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Cove Bay Pirates/STI v. City Merchants/NTI - The Ultimate Rivalry - This Time It's For Real!!!

DodgeeD

Who will win the Gold Cup?  

27 members have voted

  1. 1. Who will win the Gold Cup?

    • Northern Treasure Islands
      10
    • Southern Treasure Islands
      14
    • U.S.A.
      0
    • Mexico
      2
    • Other
      1

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PaulHartman71

PaulHartman71

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Just paid my first visit to this in ages, I'm not actually sure how I managed to forget about this.

Just read from about page 4 to get up to date, can't believe we got to the Semi Finals of the World Cup!

Just wondering, am I still in the sign up, or have I remembered too late?

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DodgeeD

DodgeeD

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Originally posted by PaulHartman71:

Just paid my first visit to this in ages, I'm not actually sure how I managed to forget about this.

Just read from about page 4 to get up to date, can't believe we got to the Semi Finals of the World Cup!

Just wondering, am I still in the sign up, or have I remembered too late?

Your player is still there. Paul Hart picked up an injury just before the Gold Cup alas, which means he's not in the squad. If you are going to be checking in regularly again, I'll include you in the updates from now on. icon14.gif

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DodgeeD

DodgeeD

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Gold Cup 2011 Report: Semi Finals

Northern Treasure Islands v. Southern Treasure Islands

So, here it was - one of the most eargerly anticipated Gold Cup matches of all time. Two new nations, two fierce rivals, and a place in the finals at stake. History and form favoured STI, who had beaten their Northern Rivals 5 times in 6 meetings with the other being a draw. However, in knockout competition, anything can happen and often does, so NTI had high hopes. STI set about destroying those hopes quickly with the first real attack of the game. Elliot Druce picked up the ball in midfield and played a great through ball for Bobinho to latch onto. The striker made no mistake as he gave his team an early lead. NTI refused to be rattled. In fact, they dominated the remainder of the half. Adam Flash, Ben Roscrow, Haowan and Roberto dos Santos[/b all had chances to equalise but a combination of great defending and incredible luck ensured the Southerners held their lead at half time. STI needed to regain control of the game and again went for an early attack as the second half began. [b]Jason de Mire found himself in space on the edge of the area just 2 minutes after the restart. He then skipped the NTI defence and played a pinpoint pass to Bobihno, who cooly added his and his team's second. This time, the Northerners were rattled a bit and STI were able to keep the ball and prevent their opponents from getting forward. It seemed thier passage to the final was assured until Iker Reina flapped at a Haowan corner leaving Rebel Israel unchallenged as he headed home a lifeline goal. The final 20 minutes was all about the Northern Islanders as they desperately sought an equaliser. Shots rained in from all positions but the STI defence held firm. As the final whistle blew, STI celebrated their first appearance in a major final and another victory over their rivals. They had to admit, however, that this had been the hardest and luckiest victory to date.

Final Score: Northern Treasure Islands 1 Southern Treasure Islands 2

NTI Ratings & Stats

STI Ratings & Stats

Semi Final Results - STI will contest the final with Mexico then in a rematch of their group stage game. NTI and USA wil contest the third place play-off.

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DodgeeD

DodgeeD

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corner wGold CUp 2011 Report: Third Place Play-Off

USA v. Northern Treasure Islands

There was the usual lack of expectation before thie game: two teams dejected by semi-final defeat in a match they don't really want to play. Should be a drab game, right? Wrong! Goals galore in this match! icon14.gif The USA took the initiative early on with Eddie Johnson opening the scoring on 6 minutes. The Americans created the better chances for the rest of the half as NTI struggled to get into the game. A second USA goal seemed inevitable and it came just before half time as Jozy Altidore found the back of the net. The boys from the North obviously had a few harsh words to listen to at halftime and they came out looking like a different side. It took just 5 minutes for Haowan to get his team back into the game after he was played through by captain Bob McBob. 8 minutes later, a Ben Roscrow corner was headed home by Arthur White and NTI were level. Parity only lasted 3 minutes though as the USA restored their lead through Danny Szetela. NTI were not done yet though as the equalizer came, albeit from two unlikely sources. Hubertson Pauletta set up Charlison Benschop to score on 76 minutes with both having been on the pitch for only a short time as subs. (In case you are wondering who these guys are, they are two players with dual Dutch and Netherlands Antillles citizenship who I forgot to remove from the database before creating the new nation of NTI icon_biggrin.gif). That goal was enough to ensure the game went to extra time. Both sides had decent chances but the game slowed down a little as the players tired. NTI were up for one last effort though as Gregory Le Quack pumped a long ball forward in the dying seconds, which was picked up by Arthur White, the striker making no mistake as he stunned the Americans with a game deciding goal.

Final Score: USA 3 Northern Treasure Islands 4

NTI Ratings & Stats

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DodgeeD

DodgeeD

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Gold Cup 2011 Report: The Final

Southern Treasure Islands v. Mexico

An intriguing final in this year's Gold Cup as the up and coming Southern Treasure Islanders took on continental powerhouse Mexico, who had recovered from a slow start to reach the final. STI would be looking to improve on their 4th placed finished at the last Gold Cup and the World Cup whereas Mexico would be looking to re-establish their position as the premier team in the CONCACAF zone and get revenge for their group stage defeat. As ever, the fianl began slowly with both teams probing their opponents tactical set-up. STI started to gain momentum with early chances falling to Elliot Druce and Jason de Mire. In fact, Druce had a big hand in the opener as he first won a corner, then took it enabling The Stig to head home (this was, after all, what he had predicted icon_wink.gif). This goal only served to stir the Mexicans into life and they equalised just five minutes later, Rafael Marquez beating defence and goalie alike to poke the ball in at the near post. Mexico then took the game to STI and were unlucky not to add another before halftime with The Stig heading off the line after a corner. STI were glad the half finished when it did and used the break to regroup and refocus. They kept Mexico on the backfoot from the restart with Druce and de Mire having the better chances again. It was those two who would provide the second goal as the exchanged passes and de Mire rounded the keeper to slot the ball home. After that, it was all about the STI defence and midfield as they restricted the Mexicans movement and supplied the balls for quick counter attacks. It was a tactic that paid off as Mexico were unable to get back into the game and STI held their nerve to secure a historic first ever Gold Cup win after just 4 years in exsistence! The champagne corks popped throughout the bars and clubs of the Southern Islands as captain David Sunderland lifted the trophy above his head. icon_cool.gif

Final Score: Southern Treasure Islands 2 Mexico 1

STI Ratings & Stats

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DodgeeD

DodgeeD

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Gold Cup 2011 Review

A histioric win for those Southerners then as they continue to estbalish themselves as a force to be reckoned with in international football. NTI are still playing catch up but they have shown great improvements since missing out on the World Cup. Perhaps they could have made the final with a different draw or with Ryca Roseau and Robert Boyle fully fit...

Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be any 'dream team' or 'player of the tournament' awards for the Gold Cup so I'll just single out some players based on the tournament stats:

2011 Gold Cup Player Stats

If there was a player of the tournament award, it would have almost certainly gone to Bobinho as he finshed top scorer, top rated player and picked up the most MoM awards. icon14.gif

Elliot Druce would have also got a mention for his vital contribution with 5 assists and average rating of 7.6.

I would have expected Emilio Peralta to have been named Young Player Of The Tournament (or Best Rookie depending on the American influence) following his impressive performances at the heart of the NTI midfield.

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Ridleys

Ridleys

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Originally posted by DodgeeD:

If there was a player of the tournament award, it would have almost certainly gone to Bobinho as he finshed top scorer, top rated player and picked up the most MoM awards. icon14.gif

icon_cool.gif

Hopefully I will get a big money move this summer then icon_razz.gif

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DodgeeD

DodgeeD

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2011/12 Season Preview: Player News

After a big summer for the players from both Treasure Island nations, interest was expected to be high. There were some major transfers and, surprisingly perhaps, the biggest deals involved NTI not STI players. Indeed, the biggest money deal of all involved a player who sat most of the Gold Cup out due to injury. Here are the transfers in full:

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Player To Fee

Ryca Roseau Chelsea 41.5mil

General Specific AC Milan 17.5mil

Ben Cee Newcastle 14.5mil

Maccaniniho Juventus 11mil

Rich Denton Barcelona 10mil

Craig Healy Fiorentina 9.75mil

The Stig Pachua 7mil

David Sunderland Rangers 6mil

Adam Flash Köln 5.75mil

Wrighty Newcastle 5.5mil

Jack Harrow Feyenoord 5mil

Ramiro Wigan 4.3mil

Adam Clatworthy Rangers 3.5mil

Emilio Peralta Lille 1.7mil

Eduaddo Bari Loan

Miltinho Bordeaux Loan </pre>

Ryca Roseau it was then who set a new Treasure Islander transfer record as Ambramovich saw fit to splash 41.5 million on acquiring his services for Chelsea. icon_eek.gif

Maccaniniho also amde a big move to a big club as he heads to Italy to play for Juventus. Feyenoord brought in another Islander with some of the fee though as Jack Harrow left the Merchants in a 5 million deal.

Emilio Peralta continues his promising rise with a move to Lille following his impressive season in Belgium and a good showing at the Gold Cup. David Sunderland, meanwhile, will be hoping for more first team action in Scotland as he joins Rangers.

Perhaps the most intriguing move though is that of The Stig, who will be playing in the Mexican league this season! icon_eek.gif Those two impressive performances against the Mexicans in the Gold Cup were obviously closely watched. icon_razz.gif

Time then for a look at where the original Merchants and Cove Bay players are playing their football now, what they are worth and what they are earning:

Where are they now? (Part 1 - NTI)

Where are they now? (Part 2 - STI)

For those of you who are unlucky enough to be injured at the moment, here's a look at what the problem is:

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Player Injury Out for

Ryca Roseau Facial injury 1 week

Dirtihno Hip injury 3-4 weeks

Pablo Gonzaléz Hip injury 2 months

Gregory Le Quack Sprained Wrist 2 weeks

Iker Reina Strained Wrist 1 week

Adam Wilkinson Broken Ribs 1 week

Ben Cee Gashed leg 1 week </pre>

As for those of you wanted by other clubs, the transfer window's closed so it doesn't really matter now, does it? icon_wink.gif I will, however, be sure to fill everyone in on interested clubs before the January transfer window. It should be noted at the moment thought that interest in Theo Henry Gooner and Haowan over the summer was high and both players are unhappy at their respective clubs decisions not to sell.

I'll give a quick update on what's happening at the clubs soon, including the Merchants first foray into Europe. The first derby this year isn't until December so I'll jump straight to that along with a mid-season/international update next. icon14.gif

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McTavish

McTavish

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Fine updates once again DD, as we've come to expect!

3rd place in the Gold Cup despite getting outplayed by the USofA, not a bad achievement considering we were lucky to get invited in the first place. Should do wonders for our world ranking too. Not happy about STI winning the tourney though.... their players have been notably less prolific on the domestic front over the past two seasons so it must be down to better management I suppose icon_frown.gif

Peralta had an excellent season both at Standard and on the international stage icon14.gif A move to the French league seems like a step in the right direction though, and for a bargain £1.7m. Surely that makes good business sense?!

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AB-forever

AB-forever

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Le Quack made the winning assist to secure us 3rd place icon_biggrin.gificon14.gif but again only completed 5/33 of his passes icon_biggrin.gif

Damn STI's though icon_frown.gif stealing our thunder icon_razz.gif

Le Quack injured at Sunderland icon13.gif he has the 3rd lowest monthly wages and the 4rd lowest value icon_frown.gif I'm not saying his career has stalled or anything but... icon_biggrin.gif

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DodgeeD

DodgeeD

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2011/12 Season Preview: The Rivals

Time for a look at what our clubs were up to over the summer:

Capital City Merchants FC - Summer Transfers

Not a great deal of transfer activity at Capital City Stadium over the summer with just two players in and 4 out, the most notable departure being Jack Harrow. That means Pablo Gonzaléz is the only member of the original squad left...

As for the players in, they both look to be decent signings. David was expensive at 8.5 million but looks like a player who could serve the club for a long time (and maybe NTI if he decides to take up citizenship icon_wink.gif). Nathan Sturgis will also add some depth to the defence as he can play anywhere across the backline.

Once more, there are no products of the Merchants youth academy worth mentioning!

Cove Bay Pirates - Summer Transfers

Slightly more activity at World's End with 5 players in and a big clearout of the reserves and youth team. The most notable departure here was Adam Flash. His 5.75 million move to Köln means Rtik Carlos-Powell is the only original squad member left (and even then he left the club for three years before returning icon_biggrin.gif).

As for those who came in, Lelo Mbele will hopefully add some bite to the Cove Bay attack and Taras Mykhalyk seems to be a solid defender, continuing the trend of Eastern Europeans moving to our clubs.

There are any new players of note in the youth system. Joep Beukers and Martijn van der Berg should get some first team action this year though and one of my 'ones to watch' from last season's youth intake, Albert Hoogendoorn is still in the youth set up and seems to be coming along nicely. icon14.gif

International News

Both new Gold Cup champs Southern Treasure Islands and 3rd place finishers Northern Treasure Islands have two friendlies before the year comes to an end. Qualifying for the 2014 World Cup begins in February 2012 but both of our nations have received a bye to the First Round, Second Phase. This means they will avoid the other big teams before the first group stage begins later in the year.

I will employ the code system again this year so, if you want to get extra information on your player in the regular updates and guarantee your end of season profile, you need to add the following to one of your future posts:

STI players - We are the champions, better than the North!

NTI Players - We'll get those Southerners next time!

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DodgeeD

DodgeeD

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Capital City Merchants in Europe, 2011-12

I was hoping this would be a longer update but...

The Merchants were paired with Maccabi Netanya of Israel in the Intertoto 3rd Round. A 1-0 win in the first leg seemed a decent result, with Pablo Gonzaléz scoring the Merchants first ever European goal. However, the boys from Capital City were made to rue their missed chances as they lost the 2nd leg 1-0, taking the game to penalties. Alas, it seems the Merchants have picked up bad habits in Holland as they lost the shoot-out 3-1 and their first European adventure was over before it had really begun.

Anyway, you know we are the champions, better than the North! icon_wink.gif

I'm holidaying through to December 31st now when I'll be back with the first derby of the season, European league updates, international news and a transfer window preview. icon14.gif

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DodgeeD

DodgeeD

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ssestig - spot on with your prediction. I'll be asking you for tips the next time I place a bet! icon_wink.gif

Paul - due to the clubs and the stadium being located in the North/South Treasure Islands, regens have that nationality and foreign players also become eligible for citizenship there. In fact, Patrick Nyarko, a Ghanain, has already played a couple of games for STI after being at Cove Bay for a couple of years.

crhealy - I'll do the individual screenshots again at the end of the season. Stats for the first half of the season are coming up soon.

SJ234 - all will be revealed in my pre-transfer window update. icon14.gif

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PaulHartman71

PaulHartman71

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Originally posted by DodgeeD:

Paul - due to the clubs and the stadium being located in the North/South Treasure Islands, regens have that nationality and foreign players also become eligible for citizenship there. In fact, Patrick Nyarko, a Ghanain, has already played a couple of games for STI after being at Cove Bay for a couple of years.

So all the Dutch clubs have to travel to the Carribean to play us at home, love it! icon_biggrin.gif

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DodgeeD

DodgeeD

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Originally posted by PaulHartman71:

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

Paul - due to the clubs and the stadium being located in the North/South Treasure Islands, regens have that nationality and foreign players also become eligible for citizenship there. In fact, Patrick Nyarko, a Ghanain, has already played a couple of games for STI after being at Cove Bay for a couple of years.

So all the Dutch clubs have to travel to the Carribean to play us at home, love it! icon_biggrin.gif </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

And then there's Europe - Maccabi Netanya of Israel (geographically speaking in Asia) v. Merchants FC (in the Carribean)! icon_biggrin.gif

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DodgeeD

DodgeeD

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October/November International Update: Friendlies

Two friendlies each for our nations as they looked to build on their summer successes at Gold Cup.

The Northern Treasure Islands travelled all the way to New Zealand for their October game. The long journey obviously took it's toll as they suffered a heavy defeat.

New Zealand 4 Northern Treasure Islands 0

NTI Ratings & Stats

In Novemeber, a home match against Cyprus would surely set NTI back on winning ways, wouldn't it? Alas, no as a poor performance with just one shot all game saw them go down to a single goal. The defeat was made all th eworse by the fact that the Cypriots played most of the game with 10 men after an early red card.

Northern Treasure Islands 0 Cyprus 1

NTI Ratings & Stats

New Gold Cup champions Southern Treasure Islands avoided the temptation to travel to the other side of the world in return for large sums of cash. Instead, they elected to play two home fixtures, the first of which was against European minnows Luxembourg. After a slow starti an easy victory was secured with a fine second half display.

Southern Treasure Islands 3 Luxembourg 0

STI Ratings & Stats

In November, STI played host to Qatar. A Brendanio hat trick earned the home side a comfortbale win.

Southern Treasure Islands 3 Qatar 1

STI Ratings & Stats

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DodgeeD

DodgeeD

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Rivals Clash: Cove Bay Pirates v. Capital City Merchants FC

Date: 26.12.11

Venue: World's End Stadium

The fixture list this year meant the first calsh between our two rivals was also the last match of 2011 for both teams. Cove Bay were performing well, 2nd in the league albeit 11 points behind leaders Ajax. The Merchants, however, were languishing back in 9th and reeling from recent heavy losses to Ajax, Feyenoord and NEC (5-0, 4-2 and 5-1 respectively). So Cove Bay were in form but, as ever the form book just doesn't apply to these fixtures. Cove Bay took the lead just before halftime but the Merchants equalise with 12 minutes left and then took the lead with 2 minutes to go. The drama wasn't over just yet though as the Pirates scored a second in injury time to force a draw, the first time in ten meetings between these sides where there hasn't been a winner.

Final Score: Cove Bay Pirates 2 Capital City Merchants 2

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