Board Expectations: Mansfield, Cheltenham, Nottingham Forest, Bournemouth - "Battle bravely against relegation." Lincoln, Carlisle, Watford - "Stay clear of relegation." Crystal Palace, Wimbledon, Tranmere - "Respectable league position." West Ham - "Expected to reach the playoffs." D2 teams receive £2,500,000 in TV money. D1 teams receive £4,100,000 in TV money. Premier team receives £12,000,000 in TV money.
Crystal Palace 2007 3-4-3 attacking (no AMC while Keane is out) GK: Omar Johannson DC: Ken Fraser DC: Igors Stepanovs DC: Christian Weller ML: Andy Burgess MC: John Backstrom MC: Matthew Martindale MR: Paulo Roberto Pieri FC: Lucas Velazquez FC: David Cameron FC: Jonathan Parkin Subs 1. Manuel Calvo (FL) 2. Brad Friedel (GK) 3. Stuart Poole (FLC) 4. Thomas Kliene (DC) 5. Clive Clarke (D/DM RC) TI: Mentality: normal Tackling: hard Passing: mixed Offside trap: yes Pressing: no Counter attack: no Men behind ball: no
A new season is coming closer with the first friendlies just a few days away. Time for a little Mansfield Evaluation: I did very few changes from the team that won D2, to the one that just won D1, with only Philip Mulryne coming in to be the cornerstone of the team and strengthen the midfield. I can't possibly expect a team practically unchanged from D2 will amount to much in the premiership so I will be doing some changes and some very good players that brought me up will then find themself without the significant amount of playing time they deserve. So they will be available for a reasonable price: No Name Position(s) Nat Born Age Caps Gls Wages Expires Value ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 4 Neilson, Alan D/DM RC WAL 26.9.72 34 20 - £4K 13.6.08 £210K 27 McClare, Sean M RC IRL 12.1.78 29 - - £3K 28.6.11 £675K 18 Hamill, Rory F C NIR 4.5.76 31 1 - £1.8K 2.6.08 £500K Alan Neilson: He might be in the end of his career, but I brought him in midseason 2 seasons ago when I struggled in D2 to get some experience and quality in my defense. Some of that experience he gathered playing in the premiership, some from the fact that he is a Welsh international (former). Last season he had the highest average of my defenders (7.14), so it is not like he have played himself out of the team, but this season I will probably change to a 4 back-line again, and with only 2 central defenders I rather go with the others. Alan also have qualities as a defensive midfielder, but have never played there for me for two reason. I have had other players I have liked in midfield better, and quite frankly, with the lack of depth I had in defense he was sorely needed there. His stats: 05/06 [D2] : 27 apps - 3.2 tackles pr game - 7.07 average 06/07 [D1] : 43+1 apps - 3.5 tackles pr game - 7.14 average Neilson can be had for 150 k (valued 210 k). My coaches say he play an important role in my team, has a professional approach and high work rate. During his Mansfield career (so far) he collected only 9 yellow cards and a red card once. Sean McClare: Sean was brought in before the start of the 03/04 season and immidiately became my starter at central midfield. His average have been just below 7 for me, and last season he averaged 6.85 with only 9 starts and 17 appearances as a sub (getting a high rating is more difficult for a sub as they get less time to show themself in the match). He lost his starter job due to Philip Mulryne getting it. His stats: 03-04 [D3] : 41+2 apps - 5 goals+6 assists - 7.12 average 04-05 [D2] : 41+6 apps - 4 goals+4 assists - 6.83 05-06 [D2] : 32+4 apps - 6 goals+7 assists - 6.92 06-07 [D1] : 9+17 apps - 1 goal+1 assist - 6.85 McClare can be had for 425 k (valued 675 k). My coaches say they are keen admirers of him, he is of great benefit to the club/important role, high determination, consistant and en expert in dead-ball situations/free-kick specialist. During his Mansfield career he has collected 11 yellow cards and 1 red card so far. Rory Hamill: Always performing, but still without a spot in my team, Rory really deserve a new team to roam on. In his 5 season so far he has never averaged below 7.06 and a his best season he had a 7.43 average. During his spell at Mansfield he has played several positions and mastered them well. His first season was pretty much only at right wing (MR). Later he moved with great benefit to attack and attacking midfield. But with Danny McDonald claiming the AM C spot and Graeme Porter breaking out last season his few chances came as a sub and during a period when Danny McDonald was injured. His stats: 02-03 [D3] : 44+9 apps - 12 goals+9 assists+5 MoMs - 7.15 average 03-04 [D3] : 46+1 apps - 17 goals+7 assists+8 MoMs - 7.43 04-05 [D2] : 44+2 apps - 18 goals+5 assists+6 MoMs - 7.39 05-06 [D2] : 17+19 apps - 6 goals+3 assists+2 MoMs - 7.06 06-07 [D1] : 10+7 apps - 3 goals+0 assists+0 MoMs - 7.12 Hamill can be had for 325 k (valued at 500 k). My coaches say he play an important role, has high determination and a high work rate. During his Mansfield career he has collected only 9 yellow cards. Lee Williamson: He might very well become available, and I will use the preseason and maybe the first few games of the season to check his role. He is currently valued at 1.2M. During CM League he has played 271 games for me, most as a starter (last season 50+1 apps) and he has scored 28 goals with 88 assists and 18 MoMs during those games. His career average for me is 7.07, and he has 4 straight season above 7. Others that is available at low cost: Tim Cole Gary Hodgson Kjetil Steen Stuart Reddington Marc Cleeland Richard Dell Liam Lawrence Jeremy Illingworth Peter Hogg Dominic Ellliott. Last seasons team and system: 3-5-2 Attacking Passing: Short Mentality: Normal Tackling: Hard Pressing: Yes Offside Trap: Yes Men Behind: No Counter Attack: No free kick: auto corners: lee williamson playmaker: philip mulryne GK: Steve Phillips DC (left): Alan Neilson (man marking) DC (central): David Artell (zonal) DC (right): Gareth Roberts (man marking) ML: Aminu Sani (direct, run with ball, cross ball) MC: Durgham El-Bawi (long shots, zonal) MC: Philip Mulryne (long shots, zonal, hold up ball, try through balls) MR: Lee Williamson (direct, run with ball, cross ball) AMC: Danny McDonald (direct, long shots, try through balls) FC: Paul Wheatcroft (direct) FC: Kevin Kyle (direct) SB1: Paul Cuss (also in reserves) SB2: Richard Hinds SB3: Sean McClare SB4: Dan Rownham SB5: Rory Hamill also first teamers: Tim Cole Ricardo Beckford Graeme Porter rest in the reserves Individual settings: forward run: all but gk, dc's pressing: all but dc's forward arrow: ML, MR, AMC set pieces (a): back: DC (l) and DC (r); normal: GK; forward: rest set pieces (d): forward: FCs; normal: GK, ML, MR; back: rest passing: team (short) unless stated otherwise above pass to: all: R/L/C tackling: team (hard) free role: none cross ball, try through balls, long shots, marking, hold up ball, run with ball - all stated above Will come back with depth-chart and system for the upcoming season after the preseason.
Nottingham Forest is coming off a successful season, finishing second in D2 and promoting to D1. With one of the highest transfer funds of the human controlled teams, we plan to make a few big moves to improve this club to contend for promotion again. Goalkeeping: Annti Niemi has been outstanding, but the veteran is nearing the end of his career. Swedish goalie Johan Wiland has been signed as the successor to Niemi, and the club is eager to begin the new season with him in goal. The youngster has a bright future ahead of him, and we hope he can play well this season. Defense: Will Snowdon has been the most solid defender out of a group that includes Janne Salli, John Convery, Phil Robinson, and John Thompson. Keith Foy had been over looked early, but had been used more towards the end. However, his true position at D L has left him out of place in the 3-4-3 system. The team has recently added outstanding defender Geir Anders Kirkholm from Watford. We hope he can anchor the defense, and provide an intimidating force that opposing attackers have to reckon with. Midfield: The midfield changed drastically in midseason, which is the main reason for the improvement of Forest last season. Joonas Kolkka and Joselito Vaca were replaced with youngsters Lee Cook and Craig Westcarr, and Eugen Bopp and Neil Brisco were replaced with stars Peter Gain and Rachid Belabed. This midfield group can be elite, if Westcarr and Cook can develop to be excellent wingers. Cook might be replaced though, if the assist tally is low early on. Vaca is available for transfer, as he does not fit the 3-4-3 system, as he is primarily a goal scoring AMC. Attack: The strength of Forest lies in its dominant attack. Led by 23yr old Striker Marcus Benson, this unit's fierce onslaught is what propelled Forest to division one. Benson went on a rampage last year as he led the club with 33 goals. Marlon Harewood also is a star striker in the prime of his career. The departure of 2nd leading scorer Julian Joachim will be softed by the acquistion of long time division 3 goal scoring machine Guliano Grazioli who provided a spark off the bench last season. Expectations for this unit are high, but if the goal scoring slacks this year, there could be changes in the 3-4-3 system, or the personnel.
Carlisle sucked hard last season. Hopefully this season they won't suck as hard but with the retirement of Davor Vugrenic they probably will. CK
My lineup is above, but here's some analysis and players available: Crystal Palace should be significantly improved over the team that finished just one game from promotion a year ago. The weak link of the team, defense, has been improved, and the strength of it, scoring, remains as strong as ever. Goalkeeping: The newly acquired Omar Johannson, with a new upgrade from the predictions contest, replaces Brad Friedel as the every day goalie. Johannson, a younger goalie with great reflexes and agility, should be one of the top goalies in D2. Defense: With my 3-5-2 attacking format, the role of my defenders is obviously magnified. Because of that, I picked up top D2 defenseman Igors Stepanovs from Port Vale, and am in the process of bringing in Thomas Kliene from D1 Cheltenham. The other spot will be manned by Ken Fraser, a 22 year old with a world of potential. Clive Clarke, a great all around player with superb tackling and leadership, will spend time at all of these positions. Midfield: Everyone at midfield is a returning starter. Led by superb goal scorers Matthew Martindale and Michael Keane, this group has everything, including passing from Andy Burgess, defense from the young John Backstrom, and a bit of everything from the well-rounded Paulo-Roberto Pieri. Forwards: This group will again be led by fan favorite David Cameron and his 8 rating in D2. There's not much Cameron can't do offensively. He can score with the best of them, but is also a pretty good passer. The surprise is in who will be lining up next to him. After losing both Richard Harris and Jonathan Quitten last season, we have reloaded with the young Neil Wade and starter Jonathan Parkin. Parkin, both a striker and defender, is a great finisher who I need to make happy again. Players available Glass, Stephen AM LC SCO 25.5.76 31 9 - £8.5K 8.6.08 £275K Now, players available. First, we have Stephen Glass, a good AML that was among the top 10 in D2 all season long. (he actually averaged over 7.5 for half of the season, and finished over 7.3, I believe) At 31, he is not too old, but only has three or four seasons left, and is interested in moving to a bigger club. However, if another D2 team is interested, his contract does last all the way through the season so you can use him to make a run at promotion. He can be yours for a package around 400k. (his ratings consistently outperform his value, which will increase in D1, and I am not asking for incentives) 32 Friedel, Brad GK USA 18.5.71 36 56 - £8.25K 9.6.08 £55K Although Friedel is nearing the end of his career, he was in the top 5 goalies in D2, and still has excellent ratings. If you are looking to make a run at promotion, he is a great help this year, and buys you another year to get that stud goalie that you need for D1. For a package of 100k and incentives he can be yours. 37 Fisher-Cooke, Jon F RC WAL 13.5.82 25 £400 11.6.09 £60K If you're in need of a younger forward or attacker, Fisher-Cooke could be your man. He has excellent talent, youth, and deserves a starting role. However, on my team loaded with young attackers, he seemingly has no place. For a deal around 200k, he can be yours. 21 Barten, Mike D/DM RC GER 20.11.73 33 £4.8K 5.6.10 £40K Barten, one of my transfers from last year, was instrumental in my run to the D2 playoffs. He's an excellent tackler who almost always averaged a 7 (averaged about a 6.96 on the season) and can play both midfield and defense. He can be a good starter, or one of those great subs that is versatile enough to play a lot of spots. For a 75k deal, he can be yours. 16 Newton, Adam D/DM R ENG 4.12.80 26 £1.8K 11.5.09 £80K Newton is another one of my versatile players. He's not quite as strong as Barten defensively, but he's younger and may still improve. He's an excellent sub to play both defense and midfield, and can start on a lot of D2 teams. For a 100k deal (no incentives) he can be yours.
Right, well. Cheltenham, having promoted to D1 the hard way, are in a bit of a bind regarding the number of players on their first team. A lack of money along with a feeling that promotion was an unrealistic goal last year led to the signing of multiple Bosman transfers with an eye on 2007/'08. The unexpected takeover of the team by a new, affluent board towards the end of last season allowed Cheltenham to bring in several players of quality and probably a few who truly suck. Anyway, the club itself: Last year, the team stuck with a 3-5-2 virtually the whole season. The offense produced, but consistency wasn't forthcoming until the end, which included a still-alive 13 game unbeaten streak to finish the season. Instead of having all 5 midfielders flat, Nii Lamptey was moved to AMC, where he scored goals in 9 straight games and brought his average up from about 6.40 to 7.27. This year, since I was crazy and brought in a hell of a lot of defenders, I might switch to 4-4-2. Available players include F L/C Martin Devaney (value: £400K), D R/C Alistair Asher (£230K), and maybe DM R/C Elvis Danilo Turcios (£575K). Edit: should note that values do not necessarily reflect asking price. Hopefully, the new-look team will do well, but they might suck hard like Carlisle. That would be okay since at least sucking hard apparently doesn't lead to relegation.
Wimbledon finished 10th last year, worse finish ever in d2. I don't have a lot of money to spend so here are some players I am selling. 34 Gillman, Robert SW/D/DM C ENG 26.4.84 23 - - £1.5K 11.6.11 £140K Gillman is young...and his attributes are nice. He has a 19 in finishing but I don't know how good he would do with that as he is a defender. Only asking 145K 1 Tochouroglou, Kyriakos GK AUS 13.8.72 34 - - £4.1K 4.6.08 £140K Once again, he was 30th in AVG Rating last year with a 7.40. I am not asking much for him maybe just 150K and 30K if he averages 7.25 or above...maybe we can negotiate if that is too much. He is 34 but still a good GK. 25 Tapp, Alex M LC ENG 7.6.82 25 - - £4.1K 15.6.10 £180K I checked him out and he has a 10+ in 20 of 31 categories. He could POSSIBLY be sold but I am asking around the 500K range for him. He will be a great Midfielder. 27 Clemence, Stephen M C ENG 31.3.78 29 - - £2.3K 15.6.08 £140K He is definitely a great sub. He played well in limited time for me last year. Probably just asking 140K. Well that is most of the players I am selling. 'Don wants to promote this year. We need real players.
With the recent additions... GK Antti Niemi is available. Defenders John Convery, Janne Salli, Phil Robinson, and John Thompson are also available. Any of these guys could easily star for D2 clubs, and would also do well on D1 clubs.
As the season is ready to go as soon as we have done the player upgrades here are my team for the season: (The season might start tomorrow, but most likely the player upgrades will take up most of the time, and I also need to update the webpages some, so it can still be a day or two away) Mansfield Depth Chart: GK: Phillips - Cuss DR: Neilson - Karlsson - Hinds DL: Carbon - Steen - Hodgson DC: Kuiper - Neilson - Cole DC: Artell - Roberts - Hinds MR: Britton - Williamson - Mulryne ML: Sani - Beckford - Williamson MC: Wiklund - El-Bawi - Hinds MC: Mulryne - McDonald - McClare FC: Wheatcroft - Martin - McDonald FC: Kyle - Porter - May This is for my 4-4-2 system. I might still occasonally use the old 3-5-2. The FCs and DCs are interchangeable, the MCs are not (use one defensive/offensive) for most instances. Will post the system with team/individual orders later.
Nottingham Forest: Forest 3-4-3: Wingers on attack runs. Default instructions. Starters: GK: Johan Wilan DC: Will Snowdon DC: Geir Anders Kirkholm DC: Mats Wejsfelt ML: Lee Cook MC: Peter Gain MC: Rachid Belabed MR: Craig Westcarr FC: Shaun Berry FC: Marcus Benson FC: Marlon Harewood Subs: 1: Antti Niemi 2: Keith Foy 3: Jonnas Kolkka 4: Joselito Vaca 5: Guliano Grazioli Other 1st teamers: Thompson, Salli, Convery, Robinson, Hulbert. On the rise from reserves: Matthew Black.
Some new additions have made some very good Forest players available. Antti Niemi: A top goalkeeper. Was #4 in rating in D2 last season. Cagey veteran. Can be had for less than value. Joonas Kolkka: Absolute star AM/F. However, was moved from the starting spot last season to give experience to youngsters Cook and Westcarr. Can score and assist. In 47 appearences last season scored 10 goals and had 13 assists while compiling a 7.45 Avg Rating. Guliano Grazioli: A proven goalscorer. Can be had for value, or slightly less. Absolutely dominated D3 for most of his career. Scoring 30+ goals on several occasions. I also have a host of solid defenders including Thompson, Salli, Convery, and Robinson. Robin Hulbert could also be available, as well as young star Keith Foy. Finally, Bolivian standout AMC Joselito Vaca can be had for a good price. His value is currently 1M, but I will want a little extra. He is perfect for a 3-5-2 system as a goal scoring AMC. He has excellent finishing and dribbling skills and can score exceptionally well.
Mansfield First Team & System GK: Steve Phillips (GK) DR: Alan Neilsson (D/DM RC) DL: Matthew Carbon (SW/D LC) DC: Martijn Kuiper (D C) DC: David Artell (D C) MR: Leon Britton (AM RLC) ML: Aminu Sani (D/AM/F LC) MC: Dan Wiklund (DM C) MC: Philip Mulryne (AM RC) FC: Paul Wheatcroft (S C) FC: Kevin Kyle (S C) SB1: Paul Cuss (GK) (also in reserves) SB2: Gareth Roberts (D/DM C) SB3: Lee Williamson (AM RL) SB4: Danny McDonald (AM/F C) SB5: Graeme Porter (S C) Also first teamers: Richard Hinds (D/DM RC) Durgham El-Bawi (DM C) Sean McClare (M RC) Ricardo Beckford (F LC) Rest in the reserves, although Per Karlsson and Andrew Martin (injured) probably wont be for long. The system: 4-4-2 - X X - | - - | X X X X | - - | X X X X - -X- - Mentality: Normal Passing: Short Tackling: Hard Pressing: Yes Offside Trap: Yes Counter: No Men behind: No Free kicks (L): Sean McClare / Philip Mulryne Free kicks (R): Sean McClare / Philip Mulryne Corners (L): Lee Williamson / Philip Mulryne Corners (R): Lee Williamson / Philip Mulrune Playmaker: Philip Mulryne Penalty: Captain selects (Auto) Captain: Philip Mulryne Individual settings: Passing: MR, ML, FC, FC: Direct; Rest: Team Tackling: All: Team Pressing: DR, DL, DC, DC: No; Rest: Team Pass to: All: R/L/C Set Pieces (A): DR, DL: Back; GK: Normal; Rest: Forward Set Pieces (D): FC, FC: Forward; GK, MR, ML: Normal; Rest: Back Free role: All: No (although I'm tempted to give Mulryne a free role) Forward runs: GK, DC, DC: No; Rest: Yes Run with ball: MR, ML: Yes; Rest: No Hold up ball: right MC (Philip Mulryne): Yes; Rest: No Long shots: MC, MC: Yes; Rest: No Try through balls: right MC (Philip Mulryne): Yes; Rest: No Cross balls: DR, DL, MR, ML: Yes; Rest: No Marking: DR, DL, MC, MC: Zonal; DC, DC: Man; Rest: None (btw each standard formation have their own set of Individual settings, so if you dont want to mess with them it is perfectly ok to go with default)
Wimbledon's 3-5-2 Attacking Lineup GK: Kyriakos Tochouroglou MR: Fredrik Lagemyr ML: Martin Grainger DC: Gary Rowett DC: Dillon Sheppard DC: Youssef Safri MC: Damien Francis AMC: Adam Proudlock FC: Robert Hulse FC: Adam Young MC: Alex Tapp Sub 1: Kevin Dixon Sub 2: Mark Nicholls Sub 3: Adam Nowland Sub 4: Paul Dempsey Sub 5: Vincenzo Valentini Other first teamers: Robert Gillman, Mark Morris , Jon Olav Hjelde, Paul Webb, Jan Vercammen
GK- Jones Defense (from left to right) Matthews, Johnson, Hyde Midfield (from Left to right) Parhars, Bolano, Novo, Baker, Savage (when Jensen comes back he goes in for Baker) Forwards Owusu, Roiha Subs- Weaver, Todorov, Cureton, Bowman, Robertson Just putting this in here for reference
Standard screen and textfiles updated through 27.08.07 Also full update for Mansfield and Finance screens for all. I know all finance screens are not properly linked, but if you I have sent the screens up. If you check another screen it is just to change the filename to be your clubs initial + fin.jpg Like for me that is: manfin.jpg I will fix the links later. Next team in line to get a full update is the team in D1 that is highest positioned when the update is going up. And so on, until we have done all D1 teams, then D2. Also most of the screens can be sorted/filtered, so if you want yours in a special way, post it here or mention it in the chat. As an example you can see I have sorted some of the attribute screens for me with one attribute, while other screens is sorted by player value. In other areas I only show a certain part of the team, like defense for instance - some screens only show first team, some only reserves, and to get a combination of the two for the reserve stats link I only showed reserves but put the 4 players I had playing last game in the team again (to play next game) so they are listed with the reserves, even if they are classified as being in the first team. You can see which 4 first team players I have designated to play reserve team games by seeing they have a position in the team. The rest of my reserve team squad is selected by the assistant manager. I also fixed the tactics for the reserve team squad to be the same 4-4-2 I use for the first team.
Textfiles/Screens updated through roughly 15.9.07 Also full team update for Watford, and tactics/team instructions for all. Also fixed links.
Had a little downtime between rounds and as Cheltenham with the strong away win at Watford moved into 1st they were the next team updated. In addition Zac: Corbett: Both your physio's have long term concerns over him. Belive to be carrying strained knee ligaments which could cause problems in the future.
Wimbledon's 3-5-2 Attacking Lineup GK: Kyriakos Tochouroglou MR: Fredrik Lagemyr ML: Martin Grainger DC: Gary Rowett DC: Dillon Sheppard DC: Youssef Safri MC: Damien Francis AMC: Adam Proudlock FC: Colin Heath FC: Adam Young MC: Alex Tapp Sub 1: Kevin Dixon Sub 2: Matthew Kerr Sub 3: Adam Nowland Sub 4: Mark Nicholls Sub 5: Jan Vercammen Other first teamers: Vincenzo Valentini, Paul Dempsey, Robert Gillman, Iain Anderson, Stephen Clemence
