Lazio Fans Beg Manager to Stay


                                        Fred Dodger’s House after yesterday’s demonstration.



We were treated to incredible scenes here in Rome yesterday as Lazio manager Fred Dodger’s opulent villa in the Castelli Roma in region( available at cheap rates during the off season) was besieged by Lazio Ultras pleading with him to stay.



Since the end of a season that has been described in the Italian press as “miraculous” and “stupefacente” there have been rumours that some of the worlds leading clubs have taken notice of the quiet Englishman who has transformed a team of no-hopers from relegation certainties into supermen and taken them into european competition.
Fred Dodger had to come out on to the balcony to calm the crowds and make a statement. Wearing a pastel coloured toga and a crown of vine leaves he reassured the heaving mass of adoring fans, some in tears, that he had received no offers from anywhere and was working feverishly, under severe budget constraints, to  improve the team for next season.
" I can’t say we will go on to win a treble next season but we will be going all out for some silverware. This club deserves success and I fully intend to be the one to bring it here"
His next statement tempered this a little though; " I can’t make a promise that I’ll be here forever, little miss dodger needs to be settled in a school so who knows what the future will bring."
There were 15 arrests for violence and drug dealing.


THE TOP 100 - DIVISION 1 SEASON END REPORT

Good afternoon guys and welcome to the season end grades for Division 1. If you can remember back to before Season 3 got underway, I compiled a full preview that gave a prediction on how I thought each team would fare for the season. This included my final position prediction and this report will show how well or how bad the formula I used worked. The report is in order of how the teams finished.


1st     BARCELONA                           105pts         Predicted Finish      3rd
What can be said about Barcelona's season? An incredible 34 wins from 38 games may never be achieved again. Unbeaten away from home shows the strength of the team from goalkeeper to striker. The only question that I think can be asked is how would they fare without Lionel Messi? There is no way they are a one man team but without the great Messi I wonder if they could win the league as easily.
I predicted third but that was sure rammed back down my throat. However, only two places out sounds a bit better haha.
Grade:   A
2nd     BAYERN MUNICH                94pts         Predicted Finish      1st
In any other set up, 94pts would almost certainly be good enough to take the title but it wasn't to be for Bayern this season. Two league defeats by Barcelona was the difference between being Champions and finishing second as the twelve point swing would have given the title to the German club. The target for next season is obviously to win they games but they can't let that aim distract them from the rest of the games
I predicted Bayern to be Champions but the inability to overcome Barca in the league put paid to that. Only one place out though which isn't too bad.
Grade:   B+
3rd     REAL MADRID                     70pts         Predicted Finish      2nd
 A poor first half of the season by Real Madrid's standard dashed any hopes of challenging for this year's title and it took a good second half to be able to finish third and qualify for the Champions Cup again next season. Real were still reasonably strong at home but struggled on their travels and that is where they will have to improve next season if they are going to try and overhaul their greatest rivals at the top.
I predicted a runners up finish for Real Madrid but I certainly didn't expect them to be so poor away from home. Only one place out though so still a decent effort.
Grade:   B-
4th     JUVENTUS                            67pts          Predicted Finish     4th
 An up and down season for Juventus seen them managing to grab that last Champions Cup place but they didn't do it without a battle. Were under pressure from a variety of clubs throughout the season but were able to stave them off. Like Real Madrid, they had their problems away from home and are still a couple of players short of being able to challenge for the title.
I predicted fourth for Juventus and got this one correct. Just not strong enough to finish higher but good enough to compete in the Champions Cup. My first one that was spot on.
Grade:  B
5th     LIVERPOOL                        61pts           Predicted Finish    14th
 Difficult to assess my own season but I am obviously delighted at how it worked out. The big difference was the defence away from home that conceded just 16 goals with only Barcelona conceding less. Some inconsistency at home prevented me claiming a Champions Cup place but overall it has been a great season that I have thoroughly enjoyed.
My prediction of 14th was way out but that shows how surprised I am at my own success. Following it up next season will be even harder. A difference of nine places was not a very good prediction.
Grade:   B+
6th     BORUSSIA DORTMUND   61pts        Predicted Finish     10th
 A successful first season back in the top flight for Borussia Dortmund and with a bit of luck could have had a Champions Cup place. Very strong away from home with 11 wins being the best outside the top two. Pulled off some impressive results and more than deserved their top six finish. Can they go from strength to strength next season? They have the players and the manager to do so.
My prediction of 10th was maybe too conservative as they certainly had the players to do better. The best of the promoted teams and should now become a regular feature in the top flight. Out by four places on this one. Disappointed.
Grade:   B+
7th     SSC NAPOLI                       56pts         Predicted Finish     17th
Napoli were one of the main surprises of the season. They recovered from a poor run just before the halfway point when they could easily have lost heart and dropped into a relegation fight. A decent home record and they must be content with how their first season in Division 1 turned out. A place in the Euro Shield is a deserved reward for the Italian club
I predicted Napoli to go straight back down but they performed superbly well and picked up vital wins against some good teams. I was a huge 10 places out with this one and hang my head in shame.
Grade:   B
8th     ARSENAL                          54pts         Predicted Finish      8th
 Three seasons for the Top100 and three 8th place finishes for Arsenal. Some poor results at home were instrumental to Arsenal being unable to break into the top 6. A slow start also didn't help and although they recovered with a decent run, they were just too inconsistent to threaten the teams above them. The potential to do much better is there but so far it has been just that - potential.
I got this one right but it was probably the one I would have put money on. Still, that's my second correct prediction so far.
Grade:   C-
9th     SS LAZIO                         53pts         Predicted Finish     19th
 Another surprise and arguably the biggest was the performance of Lazio this season. Expected to struggle throughout they more than held their own and made themselves a hard team to beat. Probably one of the weakest squads in the league but Fred Dodger got the best out of them and seems to have a team that work for each other. Great performance.
Got this one completely wrong. There was no sign that Lazio would do so well and I tip my hat to them. 10 places out with this one and I will have to give them more respect next season.
Grade:   B+
10th    FC PORTO                     52pts         Predicted Finish     6th
 Overall a disappointing league campaign for Porto after last years excellent showing. It was a season of two halves with the first half seeing them struggle around the relegation area before finally finding last seasons form and climbing the table in the second half. Just 4 wins at home is a worrying statistic and something they will look to improve on.
My prediction of 6th would have been very close if Porto had done better at the start of the season. A hard team to predict. Four places out for this one which wasn't that bad for a team as unpredictable as Porto.
Grade:   C
11th    PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN  51pts    Predicted Finish    9th
 Paris Saint-Germain had a decent season after their promotion although I did expect them to be the best of the promoted sides going by the squad at their disposal. This is not saying that they underachieved as other promoted sides did better than expected. A satisfactory season for PSG and they may have qualified for the Euro Shield thanks to Porto's Shield win.
Two places out with my prediction which wasn't too bad. Looked as though it might be spot on until a tough second half of the season for PSG.
Grade:   C+
12th    VALENCIA CF                    50pts       Predicted Finish   12th
 A steady season from Valencia who hovered around mid-table from start to finish. Whether David Senior is satisfied with that is a different thing altogether. Were never in trouble and all in all it was a season of stability. Despite finishing 12th, Valencia could sneak into the Euro Shield thanks to the domestic cup competition winners finishing above them.
My third correct prediction giving me 25% after 12 teams. Happy with this one as Valencia could easily have been higher up the league.
Grade:   C
13th    CHELSEA                           48pts        Predicted Finish   7th
 A very disappointing season for Chelsea who were expected to be up challenging for a top six finish. Too many games lost at home and an inability to put a run together cost them dearly and there will have to be big changes in either playing staff or attitude from the current crop of players if they are to do better next season
I was six places out with my prediction and Chelsea have been a big let down for me. I expect a better showing next season
Grade:  D
14th    MANCHESTER CITY      40pts        Predicted Finish   15th
 For a long time it looked like Manchester City would be playing Division 2 football next season but out of the blue they turned things around and although they were still in danger with just a two or three games to go, they managed to complete a superb recovery. A better start next season should avoid the tension of a relegation battle
My prediction of 15th was just one place out and I am happy with that.
Grade:  C-
15th    FC SCHALKE 04              39pts        Predicted Finish   16th
 After a good first half of the season that seen them tucked safely in mid-table, a disastrous run seen them drop like a stone into the relegation places. They were looking favourites to go down as they struggled but they rediscovered their form just in time and 4 wins in their last six games sees them fight another day and retain their Division 1 status.
I was just the one place out for this one. I expected them to find it tough but they showed that on their day they are a match for most teams in the league. Consistency is the word for Schalke to remember
Grade:  C-
16th    ATLETICO MADRID      39pts        Predicted Finish   11th
 A poor season for Atletico could easily have ended in disaster. It seemed there was something not right behind the scenes and that spread on to the pitch where Atletico struggled home and away. Being streets behind local rivals Real has not gone down well with the fans and the ship really needs steadied before next season
I had an idea that Atletico might struggle this season but I still thought they were capable of a mid table finish. My prediction of 11th was five places out
Grade:  D
17th    MANCHESTER UNITED    35pts    Predicted Finish  5th
 I can't find the words to explain the demise of Season 1 Champions Manchester United. A complete disaster of a season that sees them drop down to Division 2. This is the headline story of the season and the top league will be poorer without them. Joe Jordan will keep his job but surely the Division 2 title is a must.
My prediction of 5th should have been very close but instead it was my worst one of the whole preview. 12 places out is almost as shocking as United's season.
Grade:  E
18th    FENERBAHCE SK              35pts         Predicted Finish   18th
 After looking as though they could be the surprise team of the season with the good start they had, Fenerbahce lost their way and gradually dropped down the table. It was a slide that, no matter what they tried to do, was impossible to stop. In the end it was relegation and they can have no complaints. Division 2 is not going to be easy either and it may be a while before Turkey have a representative in the top flight.
My prediction of 18th was spot on but I take no pleasure in predicting anyone to be relegated.
Grade:  D-
19th    BAYER LEVERKUSEN     22pts          Predicted Finish   20th 
 A weak squad was always going to find it hard in a division packed with quality and so it proved to be. Four wins from 38 games should have meant a P45 for Noisy as boss but winning the Youth Cup has convinced the board that the future is bright and that Noisy is the man to continue in the manager role. Division 2 could be a blessing in disguise as this team try to regroup.
I predicted Leverkusen to finish bottom but I was one place out. Still a decent prediction.
Grade:  D
20th    ACF FIORENTINA            21pts          Predicted Finish   13th
A season that never got off the ground finished in relegation to Division 2. Nothing went right for Fiorentina and 3 wins was unacceptable as far as everyone connected with the club was concerned and Mister Malcolm paid the ultimate price and was sacked as manager. As of today, they are still searching for someone to lead their assault on Division 2 but whoever gets the job will have to be one hell of a motivator to get this club on the move again.
I expected a tricky season but a safe mid table position for Fiorentina but in the end I was 7 places out.
Grade:  E
My Prediction Totals
Correct:  4
1 to 2 places out:   7
3 to 5 places out:   3
Over 5 places out:   6
So that was how the season panned out as far as my predictions for the season went. Getting 4 out of 20 wasn't that bad but I was happy that another 7 were just one or two places out.
I will be doing another preview for Season 4 and will be asking all Division 1 managers for their aims for the season and who they think will take the title very soon. The sooner I receive them back, the sooner I can get the preview published.
Well done to everyone for another great season and I am not sure of the exact figure but I doubt there is another gameworld that has had as many managers staying for the whole season.
Good luck to the six teams that are playing in the Play Off Finals tomorrow night and good luck to everyone for Season 4, which cant come quick enough.
Ciao

ENGLISH PRESS


Sunday just wouldn't be the same without a Sunday Sport headline.



A Season

The most elusive manager in the Top 100 and we have finally caught up with him. Only because he has no choice. Currently sitting in an Italian hospital we have the West Ham manager Nicky Thomson. First and foremost why are we sitting in a hospital?

Well after your game with Chievo Verona the lads got a bit excited after winning the game. They picked me up in the celebration they dropped me and breaking my elbow. With the result of me sitting here. Before I left for the hospital I sat the lads down to say that “We haven’t won anything, we have another important 90mins that is crucial for the success of our season.”

What are your thoughts on the game tonight?


That was a hard game to play, against a very good Chievo Verona side. Would like to commiserate Paddy for the way he lost. They played the better football but we had the composure on the penalty shootout. Good thing we had practiced penalties in training.

Do you think so can win in Stuttgart on Monday?

That I am afraid I can’t answer. It will all depends on what team shows up on the night. If we played like we did tonight, then we will be stuck playing division 4 football next season. Which I don’t want, nor the players and especially the fans.   

The next question I have is why have you not did any pre and post-match interviews for the entire season?

Yeah that has probably got me in trouble with the Frank FA. They might even remove me from the position. But do I regret not doing. NO, I would do it all over again. My reasons behind it was simple, it kept everything that I did and the team did out of the media. Nothing could be taken out of context if nothing is said. Thence the reason why we have moved our training ground away from prying eyes.

Do you and players like the new stadium?

The Olympic stadium. The stadium is fantastic. It’s a stadium that will allow us to get more supports in to cheer the team on. More fans means more noise to motivate the players and intimidate the opposition. Then when we start to fill the stadium, we will start to climb the divisions.

You say the stadium is not full?

There is some fans that don’t like that we have moved to our new home. I hope and I mean the team hope that they can except that the Olympic Stadium is the clubs new home and unite the hammer family.

Having the new stadium isn’t the only new facility at West Ham?

This is also correct. We have built a brand new state of art training facility in which there is four full sized pitches which are indoor, for all round training. The newest technology in sports medicine. To help with medical injuries. In which we have had a lot of this year. So that helped us get players back quicker.

The all important question is where is this facility?

That has been kept under wraps all season. But I will let you know that it is situated in Canada.

Why is a London team training in Canada?

There is a method to the madness. We play 38 games a season, 19 of which is away from home. With us moving to our new home, it felt that we had 38 away games. So to get use to going to different stadiums that are not your own, we treated your new stadium which we had never played in as an away game.

Well that seemed to have work as you are in the playoff final?

It had mixed results i would say. It wasn’t working until the last third of the season when we went on that run of results which saw us march from the relegation zone right up to second. Then the wheels came off the cart and we dragged your cart over the finish line and just made the playoffs. We all know what happened tonight.

What made the turn of fortune?

Well that could be that this league was the tightest league ever seen. Where everyone was taken points off everyone else. Also the new additions through the season helped. It helped us tighten our defence and our attack.

So what new transfers are coming to West Ham?

Firstly lets get Mondays game out the road. To see where we will be playing next season. Secondly I don’t discuss transfers with the media.

So what next for you and the club?

I am off to get my arm put in a cast.


So that was an interesting interview with Nicky. A little insight I how he thinks and works.


A prelude to, Wheels: my incredible life

[youtube=[www.youtube.com/watch](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlY_v8zSSPg&w=320&h=266])
Tetter ye not as the amazing story of Spoons manager Nick Wheels is serialised here, only on the T100

Div 5 Value added

For the last time for now…

At the start of the season, all teams were rated according to the team rating in 6 key categories.

Then the finishing position was deducted from that to calculate the value added.
So week done Brugge and Kazan,  Celta Vigo and Espanyol must look to improve.


























































  Gk Def Mid Att Top15 Top21 Ave Predict Finish Value
Club Brugge KV 87 86 88 87 85 83 86 15  5  10
Rubin Kazan 87 87 86 87 85 83 85.83 18  10  8
Flamengo 87 86 87 88 86 85 86.5 10  4  6
Dinamo Zagreb 89 87 87 87 85 82 86.17 13  7  6
Standard Liège 88 87 87 87 86 85 86.67 7  3  4
FK Partizan 87 86 87 88 85 80 85.5 19  18  1
Dynamo Kyiv 87 87 88 88 86 86 87 3  2  1
Olympiacos 89 89 89 89 87 85 88 1  1  0
Levante UD 88 88 86 87 85 82 86 16  16  0
Independiente 87 86 87 88 85 82 85.83 17  17  0
Augsburg 88 86 86 87 83 80 85 20  20  0
H. Berlin 88 88 88 88 86 82 86.67 8  9  -1
Celtic 88 86 87 88 86 86 86.83 4  6  -2
Bremen 86 87 87 87 86 85 86.33 12  14  -2
Santos FC 87 87 88 87 87 85 86.83 5  8  -3
RSC Anderlecht 87 87 87 87 86 85 86.5 9  13  -4
FC Twente 87 86 87 87 86 85 86.33 11  15  -4
West Bromwich Albion 87 87 87 87 85 84 86.17 14  19  -5
RCD Espanyol 88 87 87 87 86 85 86.67 6  12  -6
Celta Vigo 87 88 89 87 86 86 87.17 2  11  -9





































































































































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Div 3 value added

Ok to repeat , all teams were rated purely statistically , the finishing position calculated, the final position has been deducted and that gives you the value added , the higher the better.
 So well done Southampton, PSV, Leicester,
Monaco, St Etienne and Hoffenheim need to improve.




Gk Def Mid Att Top15 Top21 Average Predict Finish Value
Southampton 89 89 87 89 85 80 86.5 16  6  10
PSV 87 88 87 88 85 84 86.5 15  5  10
Leicester City 89 88 88 90 84 80 86.5 14  4  10
SC Internacional 88 87 88 88 86 85 87 10  3  7
Galatasaray SK 87 88 88 88 84 80 85.83 20  13  7
Cruzeiro 87 87 87 87 86 85 86.5 17  10  7
Crystal Palace 87 87 88 87 85 82 86 18  12  6
Genoa CFC 89 88 89 90 86 82 87.33 6  2  4
Aston Villa 88 88 87 88 87 86 87.33 5  1  4
Sunderland 87 87 87 87 86 86 86.67 13  11  2
Girondins Bordeaux 88 87 88 88 85 80 86 19  20  -1
Swansea City 88 87 88 89 86 83 86.83 11  14  -3
Udinese Calcio 87 87 87 88 87 85 86.83 12  16  -4
Besiktas JK 88 87 88 89 87 87 87.67 4  8  -4
Olympique Marseille 91 88 89 89 86 85 88 2  7  -5
Athletic Club 90 88 88 88 87 86 87.83 3  9  -6
Stoke City 89 88 88 89 87 82 87.17 7  15  -8
Hoffenheim 88 87 87 88 86 86 87 8  18  -10
AS Saint-Etienne 89 87 88 87 86 85 87 9  19  -10
AS Monaco 88 89 89 90 87 86 88.17 1  17  -16

Div 4 value added

Value added. Did you let your team down or did the players perform superbly.
 Sao Paulo and Feyenord at 16 and 14 + worthy promoted teams. Terrible Torino nad Dnipro who should have been top finish at the wrong end of the table.





Gk Def Mid Att Top15 Top21 Average Pred
Finish  Value
São Paulo FC 87 87 88 87 85 83 86.17 18 
2  16
Feyenoord 88 86 87 87 84 84 86 19 
5  14
Villarreal CF 88 89 88 87 86 85 87.17 8 
1  7
Sassuolo 88 87 87 88 85 83 86.33 17 
11  6
Hamburg 88 87 88 89 86 85 87.17 6 
3  3
Cologne 88 87 88 88 84 79 85.67 20 
17  3
Sampdoria 88 88 87 88 86 85 87 10 
8  2
Hellas Verona 87 87 87 88 86 86 86.83 12 
10  2
River Plate 88 87 88 87 85 83 86.33 16 
15  1
Atalanta BC 88 87 88 88 86 82 86.5 14 
13  1
Lille OSC 89 87 88 88 86 85 87.17 9 
9  0
Stuttgart 88 87 88 88 87 86 87.33 5 
6  -1
Chievo Verona 88 88 88 89 87 86 87.67 2 
4  -2
West Ham United 88 88 88 88 87 85 87.33 4 
7  -3
Montpellier HSC 87 87 88 88 86 85 86.83 11 
14  -3
Dynamo Moskva 87 87 87 87 86 85 86.5 15 
19  -4
AZ 89 87 88 88 86 85 87.17 7 
12  -5
Málaga CF 87 87 88 86 86 85 86.5 13 
20  -7
Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk 88 87 88 88 87 86 87.33 3 
16  -13
Torino 89 89 88 90 87 85 88 1 
18  -17

Division 1 Value added

Value added is the true measure of manager greatness.

= Predicted position - Final position. All statistically done. . So Dortmund performed the best , Man Utd the worse




Gk Def Mid Att Top15 Top21
Predicted Finished Value
Dortmund 89 91 92 92 87 82 88.83 17.00 6  11.00
Liverpool 90 90 92 91 88 86 89.5 10.00 5  5.00
FC Porto 91 89 90 91 88 86 89.17 15.00 10  5.00
Schalke 89 90 90 91 88 83 88.5 19.00 15  4.00
SS Lazio 89 89 90 93 88 87 89.33 12.00 9  3.00
Valencia CF 90 90 91 90 89 85 89.17 14.00 12  2.00
SSC Napoli 90 90 92 92 89 87 90 8.00 7  1.00
Real Madrid 92 93 94 94 90 87 91.67 3.00 3  0.00
Juventus 94 92 92 92 89 88 91.17 4.00 4  0.00
Bayern 89 93 94 98 93 84 91.83 2.00 2  0.00
Barcelona 96 93 94 97 88 85 92.17 1.00 1  0.00
Atlético Madrid 91 90 89 90 88 87 89.17 16.00 16  0.00
ACF FIORENTINA 88 89 88 90 87 86 88 20.00 20  0.00
Leverkusen 90 89 91 90 87 85 88.67 18.00 19  -1.00
Chelsea 93 90 91 94 87 82 89.5 11.00 13  -2.00
Arsenal 92 92 91 92 89 88 90.67 5.00 8  -3.00
Paris Saint-Germain 90 91 92 94 89 85 90.17 7.00 11  -4.00
Manchester City 91 90 91 93 88 87 90 9.00 14  -5.00
Fenerbahçe SK 89 89 90 91 88 88 89.17 13.00 18  -5.00
Manchester United 94 90 92 92 89 85 90.33 6.00 17  -11.00










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4.483302

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Div 2 Value Added

How it works
Value added = Predict Position - Actual position , higher the better. Well done Spartak, not so well done Inter.






GK Def Mid Att Top15 Top21 Ave Predicted Finished Value
Spartak Moskva 86 88 88 88 87 86 87.17 15  8  7
SL Benfica 88 87 88 89 85 83 86.67 20  14  6
Shakhtar Donetsk 89 89 90 89 87 83 87.83 11  5  6
Newcastle United 88 87 89 89 86 84 87.17 16  11  5
AC Milan 89 89 90 90 88 85 88.5 6  2  4
Ajax 91 89 89 89 87 84 88.17 9  6  3
Lokomotiv Moskva 87 88 88 89 87 82 86.83 19  17  2
Tottenham Hotspur 92 90 92 90 88 87 89.83 1  1  0
Monchengladbach 90 89 90 91 87 86 88.83 3  3  0
Sevilla 88 89 89 90 88 86 88.33 8  9  -1
FC Basel 87 87 87 89 86 85 86.83 18  19  -1
Zenit 90 89 89 89 88 87 88.67 5  7  -2
AS Roma 90 89 92 91 88 84 89 2  4  -2
Sporting CP 88 87 88 88 86 84 86.83 17  20  -3
Wolfsburg 89 87 89 89 87 83 87.33 14  10  -4
Olympique Lyonnais 88 89 88 88 87 86 87.67 12  16  -4
Everton 90 90 90 89 87 85 88.5 7  12  -5
CSKA Moskva 90 88 89 89 87 85 88 10  15  -5
Boca Juniors 88 87 89 88 86 86 87.33 13  18  -5
Internazionale 91 90 89 90 87 86 88.83 4  13  -9

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