AI Experiment - what would happen if?

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Bandits report - The ‘Ryan Morley’s of the world

The legend of Ryan Morley is no more – he retired from the game last summer after an exceptional career.

Paul Dove, meanwhile, is also removed from this section, but for an entirely different reason – now back at the Bandits, his details are covered elsewhere.

Luke Hallett, 23, gained five more points of CA to reach an impressive 166, still some way short of his potential of 184. Despite being listed as an important first team player, he struggles to get a game for Chelsea. Could he be the next to move on?

Philip King also joined Chelsea, moving for 30m from the Bandits in January. The 27 year old Irish right winger remains peaked at 177 CA, and has settled in reasonably at his new club.

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Bandits report - Team analysis

Goalkeepers

Owen Paris (29, 154/156) remained the first choice keeper, incredibly playing even better than last season, averaging 7.58 in a stunning season.

Bill Beckham (26, 154/161) also managed to play a reasonable number of games, but with Chris Wade sold, the cover beyond these two is poor.

Summary: Paris and Beckham are excellent keepers, but a better one could yet be signed.

Genie Scout’s Suggestion: Bill Beckham (GK)

Defenders

Chilean Luis Pizarro (31, 156/159) continued at left back, where he played very well, but at 31 he is beginning to fade, and probably needs replacing sooner rather than later. His only real cover was a loan player, Dimitri Boniface (29, 134/139), who was on loan from Deportivo and never looked settled in the English game. There is no other cover.

Steen Hansen (26, 158/172) remained the first choice right back, and played extremely well throughout the course of the whole season. It was just as well, as he had poor cover, backed only by Romain Delahaye (30, 149/161), who struggled.

In the centre, Thibault Pichet (25, 160/161) continued, and improved on last season’s poor showing, while he was partnered mainly by Phil Dixon (26, 152/157), who struggled a little.

Charlie Morgan (33, 159/173) lost both his ability and his place in the team, not playing to his majestic best when called upon, while Peter Henry (23, 146/154) couldn’t get in the team all season. Cover is thin here.

Summary: Their first choice left and right backs are excellent, but with Pizarro aging, he needs replacing and both need backup. The centre is incredibly thin in talent and needs urgent action.

Genie Scout’s Suggestion: Luis Pizarro (LB), Steen Hansen (RB), Charlie Morgan (CB), Phil Dixon (CB)

Midfielders

Ukranian left winger Roman Orlov (29, 169/169) held down a first team place for the whole season, playing well, backed up by on loan Real Madrid player Julien Dreyfus (29, 160/186), who played solidly well called upon. Paul Thackeray (23, 158/170) provides decent backup.

Star right winger Philip King spent the first half of the season as first choice before leaving for Chelsea, for the considerable sum of 30m. After his departure, Barry Garrard (30, 161/169) stepped in, and played admirably. No-one else got much of a look in.

Fabien Vincent (27, 166/181) continued in the centre, playing to a decent level, and he was mainly partnered by Shaun Gibbs (30, 149/158), who is fading a little now.

The best of a bad bunch of reserves is Paul Donaldson (23, 139/150), while the fantastic prospect of Adam Williamson (19, 124/189) continues to improve. Beyond that, the backup is poor.

Summary: Left wing is covered well, but a new player is desperately needed on the right side. In the centre, they have never been so short of players, and Williamson needs to be retained.

Genie Scout’s Suggestion: Julien Dreyfus (LM), Barry Garrard (RM), Fabien Vincent (CM), Roman Orlov (CM)

Strikers

Tom Finley (25, 169/169) once again retained his place in the team, scoring a tremendous 27 goals, a new personal best for him. He also has thirteen goals in fourteen games for England, and is rapidly becoming a recognised name around the world. His 20 league goals made him joint top Premiership scorer.

He was again partnered by Scott McDermott (28, 159/159), who scored 21 goals of his own, making a valuable partnership with Finley. Their 48 goal return was instrumental in the Bandits’ fantastic league position.

If either got injured or lost form, they would have excellent backup in Michael Lancashire (25, 163/169), although his appearances were severely limited by the main pair’s consistent performances.

January also saw the return of Paul Dove (25, 171/171), but despite being rated as the club’s best player he can’t break into the team. Perhaps next season will see him challenge hard for his place. There is no other backup beyond these four.

Summary: I said last season that they needed a fourth striker, so they bought Paul Dove back. That foursome is deadly.

Genie Scout’s Suggestion: Paul Dove (ST), Tom Finley (ST)

Last season’s shopping list:

Left Back – not signed

Right Back – not signed

Centre Back – not signed

Striker – signed (Dove)

Stuart Davies failed to sort out the lack of depth in his defence, but got away with it because the first choice set stayed fit for most of the season, providing the Bandits with a superb defensive record. Will he be so lucky again?

Summer shopping list: Left Back, Right Back, Centre Back, Right Winger, Centre Mid

The defence still needs a lot of work, and a previously strong area of central midfield needs depth.

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Bandits report - First XI Summary

GK: Paris (29, 154/156) – 7.58

LB: Pizarro (31, 156/159) – 7.18

CB: Pichet (25, 160/161) – 6.76

CB: Dixon (26, 152/157) – 6.68

RB: Hansen (26, 158/172) – 6.79

LM: Orlov (29, 169/169) – 7.04

CM: Vincent (27, 166/181) – 7.08

CM: Gibbs (30, 149/158) – 6.91

RM: Garrard (30, 161/169) – 7.04

ST: McDermott (28, 159/159) – 7.49

ST: Finley (25, 169/169) – 7.57

Average age – 27.8 (up from last year’s 27.2)

Average CA – 159.4 (down from last year’s 162.4)

Average rating – 7.10 (same as last year)

This flags up a slightly worrying tendency – the side is definitely getting considerably older. One thing that Ben Clayton did very well was to keep the average age of the team down, but Davies seems to be sticking with largely the same side and a few of them are slipping away from their peak now.

The average CA dropped quite some way, about half of the massive rise it took last year, and this is mainly because Philip King left, stars such as Charlie Morgan faded and were replaced, and so the highest CA member of the team is 169 CA. Paul Dove, with 171 CA, cannot break the Finley-McDermott partnership up front.

Meanwhile, the team had the same level of excellent performance as last year. But this is deceptive – there are weak players in this team, but they are hidden by three crucial players. Owen Paris, the keeper, saved the defence on countless occasions last season – how long can he keep doing that? At the other end, Finley and McDermott was incredible. Looking at some match stats, there are plenty of matches that these three won on their own – the defence was ripped apart, but Paris’ heroics in goal meant that the deadly duo up front won the match with their goals.

It is a dangerous game to play, and the three need help to progress any further.

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Competitions - Other stats

England won ten out of ten qualifiers for the World Cup this summer, and along with Iran and the Ivory Coast, will face a Battle of Britain against Scotland in the group stages.

Chelsea won the Premiership at an absolute canter, finishing ten points ahead of last season’s champions Sheff Wed. The Bandits’ final position of third was the most impressive rise in the league. Barnsley shocked everyone, after being tipped for relegation, as they finished high enough for a ticket into the Intertoto Cup, with Arsenal once again finished in mid table. Chelsea set a new record for consecutive clean sheets, managing eight in a row leading up to Christmas.

In the Championship, Man Utd once again finished outside the playoffs, in eighth place, as their quest to return to the Premiership failed once again.

Chelsea rubbed salt into the wounds off Sheff Wed – after beating them to the Premiership title they defeated them in the FA Cup final in a tournament packed with shocks. The quarter finals only contained four teams from the Premiership, many of them having gone out extremely early.

It wasn’t all doom and gloom for Sheff Wed though – they beat Aston Villa in the League Cup final to at least give themselves some silverware for an impressive season.

Chelsea and Sheff Wed were not finished there. Having been the top two in the league, and FA Cup finalists, they met once again in the Champions League final, Chelsea again coming out on top to clinch a remarkable treble. Sheff Wed therefore came in the top two of every tournament they entered, while Chelsea were only denied the quadruple by Championship Newcastle, who knocked them out of the League Cup in the early stages.

Incidentally, Chelsea and Sheff Wed beat each other in the league, but it was the Londoners who won the matches that really counted.

The UEFA Cup was won by Atletico Madrid, defeating Porto in the final. No English side made it beyond the last sixteen, while the Bandits extended their own record for average attendance to 85151.

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Player reports – the original Bandits

Goalkeeper 1 – Retired from playing 03/07/2032

2032-, Sunderland (scout), CA 170, PA 170

2033-2034, Liverpool (scout), CA 170, PA 170

2034-, West Ham (assistant manager), CA 164, PA 170

Remains West Ham’s assistant manager, and with his abilities fading it looks like he’ll never make that step into full time management. West Ham finish fifth in the Premiership.

Goalkeeper 2 – Retired from playing 27/06/2032

2032-, Tottenham (scout), CA 170, PA 170

2033-2034, Birmingham (assistant manager), CA 170, PA 170

2034-2042, Leeds (assistant manager), CA 169, PA 170

2042-2043, Leeds (manager), CA 170, PA 170

2043-2044, No Club, CA 170, PA 170

2044-2045, Arsenal (manager), CA 170, PA 170

2045-, No Club, CA 167, PA 170

Has not found work since being fired by Arsenal a year ago, but is still tipped with most jobs.

Left Back 1 – Retired from playing 30/06/2030

2030-2031, Scunthorpe (fitness coach), CA 110, PA 110

2031-2034, Tottenham (assistant manager), CA 110, PA 110

2034-2035, Tottenham (coach), CA 110, PA 110

2035-2041, Tottenham (assistant manager), CA 110, PA 110

2041-2042, Tottenham (manager), CA 109, PA 110

2042-, England (manager), CA 95, PA 110

Will make it four years in charge of England when he leads the country to the World Cup this summer. Will he go beyond that?

Right Mid 1 – Retired from playing 25/04/2026

2026-2027, Aston Villa (youth coach), CA 130, PA 130

2027-2035, Chelsea (assistant manager), CA 130, PA 130

2035-2037, Chelsea (manager), CA 130, PA 130

2037-2038, Roma (manager), CA 130, PA 130

2038-2042, Chelsea (manager), CA 129, PA 130

2042-2043, No Club, CA 130, PA 130

2043-2045, Milan (manager), CA 126, PA 130

2045-, Barcelona (manager), CA 126, PA 130

Left Milan last summer to take on another lucrative job, in the Nou Camp with Barcelona. Took them to the UEFA Cup semi final, where they lost to Porto.

Centre Mid 1 – Retired from playing 02/07/2030

2030-2032, Liverpool (youth coach), CA 110, PA 110

2032-2039, Reading (coach), CA 109, PA 110

2039-2040, No Club, CA 108, PA 110

2040-, Yeovil (coach), CA 106, PA 110

Remains Yeovil coach, as they rise four places to 14th in League Two.

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Premiership Analysis - Teams and Managers

Premiership

1 (4). Chelsea, Turgay Tufan (51, 154/156)

2 (1). Sheff Wed, Samuel Van Daele (44, 77/77) (new manager)

3 (9). Bandits, Stuart Davies (63, 75/113)

4 (2). Liverpool, Niko Kranjcar (61, 115/130)

5 (5). West Ham, Neil Angus (59, 133/137) (new manager)

6 (6). Sunderland, Matthew Sadler (44, 131/131)

7 (16), Charlton, Brad Ryan (62, 107/120)

8 (P). Barnsley, Gary Doyle (48, 120/120)

9 (13). Arsenal, Nicky Grant (64, 88/120) (new manager)

10 (7). QPR, Allen Mortimer (52, 114/114) (new manager)

11 (14). Aston Villa, Ian Hare (50, 120/120) (new manager)

12 (3). Tottenham, Adam Pullen (52, 120/120) (new manager)

13 (17). Morecambe, Adam Pearson (57, 105/109)

14 (P). Crystal Palace, James Reynolds (48, 106/106)

15 (11). Leeds, Brian Soares (53, 73/74) (new manager)

16 (12). Scunthorpe, Eric May (46, 120/120)

17 (P). Stoke, Lewis Flanagan (54, 136/138)

18 (10). Derby , Mark Nicholson (44, 119/119)

19 (15). Wycombe, Tony Reed (44, 95/95)

8 (5). Chesterfield, David Bullimore (54, 106/110) (new manager)

Turgay Tufan continued his excellent career, taking Chelsea back to the top of the league. Sheff Wed, meanwhile, lost Oliver Norwood to Inter Milan, and Van Daele, his replacement, doesn’t look up to much. Don’t be surprised to see Sheff Wed fall back down the league next season.

Stuart Davies took the Bandits to third based on his predecessor’s squad and his own tactical ability. But his CA is on the fade and he probably doesn’t have long left in his career. West Ham, under Neil Angus, can expect success to return.

Further back, and it isn’t just Bandit fans who are dismayed by the poor managers being hired. We’ve already seen Sheff Wed pick up a poor one, but Arsenal and Leeds are also in trouble with their new choices.

Lewis Flanagan did superbly to keep Stoke up, but may be poached the next time a big club loses a good manager.

Promoted from Championship

1 (8). Portsmouth, James Ainslie (40, 120/120)

2 ®. Man City, Ben Clayton (52, 93/93) (new manager)

3 ®. West Brom, Wayne Heard (52, 116/120)

James Ainslie and Wayne Heard take their respective teams back up to the Premiership with confidence that they can avoid the drop. But Clayton took Villa backwards last season, how will he do on his return?

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Premiership Analysis - Reputation

(league position in bold)

1 (1). Chelsea (1) – 9773 (+1302)

2 (3). Sheff Wed (2) – 8345 (+217)

3 (2). Liverpool (4) – 8125 (-52)

4 (4). West Ham (5) – 7826 (-30)

5 (7). Sunderland (6) – 7405 (+159)

6 (8). Bandits (3) – 7333 (+159)

7 (12). Tottenham (12) – 7307 (+236)

8 (6). Arsenal (9) – 7292 (-162)

9 (5). Aston Villa (11) – 7256 (-235)

10 (9). QPR (10) – 7203 (+74)

11 (11). Charlton (7) – 6990 (-95)

12 (14). Leeds (15) – 6941 (-44)

13 (16). Scunthorpe (16) – 6775 (+5)

14 (15). Morecambe (13) – 6738 (-93)

15 (-). Barnsley (8) – 6434 (+170)

16 (-). Stoke (17) – 6289 (+57)

17 (-). Crystal Palace (14) – 6212 (+107)

18 (10). Chesterfield (20) – 6107 (-986)

19 (13). Derby (18) – 6026 (-987)

20 (18). Wycombe (19) – 5498 (-766)

Promoted sides

Portsmouth - 6740

Man City – 7824 (+2034)

West Brom – 7285 (+738)

Winning the treble has risen Chelsea’s stock to unprecedented levels, over 1400 points higher than their nearest rivals. They are clearly the dominant side in the Premiership, and in Europe, and there is only one way for them now – down. This kind of reputation creates pressure, how will they handle it?

Sheff Wed move back up to second, displacing Liverpool after having another very good season. West Ham remain with Liverpool near the top of the list. Sunderland and the Bandits both have fine seasons and push their way towards being tipped for European qualification every year, while Spurs rise despite their poor domestic season, because of a European run.

Arsenal and Aston Villa fall away after falling short of expectation, while the three relegated clubs lose so much ground that promotion will not be easy for them.

Looking at the sides coming up, and none of them will be tipped for the drop. Man City were so impressive that they gained over 2000 points and are being tipped for a European push, while Portsmouth and West Brom have history in the Premiership and will not be favourites for the drop.

Next season could be very competitive.

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Premiership Analysis – Team Ability

(league position in bold)

1 (1). Chelsea (1) – 74.56 (+0.68)

2 (4). West Ham (5) – 74.46 (+2.38)

3 (2). Arsenal (9) – 72.82 (-0.36)

4 (7). Bandits (3) – 72.52 (+1.89)

5 (3). Liverpool (4) – 71.83 (-0.34)

6 (9). Aston Villa (11) – 71.54 (+1.82)

7 (6). Tottenham (12) – 71.00 (-0.21)

8 (8). Sheff Wed (2) – 70.77 (+0.31)

9 (11). Sunderland (6) – 70.42 (+1.11)

10 (12). Leeds (15) – 69.76 (+0.50)

11 (10). Derby (18) – 68.90 (-0.70)

12 (17). Chesterfield (20) – 68.59 (+1.62)

13 (16). Morecambe (13) – 67.95 (+0.95)

14 (14). Scunthorpe (16) – 67.44 (+0.28)

15 (18). Charlton (7) – 66.91 (+0.03)

16 (15). QPR (10) – 66.59 (-1.04)

17 (-). Crystal Palace (14) – 65.88 (+1.21)

18 (-). Stoke (17) – 65.56 (+1.21)

19= (20). Wycombe (19) – 65.02 (+0.61)

19= (-). Barnsley (8) – 65.02 (-0.10)

Promoted sides

Portsmouth – 63.69

Man City – 70.16 (-1.38)

West Brom – 68.91 (+0.28)

Chelsea improve yet further to remain on top of the list, but West Ham improve their team dramatically to join them, streets ahead of the rest of the league. Arsenal are still underachieving, while the Bandits now have the fourth best side in the league according to these numbers, after an excellent rise.

Other big gainers were Aston Villa, Sunderland and Chesterfield, while Man City should cope fine on their return to the Premiership.

Portsmouth will need to strengthen, but the league looks like it’ll be considerably stronger next season, for the teams coming up.

A special note for Barnsley, who jointly have the worst team in the league, yet finished in an impressive eighth.

Overachievers : Sheff Wed, Barnsley

Underachievers : Arsenal

Title Prediction ; West Ham to surge back and take the league

Relegation Prediction : All three promoted sides to stay up, Crystal Palace, Scunthorpe and Leeds to fall

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Around the clubs - Man Utd watch

Man Utd’s season was much improved, rising from last season’s terrible 19th position to finish eighth in the Championship, still outside the playoff places.

Their value dropped from 86.5m to 83m, but the good news for them is that their remaining loan debt of 10.5m has finally been cleared – they no longer owe money.

Reputation – 4977 (-106) (13th in Championship)

Despite their improved season, United’s stock continues to drop, falling two places to thirteenth in the Championship reputation stakes, dropping below 5000.

FM Genie Scout Rating – 61.52 (-3.54) (20th)

Ouch. Last season Man Utd had the fourth best team in the division, but with an absolutely enormous drop in quality, largely because their debt status denied them any transfer funds, their team is now one of the worst in the league. Can they ever get out of this?

Finances – 12.5m (+13.4m) balance (2nd), 0m (-) transfer fund (24th)

Without spending any money on players, and being forced into selling some, United’s squad ended the season looking quite thin. But the financial position has cleared – the debt and overdraft have been paid off, and they will probably gain a transfer budget this summer, as one of the richest clubs in the league.

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Summary

A spectacular season for the Bandits has ended with the club one qualifying round away from a lucrative Champions League group stage position. Financially, that would be a boost, but with the club so rich already the real reward for that would be the massive rise in reputation it would bring. That is now the currency with which the Bandits play.

Stuart Davies hasn’t convinced so far in the transfer market, but his motivation and tactical skills seem excellent – he may only seem like a coach but he appears to have the ability to get the most out of these players. The squad ended the season weaker than it began, but third in the Premiership.

Their second European campaign didn’t get as far as the first, falling in the group stages of the UEFA Cup, but this is now the standard set by the club – they need to be in Europe every season to keep progressing. There is no doubt they are going the right way, and with Champions League football to entice new players this summer, Davies certainly has the opportunity to strengthen. Certain areas of the squad need it.

Elsewhere in the Premiership, Chelsea returned to the summit, displacing champions Sheff Wed, in one of the less interesting league seasons – the clubs that were relegated shocked no-one, and Chelsea had the title sewn up before the season came to a close. Many will be hoping for more next year, perhaps even from the Bandits themselves.

This season was certainly the tale of two clubs though – Chelsea and Sheff Wed. They were the top two in the league, and Chelsea won the treble by beating their rivals in both the FA Cup final and the Champions League final. Sheff Wed did manage some silverware, winning the League Cup. Can anyone break the duopoly?

Man Utd continue to struggle in the Championship, again failing to reach the playoffs as their stock continues to fall. Will anyone join them down there? Liverpool have come close many times.

The former Bandit players are now fading in management too, although Left Back 1 remains England manager, and leads his country to the World Cup this summer. Stay tuned for that one.

Bandit’s former manager watch

Justin Edinburgh has retired.

Steve Brackstone has retired

Gary Perry has retired.

Dean Glover has retired.

Martin Lawton has retired.

59 year old Danny Gamble has now been out of work for two years.

Phil Edwards has retired.

Ben Clayton’s spell in charge of Aston Villa didn’t last long, with him sacked as they lay 16th. They ended up rising to 11th after he departed. Meanwhile, he took charge of Man City, then second in the Championship, and kept them in exactly that position, returning to the Premiership.

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World View - Ones to watch

Your annual guide to the stars of tomorrow:

Aaron Lomas (17, 98/198) is an English striker, and the product of Scunthorpe’s youth system. He has yet to make his debut for the club, but is a prolific scorer at youth level. He is quite the prospect to excite England fans.

Primoz Kercmar (17, 97/190) is a Slovenian born Norwegian defensive midfielder plying his trade with Fredrikstad in his home country. He is yet to make his debut for his club.

Previous tips

Carlo Lupo (30, 190/198), the Italian centre back, had another fantastic season for Milan, but is now losing CA – he fell six points this season. He is now considering the option of moving into management in the future.

Toni Halonen (30, 173/187), the Finnish centre back, dropped five points of CA this season, but he finally managed to force himself into the Chelsea team as a regular, a feat he has struggled to achieve for years. However, he was already fed up with the club, and is joining Real Madrid when his contract expires in the summer.

Patrick Schmidt (29, 182/184) the German right sided player, had another good season for Valencia, who have placed a 99m minimum fee release clause on his contract. He dropped two points of CA.

Marian Badea (29, 168/189), the Romanian left wing back, fell another two points of CA, in a career which has seen him never achieve his full potential. He played well for Real Madrid this season though.

Pereira (29, 178/187), the Portuguese defensive midfielder, managed to maintain his CA this season after falling away from his peak last year, and played solidly for Bayern Munich.

Aleksandras Stazys (28, 181/186), Lithuania’s left back, lost four points of CA at quite a young age, and once again averaged below seven for Inter. Not good enough for a player of his ability.

Tony Allison (26, 181/192), the winger and forward, scored another fourteen goals for West Ham, and continued to impress for England. He will be crucial this summer.

Barry Low (27, 178/195), the attacking midfielder, rose two points of CA, and finally had an excellent season for West Ham having disappointed for years.

Ronnie Blundell (25, 181/195), the central midfielder, didn’t gain any CA after his big money move to Real Madrid last season, but he played well for the Spanish giants.

Hugues Guichard (24, 195/195), the French striker, gained the final four points of CA to reach his peak and establish himself as a true star. He scored 33 goals for Bayern Munich in a scorching season, and will be one to watch in the summer.

Bjorn Strand (23, 187/193), the Norwegian striker, gained another two points of CA, scoring twenty goals at a playing average of 7.72 for West Ham. He is using his ability to the maximum.

Ante Bacic (24, 189/189) the Croatian central defender, gained the final three points of CA he required to reach his potential at only 24, and now seems to have settled. Interestingly, he doesn’t care much for the attitude of his fellow former starlet, Aleksandras Stazys, who, as we have already seen, is not fulfilling his potential.

Henrik Berg (23, 169/188), the Norwegian left winger, gained four more points of CA, playing very well for Aston Villa. However, he handed in a transfer request, and despite having four years left on his contract, it was accepted. Chelsea, Man City and Milan are interested.

Luke Hallett (23, 166/184), the centre back or central midfielder, moved up another five CA points, but continues to struggle to get in the Chelsea team, not playing particularly well when he gets the odd chance.

Umit Abdulkadir (21, 183/199), the Turkish striker, continued his relentless improvement, gaining another nine points of CA to be just sixteen short of his remarkable potential. And he is still only 21. Amazingly, he is still a Trabzonspor player, scoring eighteen goals for his club, and two in three games for Turkey. He is now wanted by a who’s who of world football, and there is one club keeping tabs on him that we are all interested in – the Bandits. He would be a special signing.

Sergey Sergienko (22, 178/193), the Russian central midfielder, rose another four points of CA, and made a controversial move across Moscow, from Dinamo to CSKA for 8m, angering his former club. He has started well for CSKA, and has even scored twice in his six caps for Russia. He is becoming a class player.

Reiner Helbig (20, 170/199), the German defensive midfielder, gained another sixteen CA points, making a 6.5m move from Stuttgart to Leverkusen, where he is struggling a little.

Leonardo (19, 166/185), the Brazilian striker, rose another seventeen points of CA, remaining at Internacional, playing supremely, scoring ten goals in nine games at an average of 8.56. Time to move to a bigger club.

Peter Schulz (21, 175/188), the German striker, gained another eight CA points, and continued his amazing goalscoring record, adding another thirty goals for Hamburg in a scorching season in which he averaged 7.94. He is yet to score in his three caps but could be one to watch this summer.

Gary Cooper (20, 167/182), the English centre back, gained seven CA points, remaining a squad player for Arsenal, and not playing well enough to force his way into the first team on a regular basis.

Fabrizio Bucci (20, 156/199), the Italian striker, gained another fifteen points of CA this season, breaking into the Inter side on a regular basis and scoring twenty goals in a fine season. His discipline is poor though, being booked thirteen times in the season. He has now played twice for Italy, scoring once.

Joe Galloway (19, 146/190), the English left back, gained another eighteen CA points, and made another career move, this time from West Brom to West Ham for 1.7m. His new club do seem to pick up a lot of the starlets. He hasn’t made much of an impression there yet.

Guillaume Charton (19, 160/194), the French goalkeeper, gained nineteen points of CA while remaining at his home club of Auxerre. He remains their first choice keeper despite his tender age, and has impressed greatly, averaging 7.40 and becoming the Under 21 keeper for his country.

Juan Perez (16, 105/194), the Mexican right winger, gained seventeen CA points, playing a few times for his home team of Atlante, without making an impression yet. He will sign professional terms in the summer.

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World View - World beaters

Maia (28, 199/199), the Portuguese central midfielder, remains the world’s best for the third successive year, and manages to get back into the Milan side after playing so appallingly last season. However, the coach’s faith is again misplaced, as he averages just 6.76 and gets sent off four times. He is throwing away his talent. He may also miss the World Cup as he is struggling with a calf strain.

Maia

Hugues Guichard (24, 195/195), the French striker, rises two spots to second, and unlike Maia, is on fire. A former tip for stardom, he is very much there, scoring 33 goals in an amazing season for Bayern Munich, and managing ten in sixteen caps for France. He could be deadly this summer, and at only 24, he still has time on his side.

Hugues Guichard

A new entry in third spot is Spanish striker Eduardo Castillejo (26, 194/198), who is starring for Inter, scoring 23 goals in a fine season. He international record is supreme, scoring more than a goal a game (14 in 12 caps), and will be another to watch this summer.

Eduardo Castillejo

Carlo Lupo (30, 190/198), the legendary Italian centre back, continues to fade, but at 190 CA he is still a supreme defender and remains on this list. Still playing to a tremendous level for club and country, he will want to lead Italy to World Cup glory is what is probably his last attempt.

Carlo Lupo

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World View - Distribution of 180+ CA players

The clubs

Valencia – 5 (+2) (182, 181, 181, 180, 180)

Inter – 4.5 (+0.5) (194, 189, 187, 181, 182 (co-owned with Milan))

Milan – 3.5 (+1.5) (199, 190, 180, 182 (co-owned with Inter))

Bayern Munich – 3 (+1) (195, 184, 184)

West Ham – 3 (+1) (187, 181, 180)

Chelsea – 3 (-) (185, 184, 183)

Arsenal – 2 (+1) (184, 181)

Real Madrid – 2 (-1) (182, 181)

Liverpool – 1 (-) (184)

Trabzonspor – 1 (+1) (183)

Tottenham – 1 (+1) (183)

QPR – 1 (-) (182)

Roma – 1 (-) (181)

Barcelona – 0 (-1)

Juventus – 0 (-1)

Sevilla – 0 (-1)

America (Mexico) – 0 (-1)

Total – 31 (+4)

The number of star players continues to rise again, reaching 31. Valencia come from nowhere to lead the list with five players, although they are all between 180-182 CA. Inter and Milan share eight players, and literally share one of them – Spanish midfielder Pedro Palma is co-owned by the two clubs.

Trabzonspor and Spurs appear on the list, but Barcelona, Juventus, Sevilla and America lose their only players.

The leagues

England – 11 (+3)

Italy – 9 (+1)

Spain – 7 (-1)

Germany – 3 (+1)

Turkey – 1 (+1)

Mexico – 0 (-1)

Total – 31 (+4)

Mexico lose their only star, but Turkey replace them as the ‘outside league’ to have one of the world’s best. England, meanwhile, surge back to the top of the list with eleven out of the 31 stars available.

The nationalities

England – 5 (+1)

France – 4 (+2)

Portugal – 3 (-)

Spain – 3 (-2)

Italy – 3 (-)

Germany – 2 (-)

Brazil – 2 (+2)

Croatia – 1 (-)

Holland – 1 (-1)

Norway – 1 (-)

Nigeria – 1 (-)

Czech Republic – 1 (+1)

Turkey – 1 (+1)

Lithuania – 1 (-)

Argentina – 1 (-1)

Scotland – 1 (+1)

Total – 31 (+4)

In a crucial World Cup year, England rise to the top of the table with five stars. The usual suspects are behind them – France, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Germany and Brazil all have star players of their own.

One team to watch for is Spain. They may be listed here as having only three players with CA of 180, but it should be noted that they have a further four on 179. They will be a serious threat this summer.

[kipfizh]

World Cup Preview - 2046

Hosts: Spain

Holders: Belgium

Pre-tournament predictions

It should be the usual suspects challenging for the trophy this summer, although Belgium showed last time that anything can happen. England may have five players above 180 CA, but I don’t think they’ll progress past the semi finals.

France a good chance, with the astonishingly talented Hugues Guichard up front, but my tip is for them to lose in the final to the hosts, Spain, who have a very strong looking squad, with Eduardo Castillejo and his extraordinary goalscoring record up front.

Watch again for Belgium though. World Cup champions and European Championship runners up, they still don’t have anyone above 180 CA (their best player is 175 CA), but they have an easy group and may well progress again.

World beaters

Carlo Lupo (Italy), Hugues Guichard (France) and Eduardo Castillejo (Spain) will all be there, and Maia (Portugal) will join them if he can recover from his injury. How will they do?

Ones to watch

Some of the best young players in the world will be there, and some will not as their countries have failed to qualify. Here are those players ever tipped in the ‘ones to watch’ section.

Carlo Lupo (30, 190/198) (Italy)

Toni Halonen (30, 173/187) (Finland) – failed to qualify

Patrick Schmidt (29, 182/184) (Germany)

Marian Badea (29, 168/189) (Romania) – failed to qualify

Pereira (29, 178/187) (Portugal)

Aleksandras Stazys (28, 181/186) (Lithuania) – failed to qualify

Tony Allison (26, 181/192) (England)

Barry Low (27, 178/195) (Scotland)

Ronnie Blundell (25, 181/195) (England)

Hugues Guichard (24, 195/195) (France)

Bjorn Strand (23, 187/193) (Norway)

Ante Bacic (24, 189/189) (Croatia)

Henrik Berg (23, 169/188) (Norway)

Luke Hallett (23, 166/184) (England) – uncapped, unlikely to be picked

Umit Abdulkadir (21, 183/199) (Turkey) – failed to qualify

Sergey Sergienko (22, 178/193) (Russia) – failed to qualify

Reiner Helbig (20, 170/199) (Germany) – uncapped, unlikely to be picked

Leonardo (19, 166/185) (Brazil) – uncapped, unlikely to be picked

Peter Schulz (21, 175/188) (Germany)

Gary Cooper (20, 167/182) (England) – uncapped, unlikely to be picked

Fabrizio Bucci (20, 156/199) (Italy)

Joe Galloway (19, 146/190) (England) – uncapped, unlikely to be picked

Guillaume Charton (19, 160/194) (France) – uncapped, unlikely to be picked

Juan Perez (16, 105/194) (Mexico) – uncapped, unlikely to be picked

[Alurny]

Thanks Kip. Amazing as always.

Congratulations to the Bandits and good luck in the Champs League!

[5ergio]

Wohooooo 3rd Let's see how this declining manager copes with the pressure in CL. Also Umit Abdulkadir for Bandits? That'll be the most awesome thing in the history I guess. Eagerly waiting for the transfer season reports already KUTGW Kip, as you always did before.

[kipfizh]

Originally posted by 5ergio:

Wohooooo 3rd Let's see how this declining manager copes with the pressure in CL. Also Umit Abdulkadir for Bandits? That'll be the most awesome thing in the history I guess. Eagerly waiting for the transfer season reports already KUTGW Kip, as you always did before.

I would be over the moon if Abdulkadir joined the Bandits, but he might be beyong them, especially with Chelsea being one of about fifteen clubs interested. He'll move somewhere soon though, and whoever picks him up will probably have the best player in the world in a matter of two or three years.

[chopper99]

Fantastic as ever Kip.

Finally, Champions League football. I think they'll be able to attract decent players this year just because of the fact they're playing Champions League football next season.

The problem is, will the manager actually sign anyone good? I'm not convinced. And if there are sales from the squad that aren't replaced next season could be a disaster. Davies' has proved he's tactically sound and can do well with the players at his disposal, but what will happen if the squad's weakened over the summer?

Will he face the sack if the club makes a poor start? And if so, will the club finally bring in someone decent to replace him?

Whatever happens it'll be an interesting season, especially with Left Back 1 managing a decent looking England side in the World Cup.

[Ste93]

fantastic as always kip.

I was just wondering if we could find out who the best 5 or so managers are and how high their CA's are, from what i can tell players CAs are always miles higher than managers... anyone know why?

[williamshankley]

Great update

[Mravac Kid]

A-we-some! The Bandits did a helluva job this year... will we see them challenge for the title after 10 seasons in the Premiership?

I'll be a doomsayer, and predict that the lack of squad depth will come back to haunt them next year, causing them to drop a few places and finish mid-table. Luckily, their European challenge comes in early in the season, so they might be able to pull it off and get some valuable reputation points.

It's nice to see RM1 keeping up with awesome jobs, I wish the two goalies would do the same. They've got too much skill to waste away in their current positions...

[achilles elbow]

Excellent as always Kip

If only we could get the BBC or Sky interested... they could show all 90 minutes of both CL qualifying legs... in 2D

I'd watch.

[deltoro]

Originally posted by kipfizh:

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by 5ergio:

Wohooooo 3rd Let's see how this declining manager copes with the pressure in CL. Also Umit Abdulkadir for Bandits? That'll be the most awesome thing in the history I guess. Eagerly waiting for the transfer season reports already KUTGW Kip, as you always did before.

As a Turkish guy and a huge Bandits fan,I'm waiting the transfer of Umit Abdulkadir..Come on Bandits...get that guy..

I would be over the moon if Abdulkadir joined the Bandits, but he might be beyong them, especially with Chelsea being one of about fifteen clubs interested. He'll move somewhere soon though, and whoever picks him up will probably have the best player in the world in a matter of two or three years. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

[TPA]

Originally posted by achilles elbow:

If only we could get the BBC or Sky interested... they could show all 90 minutes of both CL qualifying legs... in 2D

What a bizarre idea

Obviously, you can count me in too

[5ergio]

Originally posted by achilles elbow:

If only we could get the BBC or Sky interested... they could show all 90 minutes of both CL qualifying legs... in 2D

Hmmm... do we need an HD-tv for that 2D match =) That could have been the best match I've ever seen in my life, seeing a dream come true...

Creative idea tbh =)

[AB-forever]

Originally posted by achilles elbow:

Excellent as always Kip

If only we could get the BBC or Sky interested... they could show all 90 minutes of both CL qualifying legs... in 2D

I'd watch.

I sure would too

Proud to see a Dane doing good for the Bandits

Hope they get that Turkish guy!!

KUTGW as always Kip

My life wouldn't be as interesting without this thread

[TPA]

Originally posted by kipfizh:

Hugues Guichard (24, 195/195), the French striker, rises two spots to second, and unlike Maia, is on fire. A former tip for stardom, he is very much there, scoring 33 goals in an amazing season for Bayern Munich, and managing ten in sixteen caps for France. He could be deadly this summer, and at only 24, he still has time on his side.

Hugues Guichard

A new entry in third spot is Spanish striker Eduardo Castillejo (26, 194/198), who is starring for Inter, scoring 23 goals in a fine season. He international record is supreme, scoring more than a goal a game (14 in 12 caps), and will be another to watch this summer.

Eduardo Castillejo

Anyone else thinks this Guichard's attributes are remarkably low for player whose CA is 195? Of course he seems a great player and I'd be happy to sign him in my current game but if you compare his attributes to for example Castillejo's there's huge difference.

[ross8]

Originally posted by TPA:

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

If only we could get the BBC or Sky interested... they could show all 90 minutes of both CL qualifying legs... in 2D

What a bizarre idea

Obviously, you can count me in too </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Pencil me in and throw away the rubber

[West Country Cop]

Me too. read this whole thread last night and am hooked

[TSmith91]

Anyone else thinks this Guichard's attributes are remarkably low for player whose CA is 195? Of course he seems a great player and I'd be happy to sign him in my current game but if you compare his attributes to for example Castillejo's there's huge difference.

Check his injury status. After being out for a few months it is not unusual to see a sharp drop off in stats.

[milanfan_apoorv]

I really really REALLY wonder how you manage such great updates. its really brilliant!! good luck to the bandits then!

[waz_nufc_awk]

Originally posted by ross8:

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

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

If only we could get the BBC or Sky interested... they could show all 90 minutes of both CL qualifying legs... in 2D

What a bizarre idea

Obviously, you can count me in too </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Pencil me in and throw away the rubber </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

knowing how things go with bandits, it would end on CH 5.

[alwo]

I can't believe I've read almost 40 seasons worth of updates today. Having found this thread at around 3pm I've read every page and it's now (embarrassingly) after 10pm and I still want more! Shockingly I've found this thread more interesting than my current game on FM08...which has sat untouched since around 5pm.

KUTGW and I can't wait to see what happens next. 'Mon the Bandits!

[Saviola JH]

Originally posted by TSmith91:

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Anyone else thinks this Guichard's attributes are remarkably low for player whose CA is 195? Of course he seems a great player and I'd be happy to sign him in my current game but if you compare his attributes to for example Castillejo's there's huge difference.

Check his injury status. After being out for a few months it is not unusual to see a sharp drop off in stats. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Players with high 'hidden' stats such as Professionalism, Pressure Handling and Temperament also tend to have lower visible stats - players with high Consistency and Important Match ratings also tend to be more 'average' in an overall numbers sense as well.

[kipfizh]

Originally posted by TSmith91:

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Anyone else thinks this Guichard's attributes are remarkably low for player whose CA is 195? Of course he seems a great player and I'd be happy to sign him in my current game but if you compare his attributes to for example Castillejo's there's huge difference.

Check his injury status. After being out for a few months it is not unusual to see a sharp drop off in stats. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

True - at the point of the screenshot he is carrying a broken ankle, which in fact forced him to miss the World Cup. The update for that will not be long in coming.

If you go back a season, his stats actually look better then than they do now, which I suspect is partly due to his injury.

[kipfizh]

Originally posted by chopper99:

Will he face the sack if the club makes a poor start? And if so, will the club finally bring in someone decent to replace him?

Well, the team are predicted to finish fifth by the media this season, so expectations are high, which could be hard to achieve if the Champions League run stretches the thin squad.

But then there are good managers available, and with reputation at an all time high, now wouldn't be a bad time for Davies to go (especially as he's close to retirement anyway).

[kipfizh]

European Championship Review - 2044

Group Stage

Belgium cruised through the very simple Group A, only slipping up to Togo once their place in the next round was assured. The Africans join them in the group stages, with Uruguay and Greece going home.

Group B saw England and Scotland qualify by winning their opening two matches, knocking Iran and the Ivory Coast out. Luke Hallett made his debut, Tom Finley couldn’t get on, and Tony Allison scored a couple for England against the Ivorians. The Battle of Britain was just to win the group, but pride was also at stake, and it was Scotland who won it, hammering England 3-0 to progress in top spot.

France’s tournament hopes took a massive hit before it began, Hugues Guichard breaking an ankle, but they still won Group C at a canter, Denmark joining them ahead of Mexico and Colombia.

Group D was just as easy for the Europeans, with Croatia and the Czech Republic cruising past Angola and Saudi Arabia.

My outside tip, Brazil, won all three matches in Group E to progress in top spot, while the second position was a battle between Portugal and Jamaica. Both lost to Brazil, both beat group whipping boys South Korea, and they went into their showdown match level, Jamaica’s 4-1 victory over the Koreans giving them the goal difference advantage. Sixteen years after they caused a titanic shock by knocking Brazil out, Jamaica came back from a goal down to draw 1-1, and do the same to Portugal.

Norway and Italy dominated Group F, ahead of China and Mali. Both teams walloped Mali, although Mali’s impressive victory over China gave them a creditable third spot, and both edged the Chinese out (China lost all three games 1-0). Norway topped the group, beating Italy 1-0 with a goal from former tip Bjorn Strand.

Germany, Argentina, Mexico and Japan made up the traditional group of death, in Group G. After Germany slipped up, drawing against weak side Japan, they came back to beat Argentina 1-0 to top the group with four points, jointly with Mexico, going into the last game. To qualify, Argentina needed to hammer Japan, and they did, with Germany dispatching Mexico 2-0 to force them out of the competition.

Group H saw two of the favourites come together – Spain, my tip for the tournament, and Holland, who are always there or thereabouts. Paraguay and USA proved no match for the big teams, losing to both, so the Spain-Holland encounter was just for top spot. Castillejo’s two goals, his fourth and fifth of an impressive tournament, led Spain to a 3-1 win and top spot. Incidentially, while Castillejo tops the scoring charts with five, Holland’s van Grinsven sits second with four goals from a high scoring group.

Second Round

With Maia going home with Portugal, and Guichard missing France’s campaign with a broken ankle, the only two world beaters left in the tournament were Italy captain Carlo Lupo, who had started well, and Spain’s star striker Eduardo Castillejo, who had five goals from the group stages.

The first match of the second round was a repeat of the previous final – England against Belgium. England took an early lead through an own goal, but Belgium hit back immediately, and the match stayed 1-1 until Tom Finley came off the bench to score with five minutes to go, and send England through to the quarter finals. Not to be outdone, Scotland also beat Togo 2-1 to progress on the first knockout day.

Day two saw surprise package Denmark see off Croatia, and France, struggling for goals without Hugues Guichard spearheading their attack, beating the Czech Republic 1-0 after extra time, despite being down to ten men.

Norway were looking very strong in the group stages, but they knew not to underestimate Jamaica, and came through safely, winning 2-0 with Bjorn Strand scoring the second. Meanwhile, Italy knocked out the ever dangerous Brazil, winning 1-0 with an impressive defensive performance.

The final day of the round saw two titanic clashes. Spain were looking relentless, but were dealt a blow when star striker Eduardo Castillejo was ruled out with an elbow injury. Without him, they couldn’t score against an Argentine defence superbly marshalled by former world beater, and man of the match, Hector Ceballos, as the South Americans edged a 1-0 win. Elsewhere, Holland knocked out Germany 2-1, with Wesley van Grinsven winning the match with his fifth goal of the competition.

Quarter Finals

With Castillejo’s injury proving so devastating for Spain, only Carlo Lupo remained as a world beater by the quarter finals. With him surely in his last World Cup, could he finally lead his country to glory?

First, though, it was the turn of the British nations. An awesome defensive performance saw Scotland beat France 2-0 – the French had struggled for goals all tournament without Guichard up front, and the Scots just had too much for them. England also progressed, easily beating Denmark 2-0, Tony Allison opening the scoring while Luke Hallett again started in defence. Tom Finley never got off the bench.

Former tip Bjorn Strand was looking imperious for Norway, and his brace, his fourth and fifth goals of the tournament, saw off Holland 2-0, while the final match of the round was an absolute corker.

Argentina took an early 2-0 lead against Italy, against the odds, but the Italians came back strongly to level to match before half time. The second half was coming to a close, with extra time looming, when Italy won a corner, and with two minutes left on the clock, legend and man of the match Carlo Lupo powered a header into the net to send his country through to the semi finals.

[Chilliconcarnie]

bring on a England v Scotland final

[Guest Metaphysical]

champions leeeaaaggguuuueee!!

it'd be great if umit did come to the bandits. finally having a top rated player there would be ace.

and an england/scotland world cup final would be great, but I think italy are gonna take the tournament.

[chopper99]

Come on Kip don't keep us in suspense, how did the Euro's turn out?

Was the final a battle of Britain? Has a former bandit guided England to a long overdue tournament success?

Or are the team expected to win it actually going to win it for once? If previous years are anything to go by it'll probably go to the outsiders, Norway.

[DefoesRightBoot]

European Championship Review 2044???

22 pages and 40-odd years in, kipfizh finally makes a tiny mistake! Think I can forgive him though, an awesome experiment. Just can't wait for you to release the datafile kip!

Come on the Brits, although as already mentioned experience says the Norwegians may well sneak in and win it as rank outsiders. Incidentally, in my last game, I had a brilliant young striker in about 2025 by the name of Bjorn Strand, PA was about 197 I think!

[kipfizh]

Whoops - good spot that, this is of course World Cup 2046, not European Championships 2044.

That'll teach me not to proof read!

I can't tell you what happens next because I don't know, I was writing as I went on the train this morning, but then I got to work. So the semis haven't been played yet - I'm in as much suspense as you

[Alexani]

Come on Norway! If Belgium can do it, so can we.

[Mravac Kid]

I'm rooting for Carlo Lupo to lead his team to one last bout of glory before retirement.

[C-Mon]

Originally posted by Alexani:

Come on Norway! If Belgium can do it, so can we.

Norway, with the help of Bjorn Strand are gonna win this!

(Salutations from VGD btw.)

[5ergio]

'Mon Lupo lifting the cup He'll be the first world beater to be honored with a major cup if I'm not mistaken.

[DB1]

I've just found this, It's took a while to read the whole thing, eyes are now square and very very red. It is awesome and worth evry second. I feel so proud of the bandits and can't wait for the next installment.

In the words of the governator "I'll be back"

[achilles elbow]

200,000 views!!

I hope you are pleased with the way your AI experiment has been progressing Kip?

Did you expect it to still be going strong after almost 11 months, and did you ever expect it to have such a strong following??

KUTGW

[Meitheisman]

I don't have the internet at home yet since I just moved but still wanted to take a minute to congratulate you once again Kip, I printed this thread last night when I left work and read the update on the subway, I'm good for the Euro today, KUTGW

[Guest Metaphysical]

COME ON YOU BANDITS!