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Chapter the Eleventh: Dr. Meteor and Mr. Mujkic. March 7, 2027-April 8, 2027 We've got to win against Valencia. Other than that, we really have no important matches. We're twelve points ahead of Manchester United with two games in hand, they would need to win out while we lost most of our remaining matches to fumble away the title and the real question is whether we can set a record for the number of games remaining when we clinch. The current record for a 38 game season is locking up the title with four games remaining. I think we can beat that. There's also youth intake in a few days. Since we're broke it won't take up much of my time. Then there's an international break, which also won't take much time as the USMNT is only facing China. vs Valencia, March 9, 2027 Champions League, Knockout Round Home Tie  We lose if Valencia draws us and scores even once. Not getting an away goal could turn out to be our undoing. Starting Formation: 4-2-3-1 Control Starting 11: Minami, Reed, Hammatt, Quiboulaz, Loseille, Maloney, Shirra, Mercado, Allan, Mujkic (c), Thiago. Subs: Kocsis, Cirjak, Tounkara, Bailey, Pickee, Damgaard, Stringel. The Turkish referee hands out three yellows in the first five minutes, and two of them are to Hammatt and Loseille. The cautiousness that results allows Valencia to push us around, but they miss a great chance to score. Then Thiago scores against the run of play, and we're in business. Valencia are unable to press us as hard after that, and we get some breathing room when Ed Hammatt crushes a header past the Valencia keeper. We add to that buffer with Thiago's second goal of the game just before the break. The Spaniards need a huge comeback, and we spot them one of the three goals they require when Minami makes an unnecessarily rushed clearance directly to a Valencia forward. That's the only one they get, though, as our defense otherwise locks down and controls the end of the match. We're still in the Champions League and seeking a double. Man of the Match: Thiago   Wrexham (3) 3-1 (1) Valencia  Not shabby at all, Meteor, I didn't think anyone was going to break that Bailey record.  There's some good prospects on this U20 squad. The most obvious is Rodrigo Moctezuma, but David Hunt, Matt Orozco, Matt Brown, John Morales, and Casey Medina are all four star or better prospects. If they all reached their full potential they'd be as good or better than everyone not named Brent Woods from our last World Cup team. It's only a matter of how much they'll have improved by the time the next World Cup comes in 2030. At Brentford, March 13, 2027 Premier League  Brentford are doing about as well as could be expected, sitting six points above the drop in fifteenth place. I want to build on our victory over Valencia, it'd be nice to just plow through the rest of our matches without a hitch. Starting Formation: 4-2-3-1 Control Starting 11: Minami, Cirjak, Tounkara, Laux, Loseille, Bailey (c), Allan, Parr, Stringel, Damgaard, Thiago. Subs: Kocsis, Reed, Quiboulaz, Maloney, Shirra, Mercado, Pickee. We have a habit of scoring early, and this match is no different as precise passes from Bailey and Parr set Thiago up for a simple finish. A similar four touch movement sees Allan snake a pass between two defenders to Stringel, who looks up and sees Parr breaking for the net. One placed shot later, and we're ahead two-nil in the 12th minute. Thiago later manages to hit the keeper when he has the entire rest of the goalmouth to work with, but Stringel is right there to hole the second effort. Brentford come out firing in the second half, forcing Minami to make two sprawling saves to protect the clean sheet, but when our opponents do put the ball into the net it's an own goal that provides the final margin. Man of the Match: Isaac Stringel   Brentford 0-4 Wrexham  Our academy class is not very good this year, yielding only a few two star prospects, and I've no money with which to go out and supplement it. We'll be fine without any improvements, though, only a couple of our best prospects are graduating from the U18 team this year.  Of course he's not getting called up to the senior team, I want him to go win the CONCACAF U20 championship, not play one boring friendly against China.  Shahed Parr has been a joy to watch when he's healthy enough to play. He's been great, averaging a goal or assist per game played. This is his third multi-week injury of the season, though. He'll only miss one game, against Swansea, thanks to the international break, and then we'll have him for a couple more games before he hurts himself again.  I'm not sure what dropped out of our rankings to see us improve so much, but I'll take it.  Ah, lovely. We'll face a team that spends a full £100m in salary more than their next closest domestic competitor.  Only 19 days now separate our two league matches with Southampton. If we can get past PSG we could end up playing them back to back in early May!  .png) I wanted to use the upcoming friendly in China to blood some of our younger players, but that does leave stalwarts like Latham concerned about their place in the side.  I swear, every time I call him up he gets hit by a truck. Poor bastard.  Oh no! No! This is terrible news. How can you quit on me Bruno? We had such a good thing going! Who will I call a mindless parasite who coasts on the skills of his players and who can't even fathom the 4-4-2? At Swansea City, March 21, 2027 Premier League, Welsh Derby  Swansea just held Manchester United to a draw, and are on a twelve match unbeaten streak. Their season really picked up once they were knocked out of the Europa League, prior to that they had been getting thrashed on a twice-weekly basis. Starting Formation: 4-2-3-1 Control Starting 11: Minami, Reed, Tounkara, Laux, Loseille, Bailey, Shirra, Pickee, Stringel, Mujkic (c), Thiago. Subs: Kocsis, Quiboulaz, Hammatt, Bale, Allan, Damgaard, Mercado. Loseille gets a first minute yellow, and Laux picks up one 25 minutes later. Swansea are playing well, but we're still creating opportunities. We're just missing them, the most obvious being an open net attempt that Tounkara fluffs just before the end of the half. Swansea takes advantage of our punchlessness and Bailey's failure to mark his man on a free kick and gives Swansea the lead. We're still not getting any pressure on Swansea, and things go worse when Mujkic gets his second straight red of the season. Unlike the prior tackle this one seems like it's for no reason at all. I start to think the ref has it in for us when we're denied a clear penalty, and I order us to get well stuck in. Finally, after Thiago blows yet another chance, it's Dramane Tounkara making up for his earlier miss on a corner. We can walk out of South Wales with a draw by the skin of our teeth. Man of the Match: Dramane Tounkara   Swansea 1-1 Wrexham  It didn't look that vicious to me, Mujkic came in straight for the ball. So I'm going to gamble that Williams is wrong, and appeal.  Hopefully this means he doesn't get an additional suspension atop the two games he'll already miss.  Nope! He's going to miss almost half of our remaining league games. I hope Claus Damgaard is eager to show what he can do during his run in the first team.   Allan and Reed are both upset that I didn't hit Mujkic with stronger discipline, and they both have a point. I should have paid more attention to Paul William's take rather than what my lying eyes told me while watching the match.  Look! A rare example of me admitting I was wrong. It does happen!  Brent, if you wanted to act like the captain why did you give up the position?  We played like Wrexham, which was excellent to see. We could easily have won by six.  I like our chances in the Gold Cup. We're finally starting to get where I feel like we should be as a national team.  Look who's finally back.  Parr returns as well, and we've got a clean bill of health. He'll make it through three more matches before getting hurt, probably.  So long as I keep Mercado benched for three of our last nine league matches we won't be on the hook for another year of his gigantic contract.  I also have to get around to renegotiating our deals with our staff, since it seems like all of them are due for an extension.  The young Dutchman really wants out. I've got to tell him tough luck, since he's probably going to be our starter next season in Shahed Parr's current role. At Manchester City, April 3, 2027 Premier League  This is our toughest remaining league match, but City don't look likely to qualify for the Champions League, sitting eight points back of fourth with seven games remaining. Their Financial Fair Play penalty is going to cost them dearly. Starting Formation: 4-2-3-1 Control Starting 11: Minami, Cirjak (c), Tounkara, Laux, Loseille, Zouaghi, Shirra, Pickee, Stringel, Damgaard, Thiago. Subs: Kocsis, Reed, Quiboulaz, Bailey, Allan, Parr, Mercado. City have a marked possession advantage, but we're the ones taking all the shots. Tounkara is grabbed around the waist and held back from a corner kick, and we get a penalty that Shirra converts. Damgaard puts us ahead by two on an excellent solo effort. The pattern continues through the second half, and the real question is why it took until the final ten minutes of the match for us to score again. Man of the Match: Scott Shirra.   Man City 0-3 Wrexham  Loseille's already racked up 42 appearances this season, second on the team after Thiago. And Thiago's job as a center forward requires a lot less running around than Loseille's wingback position. With an average distance traveled of 7.85 miles per match, the 22-year-old Frenchman has logged 344.2 miles since the Community Shield last August at an average clip of over 5 miles per hour.  I'd really like to lock up the league as soon as possible, but United keeps winning.  Wow, I've been around a long time now.  There's not going to be a whole lot of drama in the second leg of those quarterfinals. At Paris Saint-Germain, April 7, 2027 Champions League, Quarterfinal Away Tie  We need an away goal or two here, because while PSG is a weirdly underperforming club they're still as talented as anyone in the world. It's going to be hard for us to keep them off the board, they have Marco Valerio Cirelli and Mark Bloem up top and that is a lot of firepower to keep under wraps. Starting Formation: 4-5-1 Counter Starting 11: Minami, Reed, Hammatt, Quiboulaz, Loseille, Laux, Shirra, Allan, Parr, Mujkic (c), Thiago. Subs: Kocsis, Cirjak, Tounkara, Maloney, Bailey, Pickee, Stringel. Mujkic has been a complete rear end since he won the Ballon d'Or, with discipline issues galore. He picks up a yellow in the first 10 minutes, and I'm worried he's going to get suspended from the Champions League as well as the Premier League. We go behind on a corner kick in the 20th minute, but despite his discipline issues it's not like Mujkic has stopped being a good player, when he's sprung by a perfectly weighted Allan pass he finishes the job to draw us level. The second half is a tightly contested battle that heads into the late minutes still knotted at one each. As time slips away we gain the upper hand, but we can't put away any of the multitude of chances served up on a platter for us. We have to settle for a draw, which is hardly the worst outcome but still feels like a missed opportunity.   PSG 1-1 Wrexham  Hey, that's something. I'm pretty sure 24 matches is greater than the real life record as well.  Our magic number is six. Any combination of us picking up or Manchester United dropping six points will secure us our fourth Premier League title in five years. No matter what else happens this season, we've been wildly impressive in the league and should take some comfort in that. 
habeasdorkus fucked around with this message at 20:31 on Jan 30, 2015 |
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Jan 30, 2015 20:22
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So how often do players get aggressive after winning Ballon d'Or's?
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Jan 30, 2015 20:31
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Chapter the Twelfth: Stumbling across the finish line. April 8, 2027-April 25, 2027 Six points gets us our fourth title in five years, something that's only been accomplished by Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal, and Aston Villa. A win or a 1-1 draw gets us into the Champions League semifinal. Let's be quick about it.  The U20 squad that I had been so eager to see roll through the CONCACAF youth championship is out after the first knockout round, falling to Mexico. We only needed to make it to the semifinal to reach the U20 World Cup, and we couldn't even manage that. You didn't cover yourself with glory on this one, Paul Williams. vs Liverpool, April 10, 2027 Premier League  Liverpool fell off after their hot start to end up safely in the mid-table. They get to be our first guests at the Racecourse in over a month. Starting Formation: 4-2-3-1 Control Starting 11: Minami, Cirjak, Tounkara, Hammatt, Quiboulaz, Maloney, Bailey (c), Moctezuma, Stringel, Damgaard, Thiago. Subs: Kocsis, Reed, Laux, Zouaghi, Ünsal, Mercado, Pickee. We jump all over Liverpool from the opening gun. First Stringel scores in the 5th minute. Then it's Hammatt in the 14th. After that it's Moctezuma in the 37th. Finally Thiago caps things in the 53rd. Liverpool eventually get an answer, but it's not nearly enough. Man of the Match: Rodrigo Moctezuma   Wrexham 4-1 Liverpool  Swansea made it to the FA Cup Final. Wales may yet retain the greatest Cup in English Football!  Wait, so now Thiago's a frontrunner for the award? When he's only had a very good season instead of one that crushed the goals scored record into paste, and has been very much off his game the last few months? vs Paris Saint-Germain, April 13, 2027 Champions League, Quarterfinal Home Tie  If we play how we did in Paris, we'll be advancing to the semifinals. I'm not going to be resting on our laurels, though, because a PSG win would be no surprise. Starting Formation: 4-2-3-1 Control Starting 11: Minami, Reed, Tounkara, Hammatt, Loseille, Laux, Shirra, Parr, Stringel, Mujkic (c), Thiago. Subs: Kocsis, Cirjak, Quiboulaz, Zouaghi, Allan, Mercado, Pickee. Wrexham has plenty of possession but no joy throughout the opening quarter hour. Our defense has limited PSG to only one counter attack, but it still created a great chance that fortunately went begging. Then, just minutes before halftime, disaster strikes PSG when their left back sends the ball into their own net! We double our lead when String grabs a second goal after the half, and now PSG needs to score twice or go home. They quickly show that they're not out of the match as Marco Valerio Cirelli makes a great ball fake on Tounkara before unleashing a brilliant shot from range to get them back within a goal with plenty of time to play. Our defense steadies itself over the final twenty minutes, though, and when the dust settles and the final whistle blows we're on our way back to the semifinals.   Wrexham (3) 2-1 (2) PSG  You ever even think that again, Williams, and I'll put you on the transfer list!  This would be the third time in a row that Stringel won the young player award... which seems unfair to all the other young players in the league.  Oh boy, we get to give Bruno Santos a warm sendoff into retirement!  Aww, the Southampton game didn't get moved. My dream of back to back matches against them is scuttled. vs Tottenham Hotspur, April 17, 2027 Premier League  When Noel Tosh jumped from Huddersfield to Tottenham the former were in 15th place and the latter in 19th. Now Huddersfield has improved to 11th place, while Tottenham still lies in the relegation zone. I want so, so much for Tosh and Tottenham to get relegated. I am waiting with bated breath. Starting Formation: 4-2-3-1 Control Starting 11: Minami, Cirjak, Tounkara, Hammatt, Quiboulaz, Maloney, Bailey (c), Parr, Allan, Damgaard, Thiago. Subs: Kocsis, Laux, Zouaghi, Pickee, Mercado, Moctezuma. Damgaard has a goal called back for being, at most, a foot offside. Throughout the first half we're not completing the last pass to crack the Spur's defense, and Tottenham beats us on the break as so many teams so often do. By the fiftieth minute we've battered the post and crossbar three times. Damgaard finally gets a goal ten minutes later, and of course it goes in off the post. At the end of the match Thiago has a goal called back for offside, this one much more apparent than Damgaard's first. We let Tosh slip away, and my joy has curdled to disgust. Man of the Match: Claus Damgaard   Wrexham 1-1 Tottenham  Thiago's only scored once in the last six games. If he doesn't score in the next match I'm giving his starting job to Stringel. vs Southampton, April 20, 2027 Premier League  This match was originally scheduled for December 20, 2026. What's four months between friends? A win will clinch us the title with five games remaining. Of course, Southampton desperately want a win as well, they're locked in a three way fight for the third and fourth Champions League spots, and right now are just barely ahead of Chelsea for the final spot. Starting Formation: 4-2-3-1 Control Starting 11: Minami, Reed, Hammatt, Laux, Loseille, Maloney, Ünsal, Mercado, Stringel, Damgaard, Thiago. Subs: Kocsis, Cirjak, Quiboulaz, Shirra, Allan, Pickee, Moctezuma. It's so frustrating to watch this club sometimes. We've taken 10 shots in the first 30 minutes, and only 2 of them have even been on target. Meanwhile we've only allowed two shots for the Saints, and we're losing. We finally pull back to even in the second half, with Ed Hammatt scoring from a corner, but Thiago has well and truly turned into Fernando Torres. He's lost his starting job as of the 61st minute, when I pull him after he fires yet another shot directly at the keeper from the edge of the six yard box. Stringel doesn't do any better, though, and our race towards the title has slowed to a soul-devouring crawl. Man of the Match: James Loseille   Wrexham 1-1 Southampton  This has become a frequent event after games, and it's not hard to see why. We've only won five of our last ten matches while our high flying offense has fallen apart, unable to scratch more than a goal or two per game.  Holy moly. I think that's the biggest contract in the world. At Nottingham Forest, April 24, 2027 Premier League  I'm sick and tired of having 60% possession, 20-30 shots, a dozen chances, and no goddamned goals. It's back to the 4-4-2 Diamond, and if we lose at least we're trying something other than what clearly hasn't been working. I wasn't joking when I said that Thiago had lost his job, though. He's dead to me for at least a week. Starting Formation: 4-4-2 Vivace Starting 11: Minami, Cirjak, Hammatt, Laux, Quiboulaz, Maloney, Parr, Mujkic (c), Shirra, Pickee, Stringel. Subs: Kocsis, Loseille, Tounkara, Bailey, Allan, Damgaard, Mercado. By the time Parr makes it one-nil in the fifth minute our players had already squandered three other goal scoring opportunities. The Walking Ankle Sprain scores again twenty minutes later, and in the interim we should have put the ball in the net another three times. When Parr goes off with his usual injury, we've had six clear cut chances and only converted two of them. Even when I change up our tactics we're afflicted by horrific finishing. Shirra scores with three minutes left, but then my ire is roused again when Minami puts the ball in our own net, denying us the clean sheet. Despite the comfortable score line and the glory of another title, I am upset with our performance. I believe I am growing to hate this team. Man of the Match: Scott Shirra   Nottm Forest 1-4 Wrexham   Whoopty-loving-doo.  Every answer at the post-game press conference involved me criticizing our players for being complacent assholes. This is by far the least joy I have ever taken in a league title, a shock considering how happy I was with the team just over two months ago.  I'm too irritated with our lackluster performances for me to take any joy in clinching the title. If we don't get our heads screwed on straight Bruno Santos and Chelsea are going to eat us for lunch in the Champions League semifinal.   Board Votes(Grumpily) I am pleased to announce that we have won the Premier League for a fourth time, along with three other, minor, competitions. We are also in the semifinal of the Champions League, and remain a threat to defend our crown. However, the cost of building such a colossus is becoming apparent, as you will see from our finances.  Last July we had over £60m in the bank. At present we are nearly £25m in the red. Atop that, we currently have £157m in longer term debt. The club is presently worth £907m. That gives Wrexham FC a debt to value ratio of 17%. Should this figure reach 100% and we continue to run deficits the club will become insolvent and put into administration. We must be aware of our finances if we do not want to become the next Portsmouth.  Thanks to winning the Premier League (worth £25.5m in additional TV money) and our deep Champions League run (worth another £15m in television money) we should be able to erase our negative balance by the year end. This season has also seen our merchandise sales spike up almost 50% year-on-year, from £28.5m last season to an expected £42.5m this season. By way of comparison, our merchandising total for the year we won our first title was around £5m. Indeed, our income outside of player transfers will grow by between 5 and 10%. We will also see revenues increase across the board thanks to the opening of our new stadium, which can seat a full 11,500 additional people. Should we fill to capacity, that will amount to an increase of £15-£20m total across the Gate Receipts, Season Tickets, and Match Day Revenue categories. To sum up, if we maintain our standard of excellence on the pitch we should see our revenues increase to around £290m next season as compared to £255m this season.  Unfortunately, our expenses have continued to grow. Signing our best young stars last season lead to a significant increase in our player wages, and our base salary line item with two months left in the fiscal year is already £11m more than last season. We will also have to pay out squad bonuses for our Champions League and Premier League finishes, which will cost us another £20m. Looking to the future, we have £16m in wages coming off the books between the expiring contracts of Matias Mercado and Shahed Parr. I am also planning on selling Sinan Ünsal, which would be another £11m of wages saved. However, we also have four players entering the final year of their contracts- Justin Bailey, Jonathan Quiboulaz, Tonci Cirjak, and Thiago. Early estimates are that to resign them would cost us an additional £9.5m in weekly wages and £2m in loyalty bonuses annually, as well as £6m in one-time agent fees. This does not include other bonuses, which could easily add millions more to the final bill. Question One: Combined Wage and Transfer Budget. (One-percentingly) Our wage bill is currently fourth highest in the world. Only Manchester United, Barcelona, and Paris Saint-Germain spend more than we do. Last year you gave me a combined Wage/Transfer budget of £160m, most of which went to wages. The year before that I had £157.5m at my disposal. How much will you give me for 2027-2028? Please pick an amount between £120m and £200m Question Two: How do we pay for Question One? (Piercingly) Well? A) (Wastefully) What? We're not some tiny club that has to sell players to make ends meet! We are the giants of Europe and the world! Put it on the tab! (Let the debt pile up.) B) (Pennypinchingly) We must sell off players at positions where there's a surplus. I mean, why do we have Isaac Stringel, Scott Shirra, and Callum Allen for basically the same role? (Sell at least £80m worth of first team players) C) (Seed-corn-eatingly) If we're having trouble making ends meet, we must sell some of the young players we keep loaning out year after year. (Sell at least seven of the fourteen players in our reserves) D) (Jeffrey Loria-eque-ly) Firesale! Everything must go! (Sell at least £80m worth of first team players AND sell at least seven of our reserves.) Question Three: Youth Coaching and Youth Recruitment, again. (Repetitively) Once again we have the option to improve our junior coaching, which affects the current ability of our 15 and 16 year olds when they show up each March, and how good our youth recruitment is, which affects the potential of those same prospects. The junior coaching level is now “Excellent” and the recruiting is “Well Established.” A) (Referencingly) Taste's great! (Youth Recruitment improved to “Extensive,” the highest rating) B) (Rejoindingly) Less Filling! (Junior Coaching improved to “Excellent,” the highest rating) C) (Impatiently) Do both, and have done with it. (Youth Recruitment improved to “Extensive” and Junior Coaching improved to “Excellent”) D) (Owlishly) Wasn't the whole financial section of this board meeting about our financial problems? (no improvements to either) Question Four: Additional feeder clubs? (Lastly) We have the option of adding another feeder club to our already extant connections with Chivas USA, Norwich, and Juventude. Because of the time it takes to negotiate, we can only pursue one of the following options. A) (Dismissively) Find us another place to send our players out on loan. Now, leave me to my hookers and blow. (Loan affiliate sought) B) (Dismissively) Find us some nice club overseas where we can make a financial arrangement. Now, leave me to my money-laundering and methamphetamine. (Financial affiliate sought. Caution, may not succeed) C) (Dismissively) Find us a new source of untapped talent. Now, leave me to my horses and heroin. (Developmental affiliate sought) D) (Dismissively) Find us a team where we can send hot US prospects otherwise stuck on bad American clubs to help the US National Team. Now, leave me to my eagles and freedom. (Gamey end-run around the work permit system to help the USMNT sought) E) (Dismissively) We need no more affiliates. Now, help me get these other addicts into treatment. (No affiliate sought) Voting will be open until the posting of the annual appendix. habeasdorkus fucked around with this message at 02:15 on Jan 31, 2015 |
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Jan 30, 2015 21:06
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Reminds me a bit of Bayern last year - they cruised in the Bundesliga playing incredible football and won the title on the 25th March with an insane record of 23 wins, two draws and no defeats. Then they immediately clearly took their foot off the gas, in their next three league games they lost twice and drew once and the complacency infected their European form as Real Madrid hammered them in the CL semis.
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Jan 30, 2015 23:23
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tanglewood1420 posted:Reminds me a bit of Bayern last year That's what I'm worried about. I'd have really liked to have wrapped things up a bit earlier and had time for the comedown to work it's way through our system before the semifinal. Especially a semifinal against a retiring AU-Mourinho. Dreamsicle posted:So how often do players get aggressive after winning Ballon d'Or's? I don't think it happens. I just found it funny that Mujkic started picking up cards after winning the Ballon d'Or after Ronaldo got one a week or so ago after he won in real life. I'm not sure what's up with Meteor, I came down on him hard after his first red, and that was the first one he'd gotten since he was a 15-year-old in Australia. He usually picks up only a couple yellows a season. I think he might have been feeling the pressure to make something happen because of how hard I've been pushing the club. Ghostwoods and TheMcD, I have decided that the tiebreakers shall be predictions of the winners of the following leagues. I will give you the top five teams in each as of late April to help guide your choices. La Liga (Real Madrid, Barca, Atletico, Valencia, Sevilla) Bundesliga (Wolfsburg, Bayern, Dortmund, Schalke, Stuttgart) Serie A (Roma, Napoli, Juventus, Sassuolo, Cagliari) Ligue 1 (PSG, Marseille, Ajaccio, Monaco, Stade Reims) Eredivise (Ajax, PSV, Gronigen, AZ, Feyenoord)
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Jan 31, 2015 00:10
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La Liga: Real Madrid Bundesliga: Wolfsburg Serie A: Roma Ligue 1: PSG Eredivise: Ajax This seems like the right choice. First pick advantage!
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Jan 31, 2015 00:17
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Hmm. Suppose I've got to be a bit different to TheMcD, even though the Euro leagues are really predictable... Hmm. La Liga: Real Madrid Bundesliga: Bayern Serie A: Juventus Ligue 1: PSG Eredivise: Ajax
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Jan 31, 2015 01:28
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Just so people didn't miss that I edited it into the end of the last update:Board Votes (Grumpily) I am pleased to announce that we have won the Premier League for a fourth time, along with three other, minor, competitions. We are also in the semifinal of the Champions League, and remain a threat to defend our crown. However, the cost of building such a colossus is becoming apparent, as you will see from our finances. Last July we had over £60m in the bank. At present we are nearly £25m in the red. Atop that, we currently have £157m in longer term debt. The club is presently worth £907m. That gives Wrexham FC a debt to value ratio of 17%. Should this figure reach 100% and we continue to run deficits the club will become insolvent and put into administration. We must be aware of our finances if we do not want to become the next Portsmouth. Thanks to winning the Premier League (worth £25.5m in additional TV money) and our deep Champions League run (worth another £15m in television money) we should be able to erase our negative balance by the year end. This season has also seen our merchandise sales spike up almost 50% year-on-year, from £28.5m last season to an expected £42.5m this season. By way of comparison, our merchandising total for the year we won our first title was around £5m. Indeed, our income outside of player transfers will grow by between 5 and 10%. We will also see revenues increase across the board thanks to the opening of our new stadium, which can seat a full 11,500 additional people. Should we fill to capacity, that will amount to an increase of £15-£20m total across the Gate Receipts, Season Tickets, and Match Day Revenue categories. To sum up, if we maintain our standard of excellence on the pitch we should see our revenues increase to around £290m next season as compared to £255m this season. Unfortunately, our expenses have continued to grow. Signing our best young stars last season lead to a significant increase in our player wages, and our base salary line item with two months left in the fiscal year is already £11m more than last season. We will also have to pay out squad bonuses for our Champions League and Premier League finishes, which will cost us another £20m. Looking to the future, we have £16m in wages coming off the books between the expiring contracts of Matias Mercado and Shahed Parr. I am also planning on selling Sinan Ünsal, which would be another £11m of wages saved. However, we also have four players entering the final year of their contracts- Justin Bailey, Jonathan Quiboulaz, Tonci Cirjak, and Thiago. Early estimates are that to resign them would cost us an additional £9.5m in weekly wages and £2m in loyalty bonuses annually, as well as £6m in one-time agent fees. This does not include other bonuses, which could easily add millions more to the final bill. Question One: Combined Wage and Transfer Budget. (One-percentingly) Our wage bill is currently fourth highest in the world. Only Manchester United, Barcelona, and Paris Saint-Germain spend more than we do. Last year you gave me a combined Wage/Transfer budget of £160m, most of which went to wages. The year before that I had £157.5m at my disposal. How much will you give me for 2027-2028? Please pick an amount between £120m and £200m Question Two: How do we pay for Question One? (Piercingly) Well? A) (Wastefully) What? We're not some tiny club that has to sell players to make ends meet! We are the giants of Europe and the world! Put it on the tab! (Let the debt pile up.) B) (Pennypinchingly) We must sell off players at positions where there's a surplus. I mean, why do we have Isaac Stringel, Scott Shirra, and Callum Allen for basically the same role? (Sell at least £80m worth of first team players) C) (Seed-corn-eatingly) If we're having trouble making ends meet, we must sell some of the young players we keep loaning out year after year. (Sell at least seven of the fourteen players in our reserves) D) (Jeffrey Loria-eque-ly) Firesale! Everything must go! (Sell at least £80m worth of first team players AND sell at least seven of our reserves.) Question Three: Youth Coaching and Youth Recruitment, again. (Repetitively) Once again we have the option to improve our junior coaching, which affects the current ability of our 15 and 16 year olds when they show up each March, and how good our youth recruitment is, which affects the potential of those same prospects. The junior coaching level is now “Excellent” and the recruiting is “Well Established.” A) (Referencingly) Taste's great! (Youth Recruitment improved to “Extensive,” the highest rating) B) (Rejoindingly) Less Filling! (Junior Coaching improved to “Excellent,” the highest rating) C) (Impatiently) Do both, and have done with it. (Youth Recruitment improved to “Extensive” and Junior Coaching improved to “Excellent”) D) (Owlishly) Wasn't the whole financial section of this board meeting about our financial problems? (no improvements to either) Question Four: Additional feeder clubs? (Lastly) We have the option of adding another feeder club to our already extant connections with Chivas USA, Norwich, and Juventude. Because of the time it takes to negotiate, we can only pursue one of the following options. A) (Dismissively) Find us another place to send our players out on loan. Now, leave me to my hookers and blow. (Loan affiliate sought) B) (Dismissively) Find us some nice club overseas where we can make a financial arrangement. Now, leave me to my money-laundering and methamphetamine. (Financial affiliate sought. Caution, may not succeed) C) (Dismissively) Find us a new source of untapped talent. Now, leave me to my horses and heroin. (Developmental affiliate sought) D) (Dismissively) Find us a team where we can send hot US prospects otherwise stuck on bad American clubs to help the US National Team. Now, leave me to my eagles and freedom. (Gamey end-run around the work permit system to help the USMNT sought) E) (Dismissively) We need no more affiliates. Now, help me get these other addicts into treatment. (No affiliate sought) Voting will be open until the posting of the annual appendix.
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Jan 31, 2015 02:14
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£165m C C B
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Jan 31, 2015 02:20
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120 million, D, D, D I need more money for my illegal PDC buyout slush fund. TheMcD fucked around with this message at 02:26 on Jan 31, 2015 |
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Jan 31, 2015 02:21
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200 Million, A C B Financial mismanagement is someone else's' problem, I have Reading to deal with. Make hay and fund it with trophy wins and affiliate exploitation.
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Jan 31, 2015 02:24
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 Well well well! The most glorious tribute to my magnificence since the last most glorious tribute to my magnificence is almost completed! Surely the sponsorships and PSLs and the luxury suites....oh how I dream about those luxury suites! They'll all be sold! And now I'll cut the budget into pieces and reap the rewards! No refunds, for the true GodKing never lets a pence out of his sight! 1: 120m, and not a single cent more! Hell, 1.20m is more like it! 2: D! D D D! Slash and burn! Mujic must be moved quick! Thiago must go! See ya Shirra! Minami be gone-e! I hope these Welsh suckers enjoy seeing kids who can't even grow a chin-hair running around wearing a Wrecham kit! 3: D again! You think Pee Lee or whatever his name was needed a fancy Oregon-esque Thunderdome to learn how to play Socialist Kickball? Hell no! And if it was good enough for him it's good enough for these chumps! 4: E. Bah, I have no need for this. By the way, Mr. Brown, a good chunk of our finances goes towards you and your habit of downing half a pharmacy whenever the team gives up a goal. If this team can't live up to previous expectations, perhaps a bit of a, how we say, wage-readjusting, could be in order...
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Jan 31, 2015 02:38
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From: Dreamsicle, Former Wrexham Fan Trust President, Lead Signer of Frizzy To: Scott Brown, The Cerebral Assassin, The Game, The King of Kings, The Apex Predator RE: Budget Votes Congratulations on another if slightly less successful season. It is in our best interests to have a higher wage budget but thanks to pressing financial concerns I will lower my wage/transfer budget to 160 Million Pounds. To pay for this, I suggest a different offer and instead try to sell 95+ Million in First Team and Youth players. Hopefully sales of Unsal, Mercado, Parr and maybe Cirjak could help us pay and some slower developing or low potential players could also be sold. We do not need to sell 7+ youth players if we can get over the 95+ Million sold mark. For your last options I will vote C and C. I look to the long term success of the club. Also, can I get reports on Ciganek and Ikeda? If they are good enough we can sell Cirjak and whoever our backup striker is.
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Jan 31, 2015 02:55
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200mil, A, C, D
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Jan 31, 2015 02:56
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120 million, D, D, D
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Jan 31, 2015 02:58
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Last time I voted low to bring down the average, this time I may need to vote high to bring it up. 180 B We do have a surplus, and the way we ran through the league this year, we can afford to trim the front end. I would much rather do this than cripple our future by selling off prospects. (That said, those players who have peaked or who are going to peak short of usefulness can go.) C "Be done with it," as was said. It's a one time expense that will pay dividends with just one or two stellar prospects, much less the many we might have down the road. E We have three feeders. Let it be.
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Jan 31, 2015 03:08
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120 million, C, C, A
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Jan 31, 2015 03:52
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180, B, A, D
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Jan 31, 2015 04:28
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Here's where I would suggest some things 1) sign all players under 24 to max deals, with a 3 year non negotiable contract extensions. Guys on their first non-youth contract will also sign deals with little to no bonuses. 2) loan every young player who wont be in the first squad out. ALL OF THEM. Charge ever team 300k us/ month to take them. Teams will pay. Trust me. 3) STOP GIVING OUT SO MANY drat ADDITIONAL BONUSES. You can always get away with 5% wage rises, and every time I see you give 10-15% yearly, I cringe. It's killing you. 4) Cut your staff wages, cut your staff. Hire only those with "obscure" or "unknown" reputations. You'll save shitloads and will get comparable talent if you dig deep enough 5) Star tselling anyone over 30. It's time for a youth movement. You bought eight billion prospects, time to start giving them a chance (except for the ones that you will loan out for a shitload of money) DID ISAY LOAN OUT PLAYERS AND MAKE A KILLINGé OK DO THIS. LOAN MONEY LOTS OF IT FREE. You are welcome.
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Jan 31, 2015 04:38
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stab posted:Here's where I would suggest some things But that's not fun though. Much more fun to sell a bunch of star players in a panic move and maybe weaken our team a bit. Take that "god-king" down a peg. He's been taking us members of the board for granted somewhat, time to remind him of just what we can do.
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Jan 31, 2015 04:41
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TheMcD posted:But that's not fun though. Much more fun to sell a bunch of star players in a panic move and maybe weaken our team a bit. Take that "god-king" down a peg. He's been taking us members of the board for granted somewhat, time to remind him of just what we can do. I'd rather have him taken down a peg via repeats of 2024-25 instead of running Wrexham like WCW. Also selling everyone over 30 includes selling Bailey and our star Keeper. Also holy poo poo we have like 32 players in Dreamsicle fucked around with this message at 04:50 on Jan 31, 2015 |
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Jan 31, 2015 04:44
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160 Million B (As long as it is not Shirra) C D
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Jan 31, 2015 05:04
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stab posted:You are welcome. Because you seem to think I'm stupid, I'm going to go through this point by point. 1) I just checked. To get Isaac Stringel (under 24!) to sign a five year extension with a three year option would cost 325,000/wk. James Loseille? 300,000/wk. But they're already stars. How about rotation players like Claus Damgaard and David Maloney? Try 105k/wk and 80k/wk. Damgaard is currently earning less than 8k/wk while Maloney's earning about 20k. Yes, I see your point how this is definitely the way to go. On the other hand, all of the kids going into our youth academy DO have 3 option years on their contracts locking them in at a cheap price. 2) Yes, let's just dispense with any pretense of realism whatsoever. 3) We don't have a single first team player with an annual raise at this point. We haven't for years. The only contracts with annual raises are the kids we sign as teenagers. They get them because otherwise they won't sign 3 year extension clauses unless I pay significantly more up front. All those annual raises amounts to maybe an extra 10-15k/wk each year. Every one of our kids are earning a few thousand a week, at most, and they're not the reason we're in a money crunch. 4) You can find a couple 4.5 star coaches at that level. But our coaching quality would take a serious hit were we to do that. Plus, most of our coaching staff (29 out of 49 total) are scouts. They earn on average about 1500/wk. Or, all told, 3m a year for the lot of them. Actually, I think I might earn more than half of our entire staff salary budget. And our staff is already a bunch of unknowns. Out of fifty people, six have a reputation higher than "National." One of them is me. Every single other one is a 4.5-5 star coaches (and Paul Williams, on a luxurious 1.5k/wk contract). Moreover, no coach is making over 10k/wk. This is not where our expenses are coming from either. And that's ignoring that our staff, other than scouts, are the bare minimum we need to cover each training area without making someone do double duty. 5) We have three players over thirty on the team. Matias Mercado, who is leaving this season. Justin Bailey, who's fairly cheap and has been with us since I came in. And Kojiro Minami, who's the best goalkeeper in the world and will remain so for the next five seasons or more. The average age of our Starting XI is 25. And most importantly, 6) The entire point of having goon participation is to change the game based upon their choices and decisions. If the Board says we run this business into the ground, we run it into the ground as I try to tap dance above the wreckage. If the board says there's to be an everything must go sale, then I'm going to have to win the league with a squad made up of 22 year olds. I thought I had made it apparent that I can make this game dance at my whim, and if I so wished this "fiscal crisis" would be solved very quickly. But that's not the job of the manager, that's the job of the board.
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Jan 31, 2015 05:28
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Dreamsicle posted:I'd rather have him taken down a peg via repeats of 2024-25 instead of running Wrexham like WCW. so 32*3.4= 108.8 million.. even at half of the income, that is 54 million....that resolves his problem, without having to sell bailey or the goalie I love the WCW reference. That is EXACTLY what he is doing! edit: just saw your reply, did not mean to be umm snarky I guessÉ My delivery sucked, but I was just trying to help. I like your lp a lot 
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Jan 31, 2015 05:29
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170 million. I'm assuming Man U is spending close to 160-165 just like last season. We must outspend the bastards! A. Everything will cancel out when we pull the triple! D. Feh. Time to give up on this it's produced no results. Find our prospects on the transfer wire! D. Well if you insist
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Jan 31, 2015 05:31
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Dreamsicle posted:I'd rather have him taken down a peg via repeats of 2024-25 instead of running Wrexham like WCW. Running it like WCW is exactly what we need to do. Then we go bankrupt and get bought by Vince (who is running on a Mr. House-esque contraption for eternal life) as the centerpiece of the XSL. Then we go bankrupt again. It's perfect!
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Jan 31, 2015 05:31
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I'm going to say it, but when I offered to guide the LP to an end if habeas had gotten sick of it, Vincent Kennedy Shadowing had a key role in my plan.
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Jan 31, 2015 05:59
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Sky Shadowing posted:I'm going to say it, but when I offered to guide the LP to an end if habeas had gotten sick of it, Vincent Kennedy Shadowing had a key role in my plan. Did you have an Eric Bischoff?
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Jan 31, 2015 06:01
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Dreamsicle posted:Did you have an Eric Bischoff? Actually, yes.
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Jan 31, 2015 06:02
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Question 1: 160 Million : We're in a money crunch. With the current domination of most major competitions, hiccups aside, I don't really see the current argument for a wage increase . Once the stadium starts bringing in more money, this is negotiable, but spending additional money on wages probably won't impact the results. It's pretty hard to top "Best Current Team" except by being "Best Team Ever" Where does raising the budget get us in this case? Additionally, with your impressive skills and resume I expect you will win at least the premier league regardless. Question 2: C as a general strategy. Part of our business strategy is to bring in homegrown talent and create fan favorites. Selling established stars would reduce jersey sales and impact fan connections with the team. I leave it to your discretion to sell anyone on the first team you believe is at the peak of their talents and should be moved. Young talent is replaceable, established stars less so. Question 3: C This has been part of our strategy for years. Its inexpensive, creates talent, is useful and drives growth. I don't really see an argument for any other option. Question 4: B Talent has not been an issue with this team for years. Much as the board seems to support your supports your desires to make the US a world football power, I don't see how that would benefit Wrexham. If you think it would create a fan presence in the US market that may lead to revenue streams down the road, this route worth considering. Otherwise, the focus should be on keeping the team above water.
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Jan 31, 2015 06:18
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120 Million D D B
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Jan 31, 2015 06:27
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habeasdorkus posted:4) You can find a couple 4.5 star coaches at that level. But our coaching quality would take a serious hit were we to do that. Plus, most of our coaching staff (29 out of 49 total) are scouts. They earn on average about 1500/wk. Or, all told, 3m a year for the lot of them. Actually, I think I might earn more than half of our entire staff salary budget. And our staff is already a bunch of unknowns. Out of fifty people, six have a reputation higher than "National." One of them is me. Every single other one is a 4.5-5 star coaches (and Paul Williams, on a luxurious 1.5k/wk contract). Moreover, no coach is making over 10k/wk. This is not where our expenses are coming from either. And that's ignoring that our staff, other than scouts, are the bare minimum we need to cover each training area without making someone do double duty. What are Paul's stats like anyway? I know he's been with us forever, do coaches stat up/flare out like players do?
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Jan 31, 2015 06:30
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Coaches definitely improve with experience. Paul's come a long way, for example: The only thing he lacks is a good "Discipline" score, which drops him from being a 4.5 star defensive coach to only a 4 star one. But I mainly use him to advise me on player scouting and setting tactical orders against different opponents, and in that aspect he's probably as good as anyone in the game.
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Jan 31, 2015 06:39
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Sell Thiago while he's still worth anything. Seriously, I suggested this before this season even started, and he was worth more then. You can still probably get 70 million for him, don't wait.
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Jan 31, 2015 06:48
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B, D, D
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Jan 31, 2015 06:56
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162.5 million A C B
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Jan 31, 2015 07:55
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ThePenIsMightier posted:Question 1: 160 Million : We're in a money crunch. With the current domination of most major competitions, hiccups aside, I don't really see the current argument for a wage increase . Once the stadium starts bringing in more money, this is negotiable, but spending additional money on wages probably won't impact the results. It's pretty hard to top "Best Current Team" except by being "Best Team Ever" Where does raising the budget get us in this case? Additionally, with your impressive skills and resume I expect you will win at least the premier league regardless. What he said
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Jan 31, 2015 08:15
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I'm curious: what's the return on investment been for the homegrown youth? Most of the profitable sales I can remember have been the result of speculative investments Brown made after regen. As for the voting: We're nowhere near a dire situation yet, will be having increased revenue, decreased wages and our best financial investment is investing in continued success to grow our team value. That said, if Thiago continues his slump selling a nearly 30 year old striker in his prime would give a huge benefit to the bottom line if we could find a comparable replacement (a very large question mark). 200 million, A (actually more like E: sell at discretion if good deals can be had, especially Thiago, but no need to sell if no quality replacements are found), C, B.
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Jan 31, 2015 09:44
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dongsbot 9000 posted:200mil, A, C, D
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Jan 31, 2015 12:05
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| # ? May 28, 2024 18:36 |
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135 million D D D (Regretfully) We need money and we need it now. We're going to have to sell players en masse at some time in the next few years, so we might as well make it now. Thiago might go for 75m now and 40m in two years.
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Jan 31, 2015 14:10
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