|
habeasdorkus posted:Stadium deals are usually, but not always, bad for the local government. The devil is always in the details, some are obviously better than others. I'm guessing it's either A. Composure, meaning he's going to blow a lot of 1 on 1s Rocky would win on top of being more foul prone or B. He's not as strong and probably going to take a bit of a beating playing in a lone forward spot.
|
#
?
Aug 1, 2014 18:21
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 28, 2024 12:27 |
|
|
Amhazair posted:I see two potential concerns. Guessing the one you mean is low composure, but his low bravery could be trouble too. I'm liking his speed and work rate compared to the bastard, but I'm concerned about composure, bravery and his concentration. What PPM's does he have?
|
|
#
?
Aug 1, 2014 18:32
|
|
|
He's a speedy player with excellent goalscoaring potential (17/17 finishing + first touch? Yes, please), fine team skills and ok decision-making... but he's not creative, he isn't going to challenge for the ball, and that composure too means he'll fold easily. With all that plus his off the ball ability, he shouts "poacher" to me. He looks like he'd make a great AML/R though, I wouldn't be shocked if he had ability at one of those positions. Somewhere he can use the space and not be relied on to get the ball himself. Also, he's a nice set piece utility player. Normally that wouldn't be the best to have on a striker, but since he's not the same kind of roughhousing target man that the Bastard was, he isn't going to be great in the box from a corner, either, so him taking those is helpful. Free kicks are always nice to have on an attacking-skilled player, and throw-ins make him even more a winger. If he's still young, there's plenty of room to grow, though. I'd pump his concentration and positioning, and get him a more aggressive-minded tutor.
|
|
#
?
Aug 1, 2014 18:43
|
|
|
Dane posted:I'm liking his speed and work rate compared to the bastard, but I'm concerned about composure, bravery and his concentration. What PPM's does he have? That speed and workrate is partially what concerns me though. He only has middling stamina and if he does indeed keep charging around like a madman then I can see him tiring out very easily. I don't see the mental stats being that much of a downside. He definitely isn't a targetman type like Bastable is though. We'll have to play them very differently.
|
|
#
?
Aug 1, 2014 19:40
|
|
|
LupusAter posted:Propensity to stupid fouls/lost occasions? His weak spots seem to be all mental ones, and it seems he could lose his head on the pitch. We have a winner! His lack of composure is going to be supremely frustrating. Expect him to create an incredible number of chances and then squander two thirds of them. He'll still score like crazy, but it will be frustrating to watch. He's 25, so he's mostly a finished product.
|
|
#
?
Aug 1, 2014 20:24
|
|
|
Where'd he come from and how'd he do there? Can you see his discipline records over the last few seasons?
|
|
#
?
Aug 1, 2014 21:18
|
|
|
Even with that composure, he looks like he could be a really fun piece to play with. Without the exceptional goal-scoring stats, he would still be able to hold down another position. ...How's his injury history? I don't know how much you paid to get him, but if that had been the answer (since you've mentioned it several times as something important that doesn't directly show up on the visible stats), then, well, this would have the potential to be a really hilarious season.
|
|
#
?
Aug 2, 2014 07:07
|
|
|
habeasdorkus posted:We have a winner! His lack of composure is going to be supremely frustrating. Expect him to create an incredible number of chances and then squander two thirds of them. He'll still score like crazy, but it will be frustrating to watch. Mental stats can still improve. I'd be happy to trade a few points of physicality for maturity.
|
|
#
?
Aug 2, 2014 10:38
|
|
|
Dane posted:Mental stats can still improve. I'd be happy to trade a few points of physicality for maturity. e: gently caress i read it the other way
|
|
#
?
Aug 2, 2014 17:24
|
|
|
Talking about stadiums with a person from Boston just hurts as an American. Fenway has been there forever and has probably been payed off many hunderds of times even after all the renovations, Gillette was financed by the Kraft family for almost the entire thing, and TD Garden was only 160 million to build. Compare that to the new Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara for the 49ers, in which the town had to take out 850 Million in loans to pay for the stadium.
|
|
#
?
Aug 4, 2014 03:03
|
|
|
Minneapolis is getting a new football stadium soon, but considering the Metrodome's inflated roof collapsed from snow a while back and the lease has been technically up for years, we've been overdue for an upgrade.
|
|
#
?
Aug 4, 2014 03:38
|
|
|
Bobbin Threadbare posted:Minneapolis is getting a new football stadium soon, but considering the Metrodome's inflated roof collapsed from snow a while back and the lease has been technically up for years, we've been overdue for an upgrade. Did that roof collapse extend Favre's start streak?
|
|
#
?
Aug 4, 2014 03:57
|
|
|
Dreamsicle posted:Did that roof collapse extend Favre's start streak? Well, it ended while the roof was collapsed, so not completely.
|
|
#
?
Aug 4, 2014 04:31
|
|
|
Sicke posted:Talking about stadiums with a person from Boston just hurts as an American. Fenway has been there forever and has probably been payed off many hunderds of times even after all the renovations, Gillette was financed by the Kraft family for almost the entire thing, and TD Garden was only 160 million to build. Compare that to the new Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara for the 49ers, in which the town had to take out 850 Million in loans to pay for the stadium. Yeah I watched the Sounders / San Jose Game and that stadium seemed err... well expensive I mean it looked like half of the stadium were suites for all them executives who want to enjoy their sports in the comfort of A/C and catering. Also I feel it looks really ugly ,but whatever But on Minnesota I think its going to be a tossup between Sacramento or Minnesota for the "final" (24th) of the MLS Expansions Jack2142 fucked around with this message at 05:13 on Aug 4, 2014 |
|
#
?
Aug 4, 2014 05:03
|
|
|
Sicke posted:Talking about stadiums with a person from Boston just hurts as an American. Fenway has been there forever and has probably been payed off many hunderds of times even after all the renovations, Gillette was financed by the Kraft family for almost the entire thing, and TD Garden was only 160 million to build. Compare that to the new Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara for the 49ers, in which the town had to take out 850 Million in loans to pay for the stadium. One reason I love the owner of the Red Sox is that he decided to renovate Fenway rather than replace it. He made the same choice when he took over Liverpool a couple years ago, and if it's anything like what they did with Fenway the supporters will love it. Housing my brother and sister in law atm, update will go up tomorrow afternoon when they leave.
|
|
#
?
Aug 4, 2014 15:27
|
|
|
Bobbin Threadbare posted:Minneapolis is getting a new football stadium soon, but considering the Metrodome's inflated roof collapsed from snow a while back and the lease has been technically up for years, we've been overdue for an upgrade. I dislike how much Minneapolis spent on Target field for the Twins. It's a nice stadium and all but it was forced on the city by all the state legislators who didn't have to pay for it (sales taxes were raised in just the Minneapolis area, but just about every local representative vied against it).
|
|
#
?
Aug 4, 2014 15:30
|
|
|
Does Wrexham still use the 4-4-2 Diamond or 4-4-1-1? EDIT: Also, how are Rossetti and Duschamps? Dreamsicle fucked around with this message at 04:55 on Aug 5, 2014 |
|
#
?
Aug 4, 2014 16:58
|
|
|
We still have the 4-4-1-1 in our back pocket, but we pretty much never use it. Duchamps is 29 and has been at Guingamp in France's Ligue 2 for the last eight years where he's been an above average contributor to a lower league team. Rosetti is 31 and has bounced around four clubs in Serie A and has spent the past five years getting regular playing time with Fiorentina, but has never scored more than 9 league goals in a season.
|
|
#
?
Aug 5, 2014 21:41
|
|
|
(Wrexham resident and fan4lifehere, you may vaguely remember me posting some local pub info ages ago) This was a treat to come back to after my hard drive melted. Champions! Although you lost the Bastard, so there go all our international shirt sales. And goals. (Basically let's not become Spurs 2: Welsh Bugaloo)
|
|
#
?
Aug 5, 2014 21:44
|
|
|
Chapter the First: Our nation turns its lonely eyes to you, Rocky Bastable. July 8, 2023-August 1 Item one on the agenda is finding a way to use our gigantic pile of money to sign a world class striker to replace the one I just let go because I'm dumber than a bag of hammers. Item two is not embarrassing ourselves at the Copa America in Ecuador. Item three is Wrexham's preseason, which I haven't planned out yet.  At least the team is looking forward to the upcoming challenges despite both intended and unintended squad turnover.  Damnit Bloem, I have cash to burn and your name's on it!  I've offered £105m for Bloem, and they haven't even opened negotiations. He's off the table.  So is Bayern Munich's crazygonuts good Niklas Duhnke:  We have all this money and nowhere to spend it.  Or maybe we do. I had my scouts look at every player in the world valued over £7.5m, and this guy popped up. He's worth £33.5m, but had a minimum fee release clause of £9.5m  He's on newly promoted Cesena, which just made it to Serie A. He appears to have literally just been generated in the last two weeks and he has no playing history before last year. As you can see, he's surprisingly comparable to Bastable.   His technical and physical numbers are awesome. His mental numbers not so much. That 9 composure means that he'll pooch easy goals on the regular. His 19 Work Rate, 17 Off the Ball, and 17 Anticipation combined with his A+ physical skills means he should still score a ton. We have to hope PSG doesn't exercise their rights to offer him a contract.  The U23 team doesn't count towards our FIFA rankings. Thank goodness, because we're about to lose three times. At Brazil, July 13, 2023 Copa America, Group B  If we keep it close we've done amazingly well. Our team has only one player who'd be starting for the USMNT, and Brazil are Brazil. Starting Formation: 4-5-1 Counter Starting 11: Solis, Lozano, Stevens, Avila, Jiminze, Lang, Padilla, Ibarra, Fisher (c), Hernandze, Helmick. Subs: Nazaryan, Roberts, Donaldson, Ramirez, Barrett, Coleman, Holland. We make it through the first half unscathed, and our defense is doing a good job of parking the bus. I don't know how well that will hold up in the second half, but only allowing a single half chance against Brazil with a squad of guys in their late teens and early twenties. Brazil sure think they should be playing better, they unleash a torrent of shots that clang, clatter, and coast on or by the net. Still, it's looking like we're going to hold on for an incredible nil-nil draw... until finally Brazil score in the 87th minute. What a letdown, but it's still a huge accomplishment for our kids.   Brazil 1-0 USMNT U23  The guy is just coming out of Serie B and I'm assuming that's why he wasn't on anyone's radar, because he should have had a lot of suitors. Thiago Striker  You can live with low bravery in a striker if he's not a target man. But that Composure terrifies me. Composure is something you can train, so he's getting a crash course on how to relax with the ball at his feet. He'll never be cool as a cucumber, but even cool as a carrot would be a marked improvement. Other than that he's the platonic ideal of a poacher, and the scouts say his specific strength is performing in important matches. I feel like the game saw what happened with Bastable and created this guy to make me feel less guilty.  The cavalcade of departures continues. I'm a fan of Julio, I'm not kidding when I said all he does is score, but he only made 9 starts last season and Callum Allen is better in most areas while being three years younger and under contract for twice as long.    None of these teams have a match scheduled for a week on either side of the proposed dates. This is ridiculous, especially as clubs like Roma will be playing friendlies against other MLS teams with the same gaps in their schedules.  Our invitation to the Copa America weakens our U20 World Cup squad, but we weren't likely to make it through a group featuring Argentina and Italy anyways. At Venezuela, July 16, 2023 Copa America, Group B  This is our best chance to win a match, which is to say we're only massive underdogs instead of overwhelmingly screwed. I'm assuming that by 2023 we've developed reliable teleporter technology, as this match is at the same time as the one in China. Either that or we've hit the singularity and I've split my consciousness into two android bodies in order to manage both matches. Starting Formation: 4-5-1 Counter Starting 11: Solis (c), Donaldson, Ramirez, Avila, Jiminez, Padilla, Barrett, Coleman, Holland, Hernandez, Black. Subs: Nazaryan Roberts, Stevens, Helmick, Ibarra, Fisher, Willis. We have a goal disallowed in the 8th minute as Black was offside. I hope that's not our only one. We're taking too many long range shots, and Venezuela have been able to break us down more than once. Unsurprisingly the team is looking nervous at halftime. Venezuela is wasteful with their chances, but 9 of our 11 shots are from long range and we go down to a draw. We're not eliminated yet, but things are looking bleak.   Venezuela 0-0 USMNT U23 At Jiangsu Sainty, July 16, 2023 Friendly  Wrexham will play fewer friendlies this year, I think one thing that hurt us at the start of last year was trying to play too many too early in our season. Also, I'm getting frustrated with our inability to schedule a tour of the United States. I don't want to end up playing a bunch of nobodies again. The only other friendly presently on the calendar is with our feeder club in Serbia in early August. Starting Formation: 4-2-3-1 Control Starting 11: Fitzgerald, Reed, Laux, Hammatt, Taffarel, Bailey, Morvan, Parr, Collett, Argenti, Aarts. Subs: El Sayed, Loseille, Cirjak, O'Hanlon, Feliciano, Mair, Shirra, Petts, Mujkic, Allan, Ikeda, Gabbianelli. It's a walkover. Argenti gives us the lead in the 11th minute, and then Aarts makes it two in the 18th. We add two more by halftime, a nice shot from range by Morvan and a second from Aarts. Taffarel looks like he's already meshing well with the team, he's got two assists. Steve Reed scores on a fluke goal in the second half and the only negative moment in the whole game is Collett being forced off early, but as he's fine after the match even that is nothing to be concerned about. Man of the Match: Aarts   Jiangsu Sainty 0-5 Wrexham  I can't fault Harley for not making our first team, the guy never had the talent to make it. I am irritated that he refused to leave until I had to give him away.  The sales window is closed as we return from China. I have more money than I know what to do with. We need to add another centerback and I'm still looking for a dominant central midfielder, but we're otherwise good to go.  Screw you, MLS. You're awful and your scheduling is insane. We're going to someplace where it isn't a complete hassle to schedule a tour.     We're going to be big in Japan!    And Italy!  Ok, I guess I lied. We are going to end up playing a lot of friendlies. I couldn't resist sneaking in a second tour after the Radnicki match and before the Community Shield At Chile, July 19, 2023 Copa America, Group B  We need to win and Brazil needs to lose or draw. I wouldn't put a wager on either of those outcomes. Still, we've at least earned a point and we've only barely been outscored. If we can pull off another narrow loss we'll have acquitted ourselves very well considering that this is our U23 squad. Starting Formation: 4-5-1 Counter Starting 11: Solis, Lozano, Stevens, Avila, Jimenez, Lang, Padilla, Ibarra, Fisher, Willis, Helmick. Subs: Nazaryan, Roberts, Donaldson, Ramirez, Barrett, Hernandez, Holland. It was all Chile in the first half and it could easily be 2-0 instead of 0-0. We need to show some gumption if we're going to win this match. Chile keep pushing for a goal, but their chances are from much less dangerous spots on the field. Meanwhile we're finally starting to see some success with our counter attacks, and it's no surprise when substitute Christian Holland gives us the lead in the 73rd minute when he finds the seem between the Chilean centerbacks. Our defense stands firm for the final twenty minutes, and despite Brazil's victory knocking us out of the tournament we significantly exceeded expectations and showed the world that we are not to be taken lightly. Man of the Match: Scott Stevens   Chile 0-1 USMNT U23  Guess who forgot that the Copa America is a three group tournament where only four teams are eliminated at the group stage and two of the third place teams survive. We're playing Colombia, if we're as lucky as we were against Chile we could make it to the semifinals. Meanwhile Uruguay, Venezuela, Paraguay, and Bolivia are all out.  I'm just glad he didn't hurt himself seriously, but this will keep him out for the Community Shield.  My hunt for a centerback upgrade bears fruit. Salerno is one of the best defenders in Italy, a nation known for their defensive prowess, and broke into the Italian national team last year at the age of 21. He seems criminally underrated, valued at a meager £9.5m. I expect it will take at least twice as much to land him. If we can't get him for under £30m I'll be surprised, but there's other centerbacks in the sea.  Meanwhile peerless midfielder Rodrigo Jiminez has suffered a serious injury, knee tendonitis, that puts him out of the running for my “big splash” of the offseason. We probably couldn't have afforded him anyhow, even if Bayern was willing to part with him. At Kashima Antlers, July 20, 2023 Japanese Tour  Konnichiwa Japan! Thank you for being a last second replacement to those jerks in North America who were too good to schedule matches against us. The Japanese teams have an odd set of naming conventions for their football clubs, but the Antlers are pretty straightforward. Kashima means “Deer Island”- ergo they're the Deer Island Antlers. They're the most successful club in Japan, having won a total of 16 major trophies and 7 top division titles. We're still going to smoke them. Starting Formation: 4-2-3-1 Control Starting 11: El Sayed, Cirjak, O'Hanlon, Hammatt, Loseille, Bailey (c), Petts, Parr, Allan, Ikeda, Gabbianelli. Subs: Fitzgerald, Kovacevic, Taffarel, Reed, Laux, Morvan, Mair, Shirra, Argenti, Mujkic, Thiago, Aarts. We definitely don't smoke them in the first half. It takes us until stoppage time to get a goal, but it couldn't have worked any better for our merchandise sales. Ryuta Ikeda scores in his first game back home, and the locals are pleased as punch. We fail to score again in the second half, new signing Gabbianelli misses what seems like a dozen chances. We're going to need to be much better when we get to competitive matches. Man of the Match: Alex O'Hanlon.   Antlers 0-1 Wrexham  Oh come on. He was only on the pitch for 20 minutes. Thanks, Japan. You should give him a Gundam body since you've damaged his spine.  So... we won't be signing Salerno. Roma are offering him a new contract, I'll see if it has a release clause but I doubt it will.  I wish these odds would update over the course of the transfer window, if we pull off a couple big moves we might yet become the favorites.  Get me more silverware and I'll shower you all with praise and lucre.  Look, I realize that Monaco is a way hipper place to live than Wrexham, but don't you want to win some trophies?  This is one reason why I've refused to sell players in the past, at a certain point you don't have anything to spend money on.  Man United wanted over £60m for Boumsong two years ago. I doubt the price has gotten lower. At Fagiano Okayama, July , 2023 Japanese Tour  Fagiano are the only club we're facing not in the top level J League, I picked them as a stop because they're based right next to Ryuta Ikeda's home town. Three guesses as to who we're starting at striker, and the first two don't count. Starting Formation: 4-2-3-1 Control Starting 11: El Sayed (c), Reed, Laux, Hammatt, Taffarel, Mair, Morvan, Argenti, Shirra, Damgaard, Ikeda. Subs: Fitzgerald, Enrique, Cirjak, Rickard, Feliciano, Maloney, Bailey, Stringel, Allan, Gabbianelli, Thiago, Aarts. We win handily, but we don't score as much as we should have. Ikeda gets a goal in front of his family, though. Good on yer, Ryuta. We're halfway through our tour of Japan and the only thing we're missing is buckets of goals. Man of the Match: Steve Reed   Fagiano 0-2 Wrexham At Colombia, July 23, 2023 Copa America, Quarterfinal  We're missing our best centerback, he came down with a nasty case of tendonitis that will sideline him for fully half a year. On top of that one of our midfielders turned 21 and will be ineligible for the rest of the tournament. We can barely dress a full squad, the only thing in our favor is that Colombia is even more tired. Starting Formation: 4-5-1 Counter Starting 11: Solis (c), Lozano, Donaldson, Avila, Roberts, Lang, Padilla, Barrett, Helmick, Hernandez, Holland. Subs: Nazaryan, Jimenez, Ramirez, Coleman, Fisher, Black, Willis. This game would have been hard enough to win straight up. It was impossible when our players gave up three penalties. The worst performance came from Bobby Padilla, our 23 year old defensive midfielder who is by all accounts one of the three best players currently from the United States at any level. He's out of the squad, and I won't be bringing him back for a full year because of his awful play in this match. Losing is one thing, embarrassing ourselves is another. Only one of the three penalties we gave up was questionable, the other two were entirely deserved.   Colombia 4-0 USMNT U23  Grr. .png) No, jackanape. We need to talk about how I'm dropping you from the team for not just one bad game but three subpar performances in four appearances when the team was relying on you.   You two picked the wrong time to bypass my office and instead blab to the media.  Good. Don't let it happen again.  Congratulations on getting a one way ticket to the end of your career. I will destroy you.  He'll never play a competitive match until he bows and scrapes his way back into my good graces. I will make him a monument to my vengeance.  There isn't a single world class centerback that we can buy. I'll take a high ceiling loaner for now from PSG with a thought towards purchasing him next year.  Just as expected Salerno's new deal doesn't have a release clause.  You're just playing right into my hands, you dunce of a Dane.  You will die unknown and unloved. Or at least after having been stuck in our reserves until you're 23. Or until I forget why I was so mad at you and remember that I signed you because of your sky-high potential.  Cirjak is the only player who needs a new contract, I'll likely give him one before the end of August to avoid the chance that I forget to make an offer and a foreign club poaches him in the coming January window. At Kashiwa Reysol, July 26, 2023 Japanese Tour  Reysol are owned by Hitachi, and have one of the smaller stadiums in the J League. They're a comparatively old club, with roots dating back to the 1940s, and are two time top division champs. They aren't on the same level as our prior opponents Antlers or our upcoming ones in Yokohama. Starting Formation: 4-2-3-1 Control Starting 11: Fitzgerald, Loseille, O'Hanlon, Feliciano, Taffarel, Bailey, Petts, Parr, Allan, Gabbianelli, Aarts. Subs: El Sayed, Cirjak, Enrique, Rickard, Laux, Mair, Morvan, Shirra, Argenti, Ikeda, Stringel, Thiago. We should be rolling over Reysol, but by the end of the first half they're up 1-0 and there's nothing flukey about it. I read the riot act to the players, and they respond with their best set of movement and passing all day in the first 17 seconds and finish with a Parr goal. Callam Allan finally puts us ahead after 70 minutes, but the Japanese team will not go quietly and we're lucky to slip away with the victory.   Reysol 1-2 Wrexham  I'm glad that he wants to impress me, but Man United are trying to lock him up with a new contract.  Unsal isn't happening, not only is he perfectly happy in Monaco they won't accept even a world record bid for him. Too bad, he's one of the three best central midfielders in the world.  Just to make sure Monaco gives him a new, £7m/year deal. At Yokohama F Marinos, July 29, 2023 Japanese Tour  The company team of Nissan motors, the F Marinos are a perfect example of the odd naming of some Japanese teams. “Marinos” comes from the Spanish word for sailors. F comes from “Flügels” (sic), or “wings” in German, as the Yokohama Flügels were the company team of All Nippon Airways. The teams merged back in 1999, and now we have the F Marinos... though I can't tell if they should properly be called the Wing Sailors or the Sailors' Wings. Starting Formation: 4-3-2-1 Control Starting 11: Kovacevic, Reis, Feliciano, Hammatt, Enrique, Morvan, Mair (c), Argenti, Shirra, Ayari, Ikeda. Subs: El Sayed, Loseille, Taffarel, Rickard, O'Hanlon, Maloney, Bailey, Gabbianelli, Stringel, Allan, Aarts, Thiago. The F Marinos did their best, limiting us to a sole clear cut chance in the first half, but we're still winning 3-0 by the end of it. The score is the same at the end of the match, and we end our Japanese tour with four fairly easy wins, and having conceded just one goal. The J League proved to be a bit tougher than expected, and I'm not super happy with our lack of scoring, but given that this is primarily about fitness I can't complain too much. Man of the Match: Ed Hammatt   F Marinos 0-3 Wrexham  Because you're our most important defensive player?  We just did the gol'durn Double and you're doubting me? It would be one thing if you wanted a new contract, but you're instead whining about going to a club that got knocked out of the piddling Europa League in the quarterfinals last year, and play in a league that isn't even as reputable as Germany. It's not even like they have a generations long history of being great, until they were bought by oil billionaires in 2011 they couldn't manage the middling accomplishment of being the undisputed best club in France.  Atletico Madrid was minutes from pulling off a double this past year and their star keeper was a loaner. There's no shame in using loan players even as a megabastard.  Though I also dipped into the transfer kitty to make a big ol' splash. Jonathan Quiboulaz Defender  He's got a ways to go before he's a world class defender, but he can play all the way across the back line and gives us excellent depth. He'll likely be fourth or fifth on the depth chart at centerback, but given how many matches we play we'll have plenty of time for everyone.   Well, this is the first time we've had this problem. Hammatt should rest easy, he and Laux are my first choice as a centerback pairing. O'Hanlon should be a little more concerned, but he's still going to get 20+ matches this season to show me what he's got. Let's see if they accept that.  He's on the verge of becoming a star. He'll get plenty of chances to prove it.  I expect his mood to improve when he realizes he's still moved up two spots on our depth chart from last season. If anyone has cause for complaint it's the loaner, Vidal, who's the guy most likely to get less playing time because we don't have a vested interest in his long term success.  We're turning into big spenders, but we're still net something like £50m on the summer.   \We did well in South America, even if our defeat at the hands of Colombia was outrageous after the confident performances we put forward in the group stage. Next up is the U20 World Cup, which we have no chance of winning as our best U20 players are for the most part on the U23 team. Most summers are nowhere near this crowded when it comes to tournaments, I can't think of a single major one that we'll be involved with next year.  It's a month before the end of the transfer deadline and while I feel like we've done a good job selling high and buying low we haven't made a truly bombastic signing. Part of that is the paucity of perfect midfielders in the world, part of it is that the biggest clubs in the world see no reason to sell their very best players for any sum. I'll certainly be active over the next month, there's no way that I just sit on a £111m budget. At the very least I'll spend another £20-40m on a young superprospect who can get some playing time in our first team. 
|
|
#
?
Aug 5, 2014 21:48
|
|
|
Also, I saw this yesterday in a bar while I was showing my brother and his wife around the city (sorry for bad picture quality): Also also, Obliterati, you have a boon to be granted from last season's World Cup prediction contest. Let me know what you want.
|
|
#
?
Aug 5, 2014 21:50
|
|
|
habeasdorkus posted:Also, I saw this yesterday in a bar while I was showing my brother and his wife around the city (sorry for bad picture quality): Wrexham lager was amazing back in the day. Cheap as water, crisp and smooth! The brewery shut down...about twenty odd years ago I think? They revived in a couple of years ago, and just like every nostalgic throwback it's ruined. Tastes generic, not even brewed in Wrexham anymore, and often charged the same price as "premium" beers. My childhood, ruined!
|
|
#
?
Aug 5, 2014 21:59
|
|
|
 The Italian Stallion has arrived.
|
|
#
?
Aug 5, 2014 22:20
|
|
|
Bootcha posted:
Brazilian Stallion, does have a bit of a Pirlo going on though.
|
|
#
?
Aug 5, 2014 22:52
|
|
|
I have to say, I'm getting a bit concerned that Scott Brown is going Joe Kinnear on us. First his screwup with Bastable, then his inability to arrange friendlies in the MLS - he's American, for fucks sake, and the national manager! - and now he's acting out in petulance against a 21 year-old player. I think we need to keep a closer eye on him for the next few months.
|
|
#
?
Aug 5, 2014 23:38
|
|
|
Dane posted:I have to say, I'm getting a bit concerned that Scott Brown is going Joe Kinnear on us. First his screwup with Bastable, then his inability to arrange friendlies in the MLS - he's American, for fucks sake, and the national manager! - and now he's acting out in petulance against a 21 year-old player. While the first two are concerning, he's been doing the latter for years. Remember Gorman?
|
|
#
?
Aug 5, 2014 23:41
|
|
|
Dreamsicle posted:While the first two are concerning, he's been doing the latter for years. Remember Gorman? True enough. But while he may be willing to cut off his nose to spite his face, we have a duty to the club. So I'm just advising caution, here.
|
|
#
?
Aug 5, 2014 23:43
|
|
|
The inability to schedule friendlies against MLS teams is because MLS runs their season through the Summer and England, along with most of Europe, runs their season through the Winter. And teams generally aren't willing to schedule friendlies right smack-dab in the middle of their season in FM. Obviously in Real Life MLS teams happily play Euro squads, a lot of them even play in bigger stadiums because playing Manchester United means you're going to sell a lot more than your MLS stadium seats, so you want to maximize the gate.
|
|
#
?
Aug 5, 2014 23:45
|
|
|
Are career-ending injuries not possible in this game? The worst I've seen here is 3-5 months.
|
|
#
?
Aug 6, 2014 06:56
|
|
|
How did you play Venezuela and Jiangsu Sainty on the same day?
|
|
#
?
Aug 6, 2014 07:48
|
|
|
Non Sequitur posted:Are career-ending injuries not possible in this game? The worst I've seen here is 3-5 months. I've had players taking 16 months or so to get back from a damaged spine, 14 months from a broken leg and almost a year from a virus. Career ending injuries are possible in the sense that certain injuries are recurring. I don't know about 2014, but at least up until 2013, injuries in the db were classified like this: Walking Wounded (a bruised jaw, a broken nose, a stubbed finger, a sprained wrist) Minor Injury (a back strain, food poisoning, pulled hamstring) Moderate Injury (strained knee ligaments, broken toe, sports hernia) Serious Injury (torn groin muscle or hamstring, fractured skull, double hernia, broken collarbone) Potentially Career Threatening (a serious viral infection, damaged achilles tendon, shin splints, damaged cruicate ligaments, broken pelvis, damaged spine, arthritis) - There's also a severity called "invalid", but it's for use in the editor only. Additionally, there's a toggle for "recurring" injury. So something like a damaged spine or damaged cruciates is really nasty, because they tend to happen again whereas a broken leg won't. And some players will (seems to happen more often with regens) decide to hang up their boots after their fourth knee surgery.
|
|
#
?
Aug 6, 2014 12:12
|
|
|
Dane posted:So something like a damaged spine or damaged cruciates is really nasty, because they tend to happen again whereas a broken leg won't. Mujkic 
|
|
#
?
Aug 6, 2014 12:52
|
|
|
Dreamsicle posted:How did you play Venezuela and Jiangsu Sainty on the same day? By 2023? Borrowing the Chairman's Skylon sub-orbital jet.
|
|
#
?
Aug 6, 2014 13:04
|
|
|
habeasdorkus posted:Also also, Obliterati, you have a boon to be granted from last season's World Cup prediction contest. Let me know what you want. Oooh, I'd forgotten about this! Can someone give me a run-down of previous boons so I don't end up asking something crazy? I have some ideas though. Hint: they involve Celtic.
|
|
#
?
Aug 6, 2014 13:43
|
|
|
We need another Scottish superkid I'm sure.  We had a couple of requests for them and with a couple more they will most likely have a golden generation on their hands.
|
|
#
?
Aug 6, 2014 15:21
|
|
|
I don't think career-ending injuries actually ARE possible in the sense of "will never play a game and retires immediately", I seem to remember it was the result of negotiations with FIFPro (the worldwide union) who also generally made the demands of 'real players can't have CRAZY antics like nightclubs or such' It's similar to the demand that the club federation or whatever had where clubs can't actually declare bankruptcy and fold, which isn't uncommon in soccer.
|
|
#
?
Aug 6, 2014 15:25
|
|
|
Sky Shadowing posted:I don't think career-ending injuries actually ARE possible in the sense of "will never play a game and retires immediately", I seem to remember it was the result of negotiations with FIFPro (the worldwide union) who also generally made the demands of 'real players can't have CRAZY antics like nightclubs or such' Yeah, they're not. They've toned it down a good deal, both injuries and other scandals. In the very old CM days, you could have RL star players go nuts and get in fights with each other, massive disciplinary problems etc. THey then moved that to just regens, but they might've toned it down even more there. A shame, really. Would be fun with a few matchfixing scandals, a bit of doping and some Ravel Morrison-esque antics.
|
|
#
?
Aug 6, 2014 15:55
|
|
|
Alright then, let's have a Celtic wonderkid: in light of injurychat, I humbly request the kid be renamed to Paul McStay who more than deserves another go around.
|
|
#
?
Aug 6, 2014 16:26
|
|
|
Dane posted:I've had players taking 16 months or so to get back from a damaged spine, 14 months from a broken leg and almost a year from a virus. We had Parr out with a busted ACL last year, he missed a full 10 months. It also hosed his development. The game will lower a player's physical and technical skills (due to rustiness and lack of practice along with lost physical ability) while they're out, so their PA will usually see a modest decline while at the same time they get older and less likely to fulfill their potential. Parr has dropped from being a 3 star player with 4.5 star potential to being a 2.5 star player with 2.5 star potential. I think he'll keep improving for a few years, he's only 25, but the injury took him from being a potentially world class wide attacker to being merely a useful piece on an excellent team. We also had one of our youth players miss over a year with a broken back a long while ago, he went from a fringe prospect to an early retirement. Overall, though, stuff like hamstring injuries will put you on the shelf for a couple-three months (and may end up recurring) but won't kill your career while nerve damage, tendonitis, and bad achilles tendon/knee ligament injuries can destroy careers. For examples in other sports, look at Jose Reyes (potential baseball Hall of Fame career which overcame early hamstring troubles that cost him most of two seasons) vs. Derrick Rose (potential basketball HoF career that hasn't recovered from an ACL tear back in April of 2012). ZorbaTHut posted:Mujkic Yeah, that does worry me. His particular spinal injury was relatively minor, hopefully it doesn't come back. Obliterati posted:Alright then, let's have a Celtic wonderkid: in light of injurychat, I humbly request the kid be renamed to Paul McStay who more than deserves another go around. Done:  I've made sure he's not injury prone- if this LP somehow gets to 2040 I don't want his career having ended due to a broken ankle. AJ_Impy posted:By 2023? Borrowing the Chairman's Skylon sub-orbital jet. I've always figured that when there's a US game and a Wrexham game at the same time there's the real me at one match and a hologram version at the other. I'm sure it gets confusing when I'm yelling at the players from the technical area or trying to give two pep talks at the same time, though.
|
|
#
?
Aug 6, 2014 17:49
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 28, 2024 12:27 |
|
|
habeasdorkus posted:I've always figured that when there's a US game and a Wrexham game at the same time there's the real me at one match and a hologram version at the other. I'm sure it gets confusing when I'm yelling at the players from the technical area or trying to give two pep talks at the same time, though. Yeah this game handles travel badly... the stupidest I ever saw was in 9 days as the Sounders I flew from Seattle to Honduras for a CCL game, up to Boston to play the NER and then down to LA to play Chivas USA. 
|
|
#
?
Aug 6, 2014 19:50
|
|