FM2007 - Empty Club Dynasty (interactive)

[MrBug708]

I wish I got in on this

[law90026]

Quick response to query on past Champion's Cup winner. I'll also include the winners of the other notable competitions.

Champions Cup:
Roma beating Bayern in the Finals

Euro Cup:
Werder Bremen beating Liverpool

FA Cup:
Newcastle beating West Brom

Italian Cup:
Parma beating Palermo

Spanish Cup:
Villareal beating Atletico

[law90026]

So just a quick look at where the top 50 or so players in the world are (in terms of CA):

Ajax has 2, Eto'o (180) and Adriano (176)

Atletico has Torres (176)

Benfica has Deco (171)

Bordeux has Cris (170)

Chelsea have Gerrard (185), Kaka (184), Villa (182), Cristiano Ronaldo (181), Rooney (180), Xavi (180), Terry (180), Cech (177), Essien (175), Ferdinand (175), Lampard (175), Riquelme (175), Ballack (170) and Drogba (170), Phillip Lahm (170) and Kolo Toure (170) - 16 in all

Deportivo has Robben (179)

Bayern has Ronaldinho (190), Shevchenko (183), Messi (172), Robinho (171) and Chivu (170) - a very impressive line-up of offensive players (less Chivu)

Fiorentina with Pirlo (176)

Juventus with Buffon (186), Trezeguet (175) and Vicente (171)

Lazio with Gallas (170)

Lyon has Juninho (175)

Man Utd has Xabi Alonso (170)

Milan with Sergio Ramos (172)

Palermo with Thierry Henry (178), Toni (188), Viera (177) and Totti (176)

Real Madrid has Cesc Fabregas (170)

Sevilla with Puyol (182), Casillas (174) and Alves (176)

Spurs with Ibrahimovic (176)

Werder Bremen with Klose (179) and Frings (173)

Zaragoza has Aimar (171)

[law90026]

And to focus on Arsenal and Barcelona (to see if last season's results were a fluke or if there's more at play):

Arsenal only has 9 players with CA above 100. Of these, only 1 is above 150 (Amauri, ST, 165) and the only other 2 decent players are Robert Green (GK, 143) and Diaby (DM, 143).

Barcelona has a surprisingly deep squad, 18 players with CA above 100. There are some good players here, such as Iniesta (168), Bazargli (167), Ribery (167), Diarra (165), De Rossi (164), Riise (160), Enke (158), Sanchez (165 but a GK like Enke) and Van Bronckhorst (150). The rest range from 103 to 128 and will be squad fillers it appears.

[law90026]

16 Player Pre-Season update (1 August 2007)

Sean Treacy, Midfielder, Bolton:
The U-21 Scottish midfielder will be looking to build on last season's performences. He's physically very well developed (5 out of 7 stats are at least 15) and he is described as an Industrious Midfielder. Sean is the 2nd best player in the Bolton squad, which is kind of sad when you realise Sean is at 132 CA. He should start again this year.

CA: 132 (+10)
PA: 172

Rob Nielsen, Striker, Man City
Surprise as Rob Nielsen's value shoots all the way up to 5 million pounds after his move to Manchester. That's a high valuation for a player currently in the Man City reserves. He's currently described as an Explosive Striker. 11th best player in the Man City squad at this time, he'll probably be moved to the first team before too long.

CA: 123 (+4)
PA: 185

Kevin Donnelly, Striker, Bolton:
A further drop in value means that Kevin Donnelly is now valued at 4.7 million pounds. He's the 4th best player in the Bolton squad and their best striker. Kevin is also described as an Explosive Striker.

Genie Update:
CA: 122 (+8)
PA: 186

Karl Tone, Winger, Tottenham Hotspur:
Karl Tone picks up another 1 million in terms of valuation, making his worth 4.7 million pounds. He's been loaned out on a season long loan to Scottish side Hibernian as Spurs try to give him experience elsewhere. It's unclear how much he'll start there as he is their 15th best player only. Karl is described as an Explosive Winger.

CA: 118 (+2)
PA: 194

Aaron Gage, Attacking Midfielder, Tottenham Hotspur
His value has gone up to 4.1 million pounds, another 1 million pound increase. Unlike Karl, he's been kept at White Hart Lane. Does that mean he's going to get a chance to make the first team this year? Don't count on it as he's only their 22nd best player in a rather stacked first team. Aaron is described as a Promising Midfielder.

CA: 120 (+3)
PA: 174

Deacon Palmieri, Attacking Midfielder, Fiorentina
The U-19 Bulgarian international returns from his hip injury, ready for the next season. The Promising Midfielder is way down in the pecking order in the Fiorentina first team though so he may head out for another loan this year. Valued at 4 million pounds.

CA: 121 (+10)
PA: 178

Jaime Moore, Winger, Troyes
Oddly enough, Jaime Moore's value shoots back up, this time to 2.3 million pounds. Jaime is an Explosive Winger and he's Troyes' 7th best player.

CA: 128 (+2)
PA: 185

Logan Pacer, Defensive Midfielder, FC Gronigen
Logan is now valued at 2.2 million pounds and is described as a Young Midfielder. He's far down on the Gronigen talent list as well but he may not be able to go out on loan as he's not well-known.

CA: 109 (+4)
PA: 190

Larry McGillicuddy, Goalkeeper, Scunthorpe
Still valued at 2 million pounds, Larry is just described as a Goalkeeper. Larry is Scunthorpe's best player at this time but a move may be possible soon as West Ham has indicated their interest.

CA: 132 (+2)
PA: 182

K.N. Smith, Midfielder, Vitesse
Valued at 2 million pounds, K.N. has been promoted to the Reserves Squad this year. That's probably about right as he wouldn't have much opportunity in the first team anyway.

CA: 120 (+2)
PA: 186

Jace Hunter, Goalkeeper, Arsenal
The Goalkeeper is valued at 1.9 million pounds and he's currently placed in the Reserves Squad. He's the 3rd best keeper in the Arsenal team, just one point behind Pace Twelve.

CA: 117 (+3)
PA: 180

Landon Scott, Striker, QPR
Landon's value goes up to 1.7 million pounds before the start of the season. The Explosive Striker will want to do well this year and is already regarded as an important first team player. He is QPR's best striker and 4th best player.

CA: 118 (+9)
PA: 193 (+2)

Colton Mayes, Defender, Bolton:
Major drop in value for Colton as it falls to 1.5 million pounds, a loss of 1.2 million pounds. The Sweeper has garnered interest from Reading and Motherwell so we'll see if he stays on at Bolton. 6th best player in the Bolton squad and best out of 4 defenders at around the same talent level. That probably means Colton will get some games in this year.

CA: 118 (+1)
PA: 181

Jorge Antonio, Attacking Midfielder, Belenenses
The Promising Midfielder nearly doubles his value as it goes up to 1.3 million pounds. 12th best player in the team but 4th in terms of the midfielders so Jorge may not play as much as he would like this year.

CA: 116 (+1)
PA: 186

Path Twelve, Goalkeeper, Arsenal
Value is now 1.1 million pounds, about a 4x improvement from the close of the season. Also in the reserve team with Jace and it'll be a close fight to see who gets the call-up to the first team as the sub keeper.

CA: 118 (+6)
PA: 183

Alex Kamelooski, Right Wingback, Toronto (yay)
Alex's value has gone up to 65k now as the season for his club hasn't come to an end yet. His rating is improving by quite a bit and he's far and away his team's best player.

CA: 125 (+11)
PA: 183

Season stats:
21 games, 6 goals, 6 assists, 2 MOM, 7.38 rating

[law90026]

Thoughts for the Season:

1) The following players to become or maintain their first team positions:
Sean Treacy, Kevin Donnelly, Colton Mayes, Jaime Moore, Larry McGillicuddy, Landon Scott and Alex Kamelooski

2) Players primed for a move:
Larry McGillicuddy, Jaime Moore, Landon Scott and Alex Kamelooski

3) Will Probably Waste Their Season:
Deacon, Logan, K.N., Jace and Path

If you think differently, or have other thoughts, feel free to post. Simming the season now and that should take a while, including the write-up.

[Celeval]

Seems like we have a pretty good young squad at Bolton.

[RPI-Fan]

Given that you're running the Dutch leauge int he background, K.N. Smith is probably pretty much screwed...

[law90026]

End of Season 2007/2008 Recap:

English Premier League:
Chelsea win the Premier League, 9 points clear of Tottenham. Man Utd were 3rd, Charlton 4th, Newcastle 5th and Liverpool 6th. Arsenal was 8th, unsurprising how weak their squad was. Or is it surprising considering how weak their squad was?

In terms of transfers within the Premier League, Spurs were active again this year, signing Stephan Appiah, Boulahrouz and Raul Garcia for a combined 50 million pounds. Man Utd paid 42m pounds for 3 players (Kuszczak, Joaquin and Moutinho). Charlton spent 42 million pounds as well, with the notable name being Dirk Kuyt. Arsenal again were very stingy, with 2 free transfers (Jace Hunter, Path Twelve), a largish transfer (Amauri for 10 million) ... and a new 3 million pound signing in Jaime Moore during the mid-season break.

News of note? Arsene Wenger got sacked and was replaced by Pat Rice, the Assistant Manager. Man City, Sheffield United and Crystal Palace were relegated.

French League:
Lyon won the title, edging out PSG on goal difference. Another season of spending for Lyon ensures that they win back the title they lost last year to Lens, though just barely (59 million on Renan, Milito and Dani Alves).

German Bundesliga:
Bayern won the title again with Werder Bremen coming in 2nd. Bayern spent 93 million on players, including 31 million on Essien and 52 million on Ibrahimovic. Maybe that's why Spurs didn't win the title this year.

Italian Serie A:
Juventus win Serie A, which means they have come back strong from their relegation of a year ago. They were 4 pts clear of Milan. I wonder if stripping some of the bigger Italian clubs of their players helped Juve win it this year.

So apparently money doesn't always buy success as Milan had spent 125 million compared to Juventus' 19 million pounds.

Portugal Primeria Liga:
In the Primera Liga, Benfica wins the title, 4 pts clear of Porto. Porto appear to be recovering from their punishment.

Spanish First Division:
Espanyol wins the title, beating Sevilla on goal difference. Real Madrid were 3rd, Villareal 4th and Barcelona and Valencia 5th and 6th respectively.

Barcelona, Real and Villareal were all big-spenders, with over 90 million of spending by each club. Sevilla on the other hand only signed one free transfer.

Champions Cup:
Roma beat Deportivo 3-0 in the Finals, 2nd successive win.

Euro Cup:
PSG beat HSV 2-1 in the Finals.

FA Cup:
Leeds beat Middlesborough 3-1. Leeds is a Championship team. Again, question whether the weakening of the Premiership sides helped Leeds win this title.

Italian Cup:
Sampdoria beat Fiorentina 4-2 on aggregate

Spanish Cup:
Real Madrid beat Osasuna 1-0

Thoughts:
A season that made a little more sense. It's eerie how Arsenal in-game reflects the real Arsenal right now, in the sense that there seems to be a real reluctance to splash money out on players. Chelsea winning the title wasn't a surprise.

Some major spenders this year but this was a season that proved money can't always buy you success. The winners of the Italian and Spanish league only spent moderately this year.

[oykib]

Looking forward to the new season. Do any of us have mentors?

[law90026]

16 player update 2007/2008:

Some interesting moves this year for some of the players.

Rob Nielsen, Striker, Man City
Rob Nielsen's value goes up to 7.75 million pounds but Manchester City get relegated. The question is whether Manchester City will have to sell him or whether he will stay on to help Man City regain Premiership status. Still an U-21 US international at this time, Rob actually hardly played for Man City this year as he was sent out on 2 short-term loans instead, to Southampton and Bristol Rovers (both in League One). A whole bunch of lower division sides are currently interested in him. Rob really improved this year, it'll be interesting to see what happens to him next year.

CA: 147 (+24!!)
PA: 185

Season Stats:
31 games, 8 goals, 1 MOM, 6.58 rating

Aaron Gage, Attacking Midfielder, Tottenham Hotspur
The U-21 Irish international was also sent out on loans this year, as he appeared for Fulham in the Championship. He did make one substitute appearance for Spurs in the Premiership though. Currently valued at 7.5 million pounds. Not a huge improvement for Aaron overall though, despite the large number of games he played well for Fulham.

CA: 126 (+6)
PA: 174

Season Stats:
32 games, 5 goals, 12 assists (!) (good for joint 3rd in the Championship), 4 MOM, 6.97 rating

Kevin Donnelly, Striker, Bolton:
Definitely a good year for Kevin Donnelly as he gets his chance to shine for Bolton in the Championship. One of the first choice strikers, he managead to score 18 league goals (good for joint 7th) but that wasn't enough to push Bolton past 11th place. Kevin remains an Irish U-21 international.

CA: 129 (+7)
PA: 186

Season Stats:
42 games, 18 goals, 4 MOM, 7.10 rating

Sean Treacy, Midfielder, Bolton:
Sean Treacy may not have increased his value much but the Scotland manager clearly recognises his talent as he rewards Sean with his first 2 caps. Sean is one of the first of our players to get his international debut. He performed well for Bolton in the center of the park but may be looking for a bigger stage to play on soon. Disappointing that he didn't improve this year though.

CA: 132 (+0)
PA: 172

Season Stats:
40 games (2 as a sub), 10 assists, 4 MOM, 6 yellows, 2 reds, 7.25 rating

Karl Tone, Winger, Tottenham Hotspur:
Karl Tone is playing regularly for Hibernian, where he's played decently. An U-21 US international still, he is currently valued at 6.25 million pounds. Decent improvement from Karl this year overall.

CA: 127 (+9)
PA: 194

Season Stats:
40 games, 2 goals, 5 assists, 8 yellows, 6.45 rating

Path Twelve, Goalkeeper, Arsenal
It appears Path has won the goalkeeping battle against Jace as he manages to appear in a significant number of first team games for Arsenal this year. The French U-19 international is now valued at 5.25 million pounds.

CA: 132 (+14)
PA: 183

Season Stats:
25 games (2 as a sub), 23 conceded, 7 clean sheets, 1 MOM, 3 yellows, 1 red. 7.00 rating

Deacon Palmieri, Attacking Midfielder, Fiorentina
Instead of sending him out on loan, Fiorentina elected to keep Deacon with the first team and used him sparingly as a sub. 11 appearances for the club and a very poor overall rating for him suggests he may still not be ready for first flight football yet.

CA: 124 (+3)
PA: 178

Season Stats:
11 games (all as a sub), 5.55 rating

Jace Hunter, Goalkeeper, Arsenal
The Goalkeeper is valued at 3.9 million pounds now and he's still in the Reserves Squad. He did go out on loan to Leicester in the Championship though, where he played very well. This got him noticed and he won his first two international caps this year as well. Jace may be looking to move and Bolton Leicester have indicated their interest. Huge improvement for Jace this year.

CA: 138 (+21!!)
PA: 180

Season Stats:
28 games, 25 conceded, 10 clean sheets, 2 MOM, 7.39 rating

Jaime Moore, Winger, Troyes
17 games into the season and then a significant move for Jaime as Arsenal pay 3 million pounds for him. An attempt at throwing Jaime into the first team didn't quite pay off as he performed badly. Capped at U-19 level for the US.

CA: 135 (+7)
PA: 185

Season stats:
23 games for Arsenal, 5.87 rating

Logan Pacer, Defensive Midfielder, FC Gronigen
Logan appears somewhat regularly for Gronigen this year, playing 15 games for them. He appears to be slowly getting used to the game as his average rating goes up to 6.07 for the year. Logan is an U-21 international for the US.

CA: 119 (+10)
PA: 190

Season Stats:
15 games (1 as a sub), 6.07 rating

Colton Mayes, Defender, Bolton:
Colton remains an U-21 international for the US this year, despite playing regularly for Bolton as well. Decent performances from him result in his value going up to 2.4 million pounds. Rangers is reportedly interested in acquiring his services.

CA: 124 (+6)
PA: 181

Season Stats:
40 games (2 as a sub), 1 goal, 2 MOM, 5 yellows, 2 reds, 6.82 rating

K.N. Smith, Midfielder, Vitesse
Slight increase in value as K.N. is now valued at 2.2 million pounds. He spent the season out on loan to First Division side Eindhoven where he played averagely. Significant increase in ability gives K.N. a chance to succeed with Vitesse next year.

CA: 136 (+16)
PA: 186

Season Stats:
29 games, 1 goal, 3 assists, 2 MOM, 3 yellows, 6.31 rating

Jorge Antonio, Attacking Midfielder, Belenenses
The Promising Midfielder is called up to the Portugese U-21 squad and is currently worth 2.1 million pounds. He appeared sparingly for the first team at Belenenses this year but manages a decent increase in talent.

CA: 128 (+12)
PA: 186

Season Stats:
12 games, 2 assists, 3 yellows, 6.83 rating

Larry McGillicuddy, Goalkeeper, Scunthorpe
So I was wrong, Larry stays on at Scunthorpe this year. Slight drop in value to 1.9 million pounds for the Irish U-21 international. The reason for this is probably a result of a slightly worst year for Scunthorpe this season.

CA: 135 (+3)
PA: 182

Season Stats:
33 games, 46 conceded, 5 clean sheets, 3 MOM, 4 yellows, 1 red, 7.06 rating

Landon Scott, Striker, QPR
A bit of an odd season for the as yet uncapped player. He started out the season for QPR, scoring 1 goal in 6 games. He was injury-plagued though, as he was out for 2 months with fractured ribs then another 3 weeks with a thigh strain, followed by another month for a twisted ankle. This brought us to January, where Blackburn Rovers paid 1.3 million pounds for his services. Unfortunately, Landon never got going as he was not match fit and only made 2 appearances for Rovers. To make things worse, another 4 weeks lost near the end of the season when he twisted an ankle in training meant that this was a lost season for Landon. Still, a nice improvement in terms of ability for Landon overall.

CA: 132 (+14)
PA: 193

Season Stats:
8 games, 1 goal, 6.75 rating

Alex Kamelooski, Right Wingback, Chicago Fire
Alex made a move to Chicago in November 2007 and is currently valued at 210k. He's playing well in the MLS so far. He finished his career at Toronto with 38 games played, 8 goals, 6 assists and a 7.29 rating.

CA: 127 (+2)
PA: 183

Season stats:
12 games, 2 MOM, 4 yellows, 7.17 rating

[law90026]

Originally Posted by oykib

Looking forward to the new season. Do any of us have mentors?

At the start of the 2008/2009 season:

Aaron Gage is learning from Lucho Gonzalez, a 27 year old Argentinian International Central Midfielder

Rob Nielsen is learning from Shola Amoebi, 26 year old former English U-21 striker

Jace Hunter is learning from Robert Green, 28 year old former England international

[law90026]

2009/2009 pre-season report:

June was a quiet time for transfers but July exploded into a flurry of activity.

The biggest transfers of the summer?
1) Adriano - Ajax to Schalke for 95 million
2) Kaka - Chelsea to Milan for 85 million
3) Messi - Bayern to Inter for 50 million
4) Robinho - Bayern to Roma for 35.5 million
5) Joe Cole - Zaragoza to Tottenham for 33 million (resulting in Aaron Gage PR outburst)
6) Riquelme - Chelsea to Inter for 29.5 million
7) Kalou - Fiorentina to Man Utd for 29 million
8) Kompany - HSV to Man Utd for 26 million
9) de Guzman - Feyenoord to Real for 22.5 million
10) Aissati - Porto to Zaragoza for 21.5 million
11) Marcelo - Man City to Leverkusen for 21.5 million
12) Zapater - Zaragoza to Real for 20 million

Arsenal and Liverpool hardly spent this year, interesting to see how that goes. Arsenal in particular didn't bring in anyone at all.

[law90026]

16 player update 2008/2009:

Only one player moved thus far this year but there are some other potential moves brewing.

Kevin Donnelly, Striker, Bolton:
A strong year for Donnelly last season pushes his value up to 8.75 million. Let's see if he can hit at least 18 league goals again this year or whether last year was a fluke. Very slight improvement over the summer but he's the third best player at the club.

CA: 130 (+1)
PA: 186

Aaron Gage, Attacking Midfielder, Tottenham Hotspur
The U-21 Irish international is valued at 7.5 million pounds. He was unhappy over the summer when Joe Cole was signed as he felt there was too much competition for places in the squad. His manager, Martin Jol, told him off for that and Aaron Gage issued a public apology. We'll see how that goes this year. Aaron is the 19th best player out of a first team squad of 22.

CA: 128 (+2)
PA: 174

Rob Nielsen, Striker, Man City
Rob Nielsen's value is now at 7 million pounds. Major questions about Rob's club future as he is the subject of a Liverpool bid along with rumours that Man Utd and Chelsea may make competing bids soon. He's getting to be very good, at least on paper, and is reportedly Man City's best player.

CA: 155 (+8)
PA: 185

Karl Tone, Winger, Tottenham Hotspur:
Karl Tone may want to start looking for a home in Scotland soon as he spends a 2nd straight season on loan at Hibernian. Karl made some minor improvements in the off-season and is valued at 6.75 million pounds.

CA: 129 (+2)
PA: 194

Sean Treacy, Midfielder, Bolton:
The Scottish international may be making a move soon as Portsmouth and Man City have both put in bids for him. Sean is the best player at Bolton and it would be upsetting for the fans if he were to be sold.

CA: 141 (+9)
PA: 172

K.N. Smith, Midfielder, Nurnberg
And some people actually thought K.N. Smith might not have a chance :P Nurnberg paid 6.75 million pounds to buy K.N. Smith and bring him to the German First Division. K.N. Smith rejected a move to Villareal though, perhaps he wants more playing time. He's the 10th best player at Nurnberg and only the 4th best central midfielder.

CA: 141 (+5)
PA: 186

Jace Hunter, Goalkeeper, Arsenal
Is the fact Jace Hunter is being mentored by Arsenal first choice, Robert Green, an indication the Gunners think Jace is the choice for the future? Hard to tell. What we do know is that the student may have surpassed the teacher as Jace is better than Robert Green now (144).

CA: 146 (+8)
PA: 180

Deacon Palmieri, Attacking Midfielder, Fiorentina
5.5 million pounds is the valuation for the Bulgarian U-21 international. He shouldn't be expecting much playing time though as he is 18th out of 23rd in terms of talent in the squad.

CA: 129 (+5)
PA: 178

Jaime Moore, Winger, Arsenal
The Gunners clearly felt Jaime needed more seasoning and sent him out on a season long loan to Celtic. They'll hope the 4 million pound winger will come back better for the experience. He's getting to be very good though and should be knocking on the Arsenal first team door very soon.

CA: 145 (+10)
PA: 185

Path Twelve, Goalkeeper, Arsenal
And what about Path Twelve? Well, he's been placed in the Reserves this year, a bitter pill to swallow considering he was involved in first-team action last year. Still, he's young yet and there's plenty of time for his career to develop.

CA: 134 (+2)
PA: 183

Landon Scott, Striker, Blackburn
The 3.1 million pound striker will hope to recover from his injuries of last season and have a good first full season of Premiership football. 10th best player but only 3rd best striker, although options 2-4 are all very close in terms of ability.

CA: 134 (+2)
PA: 193

Logan Pacer, Defensive Midfielder, FC Gronigen
Horrible news as Logan Pace breaks his ankle and is out for at least another 1 to 2 months. How that will affect the 3 million pound midfielder remains to be seen.

CA: 126 (+7)
PA: 190

Colton Mayes, Defender, Bolton:
The 2.6 million pound defender looks to be staying on in Bolton for this season as the interest from Rangers cooled. 7th best player in Bolton but their best central defender.

CA: 125 (+1)
PA: 181

Jorge Antonio, Attacking Midfielder, Belenenses
Possible move for Jorge in the future perhaps as Villareal are reportedly interested in him. The 2.3 million pound midfielder is currently the best player in the squad and he'll likely have the chance to prove what he can do with regular games.

CA: 134 (+6)
PA: 186

Larry McGillicuddy, Goalkeeper, Scunthorpe
The 1.5 million pound goalie stays on at Scunthorpe, who were relegated at the end of last season. League Two football can't be good for the youngster can it?

CA: 141 (+6)
PA: 182

Alex Kamelooski, Right Wingback, Chicago Fire
Alex remains in the MLS for now and continues to play well. He's developing a bit of a reputation as a scoring midfielder even though he's supposed to be a defensive kind of player.

CA: 129 (+2)
PA: 183

[law90026]

Originally Posted by law90026

Thoughts for the Season:

1) The following players to become or maintain their first team positions:
Sean Treacy, Kevin Donnelly, Colton Mayes, Jaime Moore, Larry McGillicuddy, Landon Scott and Alex Kamelooski

2) Players primed for a move:
Larry McGillicuddy, Jaime Moore, Landon Scott and Alex Kamelooski

3) Will Probably Waste Their Season:
Deacon, Logan, K.N., Jace and Path

If you think differently, or have other thoughts, feel free to post. Simming the season now and that should take a while, including the write-up.

So how wrong or right was I?

1) I was only wrong on Landon but that was largely because of crazy injuries. I was pleasently surprised that Path Twelve got that many first team games.

2) Right on two of them (Landon and Jaime), wrong on the other two (Alex's move isn't considered a significant one I think).

3) I was kinda wrong about K.N. and Path but that's largely because they went out on loan and did decently.

So this year?

1) Expect some big money moves.

2) More full internationals should appear

3) I'm hoping there'll be a development on the Arsenal goalie front as well as Alex's situation in the US.

[law90026]

Quick Mid-season transfer update:

Big Move #1:
Lyon sign Rob Nielsen for 22.5 million pounds. Offers from Liverpool, Middlesborough and Portsmouth were rejected.

Big(ish) Move #2:
Manchester City use some of those funds to buy Sean Treacy from Bolton. 10.5 million pounds is the transfer fee.

Other possible moves:
Kevin Donnelly is the subject of bids from Premiership club Portsmouth and Championship side Sheffield United.

Colton Mayes has attracted the attention of Birmingham and Crystal Palace.

Larry McGillicuddy has bids in from Plymouth, Sheffield United and Bolton.

Logan Pacer's contract expires in 6 months and Catania, Nantes, Bordeaux and Empoli have offered him contracts.

[law90026]

End of Season 2008/2009 Recap:

English Premier League:
Chelsea retain the Premier League title, 10 points clear of Tottenham for a second season in a row. Man Utd were 3rd again, West Ham 4th, Boro 5th and Reading 6th. Liverpool was 7th and Arsenal was 13th.

Chelsea continue to collect players as they signed Wesley Sneijder, Agger and Bangura for 51 million pounds. Spurs spent big on 2 players, a total of 87 million for Joe Cole and Akinfeev. Man Utd also spent a lot, a total of 99 million on 7 players, the notable ones being van Persie, van Nistelrooy, Kompany and Kalou. Liverpool only signed Downing and Elano as their major signings. Arsenal refused to spend until the mid-season window, when they spent 16 million on Antonio Cassano.

French League:
PSG won the title. Last season's winner, Lyon, came in 5th, despite spending 22.5 million on Rob Nielsen.

None of the top French clubs really spent that much this year.

German Bundesliga:
Bayern won the title again with Schalke coming in 2nd. Bayern spent 58 million on players this year, including 41.5 million on Eto'o. However, they sold a lot of players this year and generated 214 million in sales ... Messi, Robinho, N'Zogbia and Ibrahimovic are all gone.

Italian Serie A:
Milan regain the Serie A title, 14 pts clear of Roma. Juventus really struggled this year, coming in 12th.

Milan spent a lot to do so though, spending 124 million on 3 players, Kaka, Mascherano and Hunterlaar. Roma also spent a lot, with 156 million on Robinho, Ashley Cole and Ibrahimovic. Inter, who came in 3rd, spent 100 million on Messi, Riquelme, Enke and Gudjohnsen.

Portugal Primeria Liga:
In the Primera Liga, Maritomo wins the titleon goal difference ahead of Sporting. Porto were 5th overall.

Spanish First Division:
Deportivo wins the title, 8 pts clear of Barcelona. Real were 3rd. The "punishment" appears to have opened up the Spanish league a lot more since the various Spanish clubs appear to have quite a lot of clout when signing players.

Having said that, Deportivo didn't spend a single cent to win their title. Real, who spent 167 million, couldn't buy their title this year.

Champions Cup:
Milan beat Lyon 2-0 in the Finals.

Euro Cup:
Valencia beat Chelsea 2-1 in the Finals.

FA Cup:
Everton beat Middlesborough 2-1. That's the second successive FA Cup Final that Boro have lost.

Italian Cup:
Palermo beat Juventus 3-1 on aggregate.

Thoughts:
Arsenal continue to struggle owing to their failure to buy players. Chelsea remain tremendously strong and Spurs have a strong foundation to build on.

No real surprises overall I think, and the English League is now a bit more unpredictable because some clubs apparently can't or won't sign players.

[law90026]

16 Player update, end of season 2008/2009

Rob Nielsen, Striker, Lyon
Major move for Rob this year as he joins Lyon. Disappointment for him though as Lyon underperform in the French League. Rob Nielsen's value goes up to 15.75 million pounds. Rob also ditched the US national team to join the Danish national team, where he's scored 3 goals in 4 games. Rob's CA makes him one of the better players in the game at the moment, around joint-41st in terms of forwards. His contemporaries are Theo Walcott (20yrs old, 170), Kerlon (21 yrs old, 165) and Anderson (21 yrs old, 164).

CA: 161 (+6)
PA: 185

Season Stats:
12 games, 4 goals, 6.58 rating

Sean Treacy, Midfielder, Manchester City:
The Scottish international eventually moved at the beginning of the season to Manchester City, where his performances helped them get right back to the Premiership. Valued at 10.5 million pounds currently. No development is a worrying sign though.

CA: 141 (+0)
PA: 172

Season Stats:
33 games, 2 goals, 8 assists, 1 MOM, 6 yellows, 1 red, 7.18 rating

Aaron Gage, Attacking Midfielder, Tottenham Hotspur
Aaron was called up to the Irish National Team, where he scored 1 goal in 6 games. He was kept with the Spurs first team this year and he made a number of appearances, though never really excelling. Nice improvement this year though, could be a nice build-up for next season. Valued at 8.5 million pounds.

CA: 139 (+11)
PA: 174

Season Stats:
21 games (9 as a sub), 2 goals, 3 assists, 1 MOM, 1 yellow, 1 red, 6.38 rating

Karl Tone, Winger, Tottenham Hotspur:
First team player for Hibernian and he helped them win the Scottish PremierLeague with his 9 league assists. 14 U-21 caps for Karl but no full call-up yet. Valued at 8.25 million pounds at this time but one wonders if he'll ever get a chance at Spurs.

CA: 135 (+6)
PA: 194

Season Stats:
36 games (1 as a sub), 4 goals, 11 assists, 5 MOM, 3 yellows, 6.94 rating

Jace Hunter, Goalkeeper, Arsenal
Jace split time with Robert Green this year and played well when given the chance for the Gunners. He's also a regular in the Canadian national team with 15 caps to his name at the age of 20. Another significant increase for Jace this year in terms of CA.

CA: 155 (+9)
PA: 180

Season Stats:
22 games (2 as a sub), 31 conceded, 3 clean sheets, 3 MOM, 4 yellows, 7.23 rating

Kevin Donnelly, Striker, Sheffield United:
Kevin decides to jump ship as well as he leaves Bolton on an 8 million pound move to fellow Championship side Sheffield United. Not much of an improvement in terms of club success as Sheffield finished 10th, just 2 spots ahead of Bolton who were 12th. Kevin did prove that he is a decent goalscorer though as he managed 17 league goals in all for both clubs combined.

CA: 139 (+9)
PA: 186

Season Stats (just league):
43 games, 17 goals, 1 MOM, 7.30 rating

Landon Scott, Striker, Blackburn
Landon starts to repay the 1.3 million pound transfer fee as he scored 10 goals in all competitions this year. It helped that he wasn't injured this year though he wasn't as regular in the first team as he might have liked. Still, his performances have attracted FC Bayern, who will have to pay at least 6.25 million for him.

CA: 141 (+7)
PA: 193

Season Stats:
25 games (10 as a sub), 10 goals, 2 yellows, 1 red, 7.04 rating

K.N. Smith, Midfielder, Nurnberg
K.N. played regularly for Nurnberg but his performances were nothing spectacular. Portsmouth is reportedly interested in the 5.5 million pound midfielder.

CA: 144 (+3)
PA: 186

Season Stats:
29 games (3 as a sub), 1 assist, 2 yellows, 6.14 rating

Deacon Palmieri, Attacking Midfielder, Fiorentina
Again, Fiorentina elected to keep Deacon at home and used him occasionally. Still not performing well enough yet though as he only averaged 5.75. Still, he managed to score 2 goals this year in Serie A.

CA: 132 (+3)
PA: 178

Season Stats:
8 games (6 as a sub), 2 goals, 5.75 rating

Jaime Moore, Winger, Arsenal
Jaime spent the season on loan at Celtic where he played a large number of games decently. One can see him and Karl Tone eventually building up a rivalry, considering they play a similar style, i.e. good wingers who set up goals, and both were sent to Scotland on loan from North London sides.

CA: 151 (+6)
PA: 185

Season stats:
43 games (2 as sub), 2 goals, 9 assists, 2 MOM, 1 yellow, 1 red, 6.65 rating

Path Twelve, Goalkeeper, Arsenal
A wasted year for the French U-21 keeper as he languished in the Arsenal reserves. He only made one substitute appearance for the first team all year.

CA: 140 (+6)
PA: 183

Season Stats:
1 as a sub, 1 clean sheet, 8.00 rating

Colton Mayes, Defender, Bolton:
Looks like the last of the Bolton youngsters may be off soon as both Portsmouth and Celtic have made bids for him. He played well for Bolton this year and is now valued at 3.9 million pounds.

CA: 139 (+14)
PA: 181

Season Stats:
42 games, 1 goal, 3 MOM, 7 yellows, 1 red, 7.14 rating

Alex Kamelooski, Right Wingback, Chicago Fire
Dramatic increase in value for Alex to 2.4 million pounds and he's a regular in the US U-21 side. He's starting to attract attention from Celta, a Spanish side.

CA: 136 (+7)
PA: 183

Season stats:
10 games, 2 goals, 2 reds, 7.10 rating

Larry McGillicuddy, Goalkeeper, Bolton
Larry makes his move this year as he joins Bolton, only to see his fellow youngsters all start to move. Bad timing for him. Capped at Irish U-21 level now and he played well this year for Bolton.

CA: 144 (+3)
PA: 182

Season Stats:
12 games (1 as a sub), 14 conceded, 4 clean sheets, 2 MOM, 2 yellows, 7.46 rating

Jorge Antonio, Attacking Midfielder, Belenenses
Jorge is apparently a Portugese starlet, which is what the press is calling him. Reports are that he will make a move soon, with Villareal, Celta and Murcia all having made bids for him. Decent season from Jorge this year. Valued at 2.1 million pounds and that's about the price the other clubs have bidded for him at this time.

CA: 135 (+1)
PA: 186

Season Stats:
29 games (2 as a sub), 3 assists, 1 yellow, 6.52 rating

Logan Pacer, Defensive Midfielder, FC Gronigen
In a vindictive move, Logan was sent to the reserves after he signed a pre-contract with Spanish side Getafe. Unfortunately for Logan, Getafe got relegated at the end of the Spanish season.

CA: 131 (+5)
PA: 190

Season Stats:
14 games, 1 goal, 1 assist, 1 MOM, 4 yellows, 6.36 rating

[law90026]

Player of the Year?
A number of worthy candidates this year I think. Ultimately, I would probably choose Landon Scott, largely because he played very regularly in the Premiership. Other players may have had better seasons or big moves but they either played in a lesser league or didn't play as consistently.

[ArlingtonColt]

Still McLovin this dynasty... really hoping for a breakthrough for Landon soon!

[Toddzilla]

Originally Posted by law90026

Karl Tone, Winger, Tottenham Hotspur:
First team player for Hibernian and he helped them win the Scottish PremierLeague with his 9 league assists.

[Passacaglia]

Looking forward to Tone and I pushing Spurs over the top past Chelsea.

[George]

Originally Posted by law90026

Jorge Antonio, Attacking Midfielder, Belenenses
Jorge is apparently a Portugese starlet, which is what the press is calling him. Reports are that he will make a move soon, with Villareal, Celta and Murcia all having made bids for him. Decent season from Jorge this year. Valued at 2.1 million pounds and that's about the price the other clubs have bidded for him at this time.

CA: 135 (+1)
PA: 186

Season Stats:
29 games (2 as a sub), 3 assists, 1 yellow, 6.52 rating

I'm enjoying this.

[flere-imsaho]

Good stuff!

[Coffee Warlord]

God, I'm in FRANCE?

At least I can afford good french hookers.

[oykib]

law90026 was posting top qality stuff!

Law off to a flyer!

[Katon]

Originally Posted by Passacaglia

Looking forward to Tone and I pushing Spurs over the top past Chelsea.

Just as soon as they let me out of Scotland. I can beat the defenders here no problem; now let me play in a real league.

[path12]

Path requests a transfer!

[law90026]

Pre-season moves 2008/2009:

Around the World:
Major transactions:

1) Federico Laurito: Udinese to Ajax for 17.5 million
2) Alexey Yeremenko: AEK to Ajax for 17.5 million
3) Claudio Maldonado: Porto to Feyenoord for 17 m
4) Arjen Robben: Deportivo to Chelsea for 95m
5) Michael Essien: Bayern to Roma for 90m
6) van der Vaart: HSV to Schalke for 54m
7) Gilardino: Feyenoord to Inter for 42.5m
8) Kerlon: Benfica to Real Madrid for 31.5m
9) Giorgio Chiellini: Lyon to HSV for 27m
10) Celsinho: Corinthians to Dortmund for 26.5m
11) Cani: Liverpool to Fiorentina for 25m (this was the prelude for the Deacon move)
12) Goran Pandev: Fiorentina to Inter for 19.25m
13) Ismael Aissati: Zaragoza to Arsenal for 18.5m
14) Alberto Zapater: Real Madrid to Villareal for 18m
15) Daniel Agger: Chelsea to Milan for 17.75m
16) Bora Oubina: Betis to Atletico for 17.5m
17) Rio Ferdinand: Chelsea to Roma for 17.25m
18) Didier Drogba: Chelsea to Reading for 16.75m
19) Obafemi Martins: Getafe to Barcelona for 16.75m
20) Darren Bent: Birmingham to Portsmouth for 16.25m

Thoughts:
Most of the names on that list are the major clubs, though there are some "smaller" names like Portsmouth there as well. Surprising activity by some of the smaller German clubs (3 of the top 20 signings) although Bayern continue to dispose of the stars they had signed.


16 Players:

Colton Mayes agrees to move to Celtic from Bolton. Celtic forked out 7.25 million as well as 18 year old Welsh defender Luke Williams for Colton Mayes.

Despite his manager's best efforts, Jorge Antonio will be leaving Belenenses. The board of the club felt the offers coming in were too good to be refused and have accepted them despite the protests of the manager. As a result, Jorge Antonio has left for Villareal in a 2.1 million pound move.

Celtic continue to fork out money for young talent as they sign Aaron Gage from Spurs for 5.25 million.

A few clubs wanted to loan Karl Tone for the season but Spurs refused these offers. Suggestion that Karl has a shot at the first team this year? However, Deportivo has made a 2.1 million pound bid for him and Spurs are reportedly considering it.

Some big clubs like Milan and Barcelona made significant bids for Arsenal youngster Jaime Moore but they were rejected. Instead, he left for Rangers on a season long loan, which will be the second season in a row in Scotland for Jaime. Oddly enough, he played for Celtic last year and he'll be playing for their auld enemy, Rangers, this year.

Deacon Palmieri's time at Fiorentina has come to an end, which probably isn't a bad thing for him. He signs for Porto after the clubs agreed on a 2.3 millon transfer fee.

Jace Hunter signs a contract worth 4.7 million pounds with Arsenal. Nice.

Kevin Donnelly signs a deal with Sheffield United for 5.75 million pounds, even nicer.

Other rumours? Bids are in for Rob Nielsen and reportedly Liverpool are the front-runners to buy him. Rob Nielsen recently signed a new contract worth 3.8 million with Lyon but it's very possible he's on his way out.

Lastly, Chelsea came out to indicate they were interested in signing Arsenal reserve keeper, Path Twelve, but Arsenal flatly refused to consider the move.

[law90026]

Mid-season quick update:

Path Twelve gets the transfer he wished for as he signs for Chelsea. 11.5 million is a lot to pay for a 21 year old keeper, especially when he's placed in the Reserves again.

Lots of interest in Jaime Moore and Landon Scott, potentially unsettling the two of them.

Aaron Gage gets injured on 1 Jan 2010, tearing a calf muscle. He's going to be out for 3 months. He had been in fine form before this, playing 30 games for Celtic and scoring 6 goals as well as providing 5 assists for the Bhoys.

Alex Kamelooski's fine form for the Chicago fire gets him noticed as he signs for Liverpool in a 3.3 million deal.

K.N. Smith leaves Nurnberg for HSV for 17 million.

Kevin Donnelly is the subject of multiple bids from big clubs, including Arsenal and Liverpool.

Logan Pacer's contract with Getafe is expiring and various clubs have offered him new terms, including Nantes and Torino.

[MrBug708]

Was there a database to download for this?

[law90026]

Originally Posted by MrBug708

Was there a database to download for this?

Heh no, I did it manually.

[law90026]

End of Season 2009/2010 Recap:

English Premier League:
Chelsea win the Premiership for a 3rd season in a row. They were 14 pts clear of Liverpool. Spurs experienced a slight dip as they dropped to 3rd. Reading, West Ham and Birmingham rounded out the top 6. Arsenal came in 9th. And surprisingly, Man Utd were relegated, along with Fulham and West Brom.

Chelsea signed Robben for 95 m and Path Twelve for 11.5 m, which made it a very expensive 106m for just 2 players. Still, they won and that's what counts ultimately. Liverpool signed a bunch of players for 62m, including Dean Ashton, Deco and .. Kevin Donnelly. Spurs were very restrained in their spending, just 41.5m on Monnet-Paquet and Atouba. That could be a reason why they dropped a bit this year as their quality starts to lessen. And Man Utd hardly spent on players this year, just 14.75m on Del Horno and DaMarcus Beasley. That plus their sale of players like Kalou, Kompany and van Persie probably contributed to their relegation (and these were players that had just joined the previous year too).

French League:
PSG retained their title. Lyon came in 2nd, just 1 pt behind PSG.

Again, of the top 5 French clubs, not much spending. Lyon spent the most, about 40m on 3 players, with PSG spending about 25m. Rennes, Auxerre and Marseille collectively spent a total of 15m, a miniscule amount in the context of the game.

German Bundesliga:
Bayern again won the title, 4 pts clear of Schalke.

This was a big-spending year for Bayern as they spent 110m on 8 players to bolster their squad. Big spending HSV were a disappointing 12th, even though they spent 82m on players like Castro, Chiellini and K.N. Smith.

Italian Serie A:
Roma dislodged Milan from the top of Serie A, ending the season 4 pts clear of Milan and 7 pts clear of Inter. Juventus were disappointing again, fininshing 9th.

Roma spent 135m this year to bring in players like Essien and Kompany. Milan spent 105m while Inter spent a comparatively low 62m pounds.

Portugal Primeria Liga:
In the Primera Liga, Sporting won the title, 9 pts clear of Porto.

The big 3 of Portugese football spent a total of 136m (40 by Sporting, 36 by Porto, 60 by Benfica).

Scottish PremierLeague:
Rangers regain the title this year and Jaime Moore has a league medal to his name. Celtic was the other big spender in the Scottish League but only managed 4th place. Hibernian went to 6th place after losing their super-loanee Karl Tone.

Spanish First Division:
Athletic won the title, 6 pts clear of Barcelona, Valencia and Athletico. Madrid were 5th.

For a second year in a row, the title was won by a club that hardly spent (3.9m by Athletic). The largest spender was Athletico at 106 m but that only got them 3rd place.

Champions Cup:
Deportivo beat Milan 1-0 in the Finals.

Euro Cup:
Valencia defend their title with a 2-0 win over Palermo.

FA Cup:
Newcastle beat Chelsea 3-2 in the finals. Path Twelve was the keeper and that means no winner's medal for him.

Italian Cup:
Inter beat Milan 2-2 on away goals. That means Milan lost 2 cup finals and came in 2nd in the league. Sucks to be them.

Thoughts:
Chelsea remain seemingly unstoppable and the gap appears to be growing every year. Man Utd's relegation comes as a major surprise and it'll be interesting to see if they can recover. In the Spanish League, I'm intrigued by the fact that spending doesn't seem to be as much of a factor in winning the title. 2 seasons is hardly conclusive proof but still, it's nice to see there's a chance for the smaller clubs there. In Germany, Bayern remains unstoppable and in Italy, Milan, Inter and Roma remain the teams to beat really.

[law90026]

16 Player Update, end of season 2009/2010:

So major moves seemed to be the trend this year as the players have a major shake-up in terms of where they are now.

K.N. Smith, Midfielder, HSV
Sometimes all you need is one major move for your value to shoot all the way up. K.N. is now valued at 16m after his move from Nurnberg to HSV. Disappointing season though as HSV only managed 12th spot in the Bundesliga. K.N. also only played 26 games in the league this year though he did well enough to earn his first 4 caps for the US.

CA: 157 (+13)
PA: 186

Season Stats (league only):
26 games, 7 assists, 2 MOMs, 6.89 rating

Landon Scott, Striker, Blackburn
A breakout season of sorts for Landon Scott as his value shoots up to 12.5m. He was the subject of transfer speculation all season long though that appears to have died down now. 6 goals in 7 caps for the US is a great return.

CA: 151 (+10)
PA: 193

Season Stats:
26 games (2 as a sub), 10 goals, 2 MOM, 4 yellows, 1 red, 7.19 rating

Kevin Donnelly, Striker, Liverpool:
And Kevin Donnelly eventually join Liverpool on an 11.25m transfer. He had been setting the Championship on fire before that with 13 goals in 19 league games. He found it hard-going at Anfield though as he was never able to secure a first team place, making just 8 first team appearances and scoing 2 goals. Kevin Donnelly also earned his first 2 caps for Ireland this year and scored his first international goal on his 2nd appearance.

CA: 149 (+10)
PA: 186

Season Stats (just league):
27 games, 15 goals, 3 MOMs, 7.11

Jace Hunter, Goalkeeper, Arsenal
Jace took the no. 1 keeper position at Arsenal this year while earning another 5 caps for Canada. He's valued at 12m and is regarded as one of the top keepers in the world already (joint 12th in terms of CA).
CA: 164 (+9)
PA: 180

Season Stats:
44 games, 48 conceded, 13 clean sheets, 6 MOM, 5 yellows, 1 red, 7.57 rating

Karl Tone, Winger, Deportivo:
Niggling injuries plagued Karl Tone in his first season with Deportivo. A total of 13 weeks was lost with various injuries and resulted in Karl only appearing in 22 games for Deportivo. Valued at 11.75m, he's earned his first two caps for the US.

CA: 147 (+12)
PA: 194

Season Stats:
22 games, 6 goals, 1 assist, 1 yellow, 6.32 rating

Rob Nielsen, Striker, Lyon
Despite rumours and bids all year, Lyon steadfastly refused to sell Rob Nielsen. He was unable to lead them to the French title but he's only 21 years old after all. The Danish international is valued at 11.75m.

CA: 162 (+1)
PA: 185

Season Stats:
26 games (10 as a sub), 8 goals, 1 MOM, 3 yellows, 6.69 rating

Jaime Moore, Winger, Arsenal
It's very possible Jaime may not be at Ashburton Grove much longer. He's another player that has been the speculation of transfer rumours and he even came out to say he would welcome a move to Liverpool. He was one Ranger's best players and played a key role in helping them win the title in Scotland. Jaime won his first cap for the US this year as well.

CA: 159 (+8)
PA: 185

Season stats:
43 games (1 sub), 3 goals, 4 assists, 1 MOM, 2 yellows, 1 red, 7.02 rating

Path Twelve, Goalkeeper, Chelsea
Path was eventually promoted to the first team near the end of the season and he made a few appareances for the first team (including their FA cup loss to Newcastle). The French U-21 international is valued at 9m and has to beat out Petr Cech (183) for a starting spot next year.

CA: 154 (+8)
PA: 183

Season Stats:
4 games (1 sub), 7 conceded, 0 clean sheets, 6.75 rating

Sean Treacy, Midfielder, Manchester City:
The Scottish international is another player that was the subject of transfer bids. He may be on the move this off-season as he might be disappointed in Man City's 17th place finish this year.

CA: 147 (+6)
PA: 172

Season Stats:
38 games, 6 assists, 3 MOM, 5 yellows, 1 red, 7.32 rating

Aaron Gage, Attacking Midfielder, Celtic
Aaron joined Celtic and sometimes found himself lined up against fellow youngster Jaime Moore (Rangers). He has 8 caps for Ireland now and is valued at 6m. Solid first season for him at Celtic.

CA: 145 (+6)
PA: 174

Season Stats:
37 games, 6 goals, 6 assists, 1 MOM, 3 yellows, 6.84 rating

Logan Pacer, Defensive Midfielder, Getafe
On the move again is Logan Pacer, this time signing for Feyenoord when Getafe did not renew his contract early. It's back to the Dutch league for Logan, where he didn't always have the best of times while at Gronigen.

CA: 144 (+13)
PA: 190

Season Stats:
37 games, 1 goal, 5 yellows, 1 red, 6.27 rating

Colton Mayes, Defender, Bolton:
Colton Mayes played with Aaron Gage at Celtic this year and had a solid season as well. He appeared in a large number of games and was always consistent in terms of his performances. The lack of development by the Irish international is disappointing though

CA: 139 (+0)
PA: 181

Season Stats:
46 games, 2 MOM, 2 yellows, 7.09 rating

Larry McGillicuddy, Goalkeeper, Bolton
Larry stays on at Bolton who are a mid-table Championship side again. They may have been worse off without Larry as he played well for them. They should probably be prepared for Larry to leave though as he's probably too good to be playing at this level.

CA: 158 (+14)
PA: 182

Season Stats:
34 games (1sub), 47 conceded, 6 clean sheets, 1 MOM, 3 yellows, 7.21 rating

Alex Kamelooski, Right Wingback, Chicago Fire
The US U-21 international joined Liverpool and is currently valued at 3.3 m. He made some appareances for the club but doesn't seem to have adjusted to the pace of the Premiership yet.

CA: 141 (+5)
PA: 183

Season stats:
15 games (2 sub), 1 assist, 1 yellow, 6.07 rating

Deacon Palmieri, Attacking Midfielder, Porto
Deacon left the Spanish League for Portugal where he played some games in Porto's 2nd place finish. Just marginal improvement for him this year and he'll have to work harder at his game if he wants to get better.

CA: 134 (+2)
PA: 178

Season Stats:
14 games (5 sub), 1 goal, 1 yellow, 1 red, 6.36 rating

Jorge Antonio, Attacking Midfielder, Villareal
The Portugese U-21 international had a very average season at Villareal. He was regular in the first team but he never really impressed.

CA: 139 (+4)
PA: 186

Season Stats:
33 games (4 sub), 4 assists, 1 MOM, 3 yellows, 6.15 rating

[Blade6119]

I thought i had been capped by the US u-21, but now im an irish international? Either way, Kick Ass!

[law90026]

Originally Posted by Blade6119

I thought i had been capped by the US u-21, but now im an irish international? Either way, Kick Ass!

If I'm not wrong, you can be capped by an U-21 side but change nationality later for a full cap. You're only stuck once you have made an official full international appearance for a country.

[law90026]

Start of Season 2010/2011:

Top 10 Major moves:
Giuseppe Rossi - Man Utd to Real Madrid, 55m
Per Mertesacker - Werder Bremen to Real Madrid, 54m
Thiago Ribeiro - Sao Paulo to Strasbourg, 43.5m
Wesley Sneijder - Chelsea to Roma, 43m
Rob Nielsen - Lyon to Juventus, 37m
Charles N'Zogbia - HSV to Roma, 29m
Libis Arenas - Espanyol to West Ham, 29m
Matias Fernandez - Milan to Barcelona, 22m
Diego Biseswar - Nurnberg to HSV, 21m
Larry McGillicuddy - Bolton to Man Utd, 19m

A few familiar sounding names there.

The richest clubs in the world as at 2010:
1. Roma (surprise)
2. Chelsea
3. Real Madrid
4. Barcelona
5. Milan
6. Atletico
7. FC Bayern
8. Arsenal
9. Inter
10. Juventus

Liverpool is 14th, Man Utd is 16th.

World Cup 2010 summary:
England won the 2010 World Cup.

Denmark were knocked out 1-0 by Croatia in the Quarter Finals. Rob Nielsen did not make a single appearance although he was in the squad.

The US were knocked out in the group stages, losing 3-1 to Colombia, 4-1 to Spain and beating South Africa 6-1 in an inconsequential last match. K.N. Smith, Karl Tone and Landon Scott were in the squad and played in all 3 games. K.N., Karl (x2) and Landon (x2) scored in that 6-1 win.

[law90026]

16 Players Start of Season update:

Rob Nielsen, Striker, Juventus
Huge move for Rob as he signs for Juventus for 37m. That's a lot of money to pay for a player that has only scored 33 league goals in 4 seasons. Juventus have struggled the past few years so they'll be looking to improve this year.

Larry McGillicuddy, Goalkeeper, Man Utd
Another major move as Man Utd sign Larry to bolster their chances of an immediate return to the Premiership.

K.N. Smith, Midfielder, HSV
K.N. returns from a disappointing World Cup and will be looking to do well with HSV this year.

Landon Scott, Striker, Blackburn
Despite rumours of a move, Landon Scott starts the season in Blackburn's colours.

Sean Treacy, Midfielder, Arsenal
Sean Treacy makes his 3rd move of his career as he joins Arsenal for 13.75m. Arsenal potentially has a very good team in the making right now.

Karl Tone, Winger, Deportivo:
Karl also returns from a disappointing World Cup and he will want to put his injury woes behind him for this season.

Colton Mayes, Defender, Arsenal
Yet another signing by Arsenal as the 12.5m offered was too much for Celtic to resist. That makes 4 out of the 16 players in the Arsenal squad.

Kevin Donnelly, Striker, Liverpool:
The Liverpool striker will want to establish himself in the first team this year and prove that he wasn't a poor signing.

Jace Hunter, Goalkeeper, Arsenal
Jace is rapidly becoming one of the best players of his generation and he'll want to taste success soon. Maybe his fellow youngsters can help him achieve that.

Jaime Moore, Winger, Arsenal
Jaime recently signed a new contract with Arsenal. However, that hasn't detered Milan, who have placed a 23m bid in for him.

Path Twelve, Goalkeeper, Chelsea
Path Twelve may be wondering why he joined Chelsea as he appears to be behind Petr Cech in the goalkeeping rotation.

Jorge Antonio, Attacking Midfielder, Espanyol
Just one season at Villareal and he moves on as Espanyol pay 7.5m for him.

Aaron Gage, Attacking Midfielder, Celtic
Aaron remains at Celtic for now but various English clubs are reportedly interested in him, including Chelsea.

Logan Pacer, Defensive Midfielder, Feyenoord
Logan Pacer is still looking for the right opportunity to present itself in order to play good regular football. Maybe the move back to Holland will be the right one for him.

Alex Kamelooski, Right Wingback, Liverpool
Will Alex get a chance to prove his ability at Anfield this year? He'll hope so and he'll also be hoping to join his fellow Americans in the international team soon.

Deacon Palmieri, Attacking Midfielder, Porto
Deacon is the lowest valued player of the 16 at 2.8m but he's young yet. There are still hopes he will develop into a world class player but it won't help that he's not slated to start for Porto this year.

[larrymcg421]

Oh no, Man United. I mean, it's good I'm playing for a high profile club, but I feel like I'm playing for the Yankees now. Excuse me while I go wash myself. Eck.

[RPI-Fan]

Wooooooooot!

[George]

Originally Posted by law90026

Jorge Antonio, Attacking Midfielder, Espanyol
Just one season at Villareal and he moves on as Espanyol pay 7.5m for him.

Let's hope he plays better with Espanyol that he did last season with Villareal.

[Coffee Warlord]

I'm becoming the mercenary of the world. People have dropped like a collective 100 million on me.

[Travis]

Welcome to Arsenal boys, now pretty please, score lots of goals.

[MrBug708]

Originally Posted by law90026

Heh no, I did it manually.

Hmmm...too bad you didnt sasve it from the beginning...I would have loved to do it this way. I had an early version of CM which had a glitch in it and I ended up taking over a team that hadn't signed/resigned anyone in 3+ years and was down to one two players

[law90026]

Mid-season Quick Hits

Jaime Moore moved to Milan in a 23m move on 4 August 2010. He hasn't justified his move yet though, playing pretty badly for Milan.

Karl Tone is the subject of bids from Milan, Spurs and Inter. Kinda ironic that Spurs sold him previously and now want him back. He has a minimum fee release clause of 21m and the Milan and Inter bids both exceed that amount, so it's very possible he'll be moving soon.

Alex Kamelooski continues to fail to impress at Anfield and the manager has indicated he will consider selling Alex. Portsmouth has made a 5.5m bid for him. A number of other clubs are interested but whether they will bid is uncertain.

[law90026]

End of Season recap, 2010/2011

English Premier League:
Spurs finally dethrone Chelsea, ending their 3 year stranglehold on the title. Surprisingly, Chelsea were not even 2nd as they finished 4th this year. Boro and Liverpool were 3rd and 4th. Arsenal came in 7th, while Man City, Portsmouth and Watford got relegated.

Man Utd were a very disappointing 7th in the Championship, missing out on the play-offs even.

Spurs only brought in one free transfer this year. Chelsea were moderate in their spending this year, only 38.5m on 3 players. In fact, it was a biggish spending year by Arsenal as they spent 69m.

French League:
Lyon finally regain their title this year, 10 pts clear of PSG.

In order to do so, Lyon had spent 90m on players but they did manage to recoup 37m of that from the sale of Rob Nielsen to Juventus. Of the other top 5 clubs in France, they spent a collective 69m ... equivalent to Arsenal.

German Bundesliga:
Bayern proves to be the unstoppable juggernaut of German football as they win the title again, 2 pts clear of Schalke.

They may have spent 55m on players but they also sold players for 46.5m, so just a slight loss in order to obtain their title.

Italian Serie A:
Roma holds on to their title for a 2nd year in a row, edging out Milan by one point. Inter were 4th, Juventus were 5th.

There was a lot of money spent by the top 5 clubs in Serie A, something in the vicinity of 370m.

Portugal Primeria Liga:
In the Primera Liga, Sporting won the title again, also 9 pts clear of Porto.

Scottish PremierLeague:
Rangers hold on to their title as well, with Dundee and Celtic coming in 2nd and 3rd.

Spanish First Division:
Valencia's turn for success this year as they edge out Barcelona. Atletico were 3rd and last year's winner, Athletic, were 4th.

Valencia spent 113m this year, which breaks 2 seasons in a row where the winner hardly spent anything.

Champions Cup:
Atletic beat Milan on penalties in the Finals. Milan have now reached 3 consecutive finals but lost in the last two.

Euro Cup:
Sporting beat Real Madrid 1-0 in the finals.

FA Cup:
Success for Arsenal has taken a long time to come but this year they win the FA Cup with a 3-0 win against Charlton.

Italian Cup:
Palermo beat Roma 2-1 on aggregate. That's Palermo's 2nd cup in 3 years.

Thoughts:
Nice to see Chelsea stumble this year and for Spurs to succeed (being a somewhat "lesser" club). Milan and Roma appear to have built really strong squads as evidenced by their continued success in Italy and Europe. Bayern may be too far ahead of their competitors in Germany at this time while Spain appears to be a complete lottery every year.

Man Utd's failure to return to the Premiership is an interesting side-story. I wonder if repeated failure to do so may eventually result in them having major problems?

[law90026]

16 players end of season update, 2010/2011

Rob Nielsen, Striker, Lyon
Valued at 25.5m, Rob hasn't really justified his move to Juventus yet. Just 3 goals in all competitions made the fans wonder why their club paid so much for the Danish international.

CA: 166 (+4)
PA: 185

Season Stats:
23 games (12 sub), 3 goals, 2 yellows, 6.39 rating

Larry McGillicuddy, Goalkeeper, Man Utd
Larry must be wondering what he has to do to get out of the Championship. Despite moving to Man Utd, they failed to get promoted and will have to fight it out again in the Championship next year. Larry earned his first 3 international caps for Ireland this year as well and is currently valued at 19m.

CA: 164 (+6)
PA: 182

Season Stats:
40 games (1sub), 47 conceded, 12 clean sheets, 2 MOM, 4 yellows, 1 red, 7.32 rating

Landon Scott, Striker, Blackburn
Landon Scott is one of those players that rumours seem to circulate around but never seems to move. His 4th season with Blackburn now and his most successful on a personal level so far. The US international has a good scoring record (12 goals in 16 international games) and is valued at 16.5m.

CA: 159 (+8)
PA: 193

Season Stats:
38 games (4 sub), 15 goals, 3 MOM, 5 yellows, 1 red, 7.21 rating

Karl Tone, Winger, Inter:
Karl spent half the season at Deportivo before moving to Inter for 17.5m. His valued has dropped slightly since then to 16m though. He played decently all year round and managed 2 goals and 6 assists for Inter in 23 games.

CA: 152 (+5)
PA: 194

Season Stats (league only):
35 games, 4 goals, 7 assists, 3 MOM, 6.64 rating

Kevin Donnelly, Striker, Portsmouth:
A season of disappointment for Kevin Donnelly. First, he left Liverpool after being told he didn't fit in the first team plans and joined Portsmouth on a 14.5m pound transfer. This was followed up with Portsmouth getting relegated.

CA: 154 (+5)
PA: 186

Season Stats (just league):
27 games, 5 goals, 1 MOM, 6.5 rating

Jace Hunter, Goalkeeper, Arsenal
Jace Hunter continues to impress and now has 29 caps for Canada. However, he'll be disappointed he wasn't in the first team for the FA cup win (no explanation why).

CA: 168 (+4)
PA: 180

Season Stats:
38 games, 42 conceded, 13 clean sheets, 8 MOM, 2 yellows, 7.50 rating

Sean Treacy, Midfielder, Arsenal:
Sean was tremendous this year, winning the FA Cup as well as being named to the English Players' Premier Division Select (top 11 players in the Premiership for the year). Huge improvement for him and his impact on the game is evidenced by how much Man City have struggled without him since he left.

CA: 160 (+13)
PA: 172

Season Stats:
38 games (1 sub), 5 assists, 5 MOM, 1 yellow, 7.32 rating

Jaime Moore, Winger, Milan
Jaime decided that London wasn't the place for him and moved to Milan on a 23m move. Bad choice as he struggled to get acclimatised in Italy and only made 19 substitute appearances all year round.

CA: 162 (+3)
PA: 185

Season stats:
19 games (all sub), 5.58 rating

Colton Mayes, Defender, Arsenal:
The Irish international also wins a FA cup medal with the Gunners. His solid performances all year definitely helped Jace out as well. He appeared in 36 out of 38 league games for the Gunners, showing how solid he was.

CA: 143 (+4)
PA: 181

Season Stats:
45 games, 7 yellows, 6.82 rating

K.N. Smith, Midfielder, HSV
Another disappointing year for K.N. as he was relegated to substitute appearances. Despite this, he did manage 5 more caps for the US.

CA: 159 (+2)
PA: 186

Season Stats (league only):
17 games (all sub), 1 assist, 6.00 rating

Jorge Antonio, Attacking Midfielder, Espanyol
The Portugese international (first cap this year) appears to have found a place he enjoys playing at. Espanyol like him too, which is why they gave him a nice big 4 year contract. 8 goals is a solid return from an attacking midfielder.

CA: 153 (+14)
PA: 186

Season Stats:
42 games, 8 goals, 2 assists, 3 yellow, 6.93 rating

Aaron Gage, Attacking Midfielder, Celtic
Rumour is that Aaron Gage wants out of Scotland, disappointed with Celtic's repeated poor showing the past 2 years. Blackburn have indicated interest and it'll be interesting to see an Aaron Gage/Landon Scott combi there.

CA: 147 (+2)
PA: 174

Season Stats:
43 games (5 sub), 8 goals, 10 assists, 1 yellow, 6.77 rating


Path Twelve, Goalkeeper, Chelsea
Path is biding his time for now but interest from Roma may be too good to turn down if a firm offer is made. 10 appearances for the first team this year but Pace will be looking wistfully at his peers like Jace and Larry who appear regularly for their clubs.

CA: 165 (+11)
PA: 183

Season Stats:
10 games (3 sub), 8 conceded, 3 clean sheets, 1 yellow, 7.10 rating

Logan Pacer, Defensive Midfielder, Feyenoord
Another player who appears to have found a home as he played a lot for Feyenoord, although not always well.

CA: 147 (+3)
PA: 190

Season Stats:
42 games, 1 goal, 6 yellows, 6.29 rating

Deacon Palmieri, Attacking Midfielder, Porto
Another season where Deacon didn't feature as much in the first team as he might have liked. He may be weighing his options but so far no team has indicated they are interested in him so he may be stuck at Porto for a while yet.

CA: 140 (+6)
PA: 178

Season Stats:
13 games (7 sub), 1 goal, 6.38 rating

Alex Kamelooski, Right Wingback, Liverpool
Is Alex on the way out of Anfield? Bids had been put in by various clubs, including Arsenal, but Liverpool eventually decided to loan him out to Watford instead, where he played well. However, Watford got relegated despite his best efforts.

CA: 144 (+3)
PA: 183

Season stats:
14 games, 3 assists, 2 MOM, 1 yellow, 7.36 rating

[Coffee Warlord]

Originally Posted by law90026

Rob Nielsen, Striker, Lyon
Valued at 25.5m, Rob hasn't really justified his move to Juventus yet. Just 3 goals in all competitions made the fans wonder why their club paid so much for the Danish international.

Rob Nielsen will not tolerate such questions about Rob Nielsen's football prowess. Rob Nielsen obviously did not receive the damn ball enough, which is why he did not score more goals.

[law90026]

Originally Posted by Coffee Warlord

Rob Nielsen will not tolerate such questions about Rob Nielsen's football prowess. Rob Nielsen obviously did not receive the damn ball enough, which is why he did not score more goals.

And apparently Rob's displeasure resulted in yet another move for him before the start of the next season. Seriously, won't you ever settle down?

[Coffee Warlord]

Originally Posted by law90026

And apparently Rob's displeasure resulted in yet another move for him before the start of the next season. Seriously, won't you ever settle down?

Rob Nielsen is in it for the signing bonus, bitches.