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Gus Poyet said:
Well given my avatar is a local football club i'll go with yes. I have 30 years of blood sweat and tears invested in the club.

That's kind of how English football clubs used to work too, local people support their local club.

Now with the wave of plastic glory hunting fans that permeate the English football fan scene the game is all the poorer for it.
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Are the Celtics a local club? I'm guessing the reason you chose to support them is because of the blood sweat and tears as well?
 
Jatz said:
Are the Celtics a local club? I'm guessing the reason you chose to support them is because of the blood sweat and tears as well?
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I support them because as kids we visited family in Boston and lived there for 6 months. Attended quite a few games. So yes they were a local club.
 

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So only locals can support local clubs, okay. The clubs themselves would hate that, don't make no money doing only local business

Kinda like the same argument as people who hate immigration but hey whatever

It's like Faith just became a 70 year old man who watches Fox News
 

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Cooldude said:
"Mum, I'm off to go watch the Clives now", that name sure is catchy

Can probably build the titanic mark 2 big enough to play the derby on it, just keep it on local waters though, don't want no foreign iceberg downing that thing
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It's not quite the same cooldude but I believe there is a Scottish professional team called 'Clyde FC'.

The more you know. :p
 
NUFC Tiger said:
Joel Griffiths is a Jet through and through! Panchaiki eh? Can’t say I’ve heard of them before. I had to have a small chuckle at Vichai’s vision in wanting to expand the club’s presence in Greece though. Perhaps the current economic climate may not make it the most viable or lucrative place to strengthen the club’s commercials!

Didn’t know that about EG either – there’s something new I’ve learnt for the day! I think I share the same soft spot for giving opportunities to players from smaller, less successful nations. Anything I can do to help them become the main men for their respective national sides in time. Definitely always interesting to hear of their exploits on international breaks…even if they are only getting regular game time for the U18s or reserve sides!

I think I might need to consider the extra league files play through at some point – maybe when the next FM comes out and make a FC of Newcastle club perhaps! Yeah, the Sports Interactive folks are crazy dedicated to their game and fans. The editor tool is so versatile and handy – I think you can even make your own country?

Good ol’ Farnborough Town! When I was getting some of my mates onto FM (we were all playing as Conference clubs), one of my friends (who was a big John Farnham fan at the time) almost decided to manage Farnborough as the name was quite similar. She ended up choosing Dag and Red as John was born in Dagenham I think. Haha wow! An actual Aussie Bournemouth fan with no affiliations to the club? I wonder why he chose them. Would be interesting to know why. Would be great to get that group together for a reunion. I’m sure the Bournemouth guy would be fairly excited for the new season.

I’d be interested in finding that out actually – I’m sure many smaller nations would have their own ‘heroes’ but how many would be honoured with statues?

That is a sad lesson for both Hearts and Rangers who seemingly paid the price for their heavy spending. If anyone is going to usurp Celtic at the head of the table, they’ll need to do it in a sustainable.

Oh I saw that! Micronesia…that kind of record makes American Samoa seem like Germany! Thank god our record remains intact! Something to remember fondly of our time in Oceania.

I think I have to now and see if we can become a powerhouse in the region! Hopefully we can also nurture some young talents as well to help flesh out the team. That actually is ironic that Canada suffer from poor coaching and yet Carver was manager of the Toronoto MLS side for just over a year (starting back in early 2008 IIRC), with a win rate of 30% (Mind you, that’s significantly better – double infact, than his 15% with us last season!).

If you want to have a bit of a laugh and don't mind some (a lot) of cursing, here's what True Geordie had to say following our 0-3 loss to your boys late in the season. Skip to 7.07 if you want to hear his thoughts on Carver (a nice mention of Toronto in there too).


I guess in perspective, Azkals is pretty cool. Has a certain fighting quality to it. Some of those other ones you listed certainly make Azkals seems a bit better haha!
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And that’s exactly why I won’t help them, lol. They are the biggest club representing Patras, the third largest city in Greece. Was a nice place, easily the best place in Greece. It also doesn’t help when Patras is actually part of West Greece and actually one of the poorer regions of Greece. I like to think that by increasing the popularity of Panachaiki, I am doing my bit give something for the people, especially when the best of Leicester’s youth comes there and we play the yearly KP Cup with two other cups. Maybe that’s the idea? Grow the region with Football, lol.

Glad to see you’ve learnt something new! Amusingly, Danilo Rinaldi was one of those guys. Even more interestingly is I believe he was actually Argentine in the game and was playing in Argentina (either that or was a free agent, the only way I knew he was San Maranese was when I enabled all their players), so you had to search him out and make him start for San Marino. Of course later that year, he gets his full blown debut. So technically speaking, I am one of those guys that got a shirt from their FM career, and the player actually wore it!

Yeah, although I wouldn’t be surprised if the 24 tier file does come out near the very end, lol. Then again, if you’re looking to make FCN, then the path is:

6. Conference North

7-8. Northern Premier

9-10. Northern League

11-13. Northern Alliance

14-15. Tyneside Amateur League

In the TAL, you get to play the Newcastle Medicals and the Newcastle Chemfica! Who said football players couldn’t have a career after football? Lol.

I think Tier 15 is the lowest you can go for a Newcastle based team. The lowest for a Leicester team is Tier 17. If you want a 24 Tier challenge, the team will have to come from Sussex (The biggest club that is from Suseex is Brighton and Hove, meaning theoretically, they could relegate to Tier 24.) I think if I ever do, I’m going to call my club Blackhorse Battle, named after the Blackhorse Quarry found in the town of battle. A scientific site in Sussex (for palaeontology) whose main rival is Battle Baptist. I think you can see where this is going, lol.

Unfortunately, that’s the one thing you can’t do. You can turn non-FIFA countries into FIFA countries and have them involved in tournaments, although I believe it is highly recommended that you don’t try to implement them in Europe. (I think the last time I did that, I basically eliminated European competitions for good, both domestically and internationally, all because I turned Monaco into a nation. If I remember correctly, the World Cup uses the same Euro teams from the last World Cup. Same for the Confeds. The Euros don’t exist at all.) For some reason, it works fine for other Confederations. I suppose if you really want to for FM15, you can try turning one of the non-FIFA nations into your own country, and you can set it up from there.

Lol, that would’ve been a good fit, although that choice is a lot more suitable. Choose the place Johnny actually had a connection to, not a name that sounds like it. Dag and Red was a good choice, they went to the FL! Farnborough on the other hand, died, came back to life, and has just been relegated to the Istiman League. Yeah…

I’m not sure why, although truth be told, I got them mixed up with Scampaignerhorpe. I also thought that the logo was a hand holding the neck of a champaign bottle. Because Bournemouth and Scampaignerhorpe are total lookalikes. Totally local rivals too! Lol. (Yeah, I was waaaaaay off.) Maybe he thought the crest was similar to the Starbucks logo? Was certainly surprising to see it was an actual player (Dickie Dowsett), and they also had a… rather interesting logo before thathttps://alldepartments.files.wordpress.com/2015/04/badge-collage.jpgI think you know which one it was, though what the hell is that bottom right one?! In fact, the original above that, he certainly anin’t no rugby player! In fact, last season they actually had a new crest:http://www.whoateallthepies.tv/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/bournemouth-badge.jpgIt was actually official, just for November.

Also, as was discussed when Jatz bought up Bournemouth coming before Arsenal, the alphabetical arrangement is entirely the reason why the club changed its name fromBournemouth and Boscombe Athletic. Not even kidding.

In regards to statues, I know George Weah has one. Salif Keita of Mali does, though more for art purposes. I know there were stamps and other collectables for North Korea, including a painting, but no statue. The one that you fantasise about in FM can be found here:http://m9.i.pbase.com/g4/53/729353/2/138255459.bn4rfjkV.jpg(Yep, A Guus Hiddink Bust in South Korea. To be fair, they did name a stadium after him.)

Exactly right. Either that, or have a super god of a manger to get over the line (We all know the one). Neil Lennon nearly failed with that task, lol.

The glory days of Oceania? Oh yeah, lol. I think you should, I mean, it speaks volumes about the region when Singapore is the 2nd best nation in the region. Yeah alright, Australia is technically counted in that region, but they don’t take part in the regional championship. Yeah, Singapore is teaching a lesson to Indonesia and the Philippines, lol.

I look forward to hearing about it! Actually, I found out that Preki was also a manager of Toronto FC, and let’s face it, there’s only one thing that matters to the club: The Canadian Championship, the only way for a Canadian team to qualify for the CONCACAF Champions League. Before I get there, Toronto has never finished higher than 11th overall in their entire existence, and they have gone through 7 permanent managers in less than 10 years, including Preki and Carver. There has never been a permanent Canadian manager. In fact, all of their staff are Yanks. Actually, that’s the same for Vancouver too. At least Montreal have some assistant coaches.

Back to Toronto, despite their failues in the MLS, they have managed to be Canadian Champions 4 times out of 7. The competition is held between all of the professional Canadian clubs, which total 5, 3 in the MLS (Montreal and Vancouver, both of which are more successful in the MLS), and 2 in the NASL (Edmonton and Ottawa). There are more, but they are scattered all over the place. You see, unlike New Zealand and Wales, Canada doesn’t have a top tier league of its own. The best they have is two regional leagues exclusively to them, with the rest scattered in the US leagues.

In regards to the Champions League Mexico, the US, Costa Rica, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala and Panama all have more clubs represented than Canada. I think we’re starting to see the problem here.

Ah, lol. The True Geordie always makes for some good listening. First heard him giving his thoughts about the Man Utd game, and then I saw him again with the Arsenal prank and that very video. I can’t actually believe I missed that reference. Very passionate, the True Geordie, he’s done quite well, let’s just hope the team keeps up, lol.


Darn right, though I do wonder… please forgive me in advance, I promise you I’ll do this only once; if the Azkals fail to meet expectations, do the fans eat their own? (I’m sorry, I just had to do an azucena joke, I know that azkals have been better treated these days. I think it completes the circle if the fans get annoyed if their team fails. But I suppose it is a genuine question, do the fans actually have any real expectations? Or is it just a case of keeping one’s honour like if you were managing a smaller nations.) Though that said, 124th! Up 13! Nice job!

Side note: If the Nations League was created now, the Faroe Islands would be in League C. Finland would be in League D.
 
Fryer Tuck said:
And that’s exactly why I won’t help them, lol. They are the biggest club representing Patras, the third largest city in Greece. Was a nice place, easily the best place in Greece. It also doesn’t help when Patras is actually part of West Greece and actually one of the poorer regions of Greece. I like to think that by increasing the popularity of Panachaiki, I am doing my bit give something for the people, especially when the best of Leicester’s youth comes there and we play the yearly KP Cup with two other cups. Maybe that’s the idea? Grow the region with Football, lol.

Glad to see you’ve learnt something new! Amusingly, Danilo Rinaldi was one of those guys. Even more interestingly is I believe he was actually Argentine in the game and was playing in Argentina (either that or was a free agent, the only way I knew he was San Maranese was when I enabled all their players), so you had to search him out and make him start for San Marino. Of course later that year, he gets his full blown debut. So technically speaking, I am one of those guys that got a shirt from their FM career, and the player actually wore it!

Yeah, although I wouldn’t be surprised if the 24 tier file does come out near the very end, lol. Then again, if you’re looking to make FCN, then the path is:

6. Conference North

7-8. Northern Premier

9-10. Northern League

11-13. Northern Alliance

14-15. Tyneside Amateur League

In the TAL, you get to play the Newcastle Medicals and the Newcastle Chemfica! Who said football players couldn’t have a career after football? Lol.

I think Tier 15 is the lowest you can go for a Newcastle based team. The lowest for a Leicester team is Tier 17. If you want a 24 Tier challenge, the team will have to come from Sussex (The biggest club that is from Suseex is Brighton and Hove, meaning theoretically, they could relegate to Tier 24.) I think if I ever do, I’m going to call my club Blackhorse Battle, named after the Blackhorse Quarry found in the town of battle. A scientific site in Sussex (for palaeontology) whose main rival is Battle Baptist. I think you can see where this is going, lol.

Unfortunately, that’s the one thing you can’t do. You can turn non-FIFA countries into FIFA countries and have them involved in tournaments, although I believe it is highly recommended that you don’t try to implement them in Europe. (I think the last time I did that, I basically eliminated European competitions for good, both domestically and internationally, all because I turned Monaco into a nation. If I remember correctly, the World Cup uses the same Euro teams from the last World Cup. Same for the Confeds. The Euros don’t exist at all.) For some reason, it works fine for other Confederations. I suppose if you really want to for FM15, you can try turning one of the non-FIFA nations into your own country, and you can set it up from there.

Lol, that would’ve been a good fit, although that choice is a lot more suitable. Choose the place Johnny actually had a connection to, not a name that sounds like it. Dag and Red was a good choice, they went to the FL! Farnborough on the other hand, died, came back to life, and has just been relegated to the Istiman League. Yeah…

I’m not sure why, although truth be told, I got them mixed up with Scampaignerhorpe. I also thought that the logo was a hand holding the neck of a champaign bottle. Because Bournemouth and Scampaignerhorpe are total lookalikes. Totally local rivals too! Lol. (Yeah, I was waaaaaay off.) Maybe he thought the crest was similar to the Starbucks logo? Was certainly surprising to see it was an actual player (Dickie Dowsett), and they also had a… rather interesting logo before thathttps://alldepartments.files.wordpress.com/2015/04/badge-collage.jpgI think you know which one it was, though what the hell is that bottom right one?! In fact, the original above that, he certainly anin’t no rugby player! In fact, last season they actually had a new crest:http://www.whoateallthepies.tv/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/bournemouth-badge.jpgIt was actually official, just for November.

Also, as was discussed when Jatz bought up Bournemouth coming before Arsenal, the alphabetical arrangement is entirely the reason why the club changed its name fromBournemouth and Boscombe Athletic. Not even kidding.

In regards to statues, I know George Weah has one. Salif Keita of Mali does, though more for art purposes. I know there were stamps and other collectables for North Korea, including a painting, but no statue. The one that you fantasise about in FM can be found here:http://m9.i.pbase.com/g4/53/729353/2/138255459.bn4rfjkV.jpg(Yep, A Guus Hiddink Bust in South Korea. To be fair, they did name a stadium after him.)

Exactly right. Either that, or have a super god of a manger to get over the line (We all know the one). Neil Lennon nearly failed with that task, lol.

The glory days of Oceania? Oh yeah, lol. I think you should, I mean, it speaks volumes about the region when Singapore is the 2nd best nation in the region. Yeah alright, Australia is technically counted in that region, but they don’t take part in the regional championship. Yeah, Singapore is teaching a lesson to Indonesia and the Philippines, lol.

I look forward to hearing about it! Actually, I found out that Preki was also a manager of Toronto FC, and let’s face it, there’s only one thing that matters to the club: The Canadian Championship, the only way for a Canadian team to qualify for the CONCACAF Champions League. Before I get there, Toronto has never finished higher than 11th overall in their entire existence, and they have gone through 7 permanent managers in less than 10 years, including Preki and Carver. There has never been a permanent Canadian manager. In fact, all of their staff are Yanks. Actually, that’s the same for Vancouver too. At least Montreal have some assistant coaches.

Back to Toronto, despite their failues in the MLS, they have managed to be Canadian Champions 4 times out of 7. The competition is held between all of the professional Canadian clubs, which total 5, 3 in the MLS (Montreal and Vancouver, both of which are more successful in the MLS), and 2 in the NASL (Edmonton and Ottawa). There are more, but they are scattered all over the place. You see, unlike New Zealand and Wales, Canada doesn’t have a top tier league of its own. The best they have is two regional leagues exclusively to them, with the rest scattered in the US leagues.

In regards to the Champions League Mexico, the US, Costa Rica, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala and Panama all have more clubs represented than Canada. I think we’re starting to see the problem here.

Ah, lol. The True Geordie always makes for some good listening. First heard him giving his thoughts about the Man Utd game, and then I saw him again with the Arsenal prank and that very video. I can’t actually believe I missed that reference. Very passionate, the True Geordie, he’s done quite well, let’s just hope the team keeps up, lol.


Darn right, though I do wonder… please forgive me in advance, I promise you I’ll do this only once; if the Azkals fail to meet expectations, do the fans eat their own? (I’m sorry, I just had to do an azucena joke, I know that azkals have been better treated these days. I think it completes the circle if the fans get annoyed if their team fails. But I suppose it is a genuine question, do the fans actually have any real expectations? Or is it just a case of keeping one’s honour like if you were managing a smaller nations.) Though that said, 124th! Up 13! Nice job!

Side note: If the Nations League was created now, the Faroe Islands would be in League C. Finland would be in League D.
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Ah yeah, that makes sense. Those hard working people of Patras would no doubt love to forget their daily toiling, even fleetingly, by watching some of the best up and coming youth players in the game. Not only that but seeing the team that represents them and the region doing well can only mean they will be even more proud of their club.

I can see it now FT. I will form a new club on Tyneside that will rise up and drive Mike Ashley out of Toon by giving the locals a genuine alternative club to follow. First we will need to master the lower leagues and fight our way up. Geez whiz though, starting in tier 14/15 makes even Gateshead (Conference National side) seem a formidable giant! Then again, there is always some joy in taking a minnow to the top. One of my forays north of the border found me managing tiny East Stirlingshire. I once got them into the SPL but if memory serves me right, was sacked as we were battling bravely against the drop. How’s that for appreciation!? As for the next club I’ll take to the top, Tynecastle FC sounds like a nice name (an actual club as well).

Yeah, I typically don’t mess around with the nations in the editor either. I think on FM2007 or 2009, I may have tried putting Australia into Europe…stuffed up my database. Wouldn’t allow me to manage any leagues in Europe I think from memory. Probably something similar to your Monaco experience haha.

Yeah, talk about 2 different routes for Dag and Red & Farnborough. My other mate chose Dover (who were Conference national at the time and have only recently got back after a few years in the lower leagues – think I recall they were plodding around in the Istiman League 5-6 years ago (maybe with Farnborough lol).

I guess they have similar logos haha. It always amuses me that Scun_thorpe gets automatically updated to ‘Scampaignerthorpe’ – I didn’t understand why it kept doing that until someone pointed out a naughty word amongst it lol. For what it’s worth, I like their club logo haha. Bournemouth and Boscombe Athletic? That’s quite the mouthful.

George Weah I can understand. North Korea probably wouldn’t surprise me. Don’t their national teams normally defeat all comers by 20 or 30 goals lol? The FFA really should get one for Archie Thompson. The guy scored a world record 13 goals against the combined might of American Samoa!

Wowzers. Canada really must have some issues with producing their own coaches if none of their own has been made a permanent manager. I guess when you are capable of bringing in quality like ‘Best coach in the land’ John Carver, it obviously makes sense to disregard any local talent! On a more serious note, hopefully the Canadian FA look at it and try and give some of their local crop a chance/or at least more opportunities to develop. That’s quite interesting about Canada not having a top division of its own – perhaps they should look at having 1, even if it is small just like the A League started off with.

True Geordie is always there to pick up the spirits of Toon fans after a horrible performance. Got to love the rants and ravings of a big Geordie lad haha. Some of my mates tell me I should start up an Aussie Geordie account. Not sure I’d have as much charisma lol.

Haha – I see what you did there! Ever since doing some research on them, I’ve started following them on facebook and checking up on them. From most of the comments I’ve read, most fans (the hardcore ones who’ve probably yearned for the Philippines to get its act together) are pretty excited and optimistic about the way the game is progressing. From what I’ve seen, there’s been no real murmurings of discontent (though they have started reasonably well as you’ll know which keeps fans happy). I think if things start to go a bit pear shaped, most fans will still be onside with the team. Filipinos are pretty passionate and loyal people generally so I think win, lose or draw (and let’s admit, the results historically haven’t been great), they’ll back the team as it’s their team. You might know that Manny Pacquiao is a huge icon in the Philippines – that’s mainly due to the fact he’s one of the very few Filipino’s who’s been successful on the world stage of sport (that and Boxing is big in the country). The Philippines aren’t renowned for their sporting pedigree but will normally back their own no matter what haha.
 
NUFC Tiger said:
Ah yeah, that makes sense. Those hard working people of Patras would no doubt love to forget their daily toiling, even fleetingly, by watching some of the best up and coming youth players in the game. Not only that but seeing the team that represents them and the region doing well can only mean they will be even more proud of their club.

I can see it now FT. I will form a new club on Tyneside that will rise up and drive Mike Ashley out of Toon by giving the locals a genuine alternative club to follow. First we will need to master the lower leagues and fight our way up. Geez whiz though, starting in tier 14/15 makes even Gateshead (Conference National side) seem a formidable giant! Then again, there is always some joy in taking a minnow to the top. One of my forays north of the border found me managing tiny East Stirlingshire. I once got them into the SPL but if memory serves me right, was sacked as we were battling bravely against the drop. How’s that for appreciation!? As for the next club I’ll take to the top, Tynecastle FC sounds like a nice name (an actual club as well).

Yeah, I typically don’t mess around with the nations in the editor either. I think on FM2007 or 2009, I may have tried putting Australia into Europe…stuffed up my database. Wouldn’t allow me to manage any leagues in Europe I think from memory. Probably something similar to your Monaco experience haha.

Yeah, talk about 2 different routes for Dag and Red & Farnborough. My other mate chose Dover (who were Conference national at the time and have only recently got back after a few years in the lower leagues – think I recall they were plodding around in the Istiman League 5-6 years ago (maybe with Farnborough lol).

I guess they have similar logos haha. It always amuses me that Scun_thorpe gets automatically updated to ‘Scampaignerthorpe’ – I didn’t understand why it kept doing that until someone pointed out a naughty word amongst it lol. For what it’s worth, I like their club logo haha. Bournemouth and Boscombe Athletic? That’s quite the mouthful.

George Weah I can understand. North Korea probably wouldn’t surprise me. Don’t their national teams normally defeat all comers by 20 or 30 goals lol? The FFA really should get one for Archie Thompson. The guy scored a world record 13 goals against the combined might of American Samoa!

Wowzers. Canada really must have some issues with producing their own coaches if none of their own has been made a permanent manager. I guess when you are capable of bringing in quality like ‘Best coach in the land’ John Carver, it obviously makes sense to disregard any local talent! On a more serious note, hopefully the Canadian FA look at it and try and give some of their local crop a chance/or at least more opportunities to develop. That’s quite interesting about Canada not having a top division of its own – perhaps they should look at having 1, even if it is small just like the A League started off with.

True Geordie is always there to pick up the spirits of Toon fans after a horrible performance. Got to love the rants and ravings of a big Geordie lad haha. Some of my mates tell me I should start up an Aussie Geordie account. Not sure I’d have as much charisma lol.

Haha – I see what you did there! Ever since doing some research on them, I’ve started following them on facebook and checking up on them. From most of the comments I’ve read, most fans (the hardcore ones who’ve probably yearned for the Philippines to get its act together) are pretty excited and optimistic about the way the game is progressing. From what I’ve seen, there’s been no real murmurings of discontent (though they have started reasonably well as you’ll know which keeps fans happy). I think if things start to go a bit pear shaped, most fans will still be onside with the team. Filipinos are pretty passionate and loyal people generally so I think win, lose or draw (and let’s admit, the results historically haven’t been great), they’ll back the team as it’s their team. You might know that Manny Pacquiao is a huge icon in the Philippines – that’s mainly due to the fact he’s one of the very few Filipino’s who’s been successful on the world stage of sport (that and Boxing is big in the country). The Philippines aren’t renowned for their sporting pedigree but will normally back their own no matter what haha.
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It is the largest of the clubs that represents Patras, so naturally everyone will be flocking The last time Panachalki were in the top tier was 2002. One thing I immediately noticed is that it seem virtually all the clubs are multi-purpose clubs. Volleyball, Water Polo, Basketball, Ping Pong sometimes. It’s a bit weird, but no matter which sport you seem to follow in Greece, there’s always some connection to a football club. I guess this also means our youth players may perhaps be enjoying some other sports their football clubs have on offer.

You know, I’m actually surprised there hasn’t been any FC United of Newcastle yet, definitely a big enough club to try something like that. Maybe the Gerodies are just too loyal to the original club? As noted, there is an AFC Liverpool, but its purpose was more on the grounds of ticket prices as opposed to any issue with the board, and their average attendance is about 300 anyway. East Sterlingshire? Defiantly an interesting choice! Did you have a Gretna like rise? Usually when people choose the Scottish 4th tier, there are two clubs they go for (Queen’s Park because of potential size and rivalry with the Old Firm, and Berwick Rangers because of the English). It’s also interesting to note that as of last season, it is now possible for a 5th tier team to get promoted into the 4th tier. But to be honest, it probably is the most difficult promotion in World Football. The amateur 5th tier club (Highland League and Lowland League) needs to win against the other champion, and then they need to win against the professional 4th tier club. Yeah, huge ask.

Tynecastle FC? Lol, now that’s a nice name, but an actual club? Let me guess, you’re hoping to have battle with the actual club in a battle to be the real Tynecastle? Lol.

Lol, Australia in Europe, like that would happen… oh wait, Australia was in Eurovision. Also theoretically speaking, Australia could be in the Copa America (Very unlikely since Australia is not a big trading partner like Japan or China). You know what’s even more amusing? Lichtenstein has never been in Eurovision, lol. I was a bit confused about the Monégasque tag. Unlike the other nations, there was no flag. I knew about Basque Country, and I knew what purpose that had, but I wasn’t sure about what purpose the Monégasque tag had. But wow, activating Australia disabled all of the Euro leagues? Seems the game does not approve, lol.

Dover Athletic? Let me guess, he thought he can have cheap access to French talent? Lol. Don’t think they’ve ever been FL, so that might be quite an accomplishment.

Really? You didn’t notice it? Sc*nthrope was probably the most amusing club for my Man City friend. He did point out that the name and logo just made it seem like one very angry and frustrated club, full of angry drunks. He told me three things; 1. There is a women’s team (I’m sure they have very thick skins), 2. The name of the mascot is Scunny Hunny Bunny, and 3. They did something that I’ve never been able to do: Turn the physio into a manager (well, in FM’s case, an Assistant Manager) I think you know who we’re talking about. You have to admit that while he did have a taste of it, it was more than 10 years ago at the time. Imagine Mike Ashley deciding that the club physio should be the next manager. Then again, it seemed like Preki was going to be ours for a moment, lol.

That’s exactly right. Though you have to feel sorry for the team, the one match they decide to show live… I think even Ronaldo was feeling very guilty in that match, and that says a lot. I’m sure the FFA would honour Thompson, but more due to the fact he’s been the face of the A-League since Day 1. That’s still pretty cool.

That’s one of the conflicts for Canadian Football, the US league is just so much more prestigious. While they do have similar arrangements in the other sports, it just doesn’t work in football. When the CSL is actually the 3th tier in the US pyramid, and is a regional league at that (meaning there is no nationwide competition), you’re not exactly going to get decent opportunities. Heck, while the CHL is just a youth league, at least you can see a clear structure that allows players to go from juniors to seniors. I can’t use Wales due to how Home Nations works, but New Zealand, even with a team in the more lucrative A-League, they still have their top tier league. The most important thing is that the majority of these players got their start in the Kiwi leagues before moving on. There is an actual pathway onto greater things. We already know that the US 3rd is not exactly paying the bills. One of the important things to note that even in New Zealand and Wales, clubs are privately owned. In Canada, they’re just run by volunteers, with no sense of competition to improve. So, poor coaching, no academies, no development pathways. The culture does play a part, but then you look at the Nordic Countries, Australia, Brazil, and Russia, and take into consideration the different sports, weather, and how big the countries are, there’s no excuse.

Speaking of, guess who is out of the Gold Cup without a goal scored, and has been parking the bus in all three of their games? 0 For, 1 Against. Costa Rica weren’t even trying. They were happy with the draw. They knew Canada couldn’t do anything. Let’s not forget that Canada was a co-host, and this match was played in Toronto. Let’s not forget that the Women’s World Cup was on just a couple of weeks before the Gold Cup. The women’s team topped their group and made the quarters. The men’s team finishes at the bottom with dismal performances.

Also, I get the feeling this sport isn’t healthy for Canadians, players or fans:

Code: 
 http://streamable.com/g4qi

http://fat.gfycat.com/SpectacularGregariousCrab.webm
Whatever happened to friendliest people on Earth? (I had to code it, or else it would take forever to lead. Copy them into the bar, and see the videos for yourself, hoo boy.

This is the support that greeted the team:
pUHMjpI.jpg


Now just for a comparison:

Code: 
 Women’s game: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZ9q82ENHM

Men’s game: http://streamable.com/bm5t

Also interesting note, unlike Australia and the US, the immigrants of Canada actually make an active effort to support their team of origin.

I’ve also just learnt something else. The Canadian Manager, Benito Floro, actually was a manager for Real Madrid (was also their director of football), Villarreal and Barcalona… Sporting Club of Ecuador, but he did manage Real Madrid. Then again, they were the worst team to qualify for the Gold Cup. Oh Canada…

Well, who knows? Won’t know until you try. Then again, I guess we’ll be hearing from you, giving us the best of Newcastle, and Sunderland… pfft. Totally 100% unbiased!

Yeah, and here I thought you were insulted by it. I feel like such a goose… lol. Well, that’s very good, good to see a culture of support, even if the team (And I suppose this applies to the other sports) do lose. But I suppose it is good to hear that the fans won’t be too disappointed if the team fail to keep up their form and qualify for the next stage. Although that said, the WC qualifiers also have a role in determining the qualifiers for the Asian Cup, so even if they’re out of the WC qualifiers, they must continue to perform and make their path easier to qualify for the Asian Cup now that the Philippines can no longer go thought the Challenge Cup route, since it is now defunct. That qualification for that first Asian Cup is going to be absolutely huge if they can do it.
 
On the subject of multi purpose clubs, doesn’t Panathinaikos (among others) have a professional basketball team? I think there is a Euro league where a few of the bigger clubs also have basketball teams (Barcelona might be another),

I think some fans suggested the idea of an FC United of Newcastle last season but for whatever reason, it never really eventuated to anything more than just an idea. As you say, I think the locals still see Newcastle United as their club regardless of who owns it. There is a local non league side in Gateshead (Conference National) who offer a viable alternative to the main club in toon.

Haha yeah, not sure why I chose East Stirling – I think it had something to do with my love of William Wallace back in my youth (Braveheart and Age of Empires 2) who I think won a famous battle at Stirling. Indeed we had some great times as East Stirlingshire. I did cheat a bit – I edited the database to make them a professional club and sent the cream of Newcastle’s youth to develop for 4-5 year loans…

If memory serves me, I also moved Tynecastle (non league Scottish club) to Wales…and tried to turn them into the powerhouse of Wales (move over Swansea and Cardiff lol).

Lichtenstein hasn’t competed in Eurovision before? Wow, surely they could find a few talented locals to bring glory to the nation – it’s probably unlikely their national team will achieve that any time soon! I definitely don’t recommend trying to make Australia conquer the Euros though lol!

Haha maybe! Maybe he thought by being so close to the channel, it might make it easier to convince French talent to come and help progress the club lol.

I swear to the football gods I didn’t even notice until it was pointed out to me (after I was scratching my head as to why it kept changing Scun*thorpe to ‘campaignerthorpe’ or something like that).

Haha very true about Archie – he’d be just about the only player from the inaugural lists still with the same team I think? Great servant for MVFC and the league in general.

That’s really interesting about the state of the game in Canada – surely there is a Lowy type figure with deep pockets and an equally deep love for the game who can help bankroll the sport and get it up and running? It sounds like the grassroots situation, lack of development avenues and general lack of funding in the game is just going to continue a cycle of mediocrity sadly. If they can get players, coaches, administrators and referees all invested, they can potentially look at improving their lot.

Wow, that’s a pretty incredible comparison between the 2. The men’s team might be happy to park the bus and go for draws but that ultimately won’t capture the imagination of interested viewers and turn them into fans. Surely they’d rather see a team that plays with plenty of spirit and verve?

Well landing a former Real Madrid manager is a coup in itself. Maybe Floro can be a catalyst to improve the game? Lol all good mate. I’m a pretty chilled and relaxed guy – being a Toon and Tigers fan has taught me a lot of patience. :p

You're definitely right though and thankfully it seems the mindset has improved too. Instead of hoping for results, they want to go out and achieve them - which I think is a healthier attitude than 'let's hope for the best'.

P.S I just found out Uzbekistan’s team is nicknamed the White Wolves. That’s awesome!
 

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This is pretty exciting! Very ambitious too! Obviously a bit sad that the club would need to move away from its traditional roots but seems most supporters accept it's a necessary evil if the club wants to push on towards higher levels.

"The Conference club's chairman Dale Vince has revealed plans to build a 10,000-seater stadium as part of a sports and green technology centre off junction 13 of the M5.

Located on either side of the A419, half of the Eco Park scheme would be dedicated to state-of-the-art sporting facilities including a stadium, training fields, 4G pitches, an athletics track and a sports science hub.

The other half would comprise of a green technology business park with sustainable offices and light industrial units, providing up to 4,000 jobs."

Eco%20Park%20-%20Concept%20Design.jpeg



http://www.southwestbusiness.co.uk/...art-of-new-green-business-park-in-stonehouse/
 
NUFC Tiger said:
On the subject of multi purpose clubs, doesn’t Panathinaikos (among others) have a professional basketball team? I think there is a Euro league where a few of the bigger clubs also have basketball teams (Barcelona might be another),

I think some fans suggested the idea of an FC United of Newcastle last season but for whatever reason, it never really eventuated to anything more than just an idea. As you say, I think the locals still see Newcastle United as their club regardless of who owns it. There is a local non league side in Gateshead (Conference National) who offer a viable alternative to the main club in toon.

Haha yeah, not sure why I chose East Stirling – I think it had something to do with my love of William Wallace back in my youth (Braveheart and Age of Empires 2) who I think won a famous battle at Stirling. Indeed we had some great times as East Stirlingshire. I did cheat a bit – I edited the database to make them a professional club and sent the cream of Newcastle’s youth to develop for 4-5 year loans…

If memory serves me, I also moved Tynecastle (non league Scottish club) to Wales…and tried to turn them into the powerhouse of Wales (move over Swansea and Cardiff lol).

Lichtenstein hasn’t competed in Eurovision before? Wow, surely they could find a few talented locals to bring glory to the nation – it’s probably unlikely their national team will achieve that any time soon! I definitely don’t recommend trying to make Australia conquer the Euros though lol!

Haha maybe! Maybe he thought by being so close to the channel, it might make it easier to convince French talent to come and help progress the club lol.

I swear to the football gods I didn’t even notice until it was pointed out to me (after I was scratching my head as to why it kept changing Scun*thorpe to ‘campaignerthorpe’ or something like that).

Haha very true about Archie – he’d be just about the only player from the inaugural lists still with the same team I think? Great servant for MVFC and the league in general.

That’s really interesting about the state of the game in Canada – surely there is a Lowy type figure with deep pockets and an equally deep love for the game who can help bankroll the sport and get it up and running? It sounds like the grassroots situation, lack of development avenues and general lack of funding in the game is just going to continue a cycle of mediocrity sadly. If they can get players, coaches, administrators and referees all invested, they can potentially look at improving their lot.

Wow, that’s a pretty incredible comparison between the 2. The men’s team might be happy to park the bus and go for draws but that ultimately won’t capture the imagination of interested viewers and turn them into fans. Surely they’d rather see a team that plays with plenty of spirit and verve?

Well landing a former Real Madrid manager is a coup in itself. Maybe Floro can be a catalyst to improve the game? Lol all good mate. I’m a pretty chilled and relaxed guy – being a Toon and Tigers fan has taught me a lot of patience. :p

You're definitely right though and thankfully it seems the mindset has improved too. Instead of hoping for results, they want to go out and achieve them - which I think is a healthier attitude than 'let's hope for the best'.

P.S I just found out Uzbekistan’s team is nicknamed the White Wolves. That’s awesome!
Click to expand...

You are correct, they have a basketball team which is a part of the Greek Basket League. Since they are a good enough team, they also take part in the Eurobasket. Their rivals Panathianakios is also in the Euro Basket. Honestly, if you look at the Eurobasket, you have to think twice if you were viewing the football or the basketball, because many of the teams are named after their football clubs.

Maybe you guys are just too passionate to just completely break away, and well, like you said, it is their club regardless of who owns it. And there you are Gateshead is the best you guys can use as a substitute. Manchester have a lot of good teams in its area. Bolton, Wigan, Bury, Rochdale, Oldham, and that’s just those in the FL. Liverpool only have Tranmere.

Ah, now that I can see that… although isn’t that like choosing to live in East Richmond because that was the closest you could get to Richmond, or supporting North Melbourne because, no, I won’t finish that, lol. It’s too bad, if you waited only a season more, you could’ve played as the proper Stirling (Stirling Albion), since they have been relegated and are now playing in League 2. Ah… well, though technically speaking, I don’t think that’s cheating since they should be professional now. Then again, you’re meant to be supporting the Rangers, not William Wallace East! Lol.

LOL. You moved Tynecastle to Wales?! Now why did you do that? Lol. I mean, Tynecastle is actually closer to Belfast, Northern Ireland than Wrexham. Actually, I think Dundalk, Ireland is closer than Wrexham. That’s like having a Brunei sending a team to Malaysia or Singapore… oh wait, DPMM, lol. Oh god, I’ve just seen this… you know where exactly Tynecastle is in? An area called Gorgie… which means, you could call them Gorgies! Lol. Is it me, or does Tynecastle really want to be part of Newcastle? Lol. May I ask how did that little adventure go?

It’s actually more their broadcaster, or well, lack of. You see, for the longest time, Liechtenstein never had their own broadcaster, which is one of the requirements of Eurovision. To sum it up, San Marino and Andorra has their own TV stations, the Vatican City has their TV station, and only in 2008, did Liechtenstein finally get its own TV Station (1FTV). Of course, that’s not enough, the broadcaster must be part of the European Broadcasting Union. Guess what? 1FTV had no interest in getting membership. In fact, over the years, funding has been a problem, which is why they never took part. Just so you know, if the Vatican ever decided they want to send a contestant to Eurovision (Which won’t happen on religious grounds) they would have no problems. In a lot of aspects, Lietechstein just seems to be a very ‘cheap’ country. I’ve already mentioned they’re the only nation without a league, which means their teams can never compete in the Champions League, even if Vaduz wins the Swiss League. The weird thing is, Liechtenstein can actually do alright on a league and international basis (As things stand, they’ve gotten points in half of their games), it’s just it seems they’re rather content with what they have, because why do an inferior job yourself when you can get the best of German, Swiss, Austrian, and Italian goods? Then again, I think pre-2008, I think it's very clear why Liechtenstein didn't have a league. Then again, it's a small country, go out there an watch your team!

Maybe I should replace Israel with Australia, and teach Europe a lesson!

It’s pretty much virtually the first thing you notice when you hear of it, unless you call it Scun-thorpe.

Well, he did have a small loan stint to PSV in 2006, but otherwise has stayed on the lists since day one. After that, he seemed very happy to just stay with the Victory.

You would think so, but looking at the articles, it seems clear that nobody really cares. It’s just accepted that Canadians suck at football. There were reports that the U20 team that was qualifying for the U20 World Cup was the Golden Generation, but after crashing out, it just didn’t even register. As I mentioned before, unlike Aussies, immigrants that move to Canada don’t support Canada. In that match against Costa Rica, there were probably more Costa Rican Canadians supporting Costa Rica over Canada, even the 2nd and 3rd generations. You’re not going to get a Canadian version of this board talking about Canadian teams (I really should throw a comment or two in the A-League). You’re going to hear them talk about La Liga and the PL, and perhaps even the Costa Rican leagues.

OK, more on the coaching issue. I’ve just learnt that the fee to take a Provincial B license is $1000 (I’m using Aussie dollars for all here). Not a national B license, a Provincial B License, which is required to be a coach in only the providence you got that license in. Better yet, you need to sit the pre-test, and I can’t find anything on how one actually goes about sitting it, nor the cost involved. I do know there’s a $100 fee to be paid for cancellation for all levels. The Canadian B national license is another $1250, and I’m not sure if you could coach in the US, then again, the main issue is to get these guys into coaching.

In comparison, the Level 1 Certificate of Coaching in England is around $200, the Level 2 is $580, and at this point, I can coach anywhere in England, not just a province. The UEFA B License is $1900, but by this point, it would be club funded, and this would allow you to coach anywhere in Europe, and pretty much anywhere in the world. So basically, you could coach anywhere in England for virtually half the price (I’m getting the Pre-test is like $400 or something) of the Canadian B Provincial License. If you’ve a got a club that will back you, I think it’s entirely possible to become a manager of a PL club spending less from your own pocket than in Canada.

If that doesn’t sum up the current coaching situation of Canada, and why they seem to be hopeless no matter the age group, than I don’t know what would. I mean, by the time you reach a decent level in England, you’re thinking about it being your career whereas in Canada, this is just the first step. It also looks like the most power is at the grassroots level rather than any actual benefit up the line. Football clubs only want those that are ready made and can deliver victory, they don’t want to develop a player. You’re either good enough, or you better search around for a club that will take you.


And that’s why Julian de Guzman made a poor choice. This Philippines team is finally getting its act together and is showing some signs of footballing competence. Sure, it may have taken a while since he started his career, and Canada is usually closer to qualifying for the World by virtue of just being gifted a spot, but at least he would’ve had more chance of victory with the Azkuls. At least the Philippines have to fight for their wins, not be gifted a spot like Canada has. Too bad for Canada that they won’t be involved in Copa America next year. If Canada had to qualify for the Gold Cup, it would do them a lot of good.

Tis a very good nickname, much better than their neighbours Turkministan, the Green Man, lol. Interestingly, the last time the two nations met was 2004. Of course, just take a wild guess who leads the H2H just based on the nicknames.

On the note below, that is some ambition indeed from Mr Vince, What a wonderful park in more ways than one. Might also be good for the new businessmen and ladies to check out the team and perhaps kick it around a bit after work.

Also, have to say, that picture of him, that’s exactly what I expected him to look like:
Dale Vince. Ecotricity.jpg

This is truly the face of a Greener UK.
 
Fryer Tuck said:
We do it for the passion, though you're welcome to make a donation, lol.
Click to expand...

Just to be clear, I should say that my comment was not at all intended to come across as a criticism of either of you guys, so I hope you didn't take it that way! You guys clearly know your stuff and I do try to read bits and pieces (when I can set aside an hour or two :p)! Post away!
 
BlueBen said:
Just to be clear, I should say that my comment was not at all intended to come across as a criticism of either of you guys, so I hope you didn't take it that way! You guys clearly know your stuff and I do try to read bits and pieces (when I can set aside an hour or two :p)! Post away!
Click to expand...

...I just post in here to make it look like I'm doing something as a mod. :D

By the way Fryer, will try and respond to your latest post today if I can. Last few weeks have been brutal! :)
 

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