, hang on. That's those other games isn't it? Ok, no problem. We'll be able to spend it on the off season auction. Maybe buy in a couple of above average players and hopefully sell off some of ours.
Hmm, no. I've got a selection of age 4's due to become age 5's. Those guys are going to head to the back stage area and Coach, Youth coach, Groundsman, Physio, etc, etc.
Looks like we'll be investing in some skilled age 2 or 3 players. I assume the players we'll be able to bid on in the off season will be already aged??
Our current plan for this season is to avoid relegation now. Thankfully, I don't think we can be relegated, so that's going to be ok.
Next up we've got two of the better teams in the division, so I'll be hoping to fluke a couple of draws. I notice that despite our careful and considerate play, we've picked up a surprising number of injuries and red/yellow cards. So maybe we'll play both of these teams with full hardness and see if we can influence the run in :-)
Derby County face a difficult visit to QPR in the upcoming first domestic trophy final of the season. Tickets for the away supporters end sold out within 2 hours of going on sale so there should be a great atmosphere for the event.
Derby manager Trevor Taylor remains cautious about his teams chances, especially after the extra time victory in the semi-final. He commented to the fan zine 'The lads have worked really hard. Saturday is for them now. We have prepared them as well as we can and it's up to them to express themselves on the day.'
Latest update for tracking the per match effects of hardness. This is as of the end of Session 8 (matches 1-33 cumulative). These numbers show 714 of the 846 matches computed, 84% of the season to date.
| Hardness # | Matches | Yellow Cards | Red Cards | Injuries | PKs | Avg YC | Avg RC | Avg Inj | Avg PK |
| 0 | 364 | 171 | 40 | 111 | 14 |
0.47 |
0.11 | 0.30 | 0.04 |
| 1 | 56 | 30 | 9 | 19 | 9 | 0.54 | 0.16 | 0.34 | 0.16 |
| 2 | 16 | 12 | 3 | 10 | 4 | 0.75 | 0.19 | 0.63 | 0.25 |
| 3 | 49 | 43 | 9 | 22 | 21 | 0.88 | 0.18 | 0.45 | 0.43 |
| 4 | 43 | 44 | 10 | 30 | 25 | 1.02 | 0.23 | 0.70 | 0.58 |
| 5 | 49 | 66 | 5 | 32 | 22 | 1.35 | 0.10 | 0.65 | 0.45 |
| 6 | 31 | 37 | 5 | 24 | 15 | 1.19 | 0.16 | 0.77 | 0.48 |
| 7 | 26 | 43 | 7 | 25 | 15 | 1.65 | 0.27 | 0.96 | 0.58 |
| 8 | 15 | 27 | 7 | 16 | 13 | 1.80 | 0.47 | 1.07 | 0.87 |
| 9 | 11 | 25 | 5 | 13 | 8 | 2.27 | 0.45 | 1.18 | 0.73 |
| 10 | 54 | 123 | 15 | 72 | 58 | 2.28 | 0.28 | 1.33 | 1.07 |
Nice of Al to spot the BHA team starting to put on its running shoes - too late for the top of the league but at least to get clear of the relegation zone.
Can't see how we got so high in the ratings (if not in the results) as we coach to the limit of our CP holding - and recently we have not earned as many as a lot of clubs.
Not been particularly good on the road , but with only 2 matches and NOT playing the 2 players assaulted and battered last week, we still had a fair team out in both games - concentrating on the home games mainly (this time v Al's Brentford).
The away match at Preston we scored 2-0 and went 3 goals better against Al.
This brightened up our league position no end and at the same time moved us outside the automatic drop zone.
This weekend we only have 2 matches - both away, and we will be out for maximum points prior to the final 2 games (for us) to end the season.
DOCTOR CRIPPEN for your your youngsters C-Ball
He'll put them out of their misery!
Over here at LIN headquarters, we just noticed our Quarterfinal Youth Cup match today is against Dirty Dave Dowson. His mug has been up on the roughest coaches list since the very beginning! Can I add Dr. Marcus Welby, MD as a coach, just for today's match?
Has anyone else noticed that PBM veteran (and when I say veteran I mean 'slightly older and distinguished') David Blair is quietly building a juggernaut at Brighton and Hove Albion?
Mr. Blair (along with Alon Atie) lead the league with a 12.45 Top 11 SL average. In addition, David has a 11.5 SL Average when expanding out to the Top 16...a league leading number.
It appears we may need some anti-David Blair rules as well?
We hope to keep it close in our league match today, however we realize that with David celebrating his 100th birthday, his home fans will be pretty worked up.
Al
Hey Guys,
Can I just point out that we are not a dirty team and that the referee is clearly being conned here. I have never sent the guys out to deliberately play dirty. We're far too nice for that.
I reckon it's other teams putting the boot in and then rolling round on the deck when they see the ref looking over.
Oscar certainties the lot of them.
Who's in danger of carrying DP over into next season? Let's take a look at the top "bad boys" (stats gathered from the list that Al sent out yesterday).
| Team | First | Last | Yellow | Red | DP |
| Swindon Town FC | Zámor | Dobos | 3 | 2 | 32 |
| Watford | Johannes | Karlsson | 3 | 2 | 32 |
| Watford | William | Arvidsson | 3 | 2 | 32 |
| Crewe Alexandra FC | Muhammed | Whitehead | 4 | 2 | 28 |
| Northampton Town FC | Dominic | Thompson | 2 | 2 | 28 |
| Plymouth Argyle FC | Reuben | Shah | 2 | 2 | 28 |
| Hereford United FC | Alexander | Thomson | 4 | 1 | 26 |
| Watford | Samuel | Healy | 4 | 1 | 26 |
| Cardiff City FC | Jakob | Maier | 1 | 2 | 24 |
| Northampton Town FC | Ben | Smith | 6 | 0 | 24 |
| Plymouth Argyle FC | Oscar | Stevens | 3 | 2 | 24 |
| Queens Park Rangers | Joshua | Stewart | 1 | 2 | 24 |
| Brentford FC | Brent | Mertens | 3 | 1 | 22 |
| Plymouth Argyle FC | Rhys | Wilson | 5 | 1 | 22 |
| Preston North End FC | Adam | Hughes | 3 | 1 | 22 |
| Lincoln City FC | Cesar | Parra | 5 | 0 | 20 |
| Nottingham Forest | Zachary | Dean | 0 | 2 | 20 |
| Plymouth Argyle FC | Kyle | Clarke | 5 | 0 | 20 |
| Port Vale FC | Joseph | Daugherty | 2 | 2 | 20 |
| Tranmere Rovers | Freddie | Adams | 0 | 2 | 20 |
| Wycombe Wanderers | Cathal | Connolly | 0 | 2 | 20 |
As you can see, there are already 3 players who will carry over DP into Season 2:
- Zamar Dobos (Swindon Town)
- Johannes Karlsson (Watford)
- William Arvidsson (Watford)
However, there are a number of players who are right on their heels!
| Team | First | Last | Yellow | Red | DP |
| Plymouth Argyle FC | Reuben | Shah | 2 | 2 | 28 |
| Oscar | Stevens | 3 | 2 | 24 | |
| Rhys | Wilson | 5 | 1 | 22 | |
| Kyle | Clarke | 5 | 0 | 20 | |
| Taylor | Booth | 4 | 1 | 18 | |
| Ashton | Phillips | 4 | 0 | 16 | |
| Jesus | Hidalgo | 4 | 0 | 16 | |
| Oscar | Gibson | 3 | 0 | 12 | |
| Muhammed | Gill | 3 | 0 | 12 | |
| Luke | Shah | 3 | 0 | 12 | |
| Lewis | Frost | 3 | 0 | 12 | |
| Leo | Singh | 0 | 1 | 10 | |
| Lilian | Chapelle | 2 | 0 | 8 | |
| Victor | Pascal | 2 | 0 | 8 | |
| Morgan | Harris | 2 | 0 | 8 | |
| Kian | Cooke | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Zak | Perry | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Logan | Walsh | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| David | Cooke | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Henry | Martin | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Edward | Thomas | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Brian | O'Donnell | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Leo | Mitchell | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Lautaro | Peralta | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Port Vale FC | Joseph | Daugherty | 2 | 2 | 20 |
| Sebastian | Nuñez | 0 | 1 | 10 | |
| Claudio | Rossi | 0 | 1 | 10 | |
| Mathias | Joseph | 2 | 1 | 10 | |
| Ethan | Wood | 2 | 0 | 8 | |
| Lucas | Hall | 2 | 0 | 8 | |
| Ben | Hughes | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Daniel | Carroll | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Jamie | Robinson | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Cameron | Murray | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Reece | McCarthy | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Matthew | MacLean | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Dylan | Moss | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Jannis | Krüger | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Preston North End FC | Adam | Hughes | 3 | 1 | 22 |
| Ethan | King | 1 | 1 | 14 | |
| Benjamin | Simpson | 0 | 1 | 10 | |
| Tom | Jung | 0 | 1 | 10 | |
| Theo | Patel | 2 | 0 | 8 | |
| Aaron | Stewart | 2 | 0 | 8 | |
| Dylan | Stewart | 2 | 0 | 8 | |
| Tomas | Henriksen | 2 | 0 | 8 | |
| Charles | Moss | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Anton | Haug | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Christopher | McCormick | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Guillaume | Desmet | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Exequiel | Ruiz | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Leon | Cook | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Queens Park Rangers | Joshua | Stewart | 1 | 2 | 24 |
| Rhys | Stevenson | 2 | 1 | 18 | |
| Kieran | Murphy | 2 | 0 | 8 | |
| Connor | Singh | 2 | 0 | 8 | |
| Liam | Mitchell | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Michael | Lynch | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Sheffield United | Luke | MacLean | 1 | 1 | 14 |
| Morgan | Robson | 3 | 0 | 12 | |
| Louie | Griffiths | 3 | 0 | 12 | |
| Mason | Edwards | 3 | 0 | 12 | |
| Christopher | Munro | 0 | 1 | 10 | |
| Júlio | Rodrigues | 2 | 0 | 8 | |
| Scott | Whyte | 2 | 0 | 8 | |
| Euan | Bruce | 2 | 0 | 8 | |
| Takeo | Miura | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Francisco Javier | Dominguez | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Jay | Berry | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Alfie | Crawford | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Patrick | Byrne | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Jayden | Atkinson | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Kieran | Baker | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Louie | Lee | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Rhys | Lee | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Jack | Sutton | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Southend United | Kieran | Hayes | 4 | 0 | 16 |
| Luke | Ward | 1 | 1 | 14 | |
| Zachary | Owen | 1 | 1 | 14 | |
| Ryan | Anderson | 1 | 1 | 14 | |
| George | Cox | 2 | 0 | 8 | |
| Erlend | Dahl | 2 | 0 | 8 | |
| Charlie | Fleming | 2 | 0 | 8 | |
| Christopher | Ramsay | 2 | 0 | 8 | |
| Dylan | Martin | 2 | 0 | 8 | |
| Stephen | Boyle | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Thiago | Souza | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Jamie | Powell | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Zachary | Barnes | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Bradley | Bishop | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Dylan | Williamson | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Darragh | Duffy | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Corey | Hall | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Alfie | Johnson | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Swansea City AFC | Jacob | Gray | 1 | 1 | 14 |
| John | Thompson | 1 | 1 | 14 | |
| Cian | Gallaher | 3 | 0 | 12 | |
| João | Barbosa | 0 | 1 | 10 | |
| John | Griffiths | 0 | 1 | 10 | |
| Louie | Turner | 2 | 1 | 10 | |
| Matais | Russo | 0 | 1 | 10 | |
| Jayden | Carr | 2 | 0 | 8 | |
| Benjamin | Nilsen | 2 | 0 | 8 | |
| Andrea | Giordano | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Eli | Azulai | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Facundo | Gutierrez | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Joshua | Thomas | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Agustin | Perez | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Edward | Young | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Mohammed | Taylor | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Swindon Town FC | Zámor | Dobos | 3 | 2 | 32 |
| Nathan | Walsh | 4 | 0 | 16 | |
| Muhammed | Stevenson | 1 | 1 | 14 | |
| Jamie | Bird | 3 | 0 | 12 | |
| Callum | Smith | 3 | 0 | 12 | |
| Michael | Hughes | 0 | 1 | 10 | |
| Alexander | Samuelsson | 0 | 1 | 10 | |
| Jiro | Ogawa | 0 | 1 | 10 | |
| Hayden | Jenkins | 2 | 0 | 8 | |
| Peter | Murray | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Rhys | Roberts | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Tranmere Rovers | Freddie | Adams | 0 | 2 | 20 |
| Ellis | James | 0 | 1 | 10 | |
| Luca | Davies | 0 | 1 | 10 | |
| Luke | Hays | 0 | 1 | 10 | |
| Cadby | Lie | 0 | 1 | 10 | |
| Bradley | Patel | 2 | 0 | 8 | |
| Joe | Roberts | 2 | 0 | 8 | |
| Declan | Aitken | 2 | 0 | 8 | |
| Joel | Payne | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Hayden | Gray | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Jean | Clement | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| John | Adams | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Jay | Moore | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Max | Young | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Thomas | Ali | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Watford | Johannes | Karlsson | 3 | 2 | 32 |
| William | Arvidsson | 3 | 2 | 32 | |
| Samuel | Healy | 4 | 1 | 26 | |
| Nahuel | Torres | 4 | 0 | 16 | |
| Alexander | Hill | 1 | 1 | 14 | |
| Brandon | Wilson | 1 | 1 | 14 | |
| Loïc | Daniel | 1 | 1 | 14 | |
| Joe | Butler | 3 | 0 | 12 | |
| Earl | Rios | 3 | 0 | 12 | |
| Federico | Lorenzo | 2 | 1 | 10 | |
| Matthew | Saunders | 2 | 0 | 8 | |
| Andrew | Gibson | 2 | 0 | 8 | |
| Leo | Russell | 2 | 0 | 8 | |
| Sebastian | Bates | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Sam | Fergusen | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Gonzalo | Esteban | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Thomas | Stevenson | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Joshua | Burgess | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Harrison | Roberts | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Weston-super-Mare AFC | Thomas | Leonard | 1 | 1 | 14 |
| Thomas | Khan | 1 | 1 | 14 | |
| Luca | Evans | 3 | 0 | 12 | |
| Taylor | West | 3 | 0 | 12 | |
| Calum | Ross | 0 | 1 | 10 | |
| Kyle | Wallace | 2 | 0 | 8 | |
| Luca | King | 2 | 0 | 8 | |
| Filipp | Zaytsev | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Maxence | Salomon | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Victor | Rivera | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Gabriel | Smith | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Clément | Fourcade | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| George | Gill | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Rian | Doherty | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| David | Hamilton | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Wycombe Wanderers | Cathal | Connolly | 0 | 2 | 20 |
| Andrea | Moretti | 2 | 0 | 8 | |
| Du-Ho | Choi | 2 | 0 | 8 | |
| Sebastian | Gulbrandsen | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Rian | Fergusen | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Billy | Miller | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Felix | Schmid | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Paul | Conley | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Finn | Braun | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| Team | First | Last | Yellow | Red | DP |
| Derby County | Noah | Stevens | 3 | 1 | 14 |
| Muhammed | King | 3 | 0 | 12 | |
| Ruben | Lozano | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Cormac | Healy | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| George | Martin | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Park | Hé | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Dorchester Town | Benjamin | Howard | 0 | 1 | 10 |
| Joseph | Robinson | 0 | 1 | 10 | |
| Sebastian | Hunter | 2 | 0 | 8 | |
| Dominic | Smith | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Lewis | Harvey | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Harley | Webster | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Kyle | Stevenson | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Leo | Hudson | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Finlay | Hunt | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| James | Murray | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Gianluca | Romano | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Jake | Miller | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Hereford United FC | Alexander | Thomson | 4 | 1 | 26 |
| Adam | Barrett | 1 | 1 | 14 | |
| Archie | James | 0 | 1 | 10 | |
| Edward | Lloyd | 0 | 1 | 10 | |
| James | Thomas | 2 | 0 | 8 | |
| Sacha | Remy | 2 | 0 | 8 | |
| Oscar | Kaur | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Michael | Kennedy | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Shigeru | Kimura | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Cruz | Rojas | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Joe | Cox | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Tarján | Farkas | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Ellis | Harvey | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Lewis | McIntosh | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Leeds United | Jacob | Fox | 2 | 1 | 18 |
| Alberto | Gallo | 3 | 0 | 12 | |
| Linus | Müller | 0 | 1 | 10 | |
| Shin-Il | Kang | 2 | 0 | 8 | |
| Aidan | Davies | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Felix | Herrmann | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Young Ja | Hong | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Bailey | Morgan | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Dean | Martin | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Leicester City FC | Rhys | MacKenzie | 2 | 0 | 8 |
| Gabriel | Lewis | 2 | 0 | 8 | |
| Freddie | Morris | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Theo | Webster | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Theo | Ali | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| James | May | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Lewes FC | Mason | Long | 2 | 0 | 8 |
| Brian | Santos | 2 | 0 | 8 | |
| Nathan | Stephens | 2 | 0 | 8 | |
| Brandon | McIntyre | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Noah | Taylor | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Nolan | Le guen | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Nolan | Bocquet | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Gianluca | Ricci | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Lincoln City FC | Cesar | Parra | 5 | 0 | 20 |
| Kian | Cooper | 4 | 0 | 16 | |
| Lewis | Carter | 1 | 1 | 14 | |
| Reuben | Page | 0 | 1 | 10 | |
| George | Price | 2 | 0 | 8 | |
| Alex | Cole | 2 | 0 | 8 | |
| Jan | Walter | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Thomas | Fraser | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Francesco | Moretti | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Michael | Williams | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Killian | Kennedy | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Francesco | Ferrari | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Luke | Hamilton | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Matthieu | Vilain | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Rhys | Wilkinson | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Harry | Hudson | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Toby | Spencer | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Luciano | Alvarez | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Oliver | Hamilton | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Northampton Town FC | Dominic | Thompson | 2 | 2 | 28 |
| Ben | Smith | 6 | 0 | 24 | |
| Ethan | Nicholls | 3 | 0 | 12 | |
| Logan | Craig | 2 | 0 | 8 | |
| Luke | Johnston | 2 | 0 | 8 | |
| Theo | Ryan | 2 | 0 | 8 | |
| Jayden | Parker | 2 | 0 | 8 | |
| Masaru | Yoshida | 2 | 0 | 8 | |
| Thomas | Steele | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Ellis | Cooper | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Bradley | Smith | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Javier | Vargas | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Benjamin | Clark | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Marcus | Pettersson | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Erwan | Prat | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Nottingham Forest | Zachary | Dean | 0 | 2 | 20 |
| Ignacio | Rey | 1 | 1 | 14 | |
| Craig | Muir | 3 | 0 | 12 | |
| Christopher | Gardner | 2 | 0 | 8 | |
| Craig | Thomson | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Zachary | Young | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Kyle | Cooper | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Ethan | Morris | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Luke | Watson | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Ashton | Holmes | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| James | Robinson | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Ben | Clarke | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Joseph | Cook | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Oldham Athletic AFC | Douglas | Cardoso | 1 | 1 | 14 |
| Tom | Neumann | 1 | 1 | 14 | |
| Morgan | Howard | 1 | 1 | 14 | |
| Edward | Knight | 1 | 1 | 14 | |
| Linus | Schmidt | 0 | 1 | 10 | |
| Kuan-Yin | Zhào | 0 | 1 | 10 | |
| Mohammed | Reynolds | 2 | 0 | 8 | |
| Tibo | Simons | 2 | 0 | 8 | |
| Canute | Lunde | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Zachary | Murray | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Murray | Dickson | 1 | 0 | 4 |
I have to post in 3 sections due to the length of the table. Here's a composite of all players with DP > 0. Some teams have some decisions to make as there are a few players getting close to that magic number of "30".
| Team | First | Last | Yellow | Red | DP |
| Blyth Spartans AFC | Mohammad | Barker | 2 | 0 | 8 |
| Gregorio | Vazquez | 2 | 0 | 8 | |
| Robert | Taylor | 2 | 0 | 8 | |
| Kristian | Hauge | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Rafael | Ramírez | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Dylan | Thomson | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Corey | Walker | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Andr?s | Madrigal | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Max | Schäfer | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Oliver | MacKenzie | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Nils | Ekström | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Brentford FC | Brent | Mertens | 3 | 1 | 22 |
| Ryan | Howard | 2 | 1 | 18 | |
| Fraser | Taylor | 2 | 1 | 18 | |
| Thomas | Morris | 3 | 0 | 12 | |
| Daniel | Doherty | 3 | 0 | 12 | |
| Joe | Burton | 2 | 0 | 8 | |
| Jack | Walsh | 2 | 0 | 8 | |
| John | Robinson | 2 | 0 | 8 | |
| Bradley | Shaw | 2 | 0 | 8 | |
| Liam | Walker | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Andrew | White | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Dominic | Moore | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Louis | Hudson | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Sean | Thomas | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Charlie | Dean | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Henrik | Jacobsen | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Eliot | Lhomme | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Brighton & Hove Albion | William | Fraser | 2 | 1 | 18 |
| Joe | Booth | 0 | 1 | 10 | |
| Joshua | Ryan | 2 | 0 | 8 | |
| Harley | James | 2 | 0 | 8 | |
| David | Doyle | 2 | 0 | 8 | |
| Dominic | Graham | 2 | 0 | 8 | |
| Wayne | Sparks | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Dominic | Richardson | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Simon | Schneider | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Bristol City FC | Denis | Novikov | 3 | 1 | 14 |
| Taylor | Lowe | 3 | 0 | 12 | |
| Felipe | Barbosa | 2 | 0 | 8 | |
| Joseph | Bradley | 2 | 0 | 8 | |
| Rhys | Gordon | 2 | 0 | 8 | |
| Daniel | Rodrigues | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Riley | Dean | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Owen | McKenzie | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Henry | Shepherd | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Killian | Gallaher | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Cardiff City FC | Jakob | Maier | 1 | 2 | 24 |
| Thomas | Sullivan | 1 | 1 | 14 | |
| Adam | Curry | 0 | 1 | 10 | |
| Erik | Becker | 0 | 1 | 10 | |
| Robert | Slater | 2 | 0 | 8 | |
| Rhys | James | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Carlisle United | Aaron | Owen | 2 | 1 | 18 |
| Toby | Davis | 0 | 1 | 10 | |
| Mason | Cole | 0 | 1 | 10 | |
| Dylan | Miller | 2 | 0 | 8 | |
| Jannick | Fischer | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Aaron | Lee | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Alon | Amar | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Ashton | Evans | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Jacob | Stevenson | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Freddie | Allen | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Aidan | Griffiths | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Zak | Harding | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Diego | Rocha | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Chesterfield FC | Jakob | Köhler | 1 | 1 | 14 |
| Jamie | Sullivan | 3 | 0 | 12 | |
| Sebastian | Hayes | 0 | 1 | 10 | |
| Kyle | Richards | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Taylor | Watt | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Ethan | Sinclair | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Chen | Zhou | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Connor | Bell | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Gabriel | Falk | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Alexander | Reid | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Samuel | Murray | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Coventry City | Joshua | Richards | 3 | 0 | 12 |
| Ivan | Suarez | 0 | 1 | 10 | |
| Louis | Dawson | 0 | 1 | 10 | |
| Tyler | Evans | 0 | 1 | 10 | |
| Gaston | Vega | 0 | 1 | 10 | |
| Oliver | Porter | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Harrison | Williams | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Joseph | Walsh | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Jayden | Thomas | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Crewe Alexandra FC | Muhammed | Whitehead | 4 | 2 | 28 |
| Adam | Phillips | 2 | 1 | 18 | |
| Casper | Wallin | 2 | 1 | 18 | |
| Benjamin | Roberts | 1 | 1 | 14 | |
| Edward | Dunn | 1 | 1 | 14 | |
| Linus | Meyer | 3 | 0 | 12 | |
| Benjamin | Wright | 0 | 1 | 10 | |
| Jay | Hutchinson | 0 | 1 | 10 | |
| Thiago | Gomes | 2 | 0 | 8 | |
| Alfie | Thompson | 2 | 0 | 8 | |
| Benjamin | Holland | 2 | 0 | 8 | |
| Michael | Healy | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Lior | Tal | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Elias | Müller | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Liam | Williams | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Luca | Lenaerts | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Daniel | Green | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Rhys | Taylor | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Michael | Hall | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Dagenham & Redbridge | Jacob | George | 1 | 1 | 14 |
| Vladimir | Vinogradov | 3 | 0 | 12 | |
| Elliot | Wilkinson | 3 | 0 | 12 | |
| Finlay | Boyle | 3 | 0 | 12 | |
| Sebastian | Hawkins | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Ashton | Porter | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Michael | Booth | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Freddie | Harding | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Louis | Wheeler | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Nicholas | Crawford | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Karl | Paulsen | 1 | 0 | 4 |
Some might wonder where Kevin found that little nugget about players' DP carrying over from season to season... well, it comes from section 6.3 of the Rules on Discipline.
EFFECTS OF DISCIPLINE.
Players who are sent off are deemed to operate at half their total level in that match. Disciplinary Points (DPs) are cumulative through the season. Reaching 10 DPs brings a 1 match ban, 20 DPs a 2 match ban, and so on. At the end of the season, DPs are rounded to the nearest 10, and then 20 DPs are subtracted (minimum 0 of course).
NB All suspensions start in the first match of the following session.
A list of players suspended and their positions will be printed each session.
Updated tables on Hardness effects through Session 7 (match 28). See prior posts for explanation of table or drop me a note if you have any questions.
| Hardness # | Matches | Yellow Cards | Red Cards | Injuries | PKs | Avg YC | Avg RC | Avg Inj | Avg PK |
| 0 | 330 | 157 | 38 | 102 | 13 | 0.48 | 0.12 | 0.31 | 0.04 |
| 1 | 52 | 27 | 9 | 18 | 8 | 0.52 | 0.17 | 0.35 | 0.15 |
| 2 | 16 | 12 | 3 | 10 | 4 | 0.75 | 0.19 | 0.63 | 0.25 |
| 3 | 40 | 36 | 8 | 21 | 18 | 0.90 | 0.20 | 0.53 | 0.45 |
| 4 | 40 | 39 | 10 | 30 | 23 | 0.98 | 0.25 | 0.75 | 0.58 |
| 5 | 43 | 61 | 4 | 29 | 21 | 1.42 | 0.09 | 0.67 | 0.49 |
| 6 | 28 | 35 | 5 | 23 | 14 | 1.25 | 0.18 | 0.82 | 0.50 |
| 7 | 21 | 35 | 6 | 23 | 13 | 1.67 | 0.29 | 1.10 | 0.62 |
| 8 | 15 | 27 | 7 | 16 | 13 | 1.80 | 0.47 | 1.07 | 0.87 |
| 9 | 9 | 23 | 5 | 10 | 5 | 2.56 | 0.56 | 1.11 | 0.56 |
| 10 | 44 | 105 | 12 | 60 | 47 | 2.39 | 0.27 | 1.36 | 1.07 |
638 matches of 846 total have been played. These numbers represent 75% of the season now completed.
Simon,
I am keeping track for my own team. My recollection of Watford's DP leaders was from the Hardness/Injury/DP postings on the front page rotating stats section.
As for league-wide DP listings, I believe that is on the "to be completed" page that tracks individual players stats such as shots, saves, cards, etc. That's in the works by Al. For now, the only record I have of player DP is the last database summary that Al sent out through e-mail. It's good for post-session 5 stats. If you (or anyone else for that matter) wants another copy feel free to e-mail me or drop me an in-site message and I'll forward that list. You'll have to do manual addition for the last two sessions to get up to date. Since Simon asked first though, here's the Northampton updated DP following Session 7:
- Sw Dominic Thompson 28
- Sw Thomas Steele 4
- Df Logan Craig 8
- Df Ellis Cooper 4
- Df Benjamin Clark 4
- MF Ethan Nicholls 12
- Mf Masaru Yoshida 8
- Mf Luke Johnston 8
- Mf Theo Ryan 8
- Mf Marcus Pettersson 4
- Fw Ben Smith 24
- Fw Jayden Parker 8
- Fw Javier Vargas 4
- Fw Bradley Smith 4
- Fw Erwan Prat 4
So with three sessions to go, you have two players at risk of carry-over DP to next season.
Hi Kevin
You make a valid point there about suspensions, can i ask though where is the record of DP points being published, do you know before I ask Al about it?
It would be nice if it was published somewhere or are you all keeping your own stats on this because i have to admit that i am not.
Well done on raising this point, got anymore like that up your sleeve?
Cheers SImon
There is one other point to be considered with the hardness as well:
DP in this league can accumulate between seasons. At the end of the season it gets rounded down to the nearest multiple of 10 and then 20 DP is subtracted. This means that any players who pick up 30+ DP this year will start out with 10 DP next season. A few players (see Watford's top two FWs for example) are already over that mark with three sessions to play. So their first red card or third yellow card next year will result in a 2-game ban, not just one. Teams relying on 10 hardness each match as a general tactic may end up with a number of 3- and 4-game suspensions by the end of next season. As the depth we were given this year as all -expansion teams ages down due to necessary neglect, losing top players is going to hurt a lot more next season than this one unless you brought up at least 4 Apprentices to SL 8 or 9 to pick up the slack.
Like I said, Rob, it's just me having a beef - like in the 70s when you were going to play Leeds United (Bremner, Hunter et al) you knew there were going to be x-rated tackles, injuries, bookings etc. It is part of the game and you explained your position very well.
12 youngsters all trying to bring through the system means you play with lower numbers as they are coached, and hardness is a tactic designed to cut back on other teams' good skills with an injury.
What this will do for you is ensure you have a good team for a few seasons to come, at the expense of instant trophy wins, and good luck to you in that!
It's all about preference David. My team is the one who has played Hardness 10 more than any other team (I'd be 100% hardness 10 if I didn't experiment in one match with hardness 5).
For me, it's a tactical necessity. I'm trotting out 12 APP/SBYs every session. In order for me to be competitive with the managers who chose to ignore Youth, I have to play at full hardness. The consequences for that are that I'm taking a lot of injuries myself (I think that's pure coincidence though) and I'm on the receiving end of a LOT of cards. I'm either #1 or #2 in total team DP. Every session, I have at least 1 player suspended for 2 games, and at least 2 players suspended for 1 game. This coming session, I have 2 players suspended for 2 games, 2 suspended for 1 game, and 1 player injured (my #1 MF).
But, because of the number of SBYs I've discovered, and my dedication to developing my Youth program, I have enough depth where these suspensions don't bother me.
Just a short message to Rene. I totally agree with your comments. Could not believe that result especially as I was playing my APP keeper and sweeper. I guess I can look forward to a game with major bad luck in the near future !
I know when rules are set up that people will always see ways of getting round them (legitimately of course - is there any other way?) but this hardness topic will always be coming up.
To see teams playing 10 hardness (or nearly 10) against opponents just smacks to me of a mentality like "bound to break a few bones here, even if it means I lose a penalty or seven in the process". 
Of course this is sour grapes - just looking at my squad with 2 bad injuries when we have played every game fair rankles (Scots word for upsets), and I know I could have benefitted from an opponent's madness choice of tactics, but haven't, has anybody??
There is nothing wrong in what teams are doing so don't get me wrong, I am not advocating any rule changes or managers to consult their consciences or whatever, but to be honest I feel it takes away from what is a genuinely good alternative to Olmec.
Let me have my beef - I accept I could join the group and play total hardness as well (and I might just do it for the heck of it even yet). Probably not playing hard is the reason we are in the drop zone, but we will continue to play to get out of relegation alley rather than kick lumps out of opponents.
Who says Derby doesn't have any luck? With 28 vs 3 chances against him he managed to get a 1-0 victory against my team Oldham. He got a 24% chance of scoring a goal when on target, he managed 2 on target shots. Oldham managed to get 6 with a 37,5% of scoring a goal.
Congratulations with the win Trevor.
Bristol City & Hereford Football clubs are being investigated by the 'MSWL UNITED INVESTIGATION TEAM' regarding rumours of wholesale Assett stripping of the clubs.
Both teams have cut rosters to bare bones (18 players) in a frenzied sell of during session 7 adjudication.
Is there a sinister motive behind the 'SELL-OUT' ?
Investigations continue & a statement from either boardroom is eagerly awaited
Hi Alon
No need to apologise, maybe i will add this to the forum list so that we can get clarification on where everyone else stands with OOP.
So in essence both me and you agree to 6 games for each OOP area in order to dual qualify, thats a start to assist Al with decision making for season 2.
Cheers Simon
I was writing from memmory,but if the rules say 6 games out of position to qualify as a dual player then I support 6.
Hi Guys,
I read with interest from Alon that 8 games is the standard number of matches for Out of Position from the original Alan Parr inventor of United, it is actually 6 games for each position i need to point out.
In order for a Df to become a Utility player he must play 6 games in midfield and 6 as a forward, within Hospcotch you only lose 1 level for playing out of position though whereas we are talking 2 and 4 loss of levels quite harsh I feel?
We definately should have OOP, its a question though in my opinion not of how many games but more the loss of levels, this league already gives us challenges of playing low level players in order to continually look to the future with apps and schoolboys etc becoming relatively good age 1 players, and now we intend to have other players playing out of position with large losses of levels.
I would look at playing at -2 for OOP regardless of which position he plays in the outfield of course and should not include the sweeper who should not be allowed to dual qualify without losing his status of sweeper.
Simon
Unfortunately for the rest of us, Alon has mastered the rules as written. Which is why we need to change them! Anti-Alon rules developed for the purpose of making it much, much harder for GS and Tranmere to win are undoubtedly the way to go in future seasons. It's what is best for the league as a whole after all. I'd hate to see this league turn into one where the better managers actually win... because then poor CRD is doomed thanks to the collective brain power of our current board of directors. 
In response to Al's question as to what changes should be made for next season ,I think that until we are convinced something does not work we should not change it.
I am constantly amazed at how well the original rules for MSWL and MSWL United are drafted. In MSWL often when we make a change it only has to be undone later as the original rules were better. Thus in answer to questions like how many games does a player need to play to acclimatise to a new position I would say 8 simply because thats what the original guys found to work and they seem to have tested all their rules very thoroughly.
As an aside I do think that the games are a lot more fun now than they were in the old days. There are 2 primary reasons for this.
1)The internet vs snail mail
2)Al's uncanny ability to take a set of rules and turn them into such a user friendly and playable game.
I would thus rather not tinker with any rules for next season other than items allready in the rules that still need to be programmed for ,but would just let Al make any changes he feels appropriate to improve the playability of the game.
Having read some of the latest blog entries I think I must comment that over a season luck generally evens its self out. My last session was a demonstration of this where based on the stats I should have won 2 out of the 3 games but only managed 1 draw.
On a more serious note, let's hope these union guy's don't require the services of our FA cheif exec !
Latest in the line of Hardness Tracking posts, see prior posts for explanation of table/stats if needed or drop me note through the in-site message system.
And the team lawyers requested we clarify with the following disclaimers: All numbers and odds for entertainment results only. Past results not guarantees of future performance. Side effects may include headache, nausea, aversion to talking cats, and desire to throw your mouse through the computer screen due to your luck being much, much worse than the league average. If your elation at these statistics lasts for more than four hours, please see a doctor. Preferably a licensed psychiatrist who can prescribe heavy doses of medications as you have some serious issues and are quite likely a risk to yourself or others. Do not peruse while driving or operating heavy machinery. You can take with alcohol and food, though those who are pregnant or may become pregnant should consult your physician before attempting to decipher these statistics because the following table is not an effective measure of prevention against any known transferrable diseases. Always consult your doctor before starting or stopping your hardness treatment against other teams. Enjoy.
| Hardness # | Matches | Yellow Cards | Red Cards | Injuries | PKs | Avg YC | Avg RC | Avg Inj | Avg PK |
| 0 | 294 | 146 | 34 | 86 | 11 | 0.50 | 0.12 | 0.29 | 0.04 |
| 1 | 48 | 26 | 9 | 17 | 6 | 0.54 | 0.19 | 0.35 | 0.13 |
| 2 | 14 | 10 | 2 | 8 | 2 | 0.71 | 0.14 | 0.57 | 0.14 |
| 3 | 35 | 31 | 7 | 14 | 16 | 0.89 | 0.20 | 0.40 | 0.46 |
| 4 | 34 | 33 | 9 | 27 | 22 | 0.97 | 0.26 | 0.79 | 0.65 |
| 5 | 35 | 49 | 4 | 23 | 19 | 1.40 | 0.11 | 0.66 | 0.54 |
| 6 | 26 | 33 | 4 | 22 | 14 | 1.27 | 0.15 | 0.85 | 0.54 |
| 7 | 14 | 24 | 3 | 17 | 9 | 1.71 | 0.21 | 1.21 | 0.64 |
| 8 | 12 | 22 | 7 | 13 | 9 | 1.83 | 0.58 | 1.08 | 0.75 |
| 9 | 8 | 21 | 5 | 10 | 5 | 2.63 | 0.63 | 1.25 | 0.63 |
| 10 | 38 | 90 | 11 | 52 | 38 | 2.37 | 0.29 | 1.37 | 1.00 |
We have 558 matches worth of data played so far this season out of a total of 846 that we're going to see. That's nearly 66% of the way done with this season, so your time is running out to Play Hard for the Sake of Science!
Northampton town come away from Plymouth feeling happy with the performance that saw them win 3-1 although at the expense of some rather nasty injuries thanks to some awful tackles at the hands of kick of the park Peterson!!
Watford then came to the Cobblers determined once again to do a demolishen job on the opposition, a thrilling win although like Plymouth they will see some suspensions in the forthcoming fixtures.
Fittingly enough Plymouth take on Watford and it would appear that both will be fielding more of a Youth team than in the Youth cup! No sympathy from anyone there I feel.
The season is hotting up and the hardness kings show no signs of letting up.
Thank you Kevin for proving what I was feeling 
Luck must be something that evens itself out over time, so the future must be bright for the Crewe fans
So to recap for those who don't like all the numbers:
So far Oli "The Iceman" Sigurjonsson and the Diabolical Dr. David Blair have appararently done something to anger Ol' Stoneface.
On the flip side, Taco, Trevor, and inexplicably Ian are apparently on Olmec's good side as they are benefitting from far-better-than-average luck as we approach the halfway point of league play.
And now the rest of us who like to whine that we're being cheated out of wins/draws we deserved can have the analytical data to do so intelligently instead of just passionately!
A few managers have dropped notes through messages and e-mails asking for clarification on how goal scoring works, usually in the phrase of the question, "How come I can't even score ONE *#&% goal in Match #__?!?"
The short answer is: goals magically occur based on who Olmec likes better. The long answer is: goal scoring is harder in this league than in any other Olmec-based one you're used to, due in large part to shooter SL not mattering in goal chance (apart from PKs) while the Defending Team has three separate random number chances to luck out with. For those who are really curious about whether or not their team is getting the proverbial shaft, the answer is hidden in the (yep, you guessed it) table below:
| Team | Chances | Shots v Sw | Sw Stops | Sw Stop % | Shots | On-Target | On-Target % | Goals | Scoring % | % Goal/Chance |
| WES | 64 | 64 | 25 | 39.06% | 39 | 26 | 66.67% | 11 | 42.31% | 17.19% |
| DER | 48 | 36 | 18 | 50.00% | 30 | 22 | 73.33% | 8 | 36.36% | 16.67% |
| PNE | 42 | 41 | 23 | 56.10% | 19 | 15 | 78.95% | 7 | 46.67% | 16.67% |
| WYC | 36 | 36 | 18 | 50.00% | 18 | 14 | 77.78% | 6 | 42.86% | 16.67% |
| LIN | 25 | 25 | 11 | 44.00% | 14 | 10 | 71.43% | 4 | 40.00% | 16.00% |
| LEI | 26 | 25 | 9 | 36.00% | 17 | 13 | 76.47% | 4 | 30.77% | 15.38% |
| LEW | 84 | 70 | 37 | 52.86% | 47 | 35 | 74.47% | 12 | 34.29% | 14.29% |
| BRI | 42 | 38 | 14 | 36.84% | 28 | 19 | 67.86% | 6 | 31.58% | 14.29% |
| CHF | 95 | 95 | 41 | 43.16% | 54 | 36 | 66.67% | 13 | 36.11% | 13.68% |
| LEE | 97 | 73 | 36 | 49.32% | 61 | 36 | 59.02% | 13 | 36.11% | 13.40% |
| SWI | 60 | 58 | 23 | 39.66% | 37 | 27 | 72.97% | 8 | 29.63% | 13.33% |
| NOR | 81 | 81 | 40 | 49.38% | 41 | 29 | 70.73% | 10 | 34.48% | 12.35% |
| WAT | 212 | 192 | 97 | 50.52% | 115 | 74 | 64.35% | 26 | 35.14% | 12.26% |
| PLY | 58 | 32 | 17 | 53.13% | 41 | 24 | 58.54% | 7 | 29.17% | 12.07% |
| SHU | 62 | 61 | 21 | 34.43% | 41 | 28 | 68.29% | 7 | 25.00% | 11.29% |
| BRE | 54 | 54 | 27 | 50.00% | 27 | 17 | 62.96% | 6 | 35.29% | 11.11% |
| PV | 62 | 58 | 36 | 62.07% | 26 | 17 | 65.38% | 6 | 35.29% | 9.68% |
| DAG | 52 | 52 | 23 | 44.23% | 29 | 13 | 44.83% | 5 | 38.46% | 9.62% |
| SWA | 42 | 34 | 12 | 35.29% | 30 | 20 | 66.67% | 4 | 20.00% | 9.52% |
| CAR | 44 | 44 | 23 | 52.27% | 21 | 15 | 71.43% | 4 | 26.67% | 9.09% |
| QPR | 44 | 41 | 18 | 43.90% | 26 | 16 | 61.54% | 4 | 25.00% | 9.09% |
| SU | 133 | 123 | 60 | 48.78% | 73 | 45 | 61.64% | 12 | 26.67% | 9.02% |
| TRA | 78 | 61 | 37 | 60.66% | 41 | 25 | 60.98% | 7 | 28.00% | 8.97% |
| CRD | 106 | 106 | 46 | 43.40% | 60 | 35 | 58.33% | 8 | 22.86% | 7.55% |
| DOR | 67 | 67 | 33 | 49.25% | 34 | 23 | 67.65% | 5 | 21.74% | 7.46% |
| OLD | 105 | 80 | 45 | 56.25% | 60 | 27 | 45.00% | 7 | 25.93% | 6.67% |
| NOT | 46 | 41 | 23 | 56.10% | 23 | 10 | 43.48% | 3 | 30.00% | 6.52% |
| HER | 114 | 114 | 62 | 54.39% | 52 | 27 | 51.92% | 7 | 25.93% | 6.14% |
| CRE | 64 | 59 | 38 | 64.41% | 26 | 18 | 69.23% | 3 | 16.67% | 4.69% |
| BHA | 66 | 66 | 32 | 48.48% | 34 | 18 | 52.94% | 2 | 11.11% | 3.03% |
| Totals | 2109 | 1927 | 945 | 1164 | 734 | 225 | ||||
| Avg | 70 | 64 | 31.5 | 49.04% | 39 | 24.5 | 63.06% | 7.5 | 30.65% | 10.67% |
Table setup is FOR LEAGUE GAMES ONLY. This does not include any Cup matches. League games only allowed all teams to have equal numbers of games and diversity in team strengths that you have played against. Columns are: 1) Team; 2) Total shot chances generated by area stats (not counting PKs); 3) # of those chances that came while facing a team playing a sweeper; 4) number of chances that were stopped by the sweeper, thus never becoming shots; 5) Percentage of the shots that the sweepers faced that they stopped; 6) Total number of shots that your team has taken, which is the combined number of those that got past a sweeper or were taken while no sweeper was playing; 7) Number of those shots that were On-Target; 8) Percentage of the actual shots (not chances) that were On Target; 9) Total number of goals scored in league play; 10) Percentage of the On Target shots that scored; 11) Total percentage of generated chances that resulted in a goal for your team. When comparing your stats to the league as a whole, check the last row. It's the average per team in each area, including total percentages. While a 12% chance of scoring may seem low to you, it is well above the 10.67% average the league matches have as a whole.
When figuring out why you aren't scoring much, look first to how many scoring chances you are generating. Teams like Watford and Southend United have packed the offense to pick up more than twice the scoring chances of 2/3 of the league so far. Five teams have over 100 chances while ten teams have yet to tally 50.
As you can see, there is far more to scoring than just generating chances though. There is a huge difference between those teams getting very lucky on scoring chances (WES, DER, PNE, WYC) versus those that are generating more chances and just can't get a break on scoring (BHA, CRE, HER, NOT). While Weston-super-Mare is scoring on better than 1 in every 8 shots, poor Brighton & Hove Albion is scoring worse than 1 in every 30.
Impacting every shot is first the Sweeper. Some teams have good luck evading that last defender, such as SHU, SWA, LEI, & BRI. All those teams have faced sweepers who are stopping close to only 1/3 of the chances. Meanwhile, other teams have been blocked from even seeing the goal by great sweeper play, such as CRE, PV, & TRA, who all have sweepers stopping over 60% of their shots.
Once a shot evades the sweeper (or a sweeper isn't playing), then the shooter must put the shot on-target. This is a base 65%, with a decrease of 5% for every goal scored by a team after the first two (including PKs!). Some teams are having ridiculously good luck with being on-target, such as PNE and WYC who are coming very close to 80% on-target shooting. Others, such as NOT, DAG & OLD, can't even crack 50% so far this season.
If a shot is on-target, then the Gk has a chance to stop it based on Gk skill level. While this differs every match, on the whole most teams have similarly skilled goalies this first season and I believe everyone has faced a top Gk and at least one Sby or App Gk as well so the odds should be similar for most teams. Most teams should be scoring about 30% of the time when a shot is on-target. Some teams are faring far better, such as PNE, WYC, WES, & LIN who are at 40% and above. Others are striking out through no fault of their own below 25% such as CRD, DOR, and SWA, whilst poor Crewe Alexandria and Brighton & Hove Albion have been the victims of amazing goal play that leaves both of them amongst the worst scoring teams through poor luck more than anything to do with management as they are generating scoring chances very close to the league average overall.
I'll probably do a similar recap at the end of the season each manager can see how much extraordinarily good or bad luck impacted their overall results. I'm also curious to see whether teams playing Sweepers have a signficant increase in goal saving power (since that is the only reason to play them at all) over those times when a Sweeper is left off the pitch. That'll require some more match-by-match line work than I care to do right now, so I'll save that for the post-season forums when discussing future seasons.
You Smooth Talking Young Buzzzard!
People actually read Rob's posts and Al wanted to make sure that word got out...
Just received this from Commissioner Al Sellers
"There WERE going to be fines for more than 3 over age players back when I wasn't sure how much I could automate... But since that's in place let me say it again... And please post it...
There will be no youth cup fines but all teams through NMR or orders will have a minimum of 8 sby/app players."
Al
Sent from my iPhone
On Mar 23, 2009, at 8:00 PM,
Hi guys,
Al asked me to post a clarification on what's happening with the Youth Cup as he's unable to update the blog until the weekend. The below information is actually what will happen - no interpretation of the rules, no guessing. This is from Al.
- No team shall be fined for the Youth Cup.
- All teams are highly encouraged to employ up to 3 non-Youth players. There is no penalty for this. Both Al and myself will be using 3 non-Youth players.
- For teams that have at least 8 Youth players (remember, this includes both SBYs and APPs), the NMR program will automatically select a lineup that includes at least 8 Youth players if the team goes NMR.
- For teams that do NOT have at least 8 Youth players - the ORDERS page will PREVENT you from submitting your lineups with fewer than 8 Youth Players for a Youth Cup match. This means that anyone who is submitting lineups for the Youth Cup match must discover the requisite number of SBYs before this weekend.
- Al will check to see if there are any teams that do NOT have at least 8 Youth players that also go NMR to make sure that they get up to the required number of Youth Players before the NMR program runs.
Please pay particular attention to #1 & #4.
If anyone has any further questions about this, please send me a private message. I will answer on Al's behalf until he returns.
Thanks!
-Rob.
The way I understood the rules regarding playing at least 8 youth players was that if they weren't available, then you played 10 or 9 or 8 in your side.
For example 7 youth + 3 older = 10 in your team. Have a 10k fine and a weak side.
Let's say things have been really chaotic for you and you only have 3 youth players.
That would be 3 youth + 3 older = 6 in your team. Have a 50k fine and a really weak side, etc, etc.
Having read the latest stats regarding injuries Derby County manager Trevor 'Cloughie' Taylor has expressed his concern to the local press regarding the protection of his players by referees in the division. Having suffered half a dozen injuries to key players already this season, Trevor feels that Derby's championship push could be affected if this trend continues and will be seeking re-assurances from the FA in due course.
Derby County fan's are eagerly anticipating the upcoming visit of Sheffield United.
Traditionally a game not for the faint hearted and with Sheffield normally bringing coach loads of fans the ground is expected to be full to capacity.
Local bookmakers make Derby slight favourites due to recent form, however it is expected that the odd goal will probably decide the games outcome. Sky sports will be at the baseball ground as the game is being shown live on TV as well.
I hope you have a good idea of what the numbers on the table mean after the prior postings. If there are questions, feel free to drop me an e-mail or through the in-site message system.
| Hardness # | Matches | Yellow Cards | Red Cards | Injuries | PKs | Avg YC | Avg RC | Avg Inj | Avg PK |
| 0 | 246 | 124 | 32 | 75 | 9 | 0.50 | 0.13 | 0.30 | 0.04 |
| 1 | 41 | 23 | 9 | 12 | 4 | 0.56 | 0.22 | 0.29 | 0.10 |
| 2 | 9 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 0.56 | 0.11 | 0.67 | 0.11 |
| 3 | 29 | 23 | 7 | 11 | 16 | 0.79 | 0.24 | 0.38 | 0.55 |
| 4 | 27 | 24 | 7 | 21 | 17 | 0.89 | 0.26 | 0.78 | 0.63 |
| 5 | 26 | 34 | 3 | 16 | 18 | 1.31 | 0.12 | 0.62 | 0.69 |
| 6 | 24 | 31 | 4 | 21 | 12 | 1.29 | 0.17 | 0.88 | 0.50 |
| 7 | 12 | 22 | 3 | 15 | 8 | 1.83 | 0.25 | 1.25 | 0.67 |
| 8 | 9 | 16 | 7 | 11 | 9 | 1.78 | 0.78 | 1.22 | 1.00 |
| 9 | 8 | 21 | 5 | 10 | 5 | 2.63 | 0.63 | 1.25 | 0.63 |
| 10 | 27 | 65 | 8 | 40 | 28 | 2.41 | 0.30 | 1.48 | 1.04 |
Just received this from Commissioner Al Sellers
"There WERE going to be fines for more than 3 over age players back when I wasn't sure how much I could automate... But since that's in place let me say it again... And please post it...
There will be no youth cup fines but all teams through NMR or orders will have a minimum of 8 sby/app players."
Al
Sent from my iPhone
On Mar 23, 2009, at 8:00 PM,
It appears I may have missread the rules doh!
15.6 THE YOUTH CUP will have its matches skewed towards the end of the season, when youth players will be
of higher levels. Teams for the Youth Cup may include up to 3 over-age players, as well as youth players. Clubs unable to field a full team of 11 will be fined 10k per player missing per match.
Youth Cup matches are played at neutral grounds, and do not have replays. In the event of a draw, there are 5 penalties
per side, taken by the 5 highest level players in your team. If there is a draw after the first 5
penalties, the match goes to sudden-death penalties, each taken by a different person until a result is found
So the fine is 10k for each over aged player up to a maximum of 3 over aged players in the starting 11
I still think the rewards of playing 3 Over aged players with higher skill levels outstrips the punishment of 10k per player
Opinions please
Just read the rules again & as I understand it, the only punishment for not fielding 8 youth players (age0) is 10k per player.
Now call me draconian but surely (dont call me Shirley though)) that is NOT enough of a deterrent or punishment for not fielding youth players. The rewards for not abiding by & within the spirit of the rules are far more than the punisment or fine!
possible scenario: a team plays just 6 youth players & 5 older players with skill levels of 11,12,13,14,15. That would give them a considerable SL advantage over a team fielding 8 youth players & the only punishment a 30k fine !
The likelihood is that the team fielding the 5 older players will progress & get extra cash & CP ( for just a 30k fine)
I think the rule needs amending before the Youth Cup kicks off ! I would suggest that if a team does not have 8 youth players in their team they are either kicked out of the cup giving a bye to their opponent or that the programme inserts youth players in the line up automatically
Opinions ?
With the Youth Cup games coming up this weekend, all teams need to be able to field at least eight Apprentices or Schoolboys for Match 24. Six teams MUST sign some schoolboys this week to fill in the gaps, and a seventh team could probably use an extra one.
Hereford has 8 app/sby, however two of those are doubled up at Sw. Unless they want to play one of those out-of-position at Df and take the penalty, they could use another outfielder.
For the other teams, all of them have youth players at Gk and Sw already and need to sign some Schoolboys to the outfield areas (Df, Mf, Fw):
- BHA (1)
- BRI (2)
- CRE (2, and 2 more at Gk - see below)
- NOT (2, due to having an injured App Mf an extra is needed)
- OLD (1, 2 if you don't want to play a Sw OOP)
- WES (1)
For Oli and his Crewe Alexandria team, injuries are particularly cruel. Where is Phil and his mantra when we need him? "You can never have too many GKs..." Oli already needs to add two schoolboys to the outfield to field eight for the Youth Cup, and now he needs to add 2 more Sbys just at GK! With his goalie injured and unable to play for at least two sessions, his apprentice has to step up and cover as much as possible. Unfortunately, Crewe plays 4 matches this session and the apprentice can only play in two of those. So he'll need two Sby Gks to cover the other two matches for one game each.
A cautionary tale for all the rest of us to carry a 3rd Gk for the season when bringing up a new Sby or App who can't cover an entire session if the front line player goes down...
Northants Echo
Stop Press - Northampton Board whilst happy with the full house and result against Lewes were somewhat perplexed at the Swansea result , a silly defensive error gave swansea a lucky penalty and with the board understanding eventually about a forward thinking youth policy manager Compton left the boardroom with there full backing.
Compton now must get his squad ready for rivals Watford appearance at the sixfields stadium this week, with worrying injuries already Compton is concerned about the way in which Watford go about there business, tempers will run high on Saturday and players must keep a cool ahead, we have discussed a way forward against this kind of opposition but things can quickly get out of hand.
All the manager can hope for is that the ref keeps his head for what will be a fierce battle at the weekend.
Once again i am sure the fans will pack the stadium and become the extra man.
A stunning change of events saw the mighty RAMS take three wins this session dispite playing a reserve side in cup tie. Trevor "Cloughie" Taylor is now sighting a league and cup double for this dorment giant.
Yep that's right a big 0
Port Vale's SL 14 GK and SL 12 SW kept the scoresheet blank as they recorded a 1-0 win.
I think that results in about a 6.8% chance of a goal per attack (although my Maths isn't great!), I reckon therefore I was "due" 2 goals. Port Vale did have a pen saved though!
Has any one else had as high an attack count without scoring?
Strangely the only other badge on show this morning was the Plymouth one, which topped the league of hardness points used per game.
The Getting Lucky with hardness award goes to The Pilgrims and all those who have played against them!
I think Watford also top most goals (league) and attacks by some way, so perhaps the hardness thing works quite well!
I sign on this morning and to my surprise, I see the Watford team emblem littering the homepage. And what honors does Watford lay claim to?
Most Injuries Inflicted - Watford 19 (next closest 15)
Most Fitness Lost Inflicted - Watford -41 (next closest -29)
Most DP Player - Watford Johannes Karlsson 24 (actually a tie with another player)
Most DP Team - Watford 164 (next closest 146)
Wow, so James' team really likes to play dirty..
Cobblers fans are looking forward to the top of the table clash with Lewes who are expected to have amazing away support tomorrow. Cobblers expect bulging crowds tomorrow for lewes and let the best singing team win.
The local press are astonished by the start that Northampton have made following there initial defeat to Watford, the run of superb form is expected to continue tomorrow albeit with difficult ties in front of them say the press.
Manager Compton is not getting complacent as he indicates that a quality youth policy is the way forward and with the youth cup fast approaching will need to give some lesser experienced players that vital run in the first team.
Let the fun begin with the formidable Swansea arriving first though, nothing should be taken for granted in this league states the skipper and we will need to be on our guard against a quality side who just currently going through a bad patch.
Only two teams are still alive in both the FA Cup and the AP Cup competitions. While the opening leg of the FA Cup quarterfinals could see both teams advance or get a draw for the replay next weekend, in the AP Cup that won't happen. They meet up this Saturday in Match 19. Somebody is going home while the other (if they can stay alive in the FA Cup as well) can stake the claim to be the only manager to pull off making the semifinal matches of both Cup competitions.
Tickets for the match between Lord Stick-figure (DAG) and El Presidente (BRE) are already reported to be selling on the street for the price of two camels and coupon for all-you-can-eat at Lou's Rat-Kabob Shack. Some scalpers are also accepting money though, so don't go out stealing camels unless you are totally broke. Undoubtedly, Kev Hull and Al Sellers will be playing with their top lines as there is considerable history between these long-time PBEM players. Rumors that these two managers do not like each other have not been officially confirmed as of this posting.
Meanwhile, Hereford gets to sit back and watch the fireworks from the relative anonymity of being the only team still alive in the AP Cup and the FA Shield competition. Marc Roseblade gets to step into a flurry of activity over the next few weeks if his team can stay alive this weekend. When the dust settles next weekend, we'll have to see if any manager can stake a claim to being the best Cup team of the year by staying alive in all three tourneys at once (Youth, AP, FA Cup/Shield). I'd question as to whether that team could also pull off a top league finish for the Inaugural Season Quadruple, except Al's position on the league table is well documented and unlikely to change in the near future, so that would be a bit rude to point out to everyone again.
I believe the figures in the tables are all correct, yes. Anyone is free to go match-by-match and double-check my figures if you'd like though!
Given the large number of matches played at "0" hardness compared to the other numbers, there have been more cards generated for those matches. That's why I've included the 'per match average' on the tables as well. Playing at 0 hardness is generating less yellow cards and penalty kicks per match than any other hardness rating. Right now it is generating more red cards, though a large part of that is probably due to very small sample sizes of the larger hardness numbers. If we had 200 matches of hardness 8 played for example, I would expect to see a lot more red cards on average as the random numbers have a chance to even out.
Thanks for the figures, am i correct in what i am reading here, playing hardness 0 has generated all those yellow and red cards?
If so, then it would appear playing 0 hardness seems to be working against you, can the program be correct is what those players are thinking when they play no hardness?
Can I also ask whether anyone knows where we place our non league sales within the order form, Al have you considered this, shall we just email our sales to you as the transfer deadline approaches fast?
Simon
Here is an updated table following the end of Session 4 (through Match 15). Same structure as prior postings, so check previous blog posts if there is any confusion. Well, confusion about the table anyway. Given who is playing in this league there is bound to be massive amounts of confusion in general about all sorts of other things...
| Hardness # | Matches | Yellow Cards | Red Cards | Injuries | PKs | Avg YC | Avg RC | Avg Inj | Avg PKs |
| 0 | 206 | 96 | 28 | 60 | 8 | 0.47 | 0.14 | 0.29 | 0.04 |
| 1 | 35 | 17 | 9 | 11 | 3 | 0.49 | 0.26 | 0.31 | 0.09 |
| 2 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 0.50 | 0.13 | 0.63 | 0.13 |
| 3 | 24 | 20 | 6 | 7 | 12 | 0.83 | 0.25 | 0.29 | 0.50 |
| 4 | 26 | 23 | 7 | 21 | 16 | 0.88 | 0.27 | 0.81 | 0.62 |
| 5 | 19 | 25 | 2 | 11 | 18 | 1.32 | 0.11 | 0.58 | 0.95 |
| 6 | 18 | 21 | 4 | 15 | 9 | 1.17 | 0.22 | 0.83 | 0.50 |
| 7 | 9 | 16 | 1 | 11 | 6 | 1.78 | 0.11 | 1.22 | 0.67 |
| 8 | 8 | 13 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 1.63 | 0.88 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| 9 | 8 | 21 | 5 | 10 | 5 | 2.63 | 0.63 | 1.25 | 0.63 |
| 10 | 21 | 52 | 6 | 30 | 20 | 2.48 | 0.29 | 1.43 | 0.95 |
I am not impressed by Ian's winning percentage. Prizes are won at the end of the season and if he does, I will congratulate him off course. Even the B's are in the top 5, with just 1 league win.
I am more concerned about Mr.S his focus on how great the other teams are, for example Chesterfield and Preston, or how bad the others are, Southend, Watford and Oldham.
This could mean just one thing, in the end, the Brawling Bees will win both the FA Cup and the AP Cup, by letting his strongest opponents eliminate each other.
Ians record is made even more impressive by the fact that one of his few losses of the season against Tranmere only came after losing 8-7 in a really tense Penalty Kick shootout.
Is anyone else as concerned as I am to see Coach Ian Lindsay leading the winning percentage at this point?
Al
A lot of hogwash has been splashed about the Front pages this week regarding the 'Hoodlum Manager' Honest Dave Dowson.
The Board of Southend United Football Club are horrified & embarrassed at this outrageous slur on Mr. Dowsons character
In Mr. Dowsons defence the Board have issued a statement of facts.
Coach Dowson always instills a sense of honesty & loyalty in every team he puts on the pitch.
The Southend United players always play the Ball; not the player.
It is a coincidental & unfortunate statistic that opposing players suffer a high level of injuries against Southend United.
We are fully satisfied that this is due totally to the unfit & ill prepared state of the teams that take to the pitch against Southend United.
In evidential support of this fact we submit the Disciplinary tables clearly showing no Southend player in the top 5 bad boys. We would further like to draw attention to the team in 5th place in the dirty team table namely the 'Dirty B's of Brentford'!
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We opened the session in Division A by facing PBEM Football Guru David Tiberius Blair. David's Brighton and Hove Albion gave us all we wanted but in the end we were able to bring home a 3-1 win with Fraser Taylor tallying twice. The outcome was in doubt though until Taylor's 2nd goal put us up by two in the 93rd minute. One of our Df players, Brent Mertens, was sent off in the 91st minute for taunting the opposing coach. Presumably this was done by Mr. Mertens on his own and not with the encouragement of the Brentford manager.
Our second match of the session was against longtime rival Philip Tiberius McIntosh and his Chesterfield side. It was another Division A match and saw us return to our standard losing Division A form. We were outshot 24-0 in this game and surprisingly lost 5-0. Obviously the ref was a homer and for Mr. McIntosh in this one as not only did he award CHE a PK but managed to book our angels an absurd 4 times. We did take some consolation in the fact that 3 Chesterfield players were injured in this match and of course feel very bad about that (unlike MSWL United hoodlum Rene Tiberius Wilkens who probably cheers when the opposing team gets an injury).
The finale of our session was against Michael Tiberius Cabral (aka C-Ball) and his Lincoln City FC. First off, you know how people are "given" nicknames by others? Sure you do. That's how it works. Well, C-Ball decided one day that he wanted to be called C-Ball...so he went up and told everyone that his nickname was C-Ball. I may have made that up. Anyway, where was I? Our matchup was widely recognized as the match of the day. Lincoln City held leads of 1-nil and 2-1 (after an obviously cheap call by a referee who Mike had paid off prior to the match). However, our noble Bees came back from this unfair decision to "draw level at the death" on a 92nd goal by Daniel Doherty. Since its an AP Cup Sweet 16 matchup that sent us in to extra time where Ronald Carr beat Jan Walter in the 105th minute to give Brentford the 3-2 win and a trip to the AP Cup Quarters where we'll face Kev Tiberius Hull's Dagenham & Redbridge. Kev is currently weighing his options and may decide the NMR coach has a better chance against the fierce Bees.
- Mr. Sellers
FEAR THE BEES!!!
Hi
What you have to remember is that it said he appears to be injured, the stretcher just gave him time to recover along with the kiss of life from the nurse before like all Professionals getting back onto the pitch and getting on with it.
Then obviously his anger took over giving the referee no other option but send him back to the nurse who he had eyes for, theres a love story in there somwhere!!
Maybe he can appeal against his dismissal with the Alan Sellars FA?
Good Luck Simon
90: Christopher Munro (SHU) is SENT OFF!
88: Shot by Júlio Rodrigues (SHU) is off target
85: Shot by Luke MacLean (SHU) is saved by Brandon Johnston (SWI)
84: Chance for Júlio Rodrigues (SHU) is stopped by Michael Hughes (SWI)
83: Christopher Munro (SHU) appears to be injured; he's being stretchered off...
I'm impressed, kind of.
He got SENT OFF his stretcher. Not sure who gave him the red card. The Ref, the Dr or the Nurse.
While there may indeed be worse names to call a guy, I think you automatically get banned from the blog if you post any of those.
Sorry Kevin I just realized I called you Steve.
I suppose there are worse names I could have used...
Whilst Steves figures will eventually show a normal patern of more red cards as the hardness number goes up, Tranmere are doing their best to make a mockery of them by picking up the 2nd or 3rd most red cards whilst only averaging a hardness of 1.
In a much more pleasant statistical aberation Tranmere has managed to get 2 wins whilst playing for a draw and getting virtually no shots on goal.
After Rene's last Blog I thought I would take a little peek at Leicester - hoping I was about to play them shortly.
Goodness sake, I haven't seen so many Red Crosses since the last flag day - I count he has just the correct number of players to play a match.
Begs the question - if we can't get 11 men on the park will the game still run or is a default score put in for the match?
Either way, good on you Rene for pointing the foxes in the right direction... a fully fit team!
I mailed John with the question if he would appreciate some help with the usage of fitness. His answer was yes. I sent him some tips. So future opponents, beware of Leicester in the coming sessions
I think it is a testament to Al's programming skill (I can hear the 10k dropping into the BHA coffers as I write) that the layout of matches where you can place players all over the map to cover all the games you play in a particular week is virtually fool-proof. Mistakes hit you as you press the wrong amount into a wrong space against the wrong player, like a teacher who has been waiting for you to commit the first (of many) errors in a classroom - that takes me back
You can't make errors - it won't let you keep them - apart from a bad lineup of course.
BHA seem to have a policy of getting draws in cup ties (thereby getting 5CPs) and hopefully winning the home games (thereby getting 10CPs). This is not a confirmed policy but one that so far has worked.
BHA sit near the foot of the 1st division - do we care - you bet!
We decided to train up Apps and try to compete aware that others would train up/buy in veterans to get instant success. The beauty of the 2nd format is to get 10CPs per win thereby having the money to train up even more - why did I not go down that road? - so the big get bigger whilst us canny (Scots speak for careful) players will reap our rewards in future times. Both schemes have merits, and my way might mean relegation with a fit squad rather than some who will have cups or league winners medals with a weaker team to face season 2. Time will tell!
Following all results of Session 3 matches, here is the updated table for the cumulative effects of hardness on matches 1 through 11.
Same table setup as last time, with hardness #, total matches played at that hardness level, and then Yellow Cards given, Red Cards given, Injuries caused (not received), and Penalty Kicks given up (just kicks, not PK goals because goal scoring chance is independent of hardness level) per level of hardness. Those categories are listed in total cumulative number and then average per match at that hardness level.
| Hardness # | Matches | Yellow Cards | Red Cards | Injuries | PKs | Avg YC | Avg RC | Avg Inj | Avg PK |
| 0 | 155 | 71 | 17 | 48 | 7 | 0.46 | 0.11 | 0.31 | 0.05 |
| 1 | 27 | 13 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 0.48 | 0.30 | 0.26 | 0.04 |
| 2 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 0.50 | 0.13 | 0.63 | 0.13 |
| 3 | 23 | 17 | 6 | 7 | 11 | 0.74 | 0.26 | 0.30 | 0.48 |
| 4 | 23 | 22 | 6 | 20 | 14 | 0.96 | 0.26 | 0.87 | 0.61 |
| 5 | 8 | 16 | 0 | 4 | 11 | 2.00 | 0.00 | 0.50 | 1.38 |
| 6 | 16 | 17 | 4 | 12 | 8 | 1.06 | 0.25 | 0.75 | 0.50 |
| 7 | 8 | 14 | 1 | 11 | 6 | 1.75 | 0.13 | 1.38 | 0.75 |
| 8 | 6 | 12 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 2.00 | 1.00 | 1.33 | 1.17 |
| 9 | 8 | 21 | 5 | 10 | 5 | 2.63 | 0.63 | 1.25 | 0.63 |
| 10 | 16 | 39 | 4 | 18 | 19 | 2.44 | 0.25 | 1.13 | 1.19 |
As always, if you can't make up your mind about how much hardness you want to use in a match then feel free to pick a lesser-used number (8 and 2 would be good this coming session) so the sample sizes can increase and give us more accurate end result figures.
Now THAT is hilarious Dancin' Dave!
Phil (aka One Shot) is doing something very well lately (both in this league and MSWL)...I hope he'll share some secrets...
Then again, is it really necessary for you to take the Southend United side out to the pub for the entire night when they play Chesterfield the next day?
C'mon 3 shots off target? At least give Phil's Gk something to try to save.
Al
This Mr Innaugural season McIntosh, is that the same as Mr One shot McIntosh ?
| 1 | Attacks | 10 |
| 1 | Shots | 4 |
| 1 | Shots On Goal | 1 |
| 1 | Saves | 0 |
| 0 | Penalty Kicks | 0 |
Chen Zhou (13)
Inaugural Season specialist Phil McIntosh is leading the wins/win percentage categories along with Division A with 4 wins and 0 losses. Who among you can stop Dr. McIntosh?
Al
"The Wolves need your help!"
Sorry Kev but I think you will find that the Wolves play in Wolverhampton
Leicester are the 'FOXES'
Reporting on events from around the league, the first buzz following today's matches goes to the state of affairs in the LEI locker room.
Coming into this weekend's matches, LEI had two injured players: their SW and their age V Df. Now go check out their main page. It's an advertisement for the Red Cross. "Give Blood! The Wolves need your help!"
Want the real kicker though? Total injuries in this week's match for LEI: One. That's right, just one of those injured players went down, and he was already at -3 when he dropped and lost another point. All the rest came from overuse in the first three sessions.
As it stands right now, due to GKs not being able to play any other position LEI has to sign at least one Schoolboy simply to field a full eleven players! They only have 9 other guys capable of standing up right now. With three matches this coming week as well, expect the team to pull in their full slate of Schoolboys and work them into the mix out of necessity. The rest of the team will have to sit out next week's matches before being able to come back in session 5.
For Coach John, if you have any questions about the Fitness use and loss rules in the league, feel free to send out a message to Al or me or anyone else who can help you out.
I really like the stats idea on the home page - top 5 hoodlums is great - hope I don't make it into that dubious club! I'd prefer to be in the top 5 PCT!! (if that is one??).....very unlikely though
Thanks for the stats, Al, good stuff. Earlier this AM, one of the posted categories was "Teams Most Victinized" or something like that. That is, the teams who has suffered the most injuries from the goon managers out there. LIN was at the top of that list. I had sensed a higher number of injuries than normal \by watching the LIN matches, and Al's new stats bear it out.
I guess it's time for LIN to get tough. Expect some serious hardness in return starting ASAP. We will not be intimidated by the goons. Alright, we may be a little scared of Dave "Budvar" Dowson, but no one else!
I'm working on some stats that will show up on the front page each day. Certain stats will show up on certain days...
I was talking with Kevin Martin to get some suggestions (thanks Kevin).
One that I'm particularly proud of is the "Top 5 Hoodlum Coaches" that will appear on Saturdays and Sundays.
I fear that we'll see many of the same ones week after week.
Kevin didn't suggest this one in particular, so you can't blame him for this one.
Others will appear on various days. If you have some in mind that don't get covered, let me know. I'm particular interested in some funny ones like the "lineup of hoodlum coaches above".
Al
Not disresepcr at all. Have you seen how badly I manage my other teams?
It's probably safer for me if I let the assistant manager choose the lineups for me.
I was helping a friend move home and had mentally ticked the box for the orders as I'd looked at them during the week and had put lineups together. I wasn't happy with what I'd come up with, so didn't save them, meaning to come back later.
An improved performance this weekend. Hope I'm playing Brentford.
Hi guys,
A few quick thoughts...
Good job on the stats Kevin and Rob. Good reading and interesting. I know David Blair is interested in the injury thing.
WHAT is the deal with people wanting to play 10-hard against the meek Brentford team? No one should pay us any mind, seriously...we're 9th in Division A and that's only because Ian is propping us up. Why worry about a 9th place team?
I can't believe Rob is trying to steal my trademarked line...because it really is a rebuilding season for Brentford. Have I mentioned we're in 9th place?
Phil's picture: Yeah Rob, that's an old one...but really captures Phil more than the recent ones.
Speaking of Phil...some may not know this, but Phil ALWAYS wins inaugual seasons...so should we be surprised about him leading Division A?
What about Mr. Lewis leading Division B? Why is everyone giving Andy a free pass? Where are the Andy Lewis haters?
Finally, let's chat about Swindon and Oldham. Well, we know Oldham tries to injure other teams based on the recent postings. But let's talk David King and Swindon. Mr. King felt so confident that he'd win both league games this past session that he NMR'd. Was he being disrespectful to everyone in Division C?
Finally, I will do two things this weekend...come up with some kind of "participation bonus" rules for Blog/Forum participation and also give you all your 50k for photos. I hope to get the bio entry page up as well.
Remember, play your C team against Brentford because that's all you need...we're probably playing all SBY's/APPs anyway.
Al
Here's another stat sheet for your collection then, Rob.
Tracking the hardness played by each team in every match, this shows the total matches player per hardness level and gives the total cardings, injuries caused, and PK conceded (not goals, just # of shots, since the conversion rate has nothing to do with how many points of hardness you are using), as well as the average number of each stat per match played at that hardness level. This is a small sample size to date, however I'll track this as the season goes along and can re-post the updates after each session if anyone cares to see how the numbers are playing out for this league.
| Hardness Used | # of Games | Yellows | Reds | Injured | PKs | Avg YC | Avg RC | Avg Inj | Avg PK |
| 0 | 100 | 44 | 13 | 31 | 6 | 0.44 | 0.13 | 0.31 | 0.06 |
| 1 | 21 | 8 | 5 | 7 | 1 | 0.38 | 0.24 | 0.33 | 0.05 |
| 2 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0.50 | 0.00 | 0.83 | 0.00 |
| 3 | 22 | 14 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 0.64 | 0.27 | 0.32 | 0.45 |
| 4 | 17 | 18 | 5 | 16 | 9 | 1.06 | 0.29 | 0.94 | 0.53 |
| 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1.50 | 0.00 | 0.50 | 2.00 |
| 6 | 11 | 15 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 1.36 | 0.36 | 0.64 | 0.64 |
| 7 | 7 | 13 | 1 | 10 | 6 | 1.86 | 0.14 | 1.43 | 0.86 |
| 8 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2.33 | 0.67 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| 9 | 7 | 17 | 5 | 9 | 2 | 2.43 | 0.71 | 1.29 | 0.71 |
| 10 | 10 | 24 | 3 | 6 | 12 | 2.40 | 0.30 | 0.60 | 1.20 |
So if anyone is not sure what to do with how many hardness points to play, feel free to try and injure others for the sake of science! We could use some more of the lower numbers to get a better sample size, especially at 2, 5, and 8. Right now, it looks like the lucky number is 7. Fewer reds than the other high numbers, more injuries per match and no significant jump in PK chance. Feel free to test you luck there as well if 8 is one too high for your liking.
In the 'test' games, I can tell you that I played with varying degrees of hardness and definitely saw a correlation between the increased levels of hardness and PKs / Cards. So far though, all I can say is that yellow cards seem to be plentiful, but Plymouth is dodging lots of bullets with Reds and PKs.
| Hardness | YC Chance | RC Chance | Injury Chance | PK Chance |
| 10 | 19.50% | 3.25% | 12.50% | 10 @ 10% |
| 5 | 12.00% | 2.00% | 7.50% | 5 @ 10% |
The above table shows the percent chances for YCs, RCs, Injuries and PKs based on the level of hardness played. Below is what PLY has actually encountered through 6 games (PLY did not have a Match #6).
| Match | Hardness | Yellow | 2nd Yellow | Straight Red | Injury Caused | PK |
| 1 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| 2 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 3 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 4 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 7 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
As you can see, PLY has amassed 14 yellow cards (1 a 2nd yellow send-off), 0 red cards, caused 3 injuries and conceded 4 PKs (only 2 of which scored).
I would like to see the Injury Caused numbers to be more in line with the number of Yellow Cards received, but overall, with 27 players on the roster, I have enough depth to cover the 1 or 2 players that will be suspended for the start of each session. The benefits of having the extra points to cover the youth players I am concentrating on is worth it to me.
Of course, this is my first United game, so the numbers may come back to haunt me, but we'll see...
And - my wife says that I'm addicted to spreadsheets... I tend to come up with a new one almost every day...
Let me the first to say Rob, fantastic set of stats. Boy where do you find the time to compile that lot, oh hail the great one!!
On the hardness discussion - I play in a few leagues of United and football management games and boy I have never seen so much hardness played and so little penalties conceded, maybe its the way forward?
I will play hardness 10 the next time Oldham meets Brentford.
It would have been 60 Kevin, but I tried an experiment by only playing 5 hardness in one of my matches.
Team management has been given the green light to move forward with a full youth program. However, when running so many youngsters out on the pitch together, the overall skill suffers a bit. Thus, the team needs to look to other areas... the youngsters have been instructed to play as hard as humanly possible - that extra effort has allowed us to boost our otherwise anemic skill levels to compete with the teams that are otherwise ignoring their youth.
In short - PLY lives hard and plays even harder!
As much as I love to remind others to never turn their back on Al and always play him tough on general principle, unfortunately I would be remiss to get on Brentford's case here. Al (at 17 hardness used) doesn't even crack the Top 10 Hardness Lovers so far this season (with the most hardness played in one match being the tie break):
- Watford 59
- Plymouth Argyle FC 55 (nothing like teaching all your youth how to throw an elbow properly, eh Rob?)
- Southend United 36
- Coventry City 27 (9 max, then 7)
- Blyth Spartans AFC 27 (9 max, then 6)
- Swindon Town FC 25 (9 max)
- Hereford United F.C. 25 (8 max)
- Dagenham & Redbridge 21
- Swansea City AFC 20
- Weston-super-Mare AFC 19
According to Mr. Al "point to the others, if you are quilty" Sellers, Oldham is considered as one of the "Bad Boys' from MSWL-United. What he forgot to mention is that his own team also caused 4 injuries. He is right to mention that Oldham effected 11 fitness on it's opponents, but this was only in 2 of 4 "injury matches". Brentford also has 2 "injury matches" effecting 9 matches. If you just take injuries caused and fit effected and compare Brentford and Oldham, then Oldham is a bad boy with 2 more fitness effected.
When we also take hardness played into account you get the following:
| Hardness | Injury Caused | Yellow/Red | Fitness effected |
| 2 | 3 | 1Y | 9 |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | 0 | 1Y | 0 |
| 3 | 0 | 2Y | 0 |
| 6 | 1 |
1Y |
0 |
Red figures are matches were injuries were caused and fitness effected
| Hardness | Injury Caused | Yellow/Red | Fitness effected |
| 10 | 0 | 1Y | 0 |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 0 | 1 | 1Y 1R | 0 |
| 0 | 2 | 1R | 6 |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 0 | 1 | 2Y 1R | 5 |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Now this gives a complete picture. Oldham should be considerd as an for it's opponents. So what is causing these yellow and red cards for Oldham. That can only be one thing. Mr.Sellers has bribed all referees to punish Watford, Southend, Swindon, Hereford and off course Oldham
That I am aiming for quick success with Oldham in stead of building my APP and SBY, just hoping to strengthen my team from there on.
It's a rebuilding season for PLY!
"It's a rebuilding season" is a trademark phrase. All rights reserved - Memphis Pharoes, Allan Sellers.
Then again, as the title states, perhaps we should all look to the Master of All Things Olmec? Al's BRE team is 2nd on Rob's youth progression tables and sits at a very respectable 3-2-2 after two sessions. Proof that a person can have their cake and eat it too? Fluke results? Or a Zen-like ability to Be The Ball? Inquiring minds want to know!
Shall we start speculating now about why PLY (tops in youth training for future season's use) has started out 1-2-3 and why CAR (worst in the league per below tables) has the best record at 5-2-0, while other tops teams to date (BRI, QPR, et al) are similarly at 0% in the youth development progression? When every SL you put on the pitch can generate or stop a shot, it comes as little surprise that the teams committed to putting out weaker players are finding early success harder to come by. Teams stacking for the early wins (and subsequent CP rewards) will likely have the advantage all season. The strategic planning battles for seasons 2 & 3 appears to have already begun!
Mayhaps we here at CRD should get around to finding out what ours is before we get run over by both sides of The Grand Youth Equation at once?
In a Forum post, I posted what the maximum SL a player can achieve throughout his career in MSWL United.
To review that, visit here
In order for a player to have a chance to achieve *the* Max SL of 16 as an Age II player, he needs to have his SL raised by 3 as an SBY and by 5 as an APP. In order to get the +3 SL boost as an SBY, the player must play in 9 of the 10 sessions. If the player misses 2 sessions, and he is no longer capable of hitting SL 16 in Age II. If an SBY makes all an appearance in all 10 sessions, he gets his +3 SL boost PLUS he gets to start off his APP season with a QNL of 1.
APPs can have their SL raised by a maximum of 5. In order to achieve that, the player has to appear in 2 matches in every session. Failure to miss just a single match will result in a player not being able to get all 5 SL boosts. QNL points cannot be carried over from APP to Age I, so if a player can't get all 5 SL boosts, then it's not even worth it to play the extra matches - miss 1 match, might as well miss 3 more on purpose.
So, coaching up youth players takes a bit of dedication. There are a few teams who seem to be dedicating the right resources this season, but many seem to be going forward with just a few youth players and not providing maximum coaching.
Final table... for now
This table shows the totals for each team (so you don't have to add up the numbers from the first really long table). This shows overall, how each team is managing their youth players (or *not* managing them...).
| Team | APP | Can Max | Can Max % | SBY | Can Max | Can Max % |
| BRE | 6 | 5 | 83% | 4 | 4 | 100% |
| BHA | 6 | 4 | 67% | 1 | 1 | 100% |
| BRI | 6 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| CRD | 6 | 4 | 67% | 4 | 4 | 100% |
| CAR | 6 | 0 | 0% | 6 | 0 | 0% |
| CHF | 6 | 1 | 17% | 4 | 4 | 100% |
| CRE | 6 | 2 | 33% | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| DAG | 6 | 0 | 0% | 3 | 3 | 100% |
| DER | 6 | 1 | 17% | 3 | 1 | 33% |
| DOR | 6 | 2 | 33% | 6 | 2 | 33% |
| HER | 6 | 3 | 50% | 2 | 2 | 100% |
| LEE | 6 | 2 | 33% | 3 | 1 | 33% |
| LEI | 6 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| LEW | 6 | 3 | 50% | 2 | 2 | 100% |
| LIN | 6 | 1 | 17% | 3 | 3 | 100% |
| NOR | 6 | 0 | 0% | 6 | 6 | 100% |
| FOR | 6 | 1 | 17% | 1 | 1 | 100% |
| OLA | 6 | 0 | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0% |
| PLY | 6 | 6 | 100% | 6 | 6 | 100% |
| PV | 6 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| PNE | 6 | 1 | 17% | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| QPR | 6 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| SHU | 6 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| SU | 6 | 0 | 0% | 4 | 3 | 75% |
| SWA | 6 | 0 | 0% | 4 | 1 | 25% |
| SWI | 6 | 0 | 0% | 3 | 0 | 0% |
| TRA | 6 | 3 | 50% | 6 | 5 | 83% |
| WAT | 6 | 3 | 50% | 1 | 1 | 100% |
| WES | 6 | 0 | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0% |
| WYC | 6 | 1 | 17% | 6 | 6 | 100% |
Most aggressive teams managing their Youth players:
- PLY - 100% / 100%
- BRE - 83% / 100%
- BHA & CRD - 67% / 100%
Teams letting their Youth players flounder:
- CAR - 0/6 APP & 0/6 SBY
- SWI - 0/6 APP & 0/3 SBY
- WES - 0/6 APP & 1/3 SBY
- DER - 1/6 APP & 1/3 SBY
- SWA - 0/6 APP & 1/4 SBY
- LEE - 2/6 APP & 1/3 SBY
The below information shows the Youth player info for the league as a whole. Every team was setup with 6 APPs by the Commish, so that accounts for the 180 APPs. There are 80 Youth Players out there, averaging about 2.67 per team.
What is really interesting is that managers seem to be letting their APPs flounder! Only 24% of the APPs in the league can achieve their Max SL this season. Now, at this point, not being able to achieve Max SL can simply mean being SL 9 instead of SL 10, but if the pattern continues for some of these teams, it's more likely that it will mean SL 7 instead of SL 10, which in this game seems much more significant that the regular MSWL league.
| League | Total | Avg | Can Max | Can Max % |
| APP | 180 | 6 | 43 | 24% |
| SBY | 80 | 2.67 | 56 | 70% |
The table below shows the break down of how many teams have signed SBYs. There's no useful information here, other than to show the distribution of SBYs.
| SBY Info | |
| Num SBY | Teams |
| 0 | 7 |
| 1 | 5 |
| 2 | 2 |
| 3 | 5 |
| 4 | 5 |
| 5 | 0 |
| 6 | 6 |
| >= 1 SBY | |
| Num Teams | 23 |
| Avg | 3.48 |
The table below shows the Youth Players (APP & SBY) on each team, what their starting SL was, what their Current SL is at (if they have been raised at all) and then shows the QNL/RSD info. Finally, the last 3 columns are of interest.
- Max SL - this column shows the maximum SL that the player can achieve, assuming that he plays every possible match from this point in the season, moving forward.
- Max - this column shows the maximum SL that the player *could* have achieved, assuming he played every possible match for the *whole* season.
- Can Max - this column simply states whether or not the maximum SL that the player *can* achieve at this point equals the maximum SL that the player *could* have achieved. I find this interesting to see who's getting the most out of their Youth Players and who's letting their Youth Players slip in their system.
| Team | Type | Start SL | Cur SL | Pos | QNL | Raised | Max SL | Max | Can Max |
| BRE | APP | 5 | 6 | GK | 0 | 1 | 10 | 10 | Yes |
| SBY | 2 | 2 | SW | 2 | 0 | 5 | 5 | Yes | |
| APP | 4 | 5 | DF | 0 | 1 | 9 | 9 | Yes | |
| APP | 4 | 5 | DF | 3 | 1 | 9 | 9 | Yes | |
| SBY | 2 | 2 | DF | 2 | 0 | 5 | 5 | Yes | |
| APP | 5 | 6 | MF | 0 | 1 | 10 | 10 | Yes | |
| APP | 3 | 3 | MF | 0 | 0 | 7 | 8 | No | |
| SBY | 2 | 2 | MF | 2 | 0 | 5 | 5 | Yes | |
| APP | 4 | 5 | FW | 0 | 1 | 9 | 9 | Yes | |
| SBY | 2 | 2 | FW | 2 | 0 | 5 | 5 | Yes | |
| BHA | APP | 5 | 6 | GK | 0 | 1 | 10 | 10 | Yes |
| APP | 4 | 4 | SW | 3 | 0 | 8 | 9 | No | |
| APP | 4 | 5 | DF | 0 | 1 | 9 | 9 | Yes | |
| SBY | 2 | 2 | DF | 1 | 0 | 5 | 5 | Yes | |
| APP | 5 | 6 | MF | 0 | 1 | 10 | 10 | Yes | |
| APP | 3 | 3 | MF | 2 | 0 | 7 | 8 | No | |
| APP | 4 | 5 | FW | 0 | 1 | 9 | 9 | Yes | |
| BRI | APP | 5 | 5 | GK | 1 | 0 | 9 | 10 | No |
| APP | 4 | 4 | SW | 2 | 0 | 8 | 9 | No | |
| APP | 4 | 4 | DF | 1 | 0 | 8 | 9 | No | |
| APP | 5 | 5 | MF | 2 | 0 | 9 | 10 | No | |
| APP | 3 | 3 | MF | 3 | 0 | 7 | 8 | No | |
| APP | 4 | 4 | FW | 1 | 0 | 8 | 9 | No | |
| CRD | SBY | 2 | 2 | GK | 2 | 0 | 5 | 5 | Yes |
| APP | 5 | 6 | SW | 0 | 1 | 10 | 10 | Yes | |
| APP | 4 | 5 | DF | 0 | 1 | 9 | 9 | Yes | |
| SBY | 2 | 2 | DF | 2 | 0 | 5 | 5 | Yes | |
| APP | 4 | 5 | MF | 0 | 1 | 9 | 9 | Yes | |
| APP | 3 | 3 | MF | 0 | 0 | 7 | 8 | No | |
| SBY | 2 | 2 | MF | 2 | 0 | 5 | 5 | Yes | |
| APP | 5 | 6 | FW | 0 | 1 | 10 | 10 | Yes | |
| APP | 4 | 4 | FW | 0 | 0 | 8 | 9 | No | |
| SBY | 2 | 2 | FW | 2 | 0 | 5 | 5 | Yes | |
| CAR | APP | 5 | 5 | GK | 0 | 0 | 9 | 10 | No |
| SBY | 2 | 2 | GK | 0 | 0 | 4 | 5 | No | |
| APP | 4 | 4 | SW | 0 | 0 | 8 | 9 | No | |
| APP | 4 | 4 | DF | 2 | 0 | 8 | 9 | No | |
| SBY | 2 | 2 | DF | 0 | 0 | 4 | 5 | No | |
| SBY | 2 | 2 | DF | 0 | 0 | 4 | 5 | No | |
| APP | 5 | 5 | MF | 2 | 0 | 9 | 10 | No | |
| APP | 3 | 3 | MF | 0 | 0 | 7 | 8 | No | |
| SBY | 2 | 2 | MF | 0 | 0 | 4 | 5 | No | |
| SBY | 2 | 2 | MF | 0 | 0 | 4 | 5 | No | |
| APP | 4 | 4 | FW | 0 | 0 | 8 | 9 | No | |
| SBY | 2 | 2 | FW | 0 | 0 | 4 | 5 | No | |
| CHF | APP | 5 | 6 | GK | 0 | 1 | 10 | 10 | Yes |
| APP | 4 | 4 | SW | 2 | 0 | 8 | 9 | No | |
| SBY | 2 | 2 | SW | 1 | 0 | 5 | 5 | Yes | |
| APP | 4 | 4 | DF | 3 | 0 | 8 | 9 | No | |
| SBY | 2 | 2 | DF | 2 | 0 | 5 | 5 | Yes | |
| APP | 5 | 5 | MF | 3 | 0 | 9 | 10 | No | |
| APP | 3 | 3 | MF | 3 | 0 | 7 | 8 | No | |
| SBY | 2 | 2 | MF | 2 | 0 | 5 | 5 | Yes | |
| APP | 4 | 4 | FW | 2 | 0 | 8 | 9 | No | |
| SBY | 2 | 2 | FW | 1 | 0 | 5 | 5 | Yes | |
| CRE | APP | 5 | 6 | GK | 0 | 1 | 10 | 10 | Yes |
| APP | 4 | 4 | SW | 3 | 0 | 8 | 9 | No | |
| APP | 4 | 5 | DF | 0 | 1 | 9 | 9 | Yes | |
| APP | 5 | 5 | MF | 3 | 0 | 9 | 10 | No | |
| APP | 3 | 3 | MF | 2 | 0 | 7 | 8 | No | |
| APP | 4 | 4 | FW | 2 | 0 | 8 | 9 | No | |
| DAG | APP | 5 | 5 | GK | 2 | 0 | 9 | 10 | No |
| APP | 4 | 4 | SW | 1 | 0 | 8 | 9 | No | |
| APP | 4 | 4 | DF | 1 | 0 | 8 | 9 | No | |
| SBY | 2 | 2 | DF | 1 | 0 | 5 | 5 | Yes | |
| APP | 5 | 5 | MF | 2 | 0 | 9 | 10 | No | |
| APP | 3 | 3 | MF | 1 | 0 | 7 | 8 | No | |
| SBY | 2 | 2 | MF | 1 | 0 | 5 | 5 | Yes | |
| APP | 4 | 4 | FW | 1 | 0 | 8 | 9 | No | |
| SBY | 2 | 2 | FW | 1 | 0 | 5 | 5 | Yes | |
| DER | APP | 5 | 6 | GK | 0 | 1 | 10 | 10 | Yes |
| APP | 4 | 4 | SW | 1 | 0 | 8 | 9 | No | |
| APP | 4 | 4 | DF | 2 | 0 | 8 | 9 | No | |
| SBY | 2 | 2 | DF | 0 | 0 | 4 | 5 | No | |
| APP | 5 | 5 | MF | 2 | 0 | 9 | 10 | No | |
| APP | 3 | 3 | MF | 2 | 0 | 7 | 8 | No | |
| SBY | 2 | 2 | MF | 0 | 0 | 4 | 5 | No | |
| APP | 4 | 4 | FW | 3 | 0 | 8 | 9 | No | |
| SBY | 2 | 2 | FW | 2 | 0 | 5 | 5 | Yes | |
| DOR | APP | 5 | 5 | GK | 3 | 0 | 9 | 10 | No |
| SBY | 2 | 2 | GK | 0 | 0 | 4 | 5 | No | |
| APP | 4 | 5 | SW | 0 | 1 | 9 | 9 | Yes | |
| SBY | 2 | 2 | SW | 0 | 0 | 4 | 5 | No | |
| APP | 4 | 4 | DF | 2 | 0 | 8 | 9 | No | |
| SBY | 2 | 2 | DF | 0 | 0 | 4 | 5 | No | |
| APP | 3 | 5 | MF | 2 | 2 | 9 | 8 | No | |
| APP | 2 | 3 | MF | 1 | 1 | 7 | 7 | Yes | |
| SBY | 1 | 2 | MF | 1 | 1 | 5 | 4 | No | |
| APP | 4 | 4 | FW | 2 | 0 | 8 | 9 | No | |
| SBY | 2 | 2 | FW | 2 | 0 | 5 | 5 | Yes | |
| SBY | 2 | 2 | FW | 2 | 0 | 5 | 5 | Yes |
| HER | SBY | 2 | 2 | GK | 1 | 0 | 5 | 5 | Yes |
| APP | 5 | 6 | SW | 0 | 1 | 10 | 10 | Yes | |
| SBY | 2 | 2 | SW | 2 | 0 | 5 | 5 | Yes | |
| APP | 3 | 3 | DF | 0 | 0 | 7 | 8 | No | |
| APP | 5 | 6 | MF | 0 | 1 | 10 | 10 | Yes | |
| APP | 4 | 4 | MF | 2 | 0 | 8 | 9 | No | |
| APP | 4 | 5 | FW | 0 | 1 | 9 | 9 | Yes | |
| APP | 4 | 4 | FW | 0 | 0 | 8 | 9 | No | |
| LEE | APP | 5 | 6 | GK | 0 | 1 | 10 | 10 | Yes |
| APP | 4 | 4 | SW | 0 | 0 | 8 | 9 | No | |
| APP | 4 | 4 | DF | 1 | 0 | 8 | 9 | No | |
| SBY | 2 | 2 | DF | 0 | 0 | 4 | 5 | No | |
| APP | 5 | 6 | MF | 0 | 1 | 10 | 10 | Yes | |
| APP | 3 | 3 | MF | 1 | 0 | 7 | 8 | No | |
| SBY | 2 | 2 | MF | 1 | 0 | 5 | 5 | Yes | |
| APP | 4 | 4 | FW | 2 | 0 | 8 | 9 | No | |
| SBY | 2 | 2 | FW | 0 | 0 | 4 | 5 | No | |
| LEI | APP | 5 | 5 | GK | 0 | 0 | 9 | 10 | No |
| APP | 4 | 4 | SW | 2 | 0 | 8 | 9 | No | |
| APP | 4 | 4 | DF | 0 | 0 | 8 | 9 | No | |
| APP | 5 | 5 | MF | 0 | 0 | 9 | 10 | No | |
| APP | 3 | 3 | MF | 0 | 0 | 7 | 8 | No | |
| APP | 4 | 4 | FW | 0 | 0 | 8 | 9 | No | |
| LEW | APP | 5 | 5 | GK | 0 | 0 | 9 | 10 | No |
| APP | 4 | 4 | SW | 1 | 0 | 8 | 9 | No | |
| APP | 4 | 4 | DF | 3 | 0 | 8 | 9 | No | |
| SBY | 2 | 2 | DF | 2 | 0 | 5 | 5 | Yes | |
| APP | 5 | 6 | MF | 0 | 1 | 10 | 10 | Yes | |
| APP | 3 | 4 | MF | 0 | 1 | 8 | 8 | Yes | |
| APP | 4 | 5 | FW | 0 | 1 | 9 | 9 | Yes | |
| SBY | 2 | 2 | FW | 2 | 0 | 5 | 5 | Yes | |
| LIN | APP | 5 | 5 | GK | 1 | 0 | 9 | 10 | No |
| SBY | 2 | 2 | GK | 1 | 0 | 5 | 5 | Yes | |
| APP | 4 | 4 | SW | 2 | 0 | 8 | 9 | No | |
| APP | 4 | 4 | DF | 2 | 0 | 8 | 9 | No | |
| SBY | 2 | 2 | DF | 1 | 0 | 5 | 5 | Yes | |
| APP | 5 | 6 | MF | 0 | 1 | 10 | 10 | Yes | |
| APP | 3 | 3 | MF | 2 | 0 | 7 | 8 | No | |
| APP | 4 | 4 | FW | 2 | 0 | 8 | 9 | No | |
| SBY | 2 | 2 | FW | 1 | 0 | 5 | 5 | Yes | |
| NOR | APP | 5 | 5 | GK | 2 | 0 | 9 | 10 | No |
| SBY | 2 | 2 | GK | 2 | 0 | 5 | 5 | Yes | |
| APP | 4 | 4 | SW | 2 | 0 | 8 | 9 | No | |
| APP | 4 | 4 | DF | 3 | 0 | 8 | 9 | No | |
| SBY | 2 | 2 | DF | 1 | 0 | 5 | 5 | Yes | |
| SBY | 2 | 2 | DF | 1 | 0 | 5 | 5 | Yes | |
| APP | 5 | 5 | MF | 3 | 0 | 9 | 10 | No | |
| APP | 3 | 3 | MF | 2 | 0 | 7 | 8 | No | |
| SBY | 2 | 2 | MF | 2 | 0 | 5 | 5 | Yes | |
| APP | 4 | 4 | FW | 3 | 0 | 8 | 9 | No | |
| SBY | 2 | 2 | FW | 2 | 0 | 5 | 5 | Yes | |
| SBY | 2 | 2 | FW | 2 | 0 | 5 | 5 | Yes | |
| FOR | APP | 5 | 6 | GK | 0 | 1 | 10 | 10 | Yes |
| APP | 4 | 4 | SW | 2 | 0 | 8 | 9 | No | |
| APP | 4 | 4 | DF | 3 | 0 | 8 | 9 | No | |
| SBY | 2 | 2 | DF | 2 | 0 | 5 | 5 | Yes | |
| APP | 5 | 5 | MF | 3 | 0 | 9 | 10 | No | |
| APP | 3 | 3 | MF | 2 | 0 | 7 | 8 | No | |
| APP | 4 | 4 | FW | 3 | 0 | 8 | 9 | No | |
| OLA | APP | 5 | 5 | GK | 2 | 0 | 9 | 10 | No |
| APP | 4 | 4 | SW | 3 | 0 | 8 | 9 | No | |
| SBY | 2 | 2 | SW | 0 | 0 | 4 | 5 | No | |
| APP | 4 | 4 | DF | 3 | 0 | 8 | 9 | No | |
| APP | 5 | 5 | MF | 3 | 0 | 9 | 10 | No | |
| APP | 3 | 3 | MF | 2 | 0 | 7 | 8 | No | |
| APP | 4 | 4 | FW | 3 | 0 | 8 | 9 | No | |
| PLY | APP | 5 | 6 | GK | 0 | 1 | 10 | 10 | Yes |
| SBY | 2 | 2 | SW | 2 | 0 | 5 | 5 | Yes | |
| APP | 4 | 5 | DF | 0 | 1 | 9 | 9 | Yes | |
| SBY | 2 | 2 | DF | 2 | 0 | 5 | 5 | Yes | |
| SBY | 2 | 2 | DF | 2 | 0 | 5 | 5 | Yes | |
| APP | 3 | 4 | MF | 0 | 1 | 8 | 8 | Yes | |
| SBY | 2 | 2 | MF | 2 | 0 | 5 | 5 | Yes | |
| APP | 5 | 6 | FW | 0 | 1 | 10 | 10 | Yes | |
| APP | 4 | 5 | FW | 0 | 1 | 9 | 9 | Yes | |
| APP | 4 | 5 | FW | 0 | 1 | 9 | 9 | Yes | |
| SBY | 2 | 2 | FW | 2 | 0 | 5 | 5 | Yes | |
| SBY | 2 | 2 | FW | 2 | 0 | 5 | 5 | Yes | |
| PV | APP | 5 | 5 | GK | 3 | 0 | 9 | 10 | No |
| APP | 4 | 4 | SW | 2 | 0 | 8 | 9 | No | |
| APP | 4 | 4 | DF | 3 | 0 | 8 | 9 | No | |
| APP | 5 | 5 | MF | 3 | 0 | 9 | 10 | No | |
| APP | 3 | 3 | MF | 2 | 0 | 7 | 8 | No | |
| APP | 4 | 4 | FW | 0 | 0 | 8 | 9 | No |
| PNE | APP | 5 | 5 | GK | 0 | 0 | 9 | 10 | No |
| APP | 4 | 4 | SW | 1 | 0 | 8 | 9 | No | |
| APP | 4 | 4 | DF | 2 | 0 | 8 | 9 | No | |
| APP | 5 | 5 | MF | 3 | 0 | 9 | 10 | No | |
| APP | 3 | 3 | MF | 0 | 0 | 7 | 8 | No | |
| APP | 4 | 5 | FW | 0 | 1 | 9 | 9 | Yes | |
| QPR | APP | 5 | 5 | GK | 2 | 0 | 9 | 10 | No |
| APP | 4 | 4 | SW | 0 | 0 | 8 | 9 | No | |
| APP | 4 | 4 | DF | 0 | 0 | 8 | 9 | No | |
| APP | 5 | 5 | MF | 0 | 0 | 9 | 10 | No | |
| APP | 3 | 3 | MF | 0 | 0 | 7 | 8 | No | |
| APP | 4 | 4 | FW | 0 | 0 | 8 | 9 | No | |
| SHU | APP | 4 | 4 | SW | 0 | 0 | 8 | 9 | No |
| APP | 5 | 5 | DF | 2 | 0 | 9 | 10 | No | |
| APP | 4 | 4 | DF | 1 | 0 | 8 | 9 | No | |
| APP | 5 | 5 | MF | 3 | 0 | 9 | 10 | No | |
| APP | 3 | 3 | MF | 1 | 0 | 7 | 8 | No | |
| APP | 4 | 4 | FW | 2 | 0 | 8 | 9 | No | |
| SU | APP | 5 | 5 | GK | 2 | 0 | 9 | 10 | No |
| APP | 4 | 4 | SW | 2 | 0 | 8 | 9 | No | |
| APP | 4 | 4 | DF | 2 | 0 | 8 | 9 | No | |
| SBY | 2 | 2 | DF | 2 | 0 | 5 | 5 | Yes | |
| SBY | 2 | 2 | DF | 0 | 0 | 4 | 5 | No | |
| APP | 3 | 3 | MF | 2 | 0 | 7 | 8 | No | |
| SBY | 2 | 2 | MF | 1 | 0 | 5 | 5 | Yes | |
| APP | 5 | 5 | FW | 3 | 0 | 9 | 10 | No | |
| APP | 4 | 4 | FW | 2 | 0 | 8 | 9 | No | |
| SBY | 2 | 2 | FW | 2 | 0 | 5 | 5 | Yes | |
| SWA | APP | 5 | 5 | GK | 3 | 0 | 9 | 10 | No |
| SBY | 2 | 2 | GK | 0 | 0 | 4 | 5 | No | |
| APP | 4 | 4 | DF | 2 | 0 | 8 | 9 | No | |
| APP | 4 | 4 | FW | 1 | 0 | 8 | 9 | No | |
| SBY | 2 | 2 | FW | 0 | 0 | 4 | 5 | No | |
| APP | 4 | 4 | MF | 3 | 0 | 8 | 9 | No | |
| APP | 3 | 3 | MF | 3 | 0 | 7 | 8 | No | |
| SBY | 2 | 2 | MF | 1 | 0 | 5 | 5 | Yes | |
| APP | 5 | 5 | FW | 0 | 0 | 9 | 10 | No | |
| SBY | 2 | 2 | FW | 0 | 0 | 4 | 5 | No | |
| SWI | APP | 5 | 5 | GK | 2 | 0 | 9 | 10 | No |
| APP | 4 | 4 | SW | 2 | 0 | 8 | 9 | No | |
| APP | 4 | 4 | DF | 2 | 0 | 8 | 9 | No | |
| SBY | 2 | 2 | DF | 0 | 0 | 4 | 5 | No | |
| APP | 5 | 5 | MF | 3 | 0 | 9 | 10 | No | |
| APP | 3 | 3 | MF | 1 | 0 | 7 | 8 | No | |
| SBY | 2 | 2 | MF | 0 | 0 | 4 | 5 | No | |
| APP | 4 | 4 | FW | 1 | 0 | 8 | 9 | No | |
| SBY | 2 | 2 | FW | 0 | 0 | 4 | 5 | No | |
| TRA | APP | 3 | 3 | GK | 1 | 0 | 7 | 8 | No |
| SBY | 2 | 2 | GK | 0 | 0 | 4 | 5 | No | |
| APP | 4 | 4 | DF | 3 | 0 | 8 | 9 | No | |
| APP | 4 | 4 | DF | 3 | 0 | 8 | 9 | No | |
| SBY | 2 | 2 | DF | 2 | 0 | 5 | 5 | Yes | |
| APP | 5 | 6 | MF | 0 | 1 | 10 | 10 | Yes | |
| APP | 4 | 5 | MF | 0 | 1 | 9 | 9 | Yes | |
| SBY | 2 | 2 | MF | 2 | 0 | 5 | 5 | Yes | |
| SBY | 2 | 2 | MF | 1 | 0 | 5 | 5 | Yes | |
| APP | 5 | 6 | FW | 0 | 1 | 10 | 10 | Yes | |
| SBY | 2 | 2 | FW | 2 | 0 | 5 | 5 | Yes | |
| SBY | 2 | 2 | FW | 2 | 0 | 5 | 5 | Yes | |
| WAT | SBY | 2 | 2 | GK | 2 | 0 | 5 | 5 | Yes |
| APP | 4 | 4 | SW | 2 | 0 | 8 | 9 | No | |
| APP | 4 | 5 | DF | 0 | 1 | 9 | 9 | Yes | |
| APP | 5 | 6 | MF | 0 | 1 | 10 | 10 | Yes | |
| APP | 3 | 3 | MF | 0 | 0 | 7 | 8 | No | |
| APP | 5 | 6 | FW | 0 | 1 | 10 | 10 | Yes | |
| APP | 4 | 4 | FW | 1 | 0 | 8 | 9 | No | |
| WES | APP | 5 | 5 | GK | 1 | 0 | 9 | 10 | No |
| APP | 4 | 4 | SW | 2 | 0 | 8 | 9 | No | |
| APP | 4 | 4 | DF | 1 | 0 | 8 | 9 | No | |
| APP | 5 | 5 | MF | 2 | 0 | 9 | 10 | No | |
| APP | 3 | 3 | MF | 2 | 0 | 7 | 8 | No | |
| SBY | 2 | 2 | MF | 0 | 0 | 4 | 5 | No | |
| APP | 4 | 4 | FW | 0 | 0 | 8 | 9 | No | |
| WYC | APP | 5 | 6 | GK | 0 | 1 | 10 | 10 | Yes |
| SBY | 2 | 2 | GK | 2 | 0 | 5 | 5 | Yes | |
| APP | 4 | 4 | SW | 2 | 0 | 8 | 9 | No | |
| SBY | 2 | 2 | SW | 2 | 0 | 5 | 5 | Yes | |
| APP | 4 | 4 | DF | 2 | 0 | 8 | 9 | No | |
| SBY | 2 | 2 | DF | 2 | 0 | 5 | 5 | Yes | |
| APP | 5 | 5 | MF | 2 | 0 | 9 | 10 | No | |
| APP | 3 | 3 | MF | 2 | 0 | 7 | 8 | No | |
| SBY | 2 | 2 | MF | 2 | 0 | 5 | 5 | Yes | |
| SBY | 2 | 2 | MF | 2 | 0 | 5 | 5 | Yes | |
| APP | 4 | 4 | FW | 2 | 0 | 8 | 9 | No | |
| SBY | 2 | 2 | FW | 2 | 0 | 5 | 5 | Yes |
I compiled a bunch of stats on Youth Players from the end of this past session - I'll share that here, but it's too big for one post, so I'll post the first table in 2 different sections that will read from the top-down (ie, the first post will be the 2nd-half of the table, the second post will be the first half of the table)
Greater discrepancy this week than last on the CP front between the Have's and Have Not's. With some teams playing four matches and others only three, we had eleven teams with at least two wins and a draw (earning 40+ CP each) while seven managed only a draw or worse (earning no more than 22 CP each). Because of that, we had a new high for CP earnings with 48 by Carlisle United, while Swansea had a bad run of luck and totaled only 15 CP for the weekend for a new low.
If my addition is right, total CP earned this last session (not counting the Non-League squads) was 1018 total for an average of 33.93 per team, with a median CP net of 34. Quite a few teams had plenty of CP left over from last session, so I'm wondering if they are saving up for a rainy day or just forgot to enter training orders for the week. Most likely, they know something I don't and I'll soon figure out why it's good to keep 10-15 in reserve to carry over the following week...
Highest earned total for a team so far is 88. Lowest is 40. Fewest games played by one team is 6. Most is 7.
Hey Al,
I thought you wanted RECENT pictures from all the managers? I just noticed that Phil's picture looks like a portrait straight out of his High School yearbook! It's even in black & white for authenticity!
That we, Oldham, are in division C, okay you beat me once, but this will never happen again. Mark the following two dates, March 21 and April 25. Those are the two dates, where Southend and Oldham fans will unite to beat you.
Go Southend, Go Southend!!!
We still need to discuss Rivals for Season 2 over on the Forum, but the following teams can expect the best that Plymouth has to offer - will injure as many players as possible!
- Brentford
- Cardiff City
- Chesterfield
- Linoln City (I may bribe the refs &/or Olmec gods for additional injuries to this team!)
- Southend United
I see my colleagues Mr. Wilkens and Mr. Dowson are already aiming their sights at the poor, downtrodden, rebuilding Brentford FC. Rather than trying to injure us, can't you guys just play a nice, friendly, APP/SBY team and give us a chance to win? C'mon!
Rene says
"But just for you, when we meet Brentford again we will play with the highest aggression 
"
Absobloominlootly Matey!
Well said that man!
The first two games off session 2 were league games last weekend. Both Derby County and Sheffield Utd were beaten by 1-0, it were deserved wins. Oldham is now 1 of only 4 teams who have not lost points yet. Next up in session 2 was Hereford for the FA Cup. Game one was a 1-1 draw at Hereford, so a win or goalles draw would be enough, but without any problem we won 2-0, next opponent BHA. The last game of the session was for the AP Cup. We came for a draw but lost, no problem, now we can focus on league and FA Cup.
One final note to the league leader. We are not amused being seen as 1 of the 5 "bad boys" teams. But just for you, when we meet Brentford again we will play with the highest aggression
The Imps got their FA lineup in and gave QPR everything they could handle, but not quite enough. Already down 3-0 in the 38th minute, the Imps cashed in on a PK to swing the momentum in the 43rd. We pulled within one in the 61st, but then things tightened up, 3-2 was the final. Congrats, QPR! This was also not the only loss -- top Imp DF Sebastian Wright is at -8 FIT after a nasty spill.
A few quick notes prior to today's matches:
- I have all the photos in but one and have requested that one via email. All teams with photos of the manager will get a 50k credit this weekend AFTER the auctions have been processed. To be clear, this extra 50k won't be available for today's auction.
- I've started to upgrade the team pages a little, putting in 'next session' and 'last 10 games' information.
- Photos are now on team pages for coaches. I haven't put in the code yet for adding bios but will soon and there will be a small award for that too.
- Club record now shows the proper data on your team page...and should moving forward. I guess I need a "first coach to 5 wins" page now or something too huh?
In general, I tried to spend some time identifying 'additional' data to store for MSWL UNITED and its being stored...I just haven't built out the pages yet. This season will be pretty organic in terms of new pages appearing every once in a while.
Al
While there's not a lot of banter on the blog yet, at least most of the league is still participating in lines as we figure this new system out. Only four teams don't have lineups in with about an hour to go until the deadline. Unfortunately, three of those are in the replays for the FA Cup opener, so some teams may find themselves with a gift pass to the 2nd round.
Can't see many (any) teams getting participation money this week...
Booo!
Hellooo
Anybody there ?
Not much interactive banter going on around here!
That Hereford Logo is a load of old BULL!
How are Notts Forest doing?
Does the Preston manager realise that the season has begun? (obviously not its Ian!)
For those keeping track of such things, here is what is coming back to teams in terms of CP after the first session (NOT including the Non-League teams). No one won all three games, and everyone at least got one draw, so the gap could be bigger:
40 CP - two teams, 39 CP - three, 35 CP - four, 34 CP - two, 30 CP - two, 29 CP - four, 28 CP - two, 25 CP - three, 24 CP - four, 23 CP - one, 20 CP - one, 19 CP - two.
Total influx of CP - 889. Average per team: 29.6. Median CP: 29.
Port Vale management , coaching staff, and players have come up with a very definite plan of strategy on how to play this initial season in MSWL United. <br>
"As PV Manager Len Lear stated after the meeting stated the following,"We are going to follow this plan right through the season. It is going to provide for an exciting brand of 'footie for our supporters to watch."
Coming in as I did at the last minute and not having done any of you lads' pre-season stuff I expected things to get a lot worse when BHA actually played.
The FA Cup tie at Swindon finished (as did over half of the games in the FA Cup) as a draw 0-0. So we get a chance to progress at home this weekend.
Not so in the AP Cup as Southend beat us 2-0. Dave played 7 aggression which resulted in 4 injuries for my players - did not realise the fun a team could have if they ever had nothing to play for but could still make an impact - silly me, I played no aggression thinking it would save my lads from a physio - got that wrong!! Dave's cloggers will have me re-thinking tactics for this weekend.
Have to say though that the percentage for scoring the penalty I did get was 32%, and we failed. However most penalty takers count normally count on a minimum 75% success rate.
Anyhow back to the last match - away yet again (all 3 openers away) - and Preston drew with us 0-0 with few chances.
So this weekend 4 matches coming up - good idea to have all 4 team lines on the one page - makes it easier to keep check on who is playing.
Things started off pretty even for the Pilgrims. Session 1 saw no league action, but 3 Cup matches. With straight-forward elimination in the FA Cup, losing is not an option. The AP Cup has very little wiggle room as well, with only the top 2 from each of the 8 groups advancing to the knockout stage.
First up for Plymouth was FA Cup action against Weston-super-Mare and unkown manager Taco Kraijenbrink. Not knowing what to expect, the Pilgrims sent out a mixture of youth and experience. Youthful inexperience and a ref with a foul mood led to 2 yellow cards and a send-off for PLY. The level of aggressiveness that the Pilgrims attacked with did result in a few injuries to the super-Mare squad, one that will keep DF Maxence Salomon out for the next session. In the end, the Pilgrims advance to Round 2 of the FA Cup on the merits of a 3-0 shutout.
Next came Swindon Town and David King in the first AP Cup matchup. Max Hardness for Plymouth saw another 3 yellow cards, but no reds this time. No injuries on either side meant the Physios had the day off - had either side employed a Physio. Playing a youth GK, Swindon Town put out a lot of SL in the other areas of the pitch, limiting Plymouth's attacks to a mere 3, of which only 1 was converted for a goal. The 12 attacks that Swindon Town mustered were nearly all stopped and parried away. End result : a 1-1 draw to start off group play in the AP Cup.
Final match of the session saw the Pilgrims taking on the non-league side, Blyth Spartans, in further AP Cup group action. Not really knowing what to expect from the non-league squad, the Pilgrims perhaps sent out too many youth players. Converting on only 1 of 11 attacks would not be enough to support APP GK Gabriel Robin as the team fell 3-1 against the non-league side.
Overall, it was a good start to the inagural season of MSWL United. Never having competed in a United league, there's going to be some measure of a learning curve. Advancing in the FA Cup is a good start. Hopefully there will be some points to make up in the group stage of the AP Cup. The Pilgrims will look to get off to a good start in league play next week.
I've done a study to find the distribution of Back room Boys amongst the 32 Clubs
There are currently : 42 Back Room Boys in Total
29 Youth Coaches
8 Coaches
4 Physios
1 Groundsman
Interesting statistics any opinions ?
I'm working on it Al!
Hi guys,
You can use this Blog as a place to post comments about your team, the game, etc. Its more of a stream of consciousness type of thing as opposed to the forum where we can discuss/track specific topics.
Please stay within the bounds of the terms and conditions in terms of how you treat others and the language you use.
Its likely there will be some sort of "participation award" going forward...I just haven't finalized that yet.
I'm still putting photos in place and will try to assign those awards (or fines if you haven't sent a photo) for next week's games.
Let's have some fun...make sure you tell us all about the 'bad random numbers' you got this week to lose your games...because based on my initial feedback, there are no "good" random numbers.
Al