2022
Super Samp - the road forwards
So far +32 overall on the ratings reviews - but we need to be honest and look hard - most of our +'s are mid 80's and wont help in the relegation fight - long term many of those mid 80's will be 88+ but is a relegation a necessary evil on the way to longer term glory?
Audero's fall was a little harsh in my opinion - but the rise of Christensen should mean come next ratings review we have an alternative 1st choice keeper.
At centre back the acquisition of Bauer and Alexsandro who both rose bodes well - Webster should finally rise and hopefully Pepe keeps his 90. At left back we are blessed and the short term acquisition of Kaderabek helps us out.
In central midfield we still have the trio of Thorsby, Thuram and Lemina all safe ratings wise to help us compete and up front Albrighton will fall - but the rise of Nicolas Jackson long term ensures a replacement for him. A formation change is a possibility and if we lose again tonight something we may consider.
Youth Cup Draw - Season 19
[challonge.com/2rb5p2j7](https://challonge.com/2rb5p2j7)
Fixtures in link - please organise asap
Draw above. Format for knocks below.
Youth Cup Format Season 19 *
The format for the S19 Youth Cup can now be confirmed.
Due to incredible levels of interest we can confirm exclusively that the competition will move from 48 teams to 56!
There will be 14 groups of 4 teams. Each team playing 6 matches as usual.
The movement into the next stages though will change slightly. See below - it makes sense to me which is most important. :)
- if I get 4 more teams I will create a 15th group - but they need to apply via blog!
So the teams and the draw - the draw will hopefully be done some time this week - perhaps tomorrow. The pots are not definite yet and will be confirmed officially over next 24 hours.
What I would like to see is this Wednesday and next Saturday that everyone organizes some youth friendlies against similarly rated opponents.
Admin Post: Season 19 New Contracts
The Top100 Administration, along with contract advisors "Big Sam" Allardyce and Harry Redknapp, have finished the grueling task of sorting out the contracts for those managers who were due a new contract for Season 19 ... and it was grueling ....
List of Division 1 Clubs due a new contract
Barcelona - Dan Wally
Bayern Munchen - Bojan H
Chelsea - James McKenzie
Real Madrid - Paddy D
RSC Anderlecht - Chris East
Tottenham Hotspur - Liam Piggott
TSG Hoffenheim - Carl Martin
List of Division 2 Clubs due a new contract
Ajax - Alessandro Loli
Aston Villa - Adam
Bayer Leverkusen - The Godfather
Dnipro - Dave 'Oz' Ozborne
Everton - RJ Alston
Leicester City - Doug Earle
Levante UD - Salvoz
RCD Espanyol - Glen Mullan
PSG - Andrew Kelly
Udinese - Alejandro Virgillo
List of Division 3 Clubs due a new contract
Celta Vigo - Paul Masters
FC Augsburg - Mister TRX
Feyenoord - Pedro Vilar
Internazionale - Gyan the Cat
Manchester United - Niall Taylor
Sporting CP - Joao Alves
Swansea City - Andy VH
Zenit Saint Petersburg - Mark Stewart
List of Division 4 Clubs due a new contract
Besiktas JK - yamil Mc02
Chievo Verona - Ricardo Ferreira
Dynamo Moskva - Paul Rimmer
FC Koln - Gursiman Brar
Malaga CF - Hasan Lika (aka Landucci)
Santos FC - Daniel Whyte
Sevilla - Feargal Hickey
Sunderland - Neil Frankland
US Sassuolo - Jimmy Gouldie
List of Division 5 Clubs due a new contract
ACF Fiorentina - Andy Martin
AS Saint-Etienne - Jena 'Snake' Plisken
Atalanta BC - Attila Olah
Athletic Club - Tharanidharan
Club Brugge - Davy Vandendriessche
Olympiacos - Master T
Olympique Lyonnais - Jack Oxford
Newcastle United - Norman Little
PSV - Padraig Corcoran
SS Lazio - Giuseppe Trovato
Villarreal CF - r cast
So what happens now ?
Alrighty .... so what happens now ...
If you and your club are listed above, please reach out to one of the following Admin's or Admin apprentices ... SM player profiles are linked. Or if you are lucky, one of them might reach out to you.
=> Gav Harmer
=> Dan Wally
They will be able to give you your terms and conditions for your next contract
Once you have been informed of your new contract, and if you have any questions about your new contract, please let them know so that they can pass this information back into "Admin GCHB Central"
Good luck in Season 19 to all managers and their clubs, and thanks to all for keeping Top100 as one of the best leagues in SM
Cheers
The Admin Team
Athletic Bilbao - A Season Review
The long season has come to an end and there have been mixed reactions when we look back at the just-ended season. There have been managerial changes, several transfer ins, and outs, missing the playoff spot by the hairline, and many more. Let's review our performances in the season and lessons learned and discuss how we'll be moving forward in future.
Bilbao had a forgettable preseason – 1W-1D-3L in 5 games. Despite the poor results, we had a decent start to the new season – 3 wins and losses each in the first six in all competitions. Then the reality kicked in, we just won 4 league games in the next 14 games. But we had a decent run in Cup tournament qualifying for Quarters seeing off AZ Alkmaar, CSKA Moskov, Saint Etienne, and Malaga. During the mid-season, a new opportunity knocked on the door, and Mr. Feargal left the post for Sevilla.
Bilbao was already written off by the time I’ve taken over. When I joined, the club was in 15th position after 20 games. No offense to the previous manager, but the team was in a poor state and morale was down completely. My initial reaction was to stop the leakage – meaning, stop the defeats and play slow ball and get a crucial 1 point each game. We drew the first 6 league games and lost the next 2 and also, knocked out of the cup tournament along the way. Fans were losing patience and the Board was already taking interviews to replace me post-season. But our hard work in the training ground paid off.
The atmosphere slowly started to build up and new signings Kadioglu, Biancone, and Bellegarde, settled well quickly and helped us on our rollercoaster ride. We won 5 games, drew four, and racked up an impressive 19 from possible 33 points. Although seems insignificant, we suddenly moved from bottom crawlers to Top 6 contenders. A win in the final game would have scripted our story differently and it would have been a fairy tale of our own. Nevertheless, we are happy with how the team is shaping up and we’ll continue to fight with everything we have. The team-building process is going well at the moment with deadwood almost cleared off our pitch while the academy continues to grow. We’re hoping that our young guns will continue to develop and one day graduate into our team. Due to a lot of changes in tactics and with two managers of different ideologies, we hadn’t got any specific player(s) as star performers (rather it’s a team effort) and so we’re canceling our end-of-the-season awards for this season.
We’ll soon release the official 22 men's squad for the upcoming season and even before it’s revealed, the pundits are already writing us down and bookies bet that the over-performing Athletic club will struggle in the upcoming season. We’ll answer them with our performances on the pitch next season.
Season 19 Division 3 Stats and Facts.
Sao Paulo predicted to double bounce with relegated Sporting and Augsburg predicted to return to D2.
The top 3 all offer something a bit different , Sao Paulo the best keeper and Midfield. Sporting lack depth but are potent in attack. Augsburg weaker at the back but can match anyone up top.
Swansea can threaten any team in the league with their attack and should fancy the playoffs, with Schalke’s mean defence also able to withstand those 90/91 attackers.
Borussia surely a wild card team. Poor keeper , lack depth but otherwise strong , how will the fair?
Partizan , Zenit , Roma and sadly the fair tail of Dnipro who may well be returning to D4 or beyond. Zenit perhaps with a good keeper may be able to turn a few loses into draws but can they covert draws to wins?
| GK | DEF | MID | ATT | Top18 | Ave | ETOT | Pre | |
| São Paulo FC (C) | 90.0 | 89.5 | 90.0 | 90.0 | 86.0 | 88.9 | 223.22 | 1 |
| Sporting CP (R) | 88.0 | 89.5 | 89.0 | 91.0 | 84.0 | 88.4 | 222.59 | 2 |
| FC AUGSBURG (R) | 89.0 | 88.5 | 89.8 | 90.5 | 86.0 | 88.7 | 222.43 | 3 |
| Swansea City | 88.0 | 88.3 | 88.8 | 91.0 | 87.0 | 88.8 | 221.79 | 4 |
| FC Schalke 04 | 90.0 | 89.0 | 88.4 | 89.0 | 85.0 | 87.9 | 220.77 | 5 |
| Manchester United (R) | 88.0 | 88.0 | 89.0 | 90.0 | 84.0 | 87.8 | 220.74 | 6 |
| Internationale | 88.0 | 88.5 | 88.8 | 89.0 | 87.0 | 88.3 | 220.69 | 7 |
| Borussia Mönchengladbach ? | 87.0 | 88.3 | 89.0 | 89.5 | 85.0 | 87.9 | 220.62 | 8 |
| Celta Vigo | 87.0 | 88.0 | 89.2 | 89.0 | 86.0 | 88.1 | 220.37 | 9 |
| Galatasaray SK | 88.0 | 88.0 | 89.0 | 89.0 | 86.0 | 88.0 | 220.33 | 10 |
| AS Monaco | 88.0 | 87.8 | 88.0 | 90.0 | 85.0 | 87.7 | 219.86 | 11 |
| Cruzeiro (P) | 89.0 | 87.8 | 89.0 | 88.0 | 86.0 | 87.7 | 219.60 | 12 |
| Lille OSC (P) | 90.0 | 87.0 | 88.8 | 89.0 | 85.0 | 87.5 | 219.49 | 13 |
| Sampdoria | 88.0 | 87.3 | 88.8 | 88.0 | 85.0 | 87.3 | 218.76 | 14 |
| Celtic | 89.0 | 87.3 | 87.6 | 89.0 | 85.0 | 87.2 | 218.61 | 15 |
| Feyenoord | 87.0 | 87.0 | 88.4 | 88.0 | 85.0 | 87.1 | 218.16 | 16 |
| FK Partizan | 87.0 | 87.0 | 87.8 | 88.0 | 85.0 | 87.0 | 217.68 | 17 |
| Zenit Saint Petersburg | 89.0 | 87.0 | 87.8 | 87.0 | 85.0 | 86.7 | 217.23 | 18 |
| AS Roma | 88.0 | 88.0 | 86.8 | 87.0 | 84.0 | 86.5 | 217.03 | 19 |
| Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk (R) | 87.0 | 86.5 | 87.2 | 87.0 | 86.0 | 86.7 | 216.27 | 20 |
Season 19 Division 2 Stats and Facts
Genoa top of the stats, will they be top of the table.
With only 1 player beneath 90 in their starting XI Genoa should romp to the title. Relegated Everton and promoted Leicester should be a strong challenge sitting in the 224 range, which is worth noting is the minimum to survive in the higher division.
Having said that Hamburg , and Leverkeusen have potent attack/ midfield combos that could prove a threat to the top 3 teams with Liverpool and Ajax being solid at the back.
Hard to see how Levante will not suffer another drop with the worse defence and attack in the league. River Plate will leaked too many goals, with Udinese, Milan , Wolfsburg all hoping they don’t fall into the lower reaches.
| GK | DEF | MID | ATT | Top18 | Ave | ETOT | Pre | |
| Genoa CFC | 92.0 | 91.8 | 90.8 | 92.0 | 86.0 | 90.5 | 227.20 | 1 |
| Everton (R) | 89.0 | 90.0 | 90.4 | 91.0 | 85.0 | 89.1 | 224.35 | 2 |
| Leicester City (P) | 89.0 | 89.5 | 91.4 | 90.0 | 86.0 | 89.2 | 224.22 | 3 |
| Bayer Leverkusen | 89.0 | 90.3 | 90.0 | 90.0 | 86.0 | 89.1 | 223.70 | 4 |
| Hamburger SV (P) | 89.0 | 89.0 | 90.2 | 91.0 | 87.0 | 89.2 | 223.63 | 5 |
| Liverpool | 90.0 | 89.5 | 90.8 | 89.5 | 86.0 | 89.2 | 223.54 | 6 |
| Ajax | 92.0 | 89.3 | 91.4 | 89.0 | 84.0 | 89.1 | 223.49 | 7 |
| Stoke City | 89.0 | 89.0 | 90.2 | 91.0 | 85.0 | 88.8 | 223.39 | 8 |
| Aston Villa (R) | 89.0 | 90.0 | 89.8 | 90.0 | 85.0 | 88.8 | 223.22 | 9 |
| RCD Espanyol (R) | 89.0 | 88.0 | 90.4 | 90.0 | 87.0 | 88.9 | 222.34 | 10 |
| Southampton | 88.0 | 89.8 | 89.6 | 89.0 | 87.0 | 88.7 | 222.33 | 11 |
| Werder Bremen | 88.0 | 88.5 | 89.2 | 90.0 | 85.0 | 88.1 | 221.42 | 12 |
| Flamengo | 87.0 | 89.6 | 89.5 | 88.0 | 86.0 | 88.0 | 221.24 | 13 |
| Paris Saint-Germain | 91.0 | 87.8 | 89.3 | 89.5 | 87.0 | 88.9 | 221.14 | 14 |
| Dinamo Zagreb | 89.0 | 88.3 | 89.4 | 89.0 | 86.0 | 88.3 | 220.97 | 15 |
| VfL Wolfsburg (C) | 88.0 | 88.0 | 88.8 | 90.0 | 84.0 | 87.8 | 220.58 | 16 |
| AC Milan | 89.0 | 88.5 | 88.6 | 89.0 | 85.0 | 88.0 | 220.41 | 17 |
| Udinese | 88.0 | 89.3 | 88.6 | 88.0 | 86.0 | 88.0 | 220.36 | 18 |
| River Plate ? | 87.0 | 88 | 88.0 | 88.0 | 87.0 | 87.6 | 218.88 | 19 |
| Levante UD (R) | 90.0 | 87.0 | 88.2 | 87.0 | 85.0 | 87.4 | 217.71 | 20 |
Season 19 Division 4 stats and facts.
AZ Predicted to double bounce with a rapid rise to D3.
AZ perhaps have a weakness in their keeper but otherwise are a strong side. Chievo will challenge them in second. Sunderland have a great balance about their side and they should make up the top 3.
Sassuolo will hope to at least make the playoffs and should be tight at the back
Sevilla and Besitkas will have to work hard to get relegated for a second time but there are a bunch of teams within a whisker of the 218 cut off for relegation to the lower league. Lokomtive and Napoli realy need to shore up their back lines to stand a chance of survival.
| GK | DEF | MID | ATT | Top18 | Ave | ETOT | Pre | |
| AZ Alkmaar (C) | 87.0 | 89.3 | 88.0 | 91.0 | 85.0 | 88.1 | 221.59 | 1 |
| Chievo Verona | 88.0 | 87.5 | 88.6 | 91.0 | 86.0 | 88.2 | 220.91 | 2 |
| Sunderland (P) | 88.0 | 88.8 | 88.8 | 89.0 | 86.0 | 88.1 | 220.73 | 3 |
| FC Twente | 88.0 | 88.5 | 88.8 | 89.0 | 86.0 | 88.1 | 220.57 | 4 |
| US Sassuolo (R) | 91.0 | 88.5 | 88.5 | 88.0 | 85.0 | 88.2 | 219.92 | 5 |
| Crystal Palace | 88.0 | 87.5 | 87.8 | 89.0 | 86.0 | 87.7 | 218.97 | 6 |
| Girondins Bordeaux | 87.0 | 88.0 | 88.0 | 88.0 | 86.0 | 87.4 | 218.76 | 7 |
| Málaga CF | 88.0 | 88.8 | 87.8 | 87.0 | 86.0 | 87.5 | 218.67 | 8 |
| Fenerbahçe SK | 89.0 | 87.5 | 88.8 | 87.0 | 86.0 | 87.7 | 218.55 | 9 |
| Santos FC (R) | 88.0 | 87.8 | 88.5 | 87.0 | 86.0 | 87.5 | 218.43 | 10 |
| Dynamo Moskva | 87.0 | 87.0 | 87.8 | 89.0 | 85.0 | 87.2 | 218.33 | 11 |
| Dynamo Kyiv | 88.0 | 87.5 | 87.8 | 88.0 | 85.0 | 87.3 | 218.20 | 12 |
| CSKA Moskva | 88.0 | 88.0 | 87.5 | 87.5 | 85.0 | 87.2 | 218.04 | 13 |
| West Ham United | 89.0 | 87.0 | 87.8 | 88.0 | 85.0 | 87.4 | 217.88 | 14 |
| Torino (P) | 87.0 | 87.3 | 87.5 | 88.0 | 86.0 | 87.2 | 217.76 | 15 |
| Sevilla (R) | 88.0 | 87.0 | 87.2 | 88.0 | 86.0 | 87.2 | 217.44 | 16 |
| Besiktas JK (R) | 88.0 | 87.3 | 87.6 | 87.0 | 86.0 | 87.2 | 217.31 | 17 |
| 1. FC Köln | 88.0 | 87.8 | 86.8 | 88.0 | 82.0 | 86.5 | 217.24 | 18 |
| Lokomotive Moscow | 87.0 | 86.8 | 87.5 | 87.5 | 86.0 | 87.0 | 217.04 | 19 |
| SSC Napoli ? | 87.0 | 86.8 | 87.0 | 88.0 | 85.0 | 86.8 | 216.84 | 20 |
A NEW DAY AND A NEW TEAM
Having spent almost 3 seasons in Paris I decided it was time for a move. Throughout my time in T100 I have spent time in a few contries, but never in Germany.
So now I am in the Lower Saxony region to take on Wolfsburg who have just been promoted into Division 2 under the leadership of Niall Taylor. This is going to be a very hard act to follow and of course my initial aim is to try and keep them in this division. I know from my time in this division that is going to be a hard task.
I would also like to try and develop my own youth sqaud over time. Never had much luck or experience in the youth competition.
For now I will take time to access the squad and see if we can or wish to make changes.
Season 19 Division 5 Stats and Facts
Rubin , Lazio and Spartak should be the promoted teams next season. Lazio should be able to overwhelm most teams defences easily enough but lack depth. Rubin look a more balanced team and like Spartak have enough depth to cope.
Lyon have a good defence/ offence combo. Relegated Brugge and Villareal should make the playoffs. This should be incentive enough for Boca and Atalanta to try and get to D4 this season as next it may be tougher.
Shaktar sit at the foot of the table again but will have close companions with Newcastle looking little better at the moment. Fiorentina and over performing Athletic club look like they could struggle next season
| GK | DEF | MID | ATT | Top18 | Ave | ETOT | |
| Rubin Kazan | 88.0 | 88.0 | 88.0 | 88.0 | 86.0 | 87.6 | 218.88 |
| SS Lazio (R) | 88.0 | 87.0 | 87.8 | 90.0 | 80.0 | 86.6 | 218.50 |
| Spartak Moskva | 87.0 | 86.3 | 88.6 | 89.0 | 85.0 | 87.2 | 218.37 |
| Olympique Lyonnais | 88.0 | 87.3 | 87.6 | 88.0 | 86.0 | 87.4 | 217.96 |
| Club Brugge KV (R) | 88.0 | 87.5 | 87.2 | 88.0 | 84.0 | 86.9 | 217.60 |
| Villarreal CF (R) | 87.0 | 87.0 | 87.3 | 88.5 | 85.0 | 87.0 | 217.57 |
| Boca Juniors (!) | 89.0 | 86.8 | 88.4 | 87.0 | 85.0 | 87.2 | 217.55 |
| Atalanta BC (!) | 88.0 | 87.3 | 87.8 | 87.0 | 86.0 | 87.2 | 217.47 |
| VfB Stuttgart | 89.0 | 87.5 | 87.6 | 87.0 | 83.0 | 86.8 | 217.27 |
| AS Saint-Etienne | 87.0 | 86.3 | 87.2 | 89.0 | 85.0 | 86.9 | 217.25 |
| Montpellier HSC | 87.0 | 86.8 | 87.4 | 88.0 | 85.0 | 86.8 | 217.16 |
| Olympiacos | 87.0 | 87.5 | 87.2 | 87.0 | 85.0 | 86.7 | 216.95 |
| Olympique Marseille | 88.0 | 87.3 | 87.3 | 87.0 | 83.0 | 86.5 | 216.67 |
| PSV | 87.0 | 86.5 | 87.0 | 87.5 | 86.0 | 86.8 | 216.44 |
| Independiente | 89.0 | 86.5 | 87.2 | 87.0 | 85.0 | 86.9 | 216.39 |
| FC Basel | 87.0 | 86.0 | 86.6 | 89.0 | 82.0 | 86.1 | 216.21 |
| Athletic Club | 87.0 | 86.0 | 86.6 | 87.0 | 85.0 | 86.3 | 215.27 |
| ACF Fiorentina | 87.0 | 86.8 | 86.6 | 86.0 | 85.0 | 86.3 | 215.22 |
| Newcastle United (R) | 87.0 | 85.5 | 86.8 | 87.0 | 83.0 | 85.9 | 214.79 |
| Shakhtar Donetsk | 86.0 | 84.8 | 86.2 | 87.0 | 83.0 | 85.4 | 213.59 |
Espanyol' youth
⁷After a season of great transition Espanyol go into the end of season with next seasons plans already fulfilled. Next season they will enter the youth cup for the first time under the current managers guidance, with a roster of no fewer than 30 under 21 players. "Its took a long time to build a non existent youth team for the long term stability of the club and ultimately we've had to sacrifice including our division 1 status. However we embark on a new chapter in division 2 with the roots well in trully in the ground."
It would be difficult to argue the managers point when we take a closer look.
Prestinanni age 16 - Now ranked as the 3rd most valuable player born in 2016. A player who has already made his first team breakthrough in the top flight in Argentina and has represented his country already in various age groups. Its scary to think he does not turn 17 until the new year and is seen as one of the clubs most valuable assets.
Damjanic age 16- A croatian youth international who has gone under the radar to date, but great things are expected of the young centre back. With time very much on his side, he is one who will start to blossom over the coming years.
Ashley Phillips - Age 17, already deemed as one of the most valuable players born in 2005 in world football, he is already a regurlar at both club and country with him now being elevated as first choice for England under 19's despite only just turning 17. Manchester united, Chelsea and Spurs all attempted to prevent him signing his first professional contract with Blackburn this winter, offering substantial wages. However he opted to stay which has conincided with his first team breakthrough.
Nicolo Tresoldi age 18 - The Hannover star is having a breakthrough season in Germany and is playing regurlar. From Italian descent his ability to pick out the right ball and creative flair saw him make his debut for Germany under 19s this month. Seen as a centre forward, there is a lot of hype around the player and having just turned 18, is one who will start to become a little more known over the next couple of seasons.
Kevin Keben 18 - The Cameroonian has broke into the first team at Toulouse this season after a promising time in their youth set up. An imposing 6ft2 Centre back, with top flight minutes under his belt in France, he is one seen as a bit of a wild card by the club as a potential break out star in the making.
Juan Carlos Guato 18- Argentina has been a hunting ground the manager knows well and made the move to snap up Gauto in August. Now an important part of Huracan's first team and Argentina under 20 side the talented wide player is highly rated in his country and along with Prestinanni is part of a potential new golden generation of Argentinian stars.
Jewison Bennette 18.- a full international with 7 caps already for Costa Rica which included 2 goals against a star studded South Korea recently, he will go to the world cup this winter on a stage where he can announce to the world what he is all about. A recent transfer to Sunderland sees him now plying his trade in a competitive Championship. He is lightening quick, tricky and having not long turned 18, is one of the more likely members of the youth team to make an impact in next seasons top100 youth cup.
Tim Oermann 19 - Bochum's struggles in the Bundesliga has a created a recent path for Oermann to break into the first team at the heart of their defence. Still very Raw and could be anything. However to be getting minutes already in the top flight of Germany, time is very much on his side. Seen as a long term prospect by Espanyol he will no doubt get some minutes in the youth cup next season.
Mario Mitaj 19 - just turned 19 and already a full international for Albania, the manager expects the young left back to be part of both the youth cup and first team cup sides next season. Plying his trade in the top flight in Russia, an international footballer, and just 19, there is not much to not like regarding his potential.
Ignacio Maestro Puch 19 - Another Argentinian that the Manager was thrilled to land. Highly rated in his country and already playing for his country and club as part of the team which has been challenging for the title this season he is seen as one who will start going up through the ratings sooner rather than later. The team has some talented youth centre forwards, and Puch is very much in there as one of the most promising on Espanyol's books.
Rios Novo 20 - Getting a decent youth keeper has taken an age, but in Novo Espanyol have one with now over 40 first team games in the top flight and over 20 caps at different age groups for Argentina. "He is still very much learning the game, but has had so much first team exposure for one so young. He is continuing to improve and was the Catalyst of us opting to enter the youth cup next season"
Maksim Mukhin 20 - One of the young stars of Russia both at club and Country, the versatile midfielder has been recently snapped up from Shakhter by Espanyol. Seen as a key part of the youth team, Mukhin is a player seen as someone who will at some point make the first team in the league and will be part of the cup teams next season too. "Was a player we pushed to sign when opting to let a few very talented players head the other way. I like the look of him and has a massive future in the game"
Ezequiel Fernandez 20 - Espanyol paid big to capture the Argentinian midfielder last close season when just a 73 rated midfielder. Well scouted and courted by the manager, it was enough of a reason to swap him for Perraud which at the time may have looked expensive. However Fernandez has gone on to make 41 first team appearances at club level in Argentina this season and is seen as one who will really break out this forthcoming season to cement his place in both the youth and cup team. "Really like this lad, and no doubt the suitors will start to line up as next season progresses given how well he is doing at both club and international.
Matias Galarza 20 - Another Argentinian snapped up cheaply who has already made a £6 million move to Belgium since signing for Espanyol after some startling performances in Argentina. The attacking midfielder cites De Bruyne as a player he tries to model his game on, and the reason he chose to join Genk given thats where KDB started off. "He has had a big move already and i'm sure this will see his stock and rating grow. We are hoping he will progress during the youth cup in rating and become a key player in that competition"
Moises Caicedo 20. If you are gonna spend big on a youth player then make him a good one, was the statement Espanyol put down when securing the signature of Ecuadorian international Caicedo. Flying at Brighton, all the top clubs in England are hovering to make him the next big money signing for their squads. Within an hour of Espanyol signing the player the team was offered 90 plus players from two clubs to secure him next. However he is seen as a long term investment and future club captain. "You can never say never when it comes to selling players, but in Caicedo's case it would take something incredible to even entertain the thought. He is a player we desperately wanted, one we thought was out of reach and one we gave top players for. I fully expect him to be in and around our first team this season and with Vencedor gives us a strong youth team Centre midfield".
Moses Usor 20 - We've been tracking his career with interest and was waiting for him to be added to the database. We was very surprised that only us and Leicester went for him and then pleasantly surprised when Leicester pulled out by accident leaving us alone to snap him up. He has velcro boots and when in full flight on the dribble a tricky player to stop. We are expecting big things from him and are delighted his future is here at Espanyol
Jan Thielmann - Football Golden boy shortlister the talented German under 21 international is already the darling of Koln and making a massive impact in the Bundesliga. "We are patiently waiting for his stock, value and ratings to keep rising. He is without doubt the one player we have in the youth who is going to be interesting more and more clubs over the next season or two. Another who we paid a lot for when getting him from Liverpool when Wijnaldrum headed out the door. He was a purchase with the long term very much on our mind".
Konstantin Tyukavin 20 - another of the golden generation of Russia, this tricky centre forward is already a full international and established first team player in the top flight in Russia. We are at that time where strikers are getting old and it is hoped that Tyukavin at some point will get that big move in real life which has been courted for the last 18 months. He has undoubted talent and at just 20 the potential to be be a star.
Flavius Daniliuc 21 - The versatile Austrain international has been one with a big reputation for a while. A summer move to the top flight in Italy has seen him establish himself as a mainstay at the back for Salernitana. "Daniliuc will be a key player for us in both the youth and first team cups next season. He continues to mature and we are hoping at some point will come into the first team reckoning given his ability to play anywhere across the back and also in central midfield"
Unai Vencedor 21 - our highest rated youth player for next season at 87, we brought him in for Fofana from Barcelona with one eye on the long term future. A member of our first team squad also, he got minutes for us this season and also found the net. He had undoubted talent and time on his side. We've had a few offers this season for him, but unless someone is offerinf a 90 plus player, they can forget it. He is one for the long term and will be key for us in the youth cup"
Yuri Alberto 21 - recently brought back to the club , the talented Brazilian scores goals for fun and is already very valuable in real life. This time he is back to stay and will lead our youth team atrack next season. We see him as one of our long term first choice striker options with Kolo Muani and is the main reason we opted to go with Southampton's offer on Trossard. The Russian war has seen him return to Brazil on loan, but I do not expect it to be too long before he ends up in one of the bigger leagues in Europe.
Yorbe Vertessen 21 - we have tracked the Belgium youngster for a while and in terms of purchases letting Gonzalez go as part of the deak which saw us bag Vertessen was not a decision we took lightly. He has talent, an eye for goal an very versatile. He will give us good options in the youth cup, but also has the potential to become part of our first team in seasons to come. Already capped at all age groups by Belgium, and playing first team for PSV in holland, he has it all in his path to kick on.
Jamie Leweling 21 - The highly rated German under 2-1 International is also joning us this close season. A youth team starter and first team cup starter, he now needs to show the early promise his career was showing. An 84 rated youth player shows there is potential in there and hopefully over the next year he can start to fulfil that early promise.
Akinkunki Amoo 20 - A deal was agreed for his signature before the start of last season and will finally join this close season after the 3 club deal rule delayed this one. Sadly an injury in real life has slowed his progress over the last few months, following a club record move to Copenhagen. Still only 20, with plenty of first team games and international recognition, we are hoping over the next year he gets back to showing everyone what he can do.
Nicolas Castro 21 - another Argentina who made a big money move to Genk, and is joining us from Standard Liege. He is eligible for the youth cup and has a big reputation. We are hoping that promise shown in Argentina continues in belgium and he can continue to rise the ratings.
Guiliano Simeone - 19 , son of Argentine legend Diego Simeone and 29 goals in 51 games for Athletico Madrids b team, he has been loaned to Real Zaragoza this season and has continued to score on a regular basis. "We see him as an exceptional talent. He knows where the net is and being a big club in real life is a massive plus. We expect him to rise this season, but it will probably be a season or two before we really see what we have on our hands here"
Season 19 Division 1 Stats and Facts .
Chelsea to claim back title? Champs to finish 2nd, how will promoted teams do?
For the uninitiated. I work out the average rating for GK,Def,Mid,Att , the lowest rated top 18 player ( excluding 2nd/3rd keeper ) and apply a magic formula.
I use some “ common “ sense in making logical changes if players are unlikely to feature or the lowest 18th player is far lower than anything.
Chelsea should win the league , with relative ease, but Arsenal now only need to catch up 1 place , far less than this year. Barca , Porto and Real Madrid should be a threat and especially so with those potent attacking line ups.
Juve are always solid at the back, as are Benfica and Man City. Hellas lack a little depth but have a strong attack.
Anderlecht should get a mid table finish , higher if they uprate the keeper some how. WBA are just off the relegation zone, unlike Hertha and playoff team Hoffenheim who sit right in it. 223 or less meant probable relegation last season. So Internacional and Tottenham will need to up their game to survive next season.
| Gk | Def | Mid | Att | Top18 | Ave | ETOT | |
| Chelsea | 95.0 | 93.8 | 93.8 | 95.0 | 83.0 | 92.1 | 233.15 |
| Arsenal (C) | 92.0 | 92.0 | 92.4 | 97.0 | 86.0 | 91.9 | 231.93 |
| Barcelona | 91.0 | 92.0 | 93.0 | 96.0 | 86.0 | 91.6 | 231.64 |
| FC Porto | 94.0 | 91.5 | 92.8 | 96.0 | 86.0 | 92.1 | 231.44 |
| Real Madrid | 91.0 | 91.5 | 92.0 | 97.0 | 87.0 | 91.7 | 231.21 |
| Juventus | 94.0 | 92.8 | 93.2 | 93.0 | 87.0 | 92.0 | 230.93 |
| Hellas Verona | 91.0 | 91.5 | 92.4 | 95.0 | 86.0 | 91.2 | 230.11 |
| Bayern München | 93.0 | 90.8 | 92.8 | 93.0 | 88.0 | 91.5 | 229.01 |
| Borussia Dortmund | 92.0 | 91.0 | 92.0 | 93.0 | 88.0 | 91.2 | 228.45 |
| SL Benfica | 94.0 | 91.0 | 92.8 | 91.0 | 87.0 | 91.2 | 227.87 |
| Manchester City | 95.0 | 92.0 | 91.6 | 91.0 | 86.0 | 91.1 | 227.75 |
| Atlético Madrid | 92.0 | 90.3 | 91.0 | 92.0 | 85.0 | 90.1 | 226.04 |
| RSC Anderlecht (P) | 89.0 | 89.8 | 91.4 | 91.0 | 88.0 | 89.8 | 225.31 |
| Standard Liège | 91.0 | 91.0 | 89.8 | 91.0 | 87.0 | 90.0 | 225.15 |
| Valencia CF | 92.0 | 89.5 | 90.6 | 92.0 | 85.0 | 89.8 | 225.12 |
| West Bromwich Albion (C) | 89.0 | 89.8 | 89.4 | 92.0 | 87.0 | 89.4 | 224.24 |
| SC Internacional | 91.0 | 89.8 | 89.4 | 91.0 | 87.0 | 89.6 | 223.83 |
| Hertha BSC (P) | 89.0 | 89.3 | 89.6 | 90.0 | 86.0 | 88.8 | 222.58 |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 89.0 | 89.0 | 89.6 | 89.0 | 86.0 | 88.5 | 221.73 |
| TSG 1899 Hoffenheim? | 88.0 | 87.5 | 88.6 | 89.0 | 86.0 | 87.8 | 219.61 |
Let Samp Entertain you!
Beddows Defies Top 100 Authorities breaking rules galore as Samp partied as they played in Season 18 - late into the night - masses of alcohol and mistakes - but most importantly with great levels of entertainment! The Division's 5th highest scorers and 5th worst defence delighted to finish joint 12th in Season 19!
BREAKING NEWS from the Italian Port City of Genoa this morning as a dishevelled and scruffy looking Beddows signed a new 3 season contract despite admin not agreeing - this was after partying all night with Balotelli, Nmecha and co to celebrate finishing 13th (joint 12th in reality) and achieving next seasons contract already! In Season 17 we finished 15th so progress clearly being made.
But according to contract guru Dan Wallace - achieving your season 3 target in season 2 does not mean free season - so Beddows will have to work hard again next season. So Beddows' response to give himself another 3 season contract anyway to bat away speculation of him moving to Manchester United.
The end of S17 capture of Nmecha and Forsberg critical to this seasons success where we were vying for play offs for a decent amount of time before falling away - between them they got Nmecha (11 goals, 16 assists) and Forsberg (14 goals, 11 assists) - so 25 of our goals or almost 50% of the teams total!
"We love our little project here at Samp! We have built a far from spectacular side - but a side with some strong assets and plenty of players who will rise. We will look at the side over the coming days and list a few who we may consider moving on - but last night we fielded
A side we an average age of 25 - 11 of the 18 will rise and the others should all be safe - arguably the full backs might get +1s too to be fair."
"and with the experience of these 7 above we are in a good position - De Silverstri is a club legend - like Thuram he has been here since I joined - 299 first team appearances for him - a magnificent servant."
The Samp Season 18 Youth side has also been regenerated again - with Beddows scouring the market for 20 years and under players that Samp can develop. Next seasons youth side is looking like this - 5 of whom were captured post Youth Cup exit - and a few others in the season - 12 of that 18 were bought in externally and have good first team minutes and most are youth internationals for their respective countries! Then we have a clutch of 22-23 years olds including Ribeiro Alexsandro - now getting first team minutes at Lille and Colpani at Monza - the future is looking decent! Next season survival needed again!
Division 5 Season 18 Stats and Facts review.
AZ lead the stats and win the league +10VA and +11PVA.
Playoff bound PSV have the highest VA on +14 and are 2nd in the stats. Big shout outs for Lokomotive on +7 VA, Boca +5 and Athletic club +7 and Fiorentina on +8 VA all great performances.
All those good scores must mean an equal number of bad ones, Division 5 is for rebuild but -16VA for promotion favourites Rubin Kazan and -10 for possible promotes Lyon are still a shock. Montpellier fair little better and Stuttgart failed to live up to the hype.
| GK | DEF | MID | ATT | Top18 | Ave | ETOT | Pre | Fin | VA | PVA | |
| AZ Alkmaar | 87.0 | 86.8 | 88.0 | 87.0 | 85.0 | 86.8 | 216.99 | 11 | 1 | 10 | 11.00 |
| PSV | 87.0 | 86.0 | 87.0 | 87.5 | 84.0 | 86.3 | 215.80 | 18 | 4 | 14 | 3.75 |
| Boca Juniors | 89.0 | 86.8 | 88.3 | 86.5 | 85.0 | 87.1 | 217.11 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 1.20 |
| Lokomotiv Moskva | 87.0 | 86.3 | 87.5 | 87.5 | 85.0 | 86.7 | 216.52 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 1.14 |
| Athletic Club | 87.0 | 87.0 | 87.0 | 87.0 | 85.0 | 86.6 | 216.39 | 15 | 8 | 7 | 1.00 |
| Torino | 86.0 | 86.8 | 87.6 | 88.0 | 86.0 | 86.9 | 217.32 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1.00 |
| ACF Fiorentina | 87.0 | 86.8 | 87.0 | 86.0 | 85.0 | 86.4 | 215.54 | 19 | 11 | 8 | 0.82 |
| Atalanta BC | 88.0 | 87.0 | 87.8 | 87.0 | 86.0 | 87.2 | 217.23 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 0.67 |
| Sunderland | 88.0 | 88.5 | 87.8 | 88.0 | 86.0 | 87.7 | 219.12 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0.50 |
| FC Basel | 87.0 | 87.3 | 86.3 | 87.0 | 85.0 | 86.5 | 215.99 | 16 | 12 | 4 | 0.42 |
| Olympiacos | 88.0 | 87.3 | 86.5 | 87.5 | 85.0 | 86.9 | 216.64 | 13 | 10 | 3 | 0.40 |
| Independiente | 88.0 | 86.3 | 87.2 | 87.0 | 84.0 | 86.5 | 215.95 | 17 | 14 | 3 | 0.29 |
| Shakhtar Donetsk | 86.0 | 86.5 | 85.4 | 87.0 | 83.0 | 85.6 | 214.35 | 20 | 20 | 0 | 0.05 |
| AS Saint-Etienne | 87.0 | 87.3 | 87.5 | 87.0 | 85.0 | 86.8 | 216.99 | 12 | 19 | -7 | -0.32 |
| Olympique Marseille | 88.0 | 87.8 | 87.3 | 87.0 | 85.0 | 87.0 | 217.31 | 8 | 16 | -8 | -0.44 |
| Spartak Moskva | 87.0 | 87.0 | 88.0 | 88.0 | 85.0 | 87.0 | 217.84 | 4 | 9 | -5 | -0.44 |
| VfB Stuttgart | 89.0 | 87.0 | 87.8 | 87.5 | 83.0 | 86.9 | 217.32 | 6 | 15 | -9 | -0.53 |
| Montpellier HSC | 87.0 | 86.8 | 88.0 | 87.5 | 85.0 | 86.9 | 217.32 | 7 | 18 | -11 | -0.56 |
| Olympique Lyonnais | 87.0 | 87.0 | 88.0 | 88.0 | 85.0 | 87.0 | 217.84 | 3 | 13 | -10 | -0.69 |
| Rubin Kazan | 89.0 | 88.5 | 88.4 | 88.0 | 86.0 | 88.0 | 219.72 | 1 | 17 | -16 | -0.88 |
Division 4 Season 18 Stats and Facts review.
Napoli +13VA and +3.5PVA lead the stats.
Lille in 3rd get automatic promotion and 2nd in the stats , with Fenerbahce with an amazing +11 VA make the playoffs and 3rd place in the stats. CSKA and Bordeaux managed great performances this year. Sao Paulo did what they needed to, winning the leagues as favourites.
Most disappointed must be FC Twente , 2nd favourites slumping to 10th and -8 VA , with Dynamo Moscow, Kyiv also missing out on the playoffs. Villareal get relegated with the joint worse VA.
| GK | DEF | MID | ATT | Top18 | Ave | ETOT | Pre | Fin | VA | PVA | |
| SSC Napoli | 87.0 | 87.0 | 87.3 | 87.5 | 85.0 | 86.8 | 216.92 | 17 | 4 | 13 | 3.50 |
| Lille OSC | 90.0 | 86.8 | 88.5 | 88.5 | 85.0 | 87.8 | 218.73 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 2.00 |
| Fenerbahçe SK | 89.0 | 87.0 | 86.8 | 87.0 | 85.0 | 87.0 | 216.47 | 18 | 7 | 11 | 1.71 |
| Cruzeiro | 89.0 | 88.0 | 88.5 | 88.5 | 86.0 | 88.0 | 219.73 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1.50 |
| CSKA Moskva | 87.0 | 88.0 | 88.0 | 88.0 | 85.0 | 87.2 | 218.64 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 1.00 |
| São Paulo FC | 90.0 | 89.3 | 89.5 | 90.0 | 86.0 | 89.0 | 222.62 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1.00 |
| Girondins Bordeaux | 88.0 | 87.3 | 87.8 | 87.5 | 86.0 | 87.3 | 217.76 | 13 | 8 | 5 | 0.75 |
| West Ham United | 89.0 | 87.0 | 87.5 | 87.5 | 85.0 | 87.2 | 217.36 | 16 | 14 | 2 | 0.21 |
| 1. FC Köln | 88.0 | 86.5 | 88.3 | 88.0 | 83.0 | 86.8 | 217.52 | 14 | 13 | 1 | 0.15 |
| SS Lazio | 88.0 | 87.0 | 87.5 | 86.0 | 82.0 | 86.1 | 215.90 | 19 | 18 | 1 | 0.11 |
| Newcastle United | 87.0 | 85.5 | 86.3 | 85.0 | 84.0 | 85.6 | 213.17 | 20 | 20 | 0 | 0.05 |
| Club Brugge KV | 88.0 | 86.8 | 88.0 | 87.5 | 85.0 | 87.1 | 217.44 | 15 | 17 | -2 | -0.06 |
| Chievo Verona | 88.0 | 87.8 | 88.0 | 87.0 | 85.0 | 87.2 | 217.91 | 12 | 16 | -4 | -0.19 |
| Crystal Palace | 88.0 | 87.8 | 87.5 | 89.0 | 86.0 | 87.7 | 218.93 | 6 | 9 | -3 | -0.22 |
| Málaga CF | 87.0 | 87.8 | 88.3 | 87.5 | 86.0 | 87.3 | 218.44 | 10 | 15 | -5 | -0.27 |
| Internazionale | 89.0 | 88.3 | 88.8 | 88.0 | 87.0 | 88.2 | 219.92 | 3 | 6 | -3 | -0.33 |
| Dynamo Kyiv | 88.0 | 87.5 | 87.8 | 89.0 | 85.0 | 87.5 | 218.81 | 7 | 12 | -5 | -0.33 |
| Villarreal CF | 87.0 | 87.0 | 87.8 | 88.5 | 86.0 | 87.3 | 218.09 | 11 | 19 | -8 | -0.37 |
| Dynamo Moskva | 86.0 | 87.3 | 88.0 | 90.5 | 84.0 | 87.2 | 219.43 | 5 | 11 | -6 | -0.45 |
| FC Twente | 87.0 | 87.8 | 88.8 | 89.5 | 87.0 | 88.0 | 220.26 | 2 | 10 | -8 | -0.70 |
Division 3 Season 18 Stats and Facts review.
Third time is a charm as the winners of D3 lead the stats.
Wolfsburg the champs top PVA.
Looking at the playoff spot as the season started but at seasons end on top of the pile +5 VA +6PVA for Wolfsburg.
Feyenoord had the highest VA on 8 just missing out on the playoffs. River Plate would perhaps their + 7VA and 2nd spot in the stats for the auto promotion of Hamburg in 3rd spot.
Credit to Zenit for avoiding relegation on +4 VA.
Swansea underperformed on -10 VA , as did Sassuolo on -9 VA. Partizan can redeem a poor performance with a win in the playoffs.
| GK | DEF | MID | ATT | Top18 | Ave | ETOT | Pre | Fin | VA | PVA | |
| VfL Wolfsburg | 89.0 | 87.0 | 88.8 | 91.0 | 85.0 | 88.2 | 220.63 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 6.00 |
| River Plate | 87.0 | 88.3 | 88.3 | 88.0 | 86.0 | 87.5 | 219.16 | 11 | 4 | 7 | 2.00 |
| Hamburger SV | 89.0 | 89.0 | 88.3 | 89.0 | 85.0 | 88.1 | 220.53 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 1.67 |
| Borussia Mönchengladbach | 87.0 | 87.3 | 88.8 | 88.5 | 86.0 | 87.5 | 219.09 | 12 | 5 | 7 | 1.60 |
| Feyenoord | 87.0 | 86.8 | 88.5 | 88.0 | 85.0 | 87.1 | 218.04 | 16 | 8 | 8 | 1.13 |
| Zenit Saint Petersburg | 89.0 | 87.0 | 87.5 | 86.5 | 86.0 | 87.2 | 216.83 | 20 | 16 | 4 | 0.31 |
| AS Roma | 88.0 | 88.5 | 87.2 | 87.0 | 85.0 | 87.1 | 217.87 | 17 | 14 | 3 | 0.29 |
| Galatasaray SK | 88.0 | 88.0 | 89.0 | 88.0 | 86.0 | 87.8 | 219.68 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0.10 |
| Sampdoria | 88.0 | 87.3 | 88.0 | 89.0 | 85.0 | 87.5 | 218.81 | 13 | 13 | 0 | 0.08 |
| Celtic | 89.0 | 87.3 | 87.2 | 89.0 | 85.0 | 87.5 | 218.29 | 15 | 15 | 0 | 0.07 |
| Sevilla | 89.0 | 87.8 | 87.0 | 87.0 | 86.0 | 87.4 | 217.35 | 19 | 19 | 0 | 0.05 |
| Celta Vigo | 87.0 | 88.3 | 89.5 | 89.0 | 85.0 | 87.8 | 220.69 | 5 | 6 | -1 | 0.00 |
| Leicester City | 88.0 | 89.0 | 90.0 | 90.0 | 85.0 | 88.4 | 222.46 | 1 | 2 | -1 | 0.00 |
| Besiktas JK | 88.0 | 87.5 | 87.8 | 87.0 | 86.0 | 87.3 | 217.63 | 18 | 20 | -2 | -0.05 |
| AS Monaco | 88.0 | 88.0 | 88.0 | 90.0 | 85.0 | 87.8 | 220.06 | 9 | 11 | -2 | -0.09 |
| Santos FC | 88.0 | 87.0 | 88.0 | 89.0 | 84.0 | 87.2 | 218.49 | 14 | 18 | -4 | -0.17 |
| FK Partizan | 88.0 | 88.0 | 88.4 | 91.0 | 86.0 | 88.3 | 221.15 | 3 | 7 | -4 | -0.43 |
| FC Schalke 04 | 90.0 | 88.3 | 88.6 | 90.0 | 86.0 | 88.6 | 221.10 | 4 | 9 | -5 | -0.44 |
| US Sassuolo | 91.0 | 88.8 | 88.8 | 88.0 | 86.0 | 88.5 | 220.44 | 8 | 17 | -9 | -0.47 |
| Swansea City | 88.0 | 88.5 | 89.3 | 90.0 | 87.0 | 88.6 | 221.70 | 2 | 12 | -10 | -0.75 |
Division 2 Season 18 stats and facts review.
WBA top of the league and top of the stats.
Seen that headline before. Well as Arsenal did in D1 , WBA did the same but more so in D2. +4 VA and +5 PVA a dominant season. Third place Hertha and 5th place Udinese share the best VA on + 13 with Hoffenheim not far behind on + 12.
The worse performing teams were Ajax who fell from grace to 12th with the lowest PVA and Leverkeusen on -12 VA in 16th. Less said about Augsburg the better. Not very consistent in the stats this year but perhaps that is indicative of the tightness of the division.
| GK | DEF | MID | ATT | Top18 | Ave | ETOT | Pre | Fin | VA | PVA | |
| West Bromwich Albion | 89.0 | 89.5 | 89.8 | 92.0 | 87.0 | 89.5 | 224.32 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 5.00 |
| Hertha BSC | 89.0 | 87.3 | 90.0 | 89.5 | 86.0 | 88.4 | 220.98 | 16 | 3 | 13 | 4.67 |
| Udinese Calcio | 88.0 | 89.3 | 88.8 | 87.5 | 86.0 | 87.9 | 220.16 | 18 | 5 | 13 | 2.80 |
| TSG 1899 Hoffenheim | 88.0 | 87.3 | 88.5 | 88.5 | 86.0 | 87.7 | 219.01 | 19 | 7 | 12 | 1.86 |
| Flamengo | 88.0 | 89.8 | 89.3 | 89.5 | 86.0 | 88.5 | 222.26 | 10 | 4 | 6 | 1.75 |
| Stoke City | 89.0 | 88.0 | 90.3 | 89.0 | 85.0 | 88.3 | 221.33 | 13 | 6 | 7 | 1.33 |
| AC Milan | 89.0 | 88.5 | 88.8 | 88.5 | 87.0 | 88.4 | 220.45 | 17 | 9 | 8 | 1.00 |
| RSC Anderlecht | 89.0 | 90.3 | 92.0 | 91.5 | 89.0 | 90.4 | 226.64 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0.50 |
| Dinamo Zagreb | 89.0 | 88.3 | 89.3 | 89.5 | 86.0 | 88.4 | 221.18 | 15 | 13 | 2 | 0.23 |
| Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk | 87.0 | 86.8 | 87.3 | 87.5 | 86.0 | 86.9 | 216.84 | 20 | 20 | 0 | 0.05 |
| Werder Bremen | 89.0 | 89.0 | 89.3 | 90.0 | 85.0 | 88.5 | 221.98 | 12 | 15 | -3 | -0.13 |
| Manchester United | 88.0 | 89.0 | 88.8 | 90.0 | 83.0 | 87.8 | 221.22 | 14 | 18 | -4 | -0.17 |
| Southampton | 87.0 | 89.5 | 90.3 | 90.0 | 86.0 | 88.6 | 223.06 | 8 | 11 | -3 | -0.18 |
| Sporting CP | 88.0 | 89.8 | 89.0 | 90.5 | 82.0 | 87.9 | 222.23 | 11 | 17 | -6 | -0.29 |
| Paris Saint-Germain | 91.0 | 88.8 | 89.5 | 92.0 | 87.0 | 89.7 | 223.76 | 6 | 10 | -4 | -0.30 |
| Liverpool | 90.0 | 89.8 | 90.3 | 89.5 | 87.0 | 89.3 | 223.42 | 7 | 14 | -7 | -0.43 |
| FC AUGSBURG | 89.0 | 88.5 | 89.8 | 90.5 | 87.0 | 89.0 | 222.55 | 9 | 19 | -10 | -0.47 |
| Genoa CFC | 92.0 | 90.5 | 92.3 | 90.0 | 86.0 | 90.2 | 226.06 | 3 | 8 | -5 | -0.50 |
| Bayer Leverkusen | 89.0 | 90.5 | 90.6 | 90.0 | 86.0 | 89.2 | 224.38 | 4 | 16 | -12 | -0.69 |
| Ajax | 92.0 | 90.5 | 91.3 | 92.5 | 85.0 | 90.3 | 226.77 | 1 | 12 | -11 | -0.83 |
Division 1 Season 18 stats and facts review.
Arsenal top of the league and top of the stats.
No one can deny Arsenal are the team of the season in D1. Three places above prediction and finishing above a resurgent Barcelona and Juve.
Valencia come 3rd in the stats table , a creditable 5 places above prediction which was matched by Spurs. Mid table in D1 went largely to form. This meant the lowest rated teams stats wise were Chelsea despite coming 4th were well below par this season and Hellas finishing 13th with the lowest VA.
| GK | DEF | MID | ATT | Top18 | Ave | ETOT | Pre | Fin | VA | PVA | |
| Arsenal | 92.0 | 91.5 | 91.8 | 94.0 | 88.0 | 91.5 | 229.30 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 4.00 |
| Barcelona | 91.0 | 91.8 | 91.5 | 94.5 | 86.0 | 91.0 | 229.27 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1.00 |
| Valencia CF | 92.0 | 89.5 | 90.5 | 90.5 | 85.0 | 89.5 | 224.07 | 16 | 11 | 5 | 0.55 |
| Juventus | 95.0 | 91.8 | 93.8 | 94.0 | 88.0 | 92.5 | 231.46 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0.50 |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 89.0 | 89.3 | 89.3 | 90.0 | 86.0 | 88.7 | 222.30 | 19 | 14 | 5 | 0.43 |
| SL Benfica | 93.0 | 90.8 | 92.5 | 92.0 | 88.0 | 91.3 | 228.12 | 9 | 7 | 2 | 0.43 |
| Manchester City | 95.0 | 91.8 | 91.0 | 91.0 | 85.0 | 90.8 | 226.95 | 11 | 9 | 2 | 0.33 |
| SC Internacional | 91.0 | 89.8 | 90.0 | 90.5 | 87.0 | 89.7 | 223.99 | 17 | 15 | 2 | 0.20 |
| Bayern München | 93.0 | 91.3 | 93.5 | 91.5 | 89.0 | 91.7 | 229.12 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0.17 |
| Real Madrid | 91.0 | 91.8 | 91.8 | 93.5 | 86.0 | 90.8 | 228.82 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0.13 |
| Borussia Dortmund | 92.0 | 91.5 | 91.3 | 92.0 | 87.0 | 90.8 | 227.48 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0.10 |
| Atlético Madrid | 92.0 | 91.0 | 91.3 | 91.5 | 86.0 | 90.4 | 226.64 | 12 | 12 | 0 | 0.08 |
| Levante UD | 90.0 | 88.2 | 88.5 | 91.0 | 86.0 | 88.7 | 221.66 | 20 | 20 | 0 | 0.05 |
| Aston Villa | 89.0 | 90.0 | 90.8 | 89.0 | 84.0 | 88.6 | 223.21 | 18 | 19 | -1 | 0.00 |
| Everton | 89.0 | 89.5 | 90.3 | 91.5 | 85.0 | 89.1 | 224.16 | 15 | 18 | -3 | -0.11 |
| RCD Espanyol | 92.0 | 89.5 | 90.5 | 91.5 | 85.0 | 89.7 | 224.72 | 14 | 17 | -3 | -0.12 |
| Standard Liège | 91.0 | 91.3 | 91.5 | 91.0 | 86.0 | 90.2 | 226.59 | 13 | 16 | -3 | -0.13 |
| FC Porto | 94.0 | 91.3 | 92.3 | 95.0 | 88.0 | 92.1 | 230.39 | 3 | 5 | -2 | -0.20 |
| Hellas Verona | 91.0 | 91.8 | 92.5 | 93.0 | 86.0 | 90.9 | 229.09 | 7 | 13 | -6 | -0.38 |
| Chelsea | 95.0 | 93.3 | 93.3 | 96.0 | 83.0 | 92.1 | 232.96 | 1 | 4 | -3 | -0.50 |
Arsenal End Of Season Review
After a what can only be described as my best season with Arsenal, we wanted to look back and after a poor season finishing in 12th position, i did try more with the league than cups this season.
I also changed from no in-game tactics, to various changes and also looking at stopping late goals going in and causing me to draw lots of games last season (thanks Mike T for the stats).
Star Men for me, this is just about all the starting eleven, but the manager main men are shown below, the assists and goals have been fantastic. Big Shout Out and mentions for Rudiger and Szczesny,
A really slow start for Arsenal in the league and then a big second half of the season, additions to the squad of Robertson, Raphina and Koke became key additions in the run in, we just seemed to hit form and win after win we worked our up to the top four hoping to stay in touch, some lack of consistency was costing all teams dearly, Juventus looked like the form team, heading into the run and if we had not won, then it would have been a great last game, Juventus had to play Barcelona, anyway it was not to be and we now face Madrid in the last game with no pressure, we hope to finish on a high, but will be giving game time to a couple of players.
The WCC and thank you all the admin team for sorting such a great competition , this and the Youth Cup and Shield are one of the reasons the Gameworld, is so good, this was a pleasure to play in and following last years Youth Shield Win, we had a hard run and played really well through all our games and running out winners against a great Benfica side in the final.
This clinched another historic double for Arsenal following our Double in Season 16 with the Youth Cup and Domestic Shield, also another WCC, so from promotion to Division One in season 13 its been a amazing ride.
I am going to really enjoy the run in now, for all the teams top and bottom and good luck to all.
The Entirely Too Late Season 17 Division 1 Stats Article
With last season well and truly in the rear view mirror, and more importantly the legal issues with your author right here cleared with the estates of The Two Ronnies, we are back with some tables, charts and data to confuse, bemuse and put you into a snooze ...
The Final Table
The table below shows the final spectacles, testicles, wallet and watch of Division 1 last season
A terrific season from Chelsea, chased all the way by Barcelona, James McKenzie and DanWally going the full 12 rounds, Real Madrid and Porto putting in solid seasons, with some pundits pre-season favorites Juventus having a tough time of it before turning it around in the last third of the season and finishing strong.
The Worm Chart
From about a third of the way through the season, James assumed the perch at the top of D1 and fought off the challengers, primarily Barcelona ... Dan putting in a solid effort to fight it out. FC Porto have a nibble mid season but just couldn't sustain the challenge, Real Madrid with a late flourish to climb over their rivals Barca late in the season before that was stomped out ... and Juventus ... the author feels a slight brief fleeting twinge of responsibility for their wretched season, selling wantaway SC Internacional star Bruno 'Ego' Fernandes, for him to only regress at Juve despite being given the responsibility (and honour) of the #10 shirt.
Possession (no ... not The Exorcist kind)
Impressive display at the top of the tree, with the Top 5 being pretty even. Chelsea and Real Madrid with a lot of time ahead in matches, Juventus defensively super strong as always, matching Chelsea in not trailing in matches, but significantly spending more time scratching around for goals to go ahead with. Barcelona not able to consistently put in the shifts that keep them ahead in matches. At the caboose of the division, the trend is predictable, however Stoke City did find themselves spending more time ahead in matches, but were unable to close out them out with vital 'keep me up' points.
When the ball hits the back of the net ...
I like this one ... always interesting to know when the goals are scored. Starting at the top of the list, not very flippin' often, authors team included. Further down the list ... Arsenal and Real Madrid are the front running first half fancy's, not so good when the legs get weary and the 6'2" defenders studs are raking down the achilles for the fourth time. Chelsea and Barca, evenly distributing the net flaring goodness across the full ninety.
Same chart, but with percentages not goals scored
Look at the SC Internacional ... scores fark all 50% in the first half ... and the other 50% of fark all in the second half
If they don't have the ball they cannae score
Chelsea leading the way, impressive effort that ... at the foot of the table not surprisingly across a full season, even with the judicious application of slow ball, against the talent in D1, you just cannot crack high 40's or 50%. The rebuilding Hertha the outlier, a wretched run of form to end the season blunting superior possession performance
Who has been a naughty naughty boy then
They say nice guys finish last, but AC Milan averaged a red card every five matches ... even before VAR was in play to slow down the most inconsequential contact. Having the benefit of a lot of other data, I would lean towards the teams at the top of the table averaging higher YC counts per match being a result of playing a lot Hard football ... comfortable in the knowledge that their squad depth can see the third or fourth midfielder easily being as good at a mid to bottom of the table starter. Stoke City and Liege being the Mr Nice Guys ... thems was raised right by their parents by the looks of it.
Octopus or Concrete Mits ... the GK stats
Now ... some GK stats ... which, I think, provides some key insights into how your team performs, and ultimately where you might finish.
The next few tables will show the Home fixture, Away fixture and Full Season stats for the D1 keepers, which I will explain underneath the first table
Alright alright alright ... here goes nothing
Club & Keeper name - check, matches played - check ...
Clean sheets kept - check, goals conceded - check ... you still with me Gav ...
Goals conceded per game (match) - check, average match rating - check ... we doing ok so far
Average #of shots faced per game - check ... average #of shots on target per game - check ...
MoM - Man of the Match awards - check ... ok ... the easiest part is over
I use the following four categories to measure and rank each ol' concrete mit's
- Clean Sheets - the GK with the most gets ranked 1st ... all the way down to last
- Goals Conceded per game - the GK with the lowest avg gets ranked 1st ... all the way down to last
- Avg. Match Rating - the GK with the highest avg. rating gets ranked 1st ... and you get the drill
- MoM's - GK with the most ... 1st ... down to least MoM's gets ranked last
You can also see the shaded "1" being that GK had the best rank in that specific category
I simply then add the four ranking scores together to get a total for each GK, and then I rank those totals from lowest to highest. He who has the lowest sum gets ranked 1st, etc. etc.
I will do this for the Away fixtures (see below) as well. And then for the full season (Home & Away) stats, I simply average the scores for each GK from the Home data and the Away data, and then add these four averages together, and then rank them again
Question - who finished 6th in storming Season 17 ?
Answer - Sami Hando's team ... RCD Espanyol ... who is ranked as the best of the GK wild bunch in Home fixtures
And who is ranked 2nd ... the author's Division 2 playoff promotion winning side who I would suggest owes a very large part of their survival in D1 to the performances of Postman Pat
Same stats ... but for the Away Fixtures below
Superlative performances in goal away from the comfort of Barcelona, Sami was a force for Espanyol, with Moraes at Porto being a top shelf operator as well. Cragno for AC Milan with more screen time fending off more shots than a Page 3 girl at Stringfellows in the 1980's ...
Now for the combined seasons stats
Pretty impressive ... no ... farken impressive work from Sami in goal all of Season 17. Probably the dominant reason that Espanyol were flying high and finished 6th. Experience matters, and Sami has it, and gave Glen a massive boost and huge rewards in Season 17. A new contract beckoned. Champions Cup football beckoned. It was to be a golden twilight to a magnificent career.
Narrators sagely serious voice footnote - on Saturday 18th June, the day before the first fixture in Season 18 Sami was sold to Ajax along with Robert Firmino for Paulo Dybala and Edin Dzeko. At the time this article went to press, Espanyol were languishing in 17th place, 2 points from safety with a final day home fixture against 13th place Hellas Verona needing a victory to remain in Division 1. Away from the bright lights in Division 1, Sami has struggled at Ajax in Season 18, with the Dutch powerhouse out of the playoff positions in 13th place, well ahead of the relegation places. Sami declined our request to be interviewed for this article, though his agent provided a sliver of insight into what he thought of his transfer one day before the start of the season, "did you see the photo's of Glen leaving grab a granny at 6am last weekend ... ?!"
"Though we will never know if Sami could have maintained his level of performance from Season 17, it can be safely stated that the Espanyol manager would have taken half of those performances not be in perilous danger of relegation the following season"
Postscript
With the same level of record keeping for the soon to be completed Season 18 ... there will be some charts tables and mildly comedic moments coming in the near future ...