Soccer Manager Worlds v2.01 Work in Progress

Soccer Manager Worlds v2.01 Work in Progress

Slow out of the blocks

Levante’s dismal start to the season continued last night, going down 3-1 away to newly promoted AZ in Holland. This result comes on the back of a 2-0 opening day defeat at home to Internacional, and a 3-0 loss in an all Spanish affair away to Celta Vigo.

Markus Henriksen opened the scoring for the Dutch side, scoring from a free kick in the opening minute after a Jean Beausejour foul.

On 19mins, Dame N’Doye scored the host’s second goal with a great strike into the top corner.

On 33 Levante had their first opportunity. Mate Simao slipped in Clinton N’Jie, but the young striker couldnt beat the keeper.

N’Jie had another chance right on the break. Souza creating the opening, but Benoit Costil in the AZ goal pulled off a teriffic stop.

Javi Guerra came on for the home side on the hour, and 10 minutes later Tyrone Mings, making his Levante debut, took the Spaniard down in the area. Guerra himself got back up and tucked away the resultant spot kick. If it wasn’t game over already, it certainly was after that.

Levante’s first goal of the season finally arrived on 75mins though. After missing a couple of chances in the first half, N’Jie played in Gareth Barry, and the experienced midfielder swept the ball into the bottom corner.

It wasnt enough for the travelling support, a section of which demonstrated outside the ground after the game. Parfitt however urged the supporters to stick with the side, and pointed back to last season as the perfect example. The club flirted with the relegation zone for the vast majority of the season, before eventually finding their stride and finishing 14th.

The lack of goals will be a worry however, and the fact that Ibrahima Balde and Jelle Vossen have both been moved on does leave the club a little short on cover, but for now N’Jie and Angel Romero are set to fight for the number 9 shirt.

On Thursday night it’s another Spanish derby, as unbeaten Malaga face Levante. Parfitt know’s his side are in for yet another stern test, and knows that the club need to pick up some points sooner rather than later.

In an effort to turn things around, the squad has been shaken up. Experienced defenders Sylvain Distin and Manuel Friedrich have joined, along with Mexican full back Israel Jiminez, and young midfielders Anthony Caceres and Bart Ramselaar.

The defenders should be challenging for a first team spot immidiately, with at least one expected to start on Thursday, and the two midfielders have been brought in for their potential, with the club particularly excited to welcome young Dutchman Ramselaar.

All of the incomings cost money though, and with the clubs limied funds, something has to give. As a result, young Czech Vaclav Kadlec will be heading to Spurs for an £8m fee.  

Division 5 , a view from the rear.

Division 5 the only way is up.

 

In open gameworlds Division 5 is the hardest to escape from. Only 1 side gets auto promotion and the playoffs are even worse of a lottery than normal. However in the TOP 100 very sensibly there are 4 places up for grabs. The only thing to fear is the sack race at the end of the season.

Gk Def Mid Att Top15 Top21 Ave
Hetha Berlin 89 88 88 90 86 75 88.2 1
Sao Paulo 89 88 88 88 87 87 87.833 16
Stuttgart 89 87 88 88 87 85 87.333 13
Villlareal 88 88 88 87 86 86 87.167 5
Dynamo Kiev 87 88 89 88 87 84 87.167 18
Olympiacos 88 87 87 87 86 85 86.667 4
Flamengo 87 87 87 87 85 85 86.333 3
Club Bruge 87 86 87 87 86 85 86.333 11
Anderlecht 88 87 87 87 86 83 86.333 19
Feyenord 88 86 87 87 86 83 86.167 7
Santos 87 87 88 87 86 82 86.167 9
Dinamo Zagreb 89 87 87 86 85 82 86 15
Celtic 87 87 86 86 85 83 85.667 8
Bremen 85 86 87 87 85 82 85.333 12
Standard Liege 87 85 85 85 84 82 84.667 2
Rubin Kazan 87 85 86 87 82 81 84.667 14
Augsburg 88 85 86 84 83 80 84.333 6
Partizan 85 86 87 88 83 75 84 10
Independiente 85 85 85 86 83 80 84 17
FC Twente 85 84 85 85 82 80 83.5 20

The average for this league is 85.9 compared to 86.4 for D4. Quite a gap consdiering D4 is close to D3 in ability terms. Anything above 85.5 should be enough to survive in the league above , so any team down to Dinamo Zagreb should have promotion ambitions. The current leaders Hertha Berlin are a cut above their opponents.   Strong in all positions, and a lethal strike force. True depth has been sacrificed and a real injury crisis is their only fear.  Sao Paulo who got off to a poor start are on paper the firm second favourites, no real weakness in strength or depth , one can only see them move up,

Villareal and Dynamo Kiev should see out the remaining automatic spots between them , similar sides, Kiev will look to maintain possession.  Then there is a huge clutch of almost identikit teams mid to high 86 rated , down to Celtic on the table above. Stand out sides could be Dinamo Zagreb if the keeper is on form and Santos if they keep more possesion to deny others chances.


There is then some what of a decrease in quality , all the sides have some major weak point which will hamper their progress.  Breman, Partizan, Indepndiente , FC Twente, is a 86 keeper that hard to find ?  Augburg not potent up top but may well finish top half on the strength of the keeper. 

FC Twente are the worse team by far and hold up the league.


Good luck to all..

 

 

Sky Sports Interview David Senior (and wish they hadn't)

Ahead of their Division 5 fixture against Celtic, Sky Sports Greek football correspondent Fotis Voinikas gets an exclusive interview with Olympiacos manager David Senior for the Top100 Blogspot.





FV        Afternoon David and thanks for taking the time out of your schedule.

DS       No problem Foetus, just finished putting the squad through a hard session so happy to take time out.

FV        Down at the Rendis?

DS       No, at the Blue Zorba, great little bar down by the harbour.

FV        Sounds a little unconventional

DS       Not really, it’s a traditional bar other than they serve those plates of snacks.

FV        Tapas?

DS       No, I never touched her and if anyone says otherwise I’ll deny it.

FV        Yes, well, moving on.  Tell me about your route to Piraeus and Olympicaos.

DS       Well Fergus as I recall I caught a flight from Yeadon airport down to Heathrow then one to Athens, I was going to catch a cab but the club had sent a car, which saved me a bob or two.

FV        I meant along the lines of, how did you come to become Olympiacos manager?

DS       Oh that, well I’d met the Chairman  Evan whilst doing business in London.

FV        What sort of business?

DS       Business business, we were both having a piss in the Fluffy Kitten massage parlour, we got talking and he asked me what I was doing in London, I said I’d just taken Stanley to Wembley.

FV        Accrington? I didn’t realise you’d managed them.

DS       I haven’t, my nephew Stanley, I’d given him a lift to see his girlfriend in the smoke.

Anyway, Evan said he was possibly going to be in the market for a new manager as they were on the verge of relegation so I gave him my agent Frank Hirst’s card and the rest is history.

FV        Frank Hirst? Is he with Prosport, Full Contact, Key Sport?

DS       No, Thomas Cook, he’s my travel agent.

FV        Should have guessed, then what happened?

DS       Well Frank got in touch and said the club had called and the job was mine if I wanted it. Frank said he’d throw in an upgrade from economy on the flights in return for his 75% commission so I booked the tickets there and then.

FV        Wow, so you didn’t have to through an interview process?

DS       Only at Heathrow, strip searched me the works.

FV        Quite, so how do you find Piraeus?

DS       Well to be honest Findus my advice would be to Google it, unless you’re shit hot on geography it’s a bitch to find.

FV        I see, so any problems adjusting to the language?

DS       No, your English is good Frodo, a bit of an accent there but I can understand most of what you’re saying.

FV        Hmmm ok, moving on, tell me something about your philosophy.

DS       Live and let live would sum it up.

FV        I meant your footballing philosophy.

DS       Oh sorry Fungus, I just send the lads out and tell em to do their thing, after all that’s what they’re paid for.

FV        So you don’t give them any tactics?

DS       Nah, not into all that modern fancy stuff, can’t see how giving them small sugar covered mints would help them play any better.

FV        Urm, yes, well. You’ve transferred out a lot of the older members of the squad, notably Michu.

DS       Bless you.

FV        Perez Michu !!

DS       Well Fargo I’m looking to put a more youthful, vibrant squad together, the older lads don’t have the stamina for it.

FV        Is that because you’re planning to play a more high tempo game?

DS       No, I mean on club nights out, the oldies want to be in bed for 11 with a cup of cocoa.

FV        Ah, of course. But you’ve brought in a few new faces, I’m looking at Balde up top.

DS       Fuck off big nose, my lack of hair isn’t a license to insult me.

FV        No David, I was talking about Ibrahima Balde.

DS       Ibrahima has a full head of hair, think you need to get your facts straight there Fructose.

FV        Lets move on shall we. You must have been ecstatic to get Pavolettis signature?

DS       Just thought his autograph may be worth a few bob in the future, I like that song he did for Italia 90 but I’m not really a big opera fan to be honest.

FV        Nessun Dorma?

DS       No I drive a Peugot.

FV        Anyway, looking at tonights game, any injury concerns?

DS       Angel picked up a knock falling off a table at the Zorba and the Doc has had a look.

FV        Prognosis?

DS       Not sure about him, anyway I think he must be out on loan cos his name doesn’t ring a bell.

FV        Ok David, thank you very much for your time, it’s been interesting to say the least.


DS       No worries Footrot, anytime.

Shaky defences

Summary of the first week in the 2nd season:

Round 1

There was a lot of hype around Villa's first game this season, at home against PSV, but instead we fell to the Dutch side. 3-0 was a loss tough to take, but given that 3 of the debutants were defenders, the chemistry is bound to increase in the coming games. As expected, the 4-2-3-1 formation will be the preferred one of Rahul W, one that is more defensive but has worked for Villa in the past. Hitz, Lora and Park made their debuts, and ratings of 5, 6 and 6 respectively show that there is room for improvement. To be fair, the rest of the team also got a 7. Record signing Ruben Garcia also got a start but did not impress, still looking for a debut goal. Unknown Oztumer got himself an assist  and two yellows for Veretout, what a prick. A minor injury for Clark and two yellows for Veretout meant that the season did not start off well for Villa.



vs PSV (H, 0-3): Hitz (5); Lora (6), Richards, 58' (6), Clark (6), Park (6); Sanchez (6), Gueye (6); Djuricic (6), Veretout, 11', 73' (6), Garcia (6), Ayew (6)

Goals: Jurgen Locadia (14'), Luuk de Jong (pen, 37'), Adam Maher (free-kick, 63') -> ALL PSV
Assists: Erhun Oztumer (14') (PSV)
MOTM: Luuk de Jong (1 goal) (PSV)


Round 2

We travelled to Italy next, where we faced the tricky Sampdoria, containing Niklas Moisander who we failed to bring to the club. Shame for him. This was more like the team I knew, and the game was gone by the hour mark. Okore got a first start for the season, while new signing Ignacio Scocco made his debut as well, with the rest of the team remaining the same. A first goal for Park too. Great win away from home, and one that was needed. 

vs Sampdoria (A, 3-0): Hitz (7); Lora (6), Richards (6), Okore, 8' (6), Park (7); Sanchez (8), Gueye (7); Sinclair (6), Djuricic (8), Garcia (7); Scocco (7)

Goals: Filip Djuricic (15') , Idrissa Gueye (59'), Park Joo-Ho (63')
Assists: Carlos Sanchez (15'), Ruben Garcia (59'), Filip Djuricic (63')
MOTM: Filip Djuricic (1 goal and 1 assist)
TOTW 2: Park Joo-Ho (1), Carlos Sanchez (1), Filip Djuricic (1)


We currently sit 10th, with our next opponents a place above. They however have the in-form Jamie Vardy, who will be a test to our rotated XI. We then face Swansea whom we should beat. Looking forward to it.

Other business (friendlies)

We also had a friendly yesterday against Olympiakos. Apparently a fax sent late (I'm looking at you Mr. Perez) meant that David Senior sent his best team to Villa while we played the youth kids. Tough game for them, 0-4 loss, but can't expect better. We go back to Olympiakos on Tuesday in order to play a proper YT friendly. Haha.



Man City manager happy with things so far.

After an encouraging opening day, Man cuty were unlucky not to win midweek. Manager Will Trafford had this to say “don’t get me wrong, they are a decent outfit. But we need to be winning those games, need to be picking up 3 points a week. Only Real won both games, shows how competitive this is. But we need to get points on the board."

Asked about the transfer situation he added “tough isn’t it. We have done well to get Rambo and Stranzl in. One for quality and one for depth. I do get annoyed by these buggers trying to give me cash though. Got a pile of it at the mo and so no matter how many times they offer cash for Khedira, it ain’t working."


Division 4 first amongst equals

Division 4 the key stats.

 

When we look at this division we can see immediately that there is much less difference from the division above. The average rating is 86.4 compared to 86.7 in D3.   If we use a rule of thumb that you would need a rating of just above 86 to survive in D3 you can see that the vast majority of clubs down to SC Internacional have the potential to gain promotion.

This makes this the most open division so far.

GK Def Mid Att Top15 Top21 Average
Southamoton 89 87 89 89 87 83 88.2 2
West Ham 87 88 88 88 87 86 87.333 12
Dynamo Moscow 88 87 89 87 86 85 87 3
Genoa 89 88 88 89 86 82 87 7
Malaga 87 87 89 88 87 83 86.833 4
Torino 89 87 88 89 86 82 86.833 5
Udinese 87 87 87 88 87 85 86.833 11
Montpellier 88 87 87 88 86 85 86.833 14
Celta Vigo 87 87 88 86 85 82 86.6 1
West Brom 87 86 87 88 86 85 86.5 8
AZ 88 87 87 88 85 84 86.5 17
Dnipro 88 87 87 87 86 83 86.333 13
Atalanta 87 87 87 88 85 83 86.167 10
River Plate 87 87 87 87 86 83 86.167 15
Sc Internacional 87 87 87 87 86 82 86 6
Cologne 88 87 87 89 85 80 86 9
Espanyol 87 87 87 88 86 78 85.5 18
Chievo 85 87 87 87 84 82 85.333 19
Levante 87 86 88 87 84 80 85.333 20
Hellas Verona 85 85 87 86 83 82 84.667 16

The current position is shown to the right of the table. It is probably no surprise that 6/7 of the highest rated teams  occupy the automatic promotion and play off spots , even early doors.
They have to a large extent chosen to sacrifice quantity for quality, probably a good idea in this division.  West Ham and Dynamo Moscow are an exception to that and if they can keep up early in the season they will be in a position to challenge the out and out favourites Southamton.
It is no surprise to find teams of a similar build Udinese and Montpellier also begining the season well .  There is such a similarity from then on down to even Levante that it is hard to say how a particular team will do statistically , which means that manager skill and the vagueness of injuries will have more effect.

It has to be a concern for Espanyol,  Chievo , Levante that they are already struggling and have little in the wasy of back up to push into the front line.

Hellas Verona though are rather a sad sight and I can't see them surviving ,  

Noisy starts new role with a positive result

Manchester City 0-0 Bayer Leverkusen
So life in Germany has started ok for new boss Noisy as we returned from England with a positive point and our second consecutive clean sheet in the league.

After being appointed earlier on this week Noisy knew he would be under pressure to deliver results from the start but considered this solidarity point to be a large success.

Infact Leverkusen played rather well that the City keeper Akinfeev was named as the games MOTM.

The squad will train today before travelling to the rather hostile Istanbul for Sundays huge game against Fenerbahce.

Much of the hostile crowds frustrations will be directed at Noisy and he knows he must remain positive and calm on the touchlines for his new team as we would love nothing better then to turn up to the Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium and claim all three points.

One former face will not be facing us as RVP has moved to Napoli and we've already been on the phone to him to try and get some inside info on Little's new tactics.

Many are predicting fireworks and a explosive affair and Leverkusen will try there best to deliver.

Lyon 1 Real Madrid 4...

Lyon 1 Real Madrid 4…



Real Madrid eat, chewed, swallowed, and spat out  Olympique Lyonnais as they demolished and  beat them 4 - 1 in their Division 1 fixture. " Theres only 1 Keano " bellowed out from the travelling Madrid army. 
Madrid dominated possession with 66%, and had 17 shots at goal and with 9 on target. Giovanni Cabrioli bored the hell out of the lyon fans with the defensive long ball tactics, and only managed 3 shots at goal. The Lyon fans were signing " are you LVG in disguise" to the Lyon manager. 
Lewandowski was impressive and scored a hat-trick, later being voted Man of the Match for his performance.
Bale was also on the scoresheet for his side.



Madrid fans celebrate 
Lewandowski complete's his hat trick.








Bale scores to make it 4-1









After the game Roy Keane said " Real Madrid have more green squares one there result schedule list , than the wembley stadium pitch itself. I regret trying to sell Lewandowski, and i told him to go and prove to them managers who bidded a mars bar and a packet of crisps for him, just how good you really are. Lewandowski is world class, and i am telling you now, he will be the top goal scorer in top 100 this season. "
Up next is Seville at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium on sunday...

Dear Diary - ROY KEANE EXCLUSIVE

Please click READ MORE as TOP 100 Real Madrid Manager, Roy Keane, releases extracts from his daily diary which will make up a future publication about his life.


[youtube=www.youtube.com/watch

 
Thursday 14th January 2016 - The Beginning
 
Dear Darlin (Diary),
Hi diary, may I call you Alex, yes Alex I like that name… well this is where I intend to write down my inner-most thoughts about SM Top 100 - today eh… well it has been eventful in Top 100 - Nuno seems like his days are numbered after he picked up another kid, Fran Villabla (one I sold, even I am not a genius), Little’s Youth team demolished Tottenham 3-0 in the youth cup and my old pal from EC2, Linder has come along to join the party, I hear he is a decent writer himself and we are looking forward to hearing about his adventures in Germany, speaking of which Alex I have decided to cut and stick this picture of The Linder that he did for the Hoffenheim Times this morning…

The Linder
Anyway let me tell you all about how I, Keano came to be at the Bernabeu in Top 100... it all began in August, Franco called me into his office in Shitpool, I took my helicopter, reluctant to leave my Vauxhall Corsa anywhere in that place and he told about this great idea for a gameworld and how he wanted me to be a part of it... Natrually I was keen, but then he told me of how he wanted me to be Sunderland manager...
"Sunderland, are you having a laugh... Sunderland is so flipping dead as a team and a place than there is more life left in Jimmy Saville?" I almost stormed out and flew back to Orient in Gold 1 there and then... Frank must have realised as such and had already arranged for his Scouse mates to nick the helicopter which left me at a loss so we discussed terms of how I would get Real Madrid in return for Frank's failure to keep my helicopter safe and he would have to have Genoa instead of Real... deal done the rest was history so to speak.
I naturally won the Top 100 Shield in my first season but due to some 'shit' refereeing came 2nd in the league and lost in the SMFA Champions Cup final... buy you know what you can't win everything every season, this season I intend to win it all!
That's all from my diary this week if you like it then I will be back every time there are 5x separate contributors to the blog...


THE THURSDAY BLOG Vol 2 No 2

Well it’s Thursday and time for another Thursday blog. It’s a short week for the blog after the last one was on the Saturday meaning it’s just a 5 day interval until this one. This means the real life part will be a bit shorter than normal, well I think it should be but since I haven’t written it yet then I might be lying. Apart from the real life section there will be the usual update from Club Brugge, where things are a bit quieter than normal thanks to the disappointing opening day result in the Top 100. I am also introducing an old friend of mine who will be splitting Thursday’s with myself but I will tell you more about that later on.



This week in the Kinnear household can only be described as lazy. No one has done any serious housework, just enough to keep the place presentable, no one has made a dinner with all 5 days being a takeaway. Saturday chip shop, Sunday McDonald’s, Monday Chinese (except me), Tuesday another chip shop and last night everyone for themselves which featured KFC, kebab and god knows what else. I passed last night after having a late lunch at work. Laziness like this is a rare event and not part of the norm so please don’t think I have a bunch of slobs around me. The reason for all this was that everyone was finishing work at different times and, let’s face it, no one likes to come home and have to make a dinner if they have had a busy day at work. Tonight will be different as I will make the dinner since Thursday is my day off.
There was good news on Monday as Janene passed her theory test as she attempts to become the fifth driver in the family. This was her third attempt and at least she was consistent as she had failed her first two by the matter of one point in the question section and this time passed by one point. All the same, she has now passed and it is now up to her to get through the actual driving test for which she has no date booked as at this moment. While we are on the subject of Janene, her boyfriend was here once again on Tuesday and I don’t know what came over me (no I didn’t shake his hand on his choice of girlfriend) but I actually felt sorry for him and felt this thing that I have never felt before. On explaining to the wife, she told me the feeling is called guilt. The reason for this was that when I went down for a pee, I decided to go into the kitchen and pick up a Ski yoghurt. Now, I mention Ski by name because it is the only yoghurt that I like. It has to be the ones with the fruit pieces in them and peach is my favourite closely followed by pineapple. I have noticed that Ski yoghurts are getting harder to find in the shops and when I think back, their popularity must be subsiding as they used to be the most popular yoghurt on the shelf. This Mullerlite shite is one I do not like and if I see that bird Swatanigger or whatever her name is one more time on the telly with a bit of yoghurt on the tip of her nose, I swear I will put my boot through it. Ok maybe not the telly in the bedroom but one of them will get it. Anyway, back to what I was saying, I told you before that I sometimes stray off the subject and that was one of they times. Feeling ‘guillty’ as the wife put it. So, I came out of the kitchen with my yoghurt and it was perfect timing for Janene and Ross/Russ/Shrek coming out of the living room to go upstairs. There we were at the bottom of the stairs. When I had a glance (yes we will go for glance) at the boyfriend, his face looked a bit red and he also looked terrified, as if I was going to land one on his chin. I was a bit sad at that to be honest as I am not an ogre (where as he is. Shrek, get it lol. I crack myself up at times haha) I went upstairs first and sat on top of my bed with the laptop on and actually felt a bit guilty (I am getting used to that word). Maybe I am being too harsh on the boy. It is a strange situation for me to be honest. Janene is my baby girl and her having a boyfriend is quite tough to take. Do I feel threatened by this? I don’t really know and I wonder if I am feeling that this guy becomes the number one man in her life. This is hard to take you know but also pretty stupid. When Elise had a boyfriend there was no problem. I actually liked her boyfriend and he came on holiday with us to Turkey and fitted in really well. Unfortunately, that relationship fell by the wayside and Elise is single again, although I don’t even know if she is looking for another boyfriend at this point.
The other main thing of the week was last night when Alison informed me that she was/had applied for a job in Dubai. How did I feel about this was the main question. I am ok with it and would be happy to move out there if the situation arose. What would I do over there was probably the first thing that entered my mind. Nothing, Alison said. Her job would be well paid and enough that I wouldn’t have to work. Now we are talking. Retirement at 53 is very attractive. It’s not as if we would be going into a new chapter of our life blind. Janene and Elise have a friend, Nicole, and she comes to our house quite often to see us. She usually comes for her dinner and stays overnight which is handy for her as she works alongside Janene at the stables. I mention her because she lives with her grandparents here in Scotland because her parents are out in Dubai. Her father is very successful and has more money than I have cells in my body and Nicole goes out to Dubai 4 or 5 times a year meaning we have heard all about the place and along with homework we would do ourselves, we also have Nicole’s parents to lean on for any information we would like about Dubai. This, of course, is all in the future as she has only just applied for the job. The girls are split on the move with Elise wanting to stay in Scotland but Janene happy to come to Dubai. We will see what happens and make the decisions as we come to them.
Really, that’s all that is worth mentioning for the week and I will tell you about any turn of events in the next Thursday blog, which will be in two week’s time.

As I have just mentioned, The Thursday Blog will now be published every fortnight. This because on the other Thursdays there will be a new feature. Anyone who competed in the Gold Championship 427 England will be familiar with the name Fannie Licker. At this point, I would like to apologise to Fannie as last time I mentioned her I spelt her name wrong. I spelt he first name with a ‘y’. This was a genuine mistake and I must have had some other sort of fanny licker on my mind at the time.
Anyway, on to the new feature. Fannie is a journalist and has done a few interviews and also done a couple of match reports for the 279 blog. I am delighted to tell you that I have tempted her to come to the Top 100 to work and together we have decided that her job here will be to interview managers.
What will happen is this - Fannie will randomly select a manager from the Top 100. She will contact them asking if they are willing to take part in an interview about their time at whatever club they are managing. If they are willing then a set of questions will be sent to the manager and he will send back his answers. Hopefully, the questions will be sent out on a Sunday at the latest with the answers having a deadline of Wednesday night. The interview will then be published on the Thursday. The questions will be preceded by a real life personal profile of the manager to let us know a bit about his personal things in life and also favourite things. I am hoping to get together with Fannie tonight and randomly select the first manager to take part. Anyone that has been in the Ashclowbel set up for a while will have seen this before. There will be an initial series of 6 interviews and then we will see how it has went with a view to making it a regular article on the blog.

The mood around the training camp at Club Brugges has been a mood of disappointment. The team lost their opening league match at home to Standard Liege 1-0 and they feel they let themselves, me and the fans down by not doing enough to win the game. It was my job to lift them as the games come thick and fast in this league and we were flying to South America yesterday. To be fair to them, I told them they had done enough to win the game and it was just bad luck that they lost out in the end. They were by far the better team and it was just the bad luck in front of goal that proved to be their downfall. On the flight out yesterday, everything seemed a lot better and by time we arrived here in Santos in a confident mood but also well aware of the task ahead. Santos and their boss Ian D will be determined to make up for the loss they suffered in last years semi final play off when Aquino scored the only goal of the game to send us into the play off Final. Everything tonight seems to be in Santos' favour with our record of games in South America being no wins in 4 visits and being outscored by 10 goals to 5.  So we have an uphill task tonight but it is one that my boys are up for. Defeat tonight will not be the end of the world and will only be in keeping with the traditional starts that I, personally, usually have.
Bringing new players to the club has been a fruitless task with Division 5 being a hard league to sell to anyone. Our only main signing to date has been Lasse Schone and try as I might there seems to be no one available that can improve the first team. The lack of funds available to me certainly doesn’t help matters and it looks like I will have to bide my time and go with what I have. Don’t get me wrong, the team I have are good enough for this division and reaching the play off Final last season proves that they are. The addition of an international midfielder will hopefully be the difference maker this season but another class defender would certainly bring some competition for places in the defence.
With it being so quiet around here, it has given me time to look at our youth team in more depth and I like the look of what I saw on the training pitch. They are certainly keen but when our coaches, Mr Saville and Mr Harris are around they don’t seem to perform as well and have a kind of nervous look about them in all the training practices. The touching their toes task seems to be unpopular with a few players opting not to take part in that exercise. Myself and my assistant manager may have to look at the Saville and Harris methods and see if there is anything different we can find.
We have 15 boys in the Youth squad with Bjorn Engels being the outstanding player among them. The captain of the you side has certainly been attracting some interest from around the league and we may find it difficult to hold on to him. We did have an interest in Andy Carroll when he was at Zenit and we knew Zenit had an interest in Engels. WE were about to try and offer some sort of deal that would have seen Carroll come here but AC Milan swooped in and took Carroll to Italy where he will be force fed spaghetti, pizza and tiramisu until he fits in with the rest of the useless deadbeats at the club.

Well here is where I sign off for the week and I, as always, thank you for taking the time and reading through this blog. I wish you all luck for tonight’s second game of the season and I, along with Fannie, will PM the manager that has been selected for next week’s inaugural interview and personal factfile.

Ciao

A Bit About Me

I normally like to do something for the blog when I can, and today I have some free time. Thing is, there isnt too much going on at Levante right now. A couple of strikers will sign for the youth cup at some point today, but otherwise it was a dissapointing start to the season with a predictable 2 - 0 defeat to an Internacional side that I expect to be in the hunt with Genoa, Southampton and West Ham for the automatic promotion spots. We on the other hand are aiming for top 10, despite the chairmans statement that staying up would be enough for him.

So then, in the spirit of Frank’s post a week or so back, and Gino’s regular Thursday blog, I thought that the time was nigh for me to tell you a bit more about myself rather than the character behind the Karl Marx avatar.


Firstly, the reason for Karl Marx is because I was called Marxy at one point amongst our group, solely because I had long hair and a beard. Mine was considerably less grey though, as you can see.

I have a younger brother, and also a younger sister. My sister is getting married in May of this year, over in Italy by Lake Garda. It’s very exciting, and the whole family is very proud and looking forwards to it immensely.

Not the real me

“Marxy” with the kids a few years back

Marginally less hairy now though

I am 37, and live with my partner Zoe, and my two boys, Sam who is 11, and 6 year old Charlie.

Zoe, much less bearded in the flesh

The two legends, Charlie at the front, Sam behind

I work for a fairly major white goods company, working in their call centre. We povide engineers to go and fix broken washing machines, dishwashers etc. Basically, we are the washing machine version of the AA. I work on the night shift and spend the night in a fairly miserable ofice talking to people who live in Australia.

It’s hardly living the dream, but one of my hobbies is writing. I have written for fun on and off for years, but over the last 12 months or so, I have started writing childrens stories. They are approx 2000 - 3000 words in length each, and aimed loosely at 7 - 10 year olds, with the odd little bit in there for an adult / older sibling who may be sharing them with the younger child.

I have a character who is a duck that solves various crimes. So far I have 6 completed stories, 3 works in progress, and lots of other ideas & characters for other adventures. Now that I have a little collection together, I am startng to look at self publishing them. I dont consider myself Roald Dahl, but a friend of mine who is a signed author himself, although in a completely different genre, feels there is the potential. That gave me a bit of confidence, so as soon as Zoe’s friend comes back with the ilustrations, I will be looking to get them out in the public domain. 

Worst case is I dont sell a single copy, but at the end of the day i’d rather try and fail than not try and never know.

I was born in Crawley, right on the doorstep of Gatwick airport, but my parents moved up to Peterborough when I was 18 months old. As a result, I am a Posh fan through and through, and have been going to London Road for years. My first ever game was vs Nottingham Forest at the end of the (I think) 1992 / 93 season. I may be wrong about the year, but I remember Stan Collymore scoring at the London Road end, Forest fans spilling off the glebe terrace and Stuart Pearce trying to usher them back off thepitch, and others climbing the floodlights at the Moyes End to get a better view of their boys. An incredile first game, and I was hooked from that moment. 

That first game I went to, I was with 4 of my mates. I dont know what happened to them, but like I say, I found the whole thing intoxicating, and a life long love affair started at that very moment. Of the other 4 though, 2 are now Arsenal fans, 1 is a Chelsea fan, and the other supports Norwich. 

As a Posh fan, I have been to some absolute hell holes to watch games. Exeter, Carlisle, Rochdale, Cambridge, Colchester’sold ground, no end of places. It’s the days at those awful grounds that make the cup trips to Villa Park (when Mark Draper scored a magic free kick against us) and White Hart Lane, the play off games at Old Trafford, and seeing the boys in blue win at the old and new Wembley that much more memorable.

Image result for london road peterborough  
The greatest place on Earth. Dont believe me? Ask Lee Reynolds!

Outside of football, I like most sports. The only ones I struggle with really are tennis and golf. The one I really love though, is motor racing. Not just the Formula One, all of it. I have been to Silverstone for the Grand Prix about 7 times on race day, and about 4 more times for practice. I have also been to most other circuits in England for various events, and in 2014 I headed down to France for the Le Mans 24 hour race. A top weekend, and something I would recomend to absolutely everybody. You dont have to be a petrol head, you can have a great weekend away without seeing a car. 

Alongside the motorsport, I also like classic cars. Over the years I have had quite a few, all old Volkswagens of various age and model.They have all been projects, ones that have been mistreated over the years and needed a bit of love to get them back on the road. Getting the spanners out, making a dead car live again is my way of relaxing. I dont have a VW at the moment, but you remember me saying my sister is getting married at the top? Well the fella she is marrying is also a car man, specifically Land Rovers. He had a 1966 model that he kept on some private land and was never going to get around to. The company that owned the land it was on went bust, and the area needed to be cleared. Well, Matt had nowhere to put the car, and I didnt have a project. It was the perfect fit, and I now have this on my driveway.

The other girl in my life

So what else do I do? Well when I’m not at work, being a dad, being a boyfriend, writing, reading or doing something to the Land Rover, I am a big music fan. I dont leave the house without my Ipod, and like to go and see as many gigs as I can. Last year was fairly special as I got to see Paul McCartney, The Who and Paul Weller at various points, along with a few smaller gigs too, so a decent return. 

The first gig of 2016 is only about 6 weeks away now. My favourite band of all at the moment are an Australian group called Tame Impala. They are playing at Ally Pally in Feb, and I cant wait. I also have tickets for Stereophonics in Cardiff in the summer, and the Stone Roses in Manchester too, so its already shaping up to be another belter. Speaking of the Roses tickets, I have 2 Wednesday tickets. If somebody reading this wants to swap for a coupld of Saturday tickets they might have, drop me a line. Please!!!

I’m also hoping Lana Del Ray comes over this year. An incredible talent I think, a real haunting voice, beautiful lyrics, and a beautiful girl too. Right at the top of my list with Fearne Cotton and Kemi Majeks from Milkshake.

                            Lana                                           Fearne                                          Kemi

Hopefully Zoe doesnt loot at this!

I guess being the Top 100 Soccer Manager blog, I ought to talk about it for a few minutes. I have been playing since December 2010, and been a Gold member since December 2011. I started playing in small leagues, and after a fairly short while, I have small clubs with strong squads challanging for and regularly winning trophies. After a while though, winning against a computer a two or three others gets a bit dull, so I ended up in the Ashclowbel. It's a really tough league with a 100% take up and lots of competitive sides. At the end of last season I finally won my first Ash trophy. Mr Beddows also featured in the final, and after some great banter during the week leading up to it, with some excellent work on the Ash Facebookpage, my Spurs side put Stephen's Porto out of their misery with a big 5 - 0 (I believe) win.

As soon as I was offered the chance top play in another league like that by Frank, I grabbed the opportunity.

Levante are a fairly poor side at the moment, and I was offered the Bayern Munich job a while back. I did consider it, but looking at my love of Peterborough, and fixing up old cars rather than buying a shiny one, you can guess why I decided to stick. One day i'd like to have a squad like Bayerns at Levante. I may never have that, but the effort of trying, and the satisfaction if I can do it, make this much more interesting to me than taking up a ready made trophy collecting side. Horses for courses though, and I can 100% understand anybody who wants to take the ready made route.

Well I guess i'll stop boring you all now, but if my stories do come to something, then just remember you read my first effort at an autobiography here :-)

Division 3 Stats and Facts

Division 3 the tale of the tape.

How does Division 3 match up to the 2 top flight positions.

 Division 3 easy up , easy down, most peoples perception of this league.  High risk , high gain.

 

GK def mid att top 15 top 21
Monaco 88 89 89 90 87 85 88
Ajax 91 90 89 89 86 83 88
Shaktar 88 90 88 90 87 85 88
Marseille 91 87 90 88 86 84 87.66667
Hamburg 88 88 88 88 87 85 87.33333
Lille 89 87 88 89 85 85 87.16667
Aston Villla 87 87 88 88 86 86 87
CSKA 89 89 89 89 84 82 87
Swansea 88 87 88 89 86 84 87
Besitkas 87 87 87 87 86 85 86.5
Sampdoria 88 88 88 89 84 82 86.5
Leiscester 87 87 88 89 85 82 86.33333
Sassuolo 88 87 87 88 85 82 86.16667
Stoke 88 88 87 89 85 80 86.16667
Cruziero 87 86 87 89 85 82 86
Hoffenheim 88 87 87 87 85 82 86
Crystal Palace 86 87 86 87 85 84 85.83333
Basel 86 87 87 87 86 82 85.83333
PSV 87 87 88 87 85 80 85.66667
Bordeaux 88 87 88 86 85 80 85.66667


The average rating is 86.7 , compared to 89.7 in Division 1 and 88.15 in Division 2, so we kind of drop 1.7/ 1.8 rating points per division.  Using the same theory as last time you probably need around a rating of 87 to survive in division 2 , which would mean a much smaller field of possible promotees from Swansea up .

There is also much less depth , almost all teams lack a full strength squad but all at least have at least 1 capable sub in all positions. 

It is easy to see that Monaco, Ajax , Shaktar and Marseille all have that bit extra to challenge for the top spot. Ajax may well be able to put out the most convincing first team and with a capable keeper could be joint favourites with Marseille.

The following 5 teams as previously mentioned could well challenge for automatic promotion or a playoff spot.. CSKA are the most potent but perhaps lack enough to challenge all season , so an early good start is essential. Lille also have a good top and tail meaning they will always threaten.

From Besitkas down to Hoffenheim is there a surprise lurking in the murky depths. Well Sampdoria are a kind of inferior version of CSKA, so again an early start for them is vital. 
 As for the relegation candidates you could argue that it is more the lack of players outside the regular starters that will cost them, therefore they may get off to a good start but fade as time goes by, the only exception being Basel who ironically have the depth but no strength.

Noisy stuns Turkish Giants with Germany move



Chaos has descended around Fenerbahce's training facilities today when it was revealed that early this morning that Noisy had left the club by mutual consent after a season in charge.

Last seasons League winner and Division 2 Manager of the Year has decided to call time on his Turkish adventure and has taken over at Last years Challengers and Divisional rivals Bayer Leverkusen.


Fenerbahce were the most consistent team in the league last season under the now hated Noisy and it has left fans bewildered at the timing of his decision especially with the clubs U21 side due to face Tottenham in the semi finals of the U21 Cup in a little over 24 hours time.

Noisy has no doubt left other Top 100 Managers scratching there heads at the decision to join a League rival.

Bayer Leverkusen fans however are delighted with the swift appointment at replacing Scalotti who decided to leave the German giants last week and make a move to English club Southampton which again surprised a few managers.
This isn't the first time a German club has approached as last season Bayern Munchen made advances but Noisy stayed loyal to Fenerbahce to see out the work that he had started but now the time was right to move to Germany.

With Noisy also in charge of the German National Team it makes sense for him to base himself in Germany full time as he bids to repair the shambolic home nations display in the last World Cup.

Within hours of taken over Noisy has already been inundated with offers for star players like Calhanoglu and Wendell but has so far turned down all advances as he now looks to piece together his own Leverkusen side.

I like the starting base that we have to build on here and Scalotti done a excellent job in keeping some of the clubs most talented players tied down.

We will now start to piece our team and prepare for the trip to Manchester to face a City who are also under new management and this week signed Welsh International Aaron Ramsey, We are well aware of the challenge that faces us and we realise it may be a case of parking the bus to get a result.

But in reality all eyes will go to Sundays Away game when Leverkusen travel to...................... you guessed it Fenerbahce away. 

What a tie this promises to be with Fenerbahce fans eager to show there displeasure towards Noisy and his staff members it could be a case of lock the doors at all costs.






Germany World Cup 2015 Final- Colombia Prevail.

The Germany 2015 World Cup was lit up in a sea of yellow as Columbia clinched a nail biting final by beating Belgium on penalties.
The Olympiastadion was the final venue and was full to capacity with an amazing 10000 Columbia fans making a vibrant noise in the stadium. Columbia boss Reynolds has decided to stick with his tried and trusted 4-3-3 formation which had served them well.


 Columbia fans ready for the big one, this one brought his snorkel to the party
Belgium were the undoubted favourites for tie with such players as Courtois, De Bruyne and Kompany, but no Eden Hazard as an injury forced him out of proceedings. Boss Gareth Crisp stuck with 3-5-2 which had got them through to the final.

Cristian Zapata the captain of Columbia gets his players in one final huddle before the game gets underway. Pumped up and ready to go the Belgiums get the game underway and inside the first minute Lukaku gets on to Witsel pass and lofts the ball over Ospina but over the bar an early scare for the yellows. Jackson Martinez became the first yellow card questioning the Italian official Luca Reficone for a dubious decision.
The game entered the 11th minute and the breakthrough cam in the form of an unlikely source holding midfielder Carlos Sanchez latching on to Martinez pass and unleashing a low drive into the corner. It sent the Columbia fans into ecstasy as they celebrated the goal.
Columbia's opening goal sealed with a kiss
The goal lifted Columbia and Martinez had 2 chances to double the lead, Courtois making 2 comfortable saves. A clever set up in the 30th minute set up Alderwield for Belgium but Ospina did well to parry his volley away. Just 3 minutes later the equaliser came Benteke rolling it across for De Bruyne who cuts inside his marker a curls home a beauty, 1-1 in the World Cup final.
De Bruyne races away to celebrate the equaliser
Belgium now have the wind in their sails as they look to grab the lead and on 40 minutes Nainggolan looks to have given them that but Ospina produces a fantastic save. Columbia manage to stay firm and the half time score is 1-1.

The second half gets underway with Reynolds saying his players must "remain calm" as they seem to be at sixes and sevens in the final 12 or so minutes prior to half time. The opening 12 or so minutes is fairly uneventful with no action of note apart from Stephen Beddows entering the field claiming this was Frank Hirst's World Cup to win and holding aloft "A Re-Instate the Italians" flag. He was swiftly removed to great applause from both sets of fans, with Gareth Crisp giving him a two fingered salute and Reynolds saying prehistoric football does work.
Finally the second half burst into action with Courtois getting both hands to a rasping drive from Freddy Guarin in the 57th minute. Columbia begin to find some believe and begin to press very high on Belgium who continue to make mistakes. A foul on Ramos gives James Rodriguez the chance to whip a free kick on to the head of Martinez who heads it straight at Courtois. Rodriguez then sets up Martinez in the 82nd minute but his shot goes past the post.
Both coaches shout instructions from the touchline as the intensity grows. Columbia boss Reynolds then reacts to Roy Keane sitting near the dug outs smoking a fake spliff and pointing in the direction of Reynolds. Keane manager of Real Madrid claimed Reynolds who manages Dortmund also smoked drugs when countering an offer for Raheem Sterling. For a split second Reynolds walks over to Keane grabs the fake spliff and starts smoking it, the 2 laugh a lighthearted bit of banter in a tense game. Lukaku then bursts through on to Witsel ball but is denied by Ospina who spreads himself well. The game enters the final few minutes and neither team makes any impression and the game ends 1-1, it's now down to penalties and who can hold their nerves.
Columbia fans salute their team before the dreaded penalty shootout
Penalties will be taken in front of the Belgium fans as both manager select their takes and then shake hands. Martinez steps up to take the first penalty but drags it wide not the start Columbia wanted. Benteke looks to give Belgium the advantage but despite sending Ospina the wrong way he puts it wide. Gutierrez a 2nd half sub steps and strikes it down the middle 1-0 Columbia. Lukaku next for Belgium, it's lazy run and Ospina guesses right and makes the save.
Ramos makes the nervous walk up to the spot with the wait of a nation on his shoulders and the pressure is too much as his powerful spot kick is saved, still 1-0 Columbia. Fellaini him with the big hair steps up and 1-1 he finds the top corner. Carlos Sanchez Columbia's goalscorer back in the 11th minute up next, he places it and finds the corner, 2-1 Columbia. De Bruyne next who netted the equaliser for his team sends Ospina the wrong way 2-2. Freddy Guarin now for Columbia and nails are bitten, he goes for the top corner and it is in off the post 3-2. Axel Witsel now for Belgium to send it down to sudden death, sends Ospina the wrong way 3-3.
The pressure cranks up another notch as we enter sudden death. James Rodriguez the talented Real Madrid playmaker next looks calm and places in the top corner Courtois guesses right but it is too good, 4-3. Dries Mertens is now next for Belgium head down he steps up strikes it low and hard but Ospina makes the save, COLUMBIA ARE THE WORLD CUP CHAMPIONS!
Columbia players celebrate their teams triumph
Boss Reynolds was lost for words at the final whistle but managed to speak after the trophy was presented, "just look at those fans. I am thrilled the players have worked tirelessly and deserve this magnificent moment". When quizzed about his future, "I hope to stay, but we will sit down with the Columbian FA and go from there", said Reynolds.


Valencia 2 Milan 2 - Live Pundit Reaction

Famous Italian journalist, Gino Kinnearo (cousin to Gordon Kinnear of Club Brugge), was on hand to offer his response to AC Milan’s opening day draw away in Spain.
 

Milan with only 2 new signing in the starting line up started cautiously and fell behind to an I.MUNIAIN goal early on but the magical hard man of Milan, N.DE JONG got an equaliser from a K HONDA assist to make it 1-1 at the break and then the moment that Beddows and Kinnearo dreams off.

And then in the 2nd half on 65mins this happened:

http://captiongenerator.com/75667/Valencia-v-Milan-SM-Top-100-Matchday-1 See how Gino Kinnearo reacts to this amazing goal by his favourite player. (Click Link)

Witsel then got sent off for a second bookable offence of which he was about as guilty as Louis Van Gaal’s team of actually trying to score goals, followed by a goal by A.GRIEZMANN  in the 84th min to make it 2-2, a goal that more incidents of cheating in the build up than Ashley Cole committed on poor Cheryl…

Beddows was philosophical at the end of the game and accepted that a point wasn’t a bad start to the time who are in SMFA Shield action tonight.

Gino Kinnearo on the other hand saw the A.GRIEZMANN  goal as ‘cheating’ more blatant than when Luis Suarez handled the ball in that World Cup Quarter-Final against Ghana.

DISGRACEFUL! were his headlines in the Italian Sports papers this morning!

FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE UNFAMILIAR WITH GINO KINNEARO’S WORK PLEASE SEE…
http://smtop100.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/milan-news-from-chief-correspondent.html#more

http://smtop100.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/gazzetta-dello-sport-special-italian.html#more


First one into the Etihad


Aaron Ramsey is the first man into the revolution going on in the better half of Manchester. Not happy with his midfield options manager Will Trafford had this to say:
“Nasri and Fernando, they aren’t bad but come on they aren’t Champions League are they? I mean if they were at Coventry you will say wow those two are cracking. Nasri would still lose the ball, and his temper, but nether less you would be impressed. But this ain’t no Coventry, this is Manchester City. So out they go. I love Ramsey, he gets the ball, he passes the ball, he scores goals. It is simple stuff an exactly what we are going to do this year."

Rumour has it that highly rated CB Baumgartl is also on his way, with 5.5 million heading the other way. Having been there previously he had this to say:

“He’s a good lad. Way off the first team, but what can you do. Time should push him through, especially when we have old man Sagna filling in at the back."

Exciting times for all those on the better half of Manchester.



TuttoSport's Hirscht meets DP

'Old Lady' Gaffer Talks Business



DP today met with TuttoSport journalist Stephanie Hirscht to discuss Juves credentials for Season 2 in Top 100 & his plans to remain active in the transfer market as the Englishman continues to make his mark on the Italian outfit.



Hirscht: Good afternoon DP, may I call you Dan.

DP: It's DP to my associates but Dan to my close friends Stephanie, would you like to become a... close friend?

Hirscht: I see life in Italy has had an affect upon you.

DP: I have no idea what you're talking about Steph...

Hirscht: So Dan... you steered Juventus to a 5th place finish last season in Top 100 in the process maintaining Juves status as the best team in Italy by some margin & have secured SMFA Champions Cup football due to Bayern's automatic place in the competition as the most recent winners, a good campaign in the new World football format?

DP: Feel free to blow my trumpet any when you like Steph...

Hirscht: But all the same, a good campaign?

DP: Remaining Italy's best club was never really in doubt when you consider the appointments made in the past year at those clubs. The self-diagnosed dinosaur Malcolm continued with his extinct footballing philosophy, Josip Ilicic was delighted to come to a modern club. The estranged love affair between Beddows & Balotelli makes for good comedy but I don't envy Milan's other players or fans whom are left out in the cold. No need to discuss the failures of Internazionale & AS Roma last season either, the likes of Genoa & Sassuolo should probably be considered bigger sides than them now.

Hirscht: Your side have been relatively active in the post season in regards to transfers with 4 new arrivals and 5 departures.

DP: We've strengthened where we could so far & are in better shape than a season ago. The arrivals of Hoedt & Kishna from Lazio are players with great futures ahead of them as well as Hysaj from Napoli whom offers great versatility at the back. William Carvalho has been added to our already strong number of central midfielders giving the squad good depth once again.

Hirscht: You have seen Caio, Caceres, Neto, Andres Tello & Delph depart the club in the process...

DP: Yes necessary departures to ensure the club are in control of both the wage bill at the club & the rules within the Top 100 format. We're very happy with our business.

Hirscht: Do you plan to continue to strengthen Juventus?

DP: I'm hardly going to make a fool out of myself like that Roy Keane am I.

Hirscht: You mean the 'self-imposed transfer ban'

DP: What an earth was that plonker going on about? A ban on transfers, a deadline for signing a couple of Real Madrid's 'stars' & then today he's bidding left, right & centre on transfer targets. I must keep him in mind if I ever need a man with 2 GCE's to clean some boots.


Hirscht: With the players brought in so far at Juve this season, are you looking to offload anyone at the club?

DP: We're content with the squad by all means but there's always room for improvement. Luca Marrone has informed me he is looking to move to pastures new & has been made available to leave Turin. We've made plenty of enquiries & bids on players over the past few days & hopefully once some of the old codgers awake from their slumber we'll receive some negotiations or conclude a deal or two.
Mario Mandzukic also remains available should the club receive the offer they're looking for.

Hirscht: Rumour has it that you had agreed a deal earlier this afternoon?

DP: We had a deal accepted by Basle but quickly received a fax through to inform us that the deal was no longer agreed. 

Hirscht: Does that not mean that Rab Kennedy at FC Basle has breached a rule in regards to transfer agreement laws within Top 100?

DP: The rules come into place more officially as of this evening after our fixture Steph, we don't intend on sending this information to the top dogs at Top 100 at this time.

Hirscht: Are you confident for the coming season & tonight's fixture Dan?

DP: That reminds me Steph, I had better go & grab the whistle from the dry cleaners. We'll have to do this again soon doll.

Hirscht: .....

Interview concluded

Stephanie Hirscht - TuttoSport & Sky Italia 

Division 2 stats and figures

Division 2 stats and figures.

After a tiring night with her abacus,  Professor Algie Bra turned her attention to Division 2.

 







GK
def
mid
Att
top15
top21
average
Dortmund
89
91
93
90
90
88
90.17
PSG
91
91
92
95
87
84
90.00
Napoli
90
90
91
92
88
87
89.67
Schalke
88
91
90
92
88
87
89.33
Tottenham
92
90
91
89
87
86
89.17
AS Roma
89
92
91
91
88
84
89.17
Wolfsburg
89
90
91
90
88
85
88.83
Zenit
88
90
88
89
88
87
88.33
Galatasaray
90
88
90
90
87
85
88.33
Borussia Moenchengladbach
90
89
90
89
87
83
88.00
Newcastle
89
88
89
88
87
86
87.83
Everton
90
88
89
88
87
85
87.83
Sporting
90
87
89
88
86
85
87.50
Spartak
86
88
89
88
87
86
87.33
Athletic Bilbao
86
88
89
90
86
84
87.17
Lokomtiv Moscow
87
89
88
89
87
83
87.17
Sunderland
87
87
88
89
86
85
87.00
Boca Juniors
87
87
87
88
86
86
86.83
Benfica
88
87
88
89
85
83
86.67
St Etienne
89
88
88
88
85
82
86.67



















Again there is no managerial bias. Lokomtiv Moscow have an unusually small squad so the top 21 figure has been increased to stop it skewing the mean.

Firstly it is worth noting that Division 2 has an overall average of 88.23 compared to Division 1 of 89.7. Less difference than one might think. 

To survive in division 1 , you are likely to need a rating above 88, this in reality rules out all teams below Borussia M  for promotion, as things stand.

The 2 star sides are Dortmund and PSG. PSG have an attack better than any defence , whereas Dortmund should have more possesion than any other team in the league. PSG perhaps lack depth but should still gain automatic promotion.

There is then a group of closely matched teams, often the way in division 2 , all of whom could win the league, get automatic promotion or a playoff spot.  Napoli and Schalke use a potent attack. Tottenham will be tough at the back, with Roma being a good all round team.. Roma have good depth but poor deep strength which is an interesting condundrum for their boss.

Hanging on their coat tales, the remaining playoff contenders, Wolfsburg, Zenit ,  Galatasaray, Borussia M. 

Wolfsburg and Zenit are defensively strong, probably a good idea against the stronger attacking opponents already mentioned

Then we have the twilight zone teams, not good enough for promotion, but too good for releagation. Mostly they lack the depth of a division 1 squad, while still having quality. One or two of these squads could well challenge early on but will drop back as the season progresses.  Athletic Bilbao could well be that team. 

There do seem to be 3 firm favourites for relegation with Sunderland just sitting above them.  Boca do have depth and they would be my favourites to surprise.  St Etienne and Benfica will struggle all season and it is doubtful that they will have the where with all to drag themselves out of a relegation scrap.















































































































































Manchester spot a rising Blue Moon in the lower leagues

Manchester spot a rising Blue Moon in the lower leagues


Manchester City have quickly looked to banish the disappointment of last season, particularly on the transfer front. After failing to settle on a manager over the past year, the Sky Blues have snaffled the previous Stuttgart manager. Not being in the role long this has surprised many fans of the Sky Blues with a few calling it unfair on other manager's who deserved a chance. However, with an impressive CV from previous role's the board feel as though they have got the right man!





Will Trafford has said that the squad needs a massive shake up. "Whoever the last manager was made some right cock ups". He goes on to say that "selling Hart for some dodgy Russian bloke? Yaya for some kids and don't even get me started on the Ribery deal. What the hell was he doing selling Zouma. A right old numpty! At least we have the rock at the back. Oh wait we don't. Some idiot sold him for someone who isn't even at the club. Effectively Ribery and something for Kompany. Crazy. Finally that Sterling deal. I have never seen something so pathetic in all my days. I will try and get him back, but not sure I will have any luck".

Asked on his transfer policy he said "They're all going. Well not all but most of them. I have never seen such a bunch of misfits. I need quality, I need pace and I need to get some youth in the side. But I cannot let us drop a division, we need to balance the changing of this guard."

When pushed on who these players could be he replied " Well let me give you my thoughts on a few of the squad.
Ribery seems to be the obvious choice to go, but who would pay anything for him? Probably stay until he retires I think.
Nasri, well he is already gone in my eyes.
Asaomah and Coentrao, well one will leave. They have to really. One will be LB and one will be Left Back in the changing rooms. All I can see here.
Fernando can go, not Fernandinho. Having both would confuse me,
Isla can go, nobody needs that many RB's in a team. Rafael can stay because of his hair. Unless someone offers me a better afro. Fellaini where are you?
Doumbia is going to lead the line, He won't leading but Negredo can. The beast they called him. All I can say is that I have seen that he has a beast of a belly. But don't tell him I said that!
Dede can go, don't need him.
Destro, Praet, Romeu, Fischer, Leitner, Matip and Milik all stay.
Finally Gotze, well let me tell you now. That boy will only leave for a crazy offer. Crazy I tell you.
Let's leave the kids for another day..."

Strong words from the new man in, only time will tell if he has the credentials and skill to push the Blue Moon back up to where they should be...