2022
Youth Cup Knock Outs
ROund 2 is 1 leg and fictional extra time! Quarter-FInals are 2 legs
MANCHESTER UNITED MID SEASON REVIEW
Division 2 looks a little stronger this season with Genoa(91) and Leverkusen(90) joining from Division 1 along with Augsburg (89) Flamengo (89) and Sporting (89) being promoted from division 3 plus the relegation of Newcastle(88), Galatasaray (88) Sevilla(88) and Roma (88) to division 3
I spent some time in the close season trying to exchange some older players for youths and exchanging youths, in order to reduce the average age of the team and to build for the future. I also made 4 players available at minimum value to division 4/5 clubs, and sold two. I will however keep Dimitri Payet until he retires as he is only worth £2.4M and may not go down again for a while as he is playing well for Marseille. Apart from him, my oldest player is 28.
(1) My first deal was with Paddy (Anderlecht) which saw Luis Pizzi(90) 32yo leaving United and Sardella(82) 19yo and Nelson(83) 22yo joining us. This releases an older player for 2 youngsters with a future
(2) My second was an external transfer in “Naoufal Bannis” a 19yo Feyenoord player, replacing Edison Azcona who is 18yo.
(3) I made a mistake and had Taylan Antalyali(85) 27yo on the transfer list rather than for exchange so I had to accept the offer from the “The Godfather” at Lyonnais
(4) Due to (3), I had to take on Juan Ramirez(85) a 28yo Free Agent, who will be a squad player covering both defensive and attacking midfield
(5) I finally decided to let Jovic(90) 24yo go to Paddy at Anderlecht with Fred(90) 28yo and Diawara(88) 24yo coming the other way. This will bolster our Defensive midfield position and allow us to bring in Baumgartner to the first team into an attacking midfield role
(6) I sold Reggie Cannon(83) 23yo face value to Independiente of Division 5
(7) Sebastien Caceres(83) 22yo left us for division 5 side Olympiacos in a face value deal
(8) I agreed a deal with Paul at Dynamo Moskva for Andrea Belotti(91)28yo
with Fran Beltran(87) 22yo and Reece Oxford(83) 23yo coming to United
(9) Anton Evremov(73) 18yo was sold external to create a space for Oxford
Some people say I don’t do any deals or bring in youths, but thanks to Paddy and Paul I have.
We still have an average rating of 89.0 for the best starting 11, (87.77 for our best 18) and therefore would expect to finish in 15th place or generally between 10th - 17th. We have only managed to swap first team players around and have not received any rises for the existing ones, but I hope to finish between 6th - 14th this season as I was unsuccessful in trying different tactics and formations last season trying to combat 4231B.
My main target will be to avoid relegation from which will be a tough division in season 17. I have also received the following message “This season your Chairman expects you to avoid relegation”. It’s great when the targets are aligned between Chairman and Manager. Looking back over the last few seasons, 47 points should see us safe.
The new season started very well for us commencing with a 1-1 draw at home to Santos followed with a 3-0 win away to Everton, a 2-1 win at Monaco, a 1-0 win at home to PSG, a 2-0 victory away to Flamengo, a 2-0 home win against Schalke and a 1-1 draw away to Anderlecht . Our good run finally came to an end with a 0-3 home defeat to the 4231B of Valencia. Still top, but only on goal difference. Rodrigues Fred, one of our new signings and returning to United, had scored 6 from 7 from a defensive midfield role.
We have just reached mid season and from our 19 games have achieved W8, D5, L6, and 29 points, which is exactly the same as at this stage last season and leaves us in 7th place in the league. Our predicted finishing position is 15th so we seem to be doing ok, however, we were in a similar position this time last season and we just avoided relegation. We have only achieved 17 points from a predicted 24 at home, but away we have achieved 12 of a predicted 2. Overall, we have achieved 29 points from a prediction of 26, so all is looking good for a higher finishing position than last season, but we need to improve our home form.
How am I doing at United? - This is my third season
Promotion in my first season with United from division 3 was not a bad start and reminds me of my start with Besiktas. I had achieved the highest league position and points total for the 4 seasons that United had been in division 3.
Season 16 in division 2 was alright but we found it tough, just avoiding relegation. We finished 12th, which was within our target range for the team.
Season 17 has started well, but the form has started to tail off a little and so is a concern
Espanyol mid season review
19 games, 21 points and currently sat 17th but with a 4 point cushion to 18th. Its been a strange first half of the season for Espanyol.
After an ok start, away defeats to Manchester City and Porto and home defeats to Benfica and Stoke saw the Spanish side lose four on the bounce finding the net just once and conceding 6 goals in the process. It left the club with just 13 points from 15 games, firmly in the drop zone, and needing an injection of hope from somewhere.
Fast forward four games, and Espanyol have taken 8 points from 12 with credible draws against Bayern Munich and Chelsea, with wins coming against Verona and Levante. In this mini run the club has scored 4 and conceded just 1.
In the domestic cups, Espanyol exited the cup in round 3, with a loss to Benfica. Whilst they faired much worse in the domestic shield exiting in round 1 to lower division opposition in Rubin Kazan. Given the club fielded reserve teams for all these fixtures, then priority was firmly on the league.
Espanyol cruised through their European SMFA shield group winning all 6 games, and qualifying for the next stage.
In total , including league, cup, youth and Europe Espanyol's record stands at.
PLAYED - 31
WON - 14
DRAWN - 7
LOST - 10
GOALS FOR - 45
GOALS AGAINST - 25
CLEAN SHEETS - 16
Espanyols core strength has definately been their ability to keep clean sheets with that being achieved in 51.6% of games.
interestingly the club has averaged scoring 1.45 goals a game, although this is heavily inflated by the clubs great form in Europe. With the league goals to ratio just 0.84 a game.
The team has a season finish target of 14, and have this week completed the signings of Suarez and Firmino both 93 rated, with the hope of increasing the goals for column in the league. Given the team has achieved 21 points in the first half of the season, barring a disaster you would expect the team to improve on that over the second half of the season and retain its division 1 status and get close to achieving this seasons objective of 14th
Youth Cup / Shield Knock Out Draws Season 17
Find below the know out draws for Season 17 Youth Cup / Shield
Rounds 1 and 2 will be over 1 leg as usual. Quarter-Finals onwards 2 legs.
Fictional Extra Time in the event of a draw.
Saturday 2nd April - ROUND 1
Saturday 9th April - Round 2
The most successful manager in YC history - Alex Mclean will be delighted with the draw - although no doubt wary of Ruts Benfica - with GinoBet predicting one of Benfica or Man City to make the final. In the bottom half of the draw - Dan Payne and Dario Savinao will be leased that they wont be scheduled to meet until the semi finals as well if everyone progresses.
In round 1 a few former winners face off - with Stephen Partington's Roma facing the inconsistent Youth Side of Dan Wallace - the winner of whom will fancy their chances away in Sevilla and facing Gordon. The first ever winner of the YC - Doc will be in the YC knock outs for the first time in a long time but will face Sampdoria.
The losers of Youth Cup round 1 drop into Youth Shield Round 2 and the likes of Gursi (Cologne), James Mckenzie (Chelsea) - defending YC manager Heath Brown (Arsenal) and Walter Gogh (Partizan) will all be hoping for easy rides. In round 1 of the YC - Jay Jones has done very well to make the knockouts and will be delighted to be rewarded with a home tie, likewise David Inglis at Zagreb. Last seasons Youth Shield semi-finalist Ignazio Barraco will wary of a nicely developing Independiente side in Round 1 though.
What's been going on at Dynamo...
Its now two and a half months since I took the reigns at Dynamo Moskva so thought I would share how things have been going so far. Sitting in 4th spot in the league and 5 points off top spot is decent and I probably would have taken that before the season started. Form is a little up and down but that is to be expected in a division where most of the teams are very evenly matched and teams will always pinch points off each other.
My nateral instincts when taking over a team is to trade/sell off all the older players for younger lower rated players but with a higher ceiling. The uniquness of T100 and the contract situation meant I had to look at the task in a different way as lowering the rating of the first team could lead to me failing to meet the "top 15 finish" and getting the sack after only 1 season in charge.
Signings so far:
Andrea Belotti (91 rated - 28 years old) - Fran Beltran, Reece Oxford and £7m
This is my most important signing to date. I felt a 91 rated forward could be the difference down in division 4. He hasn't set the world alight so far and hoping for a much better 2nd half of the season from him.
Jesus Gallardo (87 rated - 27 years old) - Jordan Amavi
Came as part of a deal for Jordan Amavi to take over the starting LB spot. A down grade by 1 rating point but felt it worth while to recieve the other players that came as part of the deal.
Mohammed Bayo (85 rated - 23 years old) - Jordan Amavi
Came as part of a deal for Jordan Amavi. Has a good goalscorring recordin the French league for a struggling Clermont. Has been linked with the likes of West Ham and fingers crossed he gets move in the summer.
Adamo Nagalo (78 rated - 19 years old) - Jordan Amavi
Came as part of a deal for Jordan Amavi. A graduate from the Right to Dream Accademy and playing for Danish top tie club Nordsjaelland. Already established as a starter and I have high hopes he moves on to a stronger European league.
Ebrima Darboe (76 rated - 20 years old) - Jordan Amavi
Came as part of a deal for Jordan Amavi. The young Gambian international was a part of the first team int he African nations, getting to the Quanrter Finals. Hasn't seen much in the way of minutes for Roma this season, only really getting a chance in the European games but its always going to be difficult under Mourinho who doesnt often give youth a chance. Been linked with a move to big European clubs. One for the future!
Theo Bengona (86 rated - 26 years old) - Danny Da Costa
Right back Danny Da Costa was level 4 concerns when I arrived and I felt I needed to find the best deal I could for him. I had a few offers and this was the one I accepted. Bengonda is having a decent season for Genk scoring 10 league goals in 28 appearences from the wing. An out side chance of a ratings increase but good depth in the main.
Moussa Wague (82 rated - 23 years old) - Danny Da Costa
This was the 2nd part of the deal for Da Costa. Picking up a 23 year old Barcalona player sounds good but this lads career has stalled dramatically. A mixture of serious injury, loan spells and Covid has meant a once promising talent is in the wilderness. He isnt going to make it at Barca so will be important to see what club he terms up at next.
Jordan Beyer (82 rated - 21 years old) - Diego Costa
Having picked up Belotti I had no need for Costa. Central Defence is the weekest part of my team so was able to pick up a young prospect getting regular game time for Monchengladbach.
Chidera Ejuke (86 rated - 24 years old) - 2.4 mil
Picked him up for depth mainly and felt he had a chance at rising looking at his real life numbers and he did get a plus 2 up to 86 in the Russian review.
From External
James Trafford - young Man City keeper impressing on loan at Bolton.
Shea Charles - young Man City academy prospect
Oscar Bobb - young Man City academy prospect. Impressing and not far from the first team squad.
Marko Ilic - 24 year old Serbian GK playing in Belgium. Capped by his county and with luck hopefully a bigger club will take a chance on him in time.
Osvaldo Rodriguez - Playing in the Mexican League. Simply sighned as depth as he can play right and left back.
Tom Van de Looi - Young Dutch midfielder playing for promotion chasing Brecia. If he is playing in the Italian top flight next season he could see a significant rise.
Sargis Adamyan - just picked him up as he has scored 5 in his last 5 for table topping Club Brugge. Probably too old now to progress much but adds to the squad depth.
Vincent Aboubakar - Took a punt on him when he was ripping it up at the African nation hoping a European team would sign him. He is too old in truth though and he will be shipped out once his transfer ban ends.
Bradley Dack - Super talented player currently making a come back after some terrible injuries. When I signed him it was looking like Blackburn were Premiership bound but the wheels have come off. I will hold on to see if he is a Premiership player next year.
Aleix Garcia - Ex-Man City player. Still young and playing for promotion chasing Girona. If he is playing in the Spanish top flight next season I would hope his rating will improve.
Jacob Murphy - Has been a regular under Eddie Howe in what is a much improved Newcastle team. Currently 85 rated but a rise to 87 must be a possibility looking at his numbers and if so will become a good option.
In summary I am pleased with the way things have been going. I have a chance at promotion if I can stick around the playoff picture in division 4 but it tough as a lot of the teams are a much of a muchness. A bit of luck and keeping my better rated players bit will be the key.
Goals the key.
As we head towards the half way point of the season Espanyol find themselves just above the relegation zone in 17th. Its been a challenging first half of the season with the team struggling to score goals. 14 goals from 17 games is a poor return as Morata has struggled to find the net consistently and fill the void left by Aguero's retirement. Only the bottom 2 have scored less goals, and this has been the Catalyst to the manager securing the signings of Firmino and Suarez.
In contrast at the other end of the pitch Espanyol have one of the divisions tightest defences having comceded just 18, which is 5th best in Division . As we head towards the end of the month, the manager is hoping the added fire can increase the clubs chances of reaching the contractual goal of 14th.
"you'd like to keep your key players, especially those with improvement in them. You work hard enough to bring them to the club. Ultimately though in such a competitive league results are what you are judged on and ours have just not been good enough so far this season. We are a trading club, and pride ourselves in being open to deals. It keeps things fresh and interesting. We are genuinely excited about the pending arrival of Firmino and Suarez who are division 1 and division 2's top scorers respectively. Its been commented that Oyarzabal is an assist machine and he has certainly played his part in doing exactly that this season. However we cannot escape the goals for column. Less than a goal a game is not enough to keep us out of trouble. We continue to add youth players to our squad, who will hopefully become our next major assets. We are at that stage now, where our trading is reaching a conclusion. We'd like another right back, but beyond that I think once all our transfers are complete we have a very workable core first team. We have never been a team to settle on one formation and our business will probably see us change things a little for certain games. "
Young starlets get international recognition.
Espanyol youngsters, Van Hecke, and Khadra have been called up for the forthcoming under 21 internationals for Holland and Germany respectively their first call ups at this level.
"we are genuinely excited by the potential in these two.
Van Hecke, has so much composure on the ball, a great range of passing, excellent in the air and is quick. He is fazed by nothing and reminds me very much of a young Henning Berg. He has a lot of exceptional talent to compete with for international honours with Holland, so to get the call is most pleasing.
Khadra is another, as a youngster he was released by Dortmund but has shown he has some exceptional skills, speed, can create a goal and can also score them. Its been a big breakthrough season for him, and is one who can go on to big things. This has been recognised by Germany and like Holland this is a significant call up for us. We have found the need to trade some of our youngsters to keep afloat, but with the confidence that we have other young players who are going to get better and become big assets for this club.
We continue to search the globe for potential improvers we can polish up, whilst we have other youngsters who we hold big hopes for, like Jordan James, Tyler Onyango, Emre Demir and Alvaro Bastida. When you see players start getting international recognition, it gives you a buzz that your recruitment is working and solid foundations are being put in place.
There was literally no youth policy here when I arrived. There have been some eyebrows raised at some of the young players we've let go, but these are players I brought to the club and i'm not affraid to part with an asset to ensure the first team remains serviced and competitive. I've not been here a full season yet, and the benefit of our business will start to show in the coming seasons. We are in transition, we are rebuilding the club, with a high turnover of players to get us in a position where we can compete both short term and long term.
Its a bit rough at present, we are in the relegation zone, struggling to cope with the loss of Aguero and out of form. Division 1 is competitive, the standard of opposition is much greater than what we have right now. However new players will arrive before the end of the month, to aid us through this current campaign. This is my 12th year in SM, and I'm confident in my own ability to build a competitive team capable of competing for honours. We think things through, and decision is not taken lightly. Sometimes we give far more than we should in the transfer market, but we are not affraid to do this. Other times we drive a hard bargain and want far more than others are willing to pay. Football is about opinions and that one player you rate highly, others do not. We will continue to chip away, let the haters hate but in the end we know where we are going and what is needed to get there.
Espanyol make mid season changes to stop the rot.
Espanyol who are very much in transition have moved swiftly in the transfer market to try and stop the slide towards division 2. The club despite being solid at the back have struggled for goals in the league which has resulted in the club dropping into the relegation zone.
Out goings:
Merino 91, Morata 91, Henrique 88, Pino 87, Sancet 85, Sousa 73, Oyarzabal 92, Garcia 84
Incomings
Wijnaldrum 93, Suarez 93, Firmino 93, Herrera 90, , Vlasic 89 Akturkoglu 85, Perraud 86.
"Contractually we are on the brink of the sack. You never want to part with younger players who are going to just keep getting better, but its pointless building for the future if another manager takes your job and benefits from your hard work. We've opted to bring some higher rated players in but also some decent under 25s who have improvement in them. I'm never affraid to gamble, or change direction. We've a lot of young players, who i feel need a little experience around them. Staying in division 1 is our objective and I think we can improve on our position with these signings. We have a few weeks to wait until all deals are completed, but im satisfied with our business"
Flipping Hamburger
We're one third of the way through S17, so it's as good a time as any for a quick review and update of how things are going here in northern Germany.
This is Hamburger's second season back in D3 after relegation from D2 in S15. It feels like a long time since we hit the heady heights of promotion to D1 all the way back in S11.
We had a miserable time in the top flight, finishing bottom with a record low points total. Not entirely unexpected, and not much fun.
We lost in the playoffs in S13, and then avoided relegation to D3 in the final game of S14, before plunging back down the following season.
We knew back then that we needed to do some work flipping an aging first team - an aging first team that had been assembled from trading younger players for higher ratings to get promotion after years in the D3 midtable wilderness.
Since our D1 (mis)adventure, I'd been building my youth team (which I'll come back to), while trying (and failing) to maintain a aging higher rated first team to sustain at least D2 football. Our first season back in D3 saw my aging team floundering in midtable again, so I sold off most of them for some younger lower rated players... and then also started getting better results.
Which got me thinking....
Now, most seasons I like to start with some new-fangled formation and tactics that is finally going to blow the notorious SM match engine wide open, before reverting back to the tried and trusted 4231B attacking-direct-down-both-wings formula that staves off inevitable relegation and puts you back in with a decent chance of promotion, but not quite.
Last season was no different. 4222 (which I've used successfully in one other game world) was my stupid, stupid choice for S16.
In a nutshell, my stupid formations yielded a weedy 28 points from 26 games, while good old-fashioned 4231B produced a sturdy 27 points from just 12 matches - title-winning form!
It was a no-brainer. Like DP 91 before me, I had proved what everyone already knew. S17, therefore, I would stick with 4231B, with a few tactical variations for playing home or away against stronger or weaker teams and collect my D3 title. Mission accomplished!
Thankfully in SM, nothing ever works out quite like you expect it to, and with just 9 points from 8 games religiously sticking to Plan 4231B at the start of this season, something had to change.
We switched to Plan 442 (short passing), which we used successfully in friendly games at the end of S16. Can't remember who I stole that idea from, but fairly certain it's not something I can claim any credit for.
Since then, we had four straight wins, including at then second placed Wolfsburg, prompting disbelief and self-loathing from the Wolves' gaffer.
Anyway, early doors to get too carried away, and disappointed to manage only a draw at home to second bottom Napoli on Sunday when a win would have put us in second place. Especially after being two goals up. But delighted to be up there and in contention at this stage.
Back to my youth team. Another good start in the Youth Cup. We've sacrificed a lot to try to build a strong and successful youth setup over the past five or six seasons (youth squad highlights from a year ago: U21, U20, U19, U18).
But it had to be done, and while there are others who could have, and have done, better jobs - and faster - at their clubs, I'm still pleased with the work here.
We got to the Youth Cup semi-final last season, and the aim has to be the final this season. Even though this looks like the strongest Youth Cup competition I can remember. No doubt SM will now have me heading for the Youth Shield at the earliest opportunity!
Season 17 Division 1 Stats Break 2
Because Why Not !
Was still working on the template to generate the output and charts when I put up the first article ... get ready for installment #2
Stats Break A | Possession
Just like you tell you players before every match, if they don't have the ball, they cannot score. And then you go play Super Attacking Fast football and berate them for turning the ball over and losing possession .... wait ... what was that ......... aha ... yep .... nope .... yes you do ...
The profile of possession is what you would expect to see ... a few anomalies ... Levante and Hellas ... and Benfica and City competing well but not (*yet) showing in the results. Now let's look at the home and away stats ....
Barca bring their own ball and at the end of the match kick it to the opposition and say 'there you go, you can play with it now' ... Real Madrid and Levante ... Levante ... what is in the water in that city ... some form of go-go juice ? We might need to look at scoring efficiency v time of possession at some point in the near future. The mid-table is congested with teams that are able and capable of catapulting up the standings ... the bottom end of the table clearly populated with sides that just don't have the talent to put out to compete on equal terms just yet ...
The big buddha's up the top like to play keepie off even away from home ... and are good enough to do it. Levante, clearly without the benefit of the natural springs of home hold the ball a bit longer. Arsenal, can't score in the last 30 mins also cannot possess the ball away from home ... what is going on ? Benfica hold that ball, but are just not getting the results at the moment.
Now this is the interesting chart .... the Possession Delta ... Home v Away.
A positive number (pale green) is the average of your home possession being greater than your away possession. For example, Barcelona, through 10 matches, averages ~4% more possession at home, than when they play away.
A negative number (red) means you are averaging a higher possession away from home. For example, Levante, averages 6% more possession away from their natural go-go juice springs, than they do at home sprinting around the park like a team of Yannik Bolasie and Tony Yeboah semi guided missiles.
Arsenal dominant at home on the ball, but right now it is all like the death throes of the Wenger years ... as we say in Texas ... all hat, no cattle ... just struggling to get it done. Alex has City holding onto a lot of Etihad home ball, also looking to launch his season over the next few fixtures. Some interesting stuff in here.
Stats Break B | Naughty Naughty Boys
And now we turn to the discipline side our game ... the yellows and the reds ... the AS Roma's ...
Copping a YC during a match is, or even multiples, part of the game. Copping a YC before you take a free kick ... don't get me started about the anomaly ...
Some sinners here ... and some saints ... Gav definitely getting his charges fired up ... the ball and the man come at you ... only one goes past. Stoke could probably use a little anger and fire, could kick start their season ? Dortmund playing clean and fair ... without too much mongrel in them too. Let's go look at the home and away splits ...
Who are the brutes and who are the 'clean' teams ... Fortresses in Munchen and both Madrid's ... these boys playing with an edge ... even Arsenal gets a little nasty at home. Liege and Stoke playing like gentlemen ...
Some timid teams away from home ... Porto like to mix it up ... but AC Milan going hard, studs up. Juventus playing fair (you don't know hard it is to say that with a straight face ...... IRL Dan .... IRL !!). Dortmund take their technical fair football on the road as well. It does look like tackling style is not just a switch in the tactics ...
Stats Break C | Sneak Peak ...
A preview of some future stuff ...
Well it’s good night from me, and it’s good night from him, good night
Until the next update .... and remember ... if nothing else works, a total pig-headed unwillingness to look facts in the face will see us through !
Season 17 Division 1 Stats Break| Quarter Time drinks break (9 matches in)
Season 17 ... Division 1 ... shaping up to be a manic every three points is a prisoner type season. The margins between the clubs at the top, in the middle, and in the dog fight down near the cellar are as close as they have been in the history of Top 100
And sometimes ... sometimes ... the inner stat's nerd in me lashes out and punches me in the face! Dust off that big brain of yours and do some frikkin' stats ... you NERD. So here we are ...
Stats Break #1 | Minutes Leading / Drawing / Losing
Let's have a look at how long, over the first 900 minutes, each club has been leading matches, drawing ... and losing ...
Some obvious takeaways from this chart ... the top four rarely trail in matches, the bottom several teams are struggling to put it together. Heath Brown at Arsenal must be causing his dentist bigger headaches than the molars he is grinding to a pulp. Leading a lot of matches, yet prospecting around the lower mid table.
Still early days, and a lot can change, but some food for thought.
Stats Break #2 | Shots / On Target / GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL
Over to the stat-i-caster to look at how each club has performed attacking the goal this season ... Herman ... what have you got for us ...
Unsurprisingly the top end of the table taking a lot of shots, more accurately but only a little more successful at converting them into goals. This could bode well for rest of the season ... being closer than we have seen in previous seasons.
Benfica, Manchester City and Arsenal looking at their coaching staff who are handling shooting and the attacking third responsibilities asking a Whisky Tango Foxtrot .... how much do we pay you! Real Madrid immediately securing an additional two year contracts for same said staff to discourage an Espana raid originating from Manchester airport in the next few days ...
Stats Break #3 | When do we score our GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL's
Who are the fair weather sailors, the fast starters ... who are the dogged consistent scorers throughout the full 90 mins ... and who are the last chance Charlies, thriving on late tension and pressure and putting the ball in the back of the net nearer the final whistle than kickoff
Interesting chart this one ..... Arsenal, Hertha, Real Madrid and Barca seem to do a lot of damage early in matches, but not so much in the second half. Juventus appear to be more interested immediately after half time spotting the pretty girls in the crowd, as are my SC Internacional.
Some interesting things in here ... if you know what I mean gentlemen ...
Stats Break #4 | When do we score our GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL's in percentage brackets
My head hurts sometimes from looking at numbers ... and the chart in #3 is good on an absolute basis ... but showing the goals brackets in a percentage form ... easier on the eyes
Converting to percentages really highlights the disparity across the clubs so far this season. You can see those asleep at the wheel in the first half, and those who eat too many pies at half time and trot around like kegs on legs for the next 15-30 mins ... and those who fade out and burn away ... and those primped and preened strikers that are looking for the camera's donking in goals in the last 15 mins ...
Heath Brown's Arsenal suffering from stage fright in the second half ... Glen Mullan's RCD Espanyol slow to warm up and get into the match, but the fear of being locked under the grandstand stairs for not scoring enough has his players bring it all in the last 15 mins.
And ominously ... Chelsea ... even steven ... bringing it consistently through the 90 mins ...
Well it's good night from me, and it's good night from him, good night
Another update due after MD19 ... mid season. Will work on a few more different data cuts for the next one ... a focus on the much maligned GK methinks as well ...
Until next time, Herman and Pointdexter the stat's nerds over and out
Top 100 TV - Season 17 - Episode 2
Join Beddows, Mullan and Harmer as they discuss each division so far - discuss some questions asked on the newsfeed, and award overachiever and underachiever of the season so far.
Espanyol 3 v 3 Real Madrid.
You would of forgiven the home supporters if they'd headed for the exits before half-time in this all spanish fixture, as Real Madrid raced into a 3-0 lead courtesy of goals from Zielinski, Messi and Correa. It was end to end but Madrid were so clinical in front of goal, that it appeared a heavy defeat was the likely outcome.
However, there is a new air of optimism around the club at Espanyol, coupled with that never say die attitude. When Morata found the clubs new hero Oyarzabal with a neat ball, the new star made no mistake as he smashed it into the top corner beyond the despairing dive of Schmeichel. This for a moment got the home crowd off their seats. However within minutes Espanyol were down to ten men as veteran Fernandinho recieved his second yellow card for a foul on Rice, which you'd of thought that was it for Espanyol.
Espanyol however continued to press, and when the impressive Oyarzabal found Martinez, he finished in some style from long range in the 53rd minute. It was end to end stuff then as Real Madrid were always going to be threat on the break as Espanyol threw caution to the wind to push for an equaliser which duly came when Oyarzabal found former Real Madrid star James Rodriguez is smashed one into the bottom corner to complete the unlikeliest comeback.
"absolutely thrilled with that comeback, and we could of nicked all three points in the end. We've a lot of new players, but game by game they are settling. Oyarzabal is a big player for us. We were offered a 92, and 2 x 90 players for him this week, and made it clear he is not for sale. He is only going to get better, and along with other key signings, once they all settle, we are going to be a decent side. The one negative is Fernandinho now misses three games. We dont have the most strength in depth, so that's a massive blow. However tonights about celebrating a fantastic point, and one richly deserved"
Standard Liege 1 v 1 Espanyol
A hard fought encounter in Belgium ended all square as Oyarzabal cancelled out a Tsyhankov opener to take a share of the spoils. Espanyol found the Liege keeper Martinez in inspired form as he stood firm to take the man of the match, to ensure his side remain unbeaten.
"we lnew it would be a hard game, and we are slightly disappointed in the draw, but its another good point on the board. Oyarzabel is showing exactly why we pushed hard to bring him to the club with his 3rd goal in 4 games. We've some tough games coming up and need to try and get through as many of these with damage limitation to keep our head above the water. Overall pleased with our start and all eyes are on Europe tomorrow against Cadiz before we face the might of Real Madrid"
Werder Bremen 0 v 1 Espanyol
Espanyol recorded their first league win of the season against newly promoted Bremen with new Brazilan full back Henrique bagging the decisive goal.
The full-time scoreline was somewhere surprising given both sides had 15 shots on goal, in a game where 14 corners were also shared. Oyarzabel capped off a decent week with another assist and the man of the match award and his little bit of extra quality was probably the difference in a hard fought encounter.
"Its only game two, but this was a must win fixture for us. We've identified where we need to be picking points up, and this was one of those fixtures. Last time out against Juventus, we gave a good account but came away with nothing, that was expected. After a clean sheet in Europe earlier this week, it was nice to record another one. It was also nice to have the lion's share of possession. We've avoided any injuries or suspensions which could de-rail us a lot given our squad players are not quite there in terms of impacting our first team. Again its been a week of discussions with other clubs over possible deals, but the valuations we are being quoted is off the scale. So unless something drastically changes, i'm not envisaging any major deals in or out for the foreseeable. We do have a number of players we've identified, but one by one we are ticking them off, and moving on. We've in the main now got a young squad, with a lot of players who will rise in value and ratings over the next couple of years. We've worked extremely hard to get the squad age down, and bring in assets who have improvement in them. Pino is a good example of that. We parted with a 91 rated player in Fekir who was a star for us last season, to secure his signature. He is a full international for Spain, yet he has just turned 19. By the time he is 21, we are going to have some player on our hands. There is a path for him to break into our team with another rating rise, so won't be entertaining silly offers. Football opinions are subjective, a player you rate highly others won't, likewise with their own players, their valuation and yours can be polar opposites.
We now look to Sunday and Standard Liege. They've some injury issues at the back and we need to capitalise on that. They have started the season well though, and have some top players, some we know very well from their time here, and others have been transfer targets for us. They are a little like us and do tweek their tactics from game to game, but we are aware of that, and the threat this carry, so will pick a team/tactic capable of getting us a result"
Season 17 Division 5 Stats and Facts
Rubin and Inter lead the pack is defence the best form of attack in division 5.
Both the leading clubs have a good keeper and defence combo and a fairly strong attack. Athletic club also have a strong keeper and stronger attack in the top and tail approach. Twente and Spartak have 87 rated keepers but this is standard in D5, Spartak have a far weaker defence than most but will be reliant on the midfield to shield the back line and the strikers to push the goals in.
Boca will fancy their chances of at least a play off spot with a strong keeper , attacker pair.
217 is the cut off for relegation in D4 so a dozen or more teams could compete for promotion, Atalanta may well have a good mix for that in my view.
Obviously no relegation , just the sack race to avoid. Shaktar are very much a work in progress. They are very much an easy meal for most teams, Independiente just need to get the defence together. Torino rebuild almost there . Malaga just need to polish up the midfield a little.
Division 5 will probably be a little easier to exit from this season it is about half a point weaker mainly due to Swansea & Sao Paulo’s promotion leaving no teams rated above 220.
| GK | DEF | MID | ATT | Top18 | Ave | ETOT | Pre | |
| Rubin Kazan | 89.0 | 88.5 | 88.0 | 88.0 | 86.0 | 87.9 | 219.40 | 1 |
| Internazionale | 89.0 | 87.5 | 88.5 | 88.0 | 87.0 | 88.0 | 219.12 | 2 |
| Athletic Club | 89.0 | 87.3 | 87.5 | 89.0 | 85.0 | 87.6 | 218.53 | 3 |
| FC Twente | 87.0 | 87.8 | 87.8 | 88.0 | 86.0 | 87.3 | 218.36 | 4 |
| Spartak Moskva | 87.0 | 86.5 | 88.5 | 88.5 | 85.0 | 87.1 | 218.17 | 5 |
| Boca Juniors | 88.0 | 86.5 | 87.3 | 89.0 | 85.0 | 87.2 | 217.61 | 6 |
| Montpellier HSC | 86.0 | 87.3 | 87.8 | 87.5 | 86.0 | 86.9 | 217.52 | 7 |
| 1. FC Köln | 88.0 | 87.0 | 88.0 | 88.0 | 81.0 | 86.4 | 217.48 | 8 |
| Olympiacos | 88.0 | 87.8 | 87.3 | 87.0 | 85.0 | 87.0 | 217.31 | 9 |
| Olympique Marseille | 87.0 | 87.5 | 87.0 | 87.5 | 86.0 | 87.0 | 217.24 | 10 |
| Atalanta BC | 88.0 | 87.0 | 87.3 | 87.5 | 86.0 | 87.2 | 217.16 | 11 |
| Olympique Lyonnais | 87.0 | 87.0 | 87.0 | 87.5 | 86.0 | 86.9 | 216.84 | 12 |
| VfB Stuttgart | 89.0 | 87.5 | 87.0 | 87.0 | 83.0 | 86.7 | 216.79 | 13 |
| ACF Fiorentina | 87.0 | 87.0 | 87.3 | 87.0 | 86.0 | 86.9 | 216.71 | 14 |
| AZ Alkmaar | 87.0 | 86.8 | 87.5 | 87.0 | 85.0 | 86.7 | 216.59 | 15 |
| AS Saint-Etienne | 88.0 | 87.0 | 87.0 | 87.0 | 85.0 | 86.8 | 216.51 | 16 |
| Málaga CF | 87.0 | 87.0 | 86.8 | 87.0 | 85.0 | 86.6 | 216.19 | 17 |
| Torino | 87.0 | 86.0 | 87.5 | 87.0 | 85.0 | 86.5 | 215.99 | 18 |
| Independiente | 88.0 | 85.8 | 87.0 | 87.0 | 84.0 | 86.4 | 215.39 | 19 |
| Shakhtar Donetsk | 86.0 | 85.5 | 85.3 | 85.5 | 83.0 | 85.1 | 212.46 | 20 |
Season 17 Division 4 Stats and Facts
Five teams in the fight for the title in Division 4.
It seems that Division 4 will have at least 2 really disappointed teams that most years would have grabbed an automatic place but will now be in the playoffs at best . Celta Vigo have a strong attack and a good midfield. With a competent back line , at least by D4 standards they should gain promotion. Sao Paulo a little less attacking but more defensive, should score less but concede less than Celta so should match them all the way. Swansea just a fraction lower than Sao Paulo, better in midfield but less potent up top, will need to make the most of the increased chances. Leicester ,pretty much like Celta Vigo should make up the top 4. Dynamo Moscow have a major weakness in goal, especially against these and other potent attacks.
This really only leaves two play off spots. Lille top and tail their team and must be favourites to upset the top 5 if anyone does, Cruziero are a similar build with CSKA the other playoff possible having a more balanced approach.
218 could be the survival stakes in D3 so any team down to Chievo could make a run for the play off spot and survive the next season and they look like a team who could make a good performance in the cup this year.
At the wrong end of the table , the cut off for relegation is around 217 at the moment. It is hard to see Lazio surviving with a weak defence and attack. Basel need to strengthen the midfield and West Ham their defence. PSV should be ok if they avoid injuires. Lokomotiv must use their attacking line effectively as they will ship goals at the other end.
Division 4 is half a point stronger this season, maybe a little skewed by the top 5 which show the challenge anyone outside that group has getting into automatic or even play off spots.
| GK | DEF | MID | ATT | Top18 | Ave | ETOT | Pre | |
| Celta Vigo | 88.0 | 88.0 | 89.8 | 90.0 | 86.0 | 88.4 | 221.58 | 1 |
| São Paulo FC | 88.0 | 88.5 | 89.0 | 89.5 | 86.0 | 88.2 | 221.06 | 2 |
| Swansea City | 88.0 | 88.5 | 89.3 | 89.0 | 87.0 | 88.4 | 221.05 | 3 |
| Leicester City | 88.0 | 88.0 | 89.0 | 89.5 | 86.0 | 88.1 | 220.66 | 4 |
| Dynamo Moskva | 87.0 | 87.5 | 88.8 | 90.5 | 84.0 | 87.6 | 220.35 | 5 |
| Lille OSC | 90.0 | 86.5 | 88.8 | 90.0 | 85.0 | 88.1 | 219.70 | 6 |
| Cruzeiro | 89.0 | 87.5 | 88.5 | 89.0 | 86.0 | 88.0 | 219.65 | 7 |
| CSKA Moskva | 89.0 | 88.0 | 88.0 | 88.5 | 85.0 | 87.7 | 219.21 | 8 |
| Dynamo Kyiv | 88.0 | 87.3 | 87.3 | 90.0 | 85.0 | 87.5 | 218.86 | 9 |
| Besiktas JK | 88.0 | 87.8 | 88.8 | 87.0 | 86.0 | 87.5 | 218.63 | 10 |
| Chievo Verona | 88.0 | 87.5 | 88.3 | 87.0 | 86.0 | 87.4 | 218.03 | 11 |
| Club Brugge KV | 88.0 | 86.3 | 88.8 | 88.0 | 85.0 | 87.2 | 217.96 | 12 |
| Sunderland | 88.0 | 86.8 | 88.5 | 87.5 | 85.0 | 87.2 | 217.84 | 13 |
| Girondins Bordeaux | 88.0 | 87.5 | 87.3 | 87.5 | 85.0 | 87.1 | 217.44 | 14 |
| Villarreal CF | 87.0 | 86.5 | 87.5 | 88.5 | 85.0 | 86.9 | 217.37 | 15 |
| Lokomotiv Moskva | 87.0 | 86.0 | 87.0 | 88.5 | 85.0 | 86.7 | 216.57 | 16 |
| PSV | 88.0 | 86.8 | 87.3 | 87.0 | 85.0 | 86.8 | 216.51 | 17 |
| West Ham United | 87.0 | 86.3 | 87.3 | 87.5 | 85.0 | 86.6 | 216.32 | 18 |
| FC Basel | 87.0 | 87.0 | 86.5 | 87.5 | 85.0 | 86.6 | 216.32 | 19 |
| SS Lazio | 88.0 | 85.3 | 88.0 | 86.5 | 83.0 | 86.2 | 215.35 | 20 |
Season 17 Division 3 stats and facts
Will West Brom’s strike force carry them to the title?
A huge reliance on a potent strike force has worked well in the past in D3 and West Brom have all the tools to pull off that trick. They sit well above Zagreb the next best attacking side and Sassulo who pack the back line better than most. They probably should be the top 3 . The play off teams should be Roma who lack depth so will need a good start and a similar issue could affect Wolfsburg while both teams are an attacking force. Udinese and Hoffenheim have more coverage and may have to wait a game or two to make an impact.
To survive in D2 you will need a rating of 221, so other than the top 3 , the rest will struggle if they go up. Feyenoord and Fenernahce are an interesting prospect ,strong keeper and attack but lacking elsewhere. Galatasaray could be consistent all season and should put in a good cup run.
Last season a rating of 218 or less got you relegated no questions asked. This leaves Newcastle ,Sevilla, Zenit and Napoli in serious trouble unless they can pull off a Dnipro. Zenit really just need a slightly better attacker, Napoli have much more work to do in midfield and defence. Sevilla an attacker could help and Newcastle maybe a better Keeper and defence.
Compared to last season division 3 is half a point weaker across the board. This could lead to a larger selection of playoff teams than usual but won’t really save the weaker teams as even 217.5 is the already the level of the lowest 4 teams with the next worst .7 above them.
| GK | DEF | MID | ATT | Top18 | Ave | ETOT | |
| West Bromwich Albion | 88.0 | 88.5 | 89.0 | 91.5 | 87.0 | 88.8 | 222.48 |
| Dinamo Zagreb | 89.0 | 88.3 | 89.8 | 89.5 | 86.0 | 88.5 | 221.58 |
| Sassuolo | 91.0 | 89.3 | 89.5 | 88.0 | 86.0 | 88.8 | 221.44 |
| AS Roma | 88.0 | 89.0 | 88.5 | 89.0 | 85.0 | 87.9 | 220.61 |
| VfL Wolfsburg | 89.0 | 88.3 | 88.5 | 89.5 | 85.0 | 88.1 | 220.46 |
| Udinese Calcio | 88.0 | 89.3 | 89.0 | 87.5 | 86.0 | 88.0 | 220.36 |
| TSG 1899 Hoffenheim | 88.0 | 88.0 | 89.0 | 88.5 | 86.0 | 87.9 | 220.01 |
| Galatasaray SK | 88.0 | 88.0 | 88.8 | 88.0 | 87.0 | 88.0 | 219.60 |
| Crystal Palace | 88.0 | 87.8 | 88.5 | 88.5 | 86.0 | 87.8 | 219.41 |
| Sampdoria | 88.0 | 88.5 | 87.8 | 88.0 | 86.0 | 87.7 | 219.08 |
| FK Partizan | 88.0 | 87.5 | 88.3 | 88.5 | 86.0 | 87.7 | 219.01 |
| Feyenoord | 90.0 | 87.0 | 88.0 | 89.0 | 86.0 | 88.0 | 218.97 |
| Celtic | 89.0 | 87.5 | 87.8 | 88.5 | 85.0 | 87.6 | 218.61 |
| Borussia Mönchengladbach | 87.0 | 86.8 | 89.3 | 88.0 | 83.0 | 86.8 | 218.40 |
| Hamburger SV | 89.0 | 87.5 | 87.3 | 88.5 | 85.0 | 87.5 | 218.21 |
| Fenerbahçe SK | 90.0 | 86.8 | 87.0 | 89.5 | 85.0 | 87.7 | 218.18 |
| Newcastle United | 87.0 | 87.0 | 87.5 | 88.0 | 86.0 | 87.1 | 217.56 |
| Sevilla | 89.0 | 87.8 | 87.3 | 87.0 | 86.0 | 87.4 | 217.55 |
| Zenit Saint Petersburg | 89.0 | 87.3 | 87.8 | 86.5 | 86.0 | 87.3 | 217.23 |
| SSC Napoli | 88.0 | 86.5 | 86.8 | 87.5 | 85.0 | 86.8 | 216.24 |
Season 17 Division 2 Stats and Facts
Genoa certain to return to Division 1? What about the rest
Genoa are by rights a mid table D1 side and while nothing is guaranteed they lead every important stat except defence.
There are then maybe 4 other teams in for a good shout at the remaining 2 automatic places. Anderlecht have huge depth and if Genoa falter are the only team who could challenge them. Villa potent up top and in midfield but lacking depth. Ajax , surely a keeper away from a great team and Valencia who again maybe a little weak in defence but are more than solid elsewhere.
Then doing the maths that leaves 2 free playoff spots. Everton , Leverkeusen, Liverpool and Tottenham should be favoured teams. Everton weaker at the back, Leverkeusen maybe need a star forward. Liverpool will they get enough possession and Spurs a good all rounder team.
The cut off to survive division 1 is around 224, so realistically it would probably be unwise for any other team to push for promotion without drastically improving first.
At the lower end it was pretty much set in stone 219.5 or less last season meant a massive risk of relegation. Only 3 teams sit close to that Dnipro, the galant over performers will be out classed in all departments, River Plate surely an 87 keeper will not be enough without the back up of possession or a scoring force. Monaco seem to be a rating or more below 17th spot.
That high cut off now could drag Santos or Schalke into the mix with even Man Utd, PSG, Southampton and Sporting needed to keep an eye on what is going on should they slip into danger.
As for a cup run Anderlecht would have a chance, as could PSG or Schalke.
Division 2 is substantially stronger than last season and will be a tough challenge for all concerned.
| GK | DEF | MID | ATT | Top18 | Ave | ETOT | Pre | |
| Genoa CFC | 92.0 | 90.0 | 92.3 | 92.0 | 85.0 | 90.3 | 226.84 | 1 |
| RSC Anderlecht | 91.0 | 89.8 | 90.8 | 90.0 | 88.0 | 89.9 | 224.38 | 2 |
| Aston Villa | 89.0 | 90.3 | 91.0 | 90.0 | 85.0 | 89.1 | 224.38 | 3 |
| Ajax | 87.0 | 89.0 | 90.8 | 92.0 | 85.0 | 88.8 | 224.24 | 4 |
| Valencia CF | 92.0 | 89.0 | 90.3 | 91.5 | 86.0 | 89.8 | 224.24 | 5 |
| Everton | 89.0 | 89.0 | 90.3 | 91.0 | 85.0 | 88.9 | 223.43 | 6 |
| Bayer Leverkusen | 89.0 | 90.5 | 90.5 | 88.3 | 86.0 | 88.9 | 223.16 | 7 |
| Liverpool | 90.0 | 89.0 | 89.5 | 91.5 | 83.0 | 88.6 | 223.04 | 8 |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 89.0 | 89.8 | 89.5 | 90.0 | 86.0 | 88.9 | 222.90 | 9 |
| Flamengo | 88.0 | 89.8 | 89.3 | 89.5 | 85.0 | 88.3 | 222.14 | 10 |
| FC AUGSBURG | 89.0 | 88.5 | 89.0 | 91.0 | 85.0 | 88.5 | 222.03 | 11 |
| Sporting CP | 88.0 | 89.3 | 89.0 | 90.0 | 85.0 | 88.3 | 221.86 | 12 |
| Southampton | 87.0 | 89.3 | 90.0 | 88.5 | 86.0 | 88.2 | 221.73 | 13 |
| Paris Saint-Germain | 91.0 | 88.5 | 89.8 | 88.0 | 86.0 | 88.7 | 221.04 | 14 |
| Manchester United | 88.0 | 88.5 | 89.0 | 90.0 | 83.0 | 87.7 | 221.02 | 15 |
| Santos FC | 88.0 | 88.3 | 88.8 | 90.0 | 86.0 | 88.2 | 220.98 | 16 |
| FC Schalke 04 | 90.0 | 88.0 | 88.5 | 90.0 | 86.0 | 88.5 | 220.82 | 17 |
| AS Monaco | 88.0 | 88.3 | 88.5 | 88.5 | 85.0 | 87.7 | 219.69 | 18 |
| River Plate | 87.0 | 88.0 | 88.0 | 88.0 | 86.0 | 87.4 | 218.76 | 19 |
| Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk | 87.0 | 86.5 | 87.8 | 87.5 | 86.0 | 87.0 | 217.04 | 20 |
Espanyol 1 v 2 Juventus
Season 17 got underway for Espanyol with a narrow defeat against one of the title favourites Juventus.
Going into the game the odds were highly stacked against the Spanish side, especially with James Rodriguez suspended. Juventus have strengthened further over the close season, with more superstars in Davies, Fernandes and Bastoni adding to what was already a star studded line up. The gulf in the two sides is massive, and on paper a heavy defeat for Espanyol looked the likely outcome.
Juventus took an early 12th minute lead when Sancho fed Bernardo Silva who finished clinically, it seemed at that point the flood gates would open. However not deterred, Espanyol kept to their own game plan as the game went from end to end and in the 61st minute, an expertly taken free kick from Saul Niguez found Morata who silenced the travelling support as he smashed home. On balance it was fully deserved in a game where Espanyol created no fewer than 11 shots on goal 4 of which were on target. Espanyol had a couple of chances of their own to win the game, but in the end suffered heartbreak as a lapse of concentration from a late freekick, saw Kimmich meet a Lukaku cross to fire in and take the three points back to Italy.
For Espanyol there was a lot of positives, they managed 44% of the possesion which against a much superior side, was a massive positive. Apart from creating a number of chances, they also forced 6 corners. New signing Morata, despite only playing 75 minutes was also named man of the match for his display, which pleased his manager.
"where are the goals going to come from was the big question for us going into the close season. Any team who loses the quality of Aguero is going to suffer. We tried very hard over to get a striker in, and it proved to be very difficult. Morata over the last 16 seasons has hit double figures just six times, whilst last season managed just 6 goals in 35 starts. On the face of it, stepping up a division with those sort of returns is a big gamble. However I always felt if we can get the right supply in the squad, then he'd have half a chance in bettering those figures. I think in Oyarzabal, Rodriguez and Niguez we have good creativity, and tonight saw Morata benefit from that. He's off the mark on day 1, which is most pleasing. I said going into the game, this was a free hit match. Juventus should be coming here and taking the points, their advantage in squad ability is not open to debate, its there for everyone to see. That being said, we've given them a real game tonight, and they will know that. The record books though will show no points for us. We need to ensure we perform at those levels consistently for the whole season and we will be okay. We've got a core of 15 first team players, then we have 33 players, we are going to need some luck with. Many of these won't be impacting our first team for 3 or 4 seasons, which keeps us very thin on the ground for strength in depth. We need to keep our big players fit and suspension free which will be a tall order over a 38 game season. You only need to look at Juventus's bench tonight to see how big the task is here, and at other clubs like us. However, on the other side of the coin, their manager is now in his 17th season with Juventus and is still looking for his first title. He has had a long time to build that squad up. I've been here just half a season, and in that time had to totally start again due to having 17 players heading into their mid 30s. We are on a long journey, we are currently in the building the foundations stage. There is going to be many bumps on the way, with Aguero's retirement a typical bump, which we've had to face, deal with it, and move on. 100 clubs and managers are competing strongly for any talent around the world, with lots of scouting and lots of gambles being made. Ready made talent comes at a premium price, and you dont always have that right asset to trade for it. We are taking the approach of finding some solid pro's, but mixing it up with some rough diamonds. We've 33 rough diamonds right now, but if just 2 or 3 of them can be polished up to become big assets for this football club, then ultimately they become tradeable and we continue to evolve through strategic trading and finding the next rough diamond"