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Ferone Silver Clad Frames
- Overview
Highlight photos of your family and friends with a frame of light-catching silver. The stepped design adds depth and substantial presence.
- 7" wide x 9" high (holds one 4 x 6" photo)
- 8.5" wide x 10" high (holds one 5 x 7" photo)
- 11" wide x 13" high (holds one 8 x 10" photo)
- Made of MDF with a silver-clad finish.
- Dimensions & Care
- Backed with an easel prop for tabletop display only.
- Displays both vertically and horizontally.
- Clean glass with standard glass cleaner.
- Wipe frame with a soft dry cloth.
- Shipping & Return Info
This is a general shipping item.
Shipping Information
Return Policy
At Pottery Barn, we take great pride in the quality and craftsmanship of our products. Attention to design, materials, safety and construction is our priority. We carefully inspect your order prior to shipment. Upon receipt, please inspect your purchase and notify us of any damage; we will arrange for a prompt replacement. If, within 7 days for Quick Ship upholstery and 30 days for all other products, you are dissatisfied for any reason, you may return your purchase for a refund of the merchandise value.
We cannot accept returns on monogrammed, personalized, made to order items, or on items damaged through normal wear and tear. We also cannot accept returns of final-sale items which are identified by a price which ends in .99.
For returns of items purchased from your Pottery Barn registry, we will gladly provide a refund or exchange for the merchandise within 90 days of your event or within 90 days of purchase, whichever date is later.
You may return merchandise through the mail for a refund or replacement. For detailed procedures for returning items through the mail, please contact Customer Service at 1.888.779.5176, 7 days a week, 5:00am - 9:00pm (PT).


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Without refrigeration gaskets working their magic, the cold environment inside your equipment that you've worked so hard to cultivate, starts to escape. This makes it hard to accurately gauge the temperature inside a unit, which is why it's extremely important to ensure all your gaskets are sealing properly and aren't torn or broken. Gaskets are the little cushions that seal everything in, and in most cases they give you a really satisfying "thwump" that lets you know your door has closed completely. They're easy to replace, invaluable in both the at-home and commercial kitchen, and you can't go wrong keeping a few extras on hand for when you need them most.
Exclusive offers and product updates will be arriving to your inbox soon.

subset: commoncrawl


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I am an undergraduate student, who want to do a project in penetration testing automation, and i want a conference or some official source to obtain some latest researches from inorder to see what to do in my project as i my objective are to make it automated, easy to use, reliable and implement something new (not proposed earlier!).
closed as not a real question by Rory Alsop♦ Nov 18 '12 at 21:56
It's difficult to tell what is being asked here. This question is ambiguous, vague, incomplete, overly broad, or rhetorical and cannot be reasonably answered in its current form. For help clarifying this question so that it can be reopened, visit the help center.If this question can be reworded to fit the rules in the help center, please edit the question.
Are you sure you want to read research papers on this? If so, here are a few good ones:
To find more, use standard literature search techniques: e.g., read these papers and their related work sections; if they cite or mention a paper that sounds relevant, add it to your set of papers to read (and read its related work section as well); use Google Scholar to find other papers that cite these, and if you spot any that seem relevant, add them to your list to read; and so on.
This will get you research papers. Note, however, that a lot of the state of the art in penetration testing happens outside of the research community. You should probably be paying attention to the forums where pentesters hang out. For instance, check out recent Blackhat and Defcon talks, and follow the blogs of prominent pentesters and security gurus.
One last piece of advice. Before you can invent something new, you usually first need to become a domain expert on the area. You need to gain some experience with pentesting. You're not going to get that simply by reading research papers. Therefore, my advice to you is: spend a little time actually doing some pentesting (not just reading about it). That may help you identify areas that are ripe for automation.


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Exceptional education, world-class speakers, cutting-edge health IT products and powerful networking are hallmarks of this industry-leading conference.
Search the full schedule of educational events which were held at HIMSS16!
We offer a variety of continuing education credits for nurses, doctors, and more. Click through to learn more!
Showcase your health IT solutions and connect with buyers.
It's never too early to start preparing for HIMSS17!
HIMSS16 offers more than 300 education sessions including keynotes from nationally renowned speakers, thought leader sessions from the brightest minds in health IT and facilitated roundtable discussions.
Earn CE credits and keep your certification up-to-date.


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I referred the Roll program in space shuttles. But, I can't understand the mechanism. So, They rotate during the launch in order for proper alignment. I know that only tilting, gimbaling or using additional vernier thrusters would align the space shuttles in proper direction. But how does this rotation of a space shuttle help in alignment? What's the mechanism behind this..?
The barbecue roll and the roll program are not related.
The former is for passive thermal control when the spacecraft is exposed to the Sun and the latter is a maneuver early in the launch sequence to orient the launch vehicle to the proper heading.
For a number of reasons, the space shuttle launch vehicle needs to be oriented "heads down" (the shuttle is positioned "underneath" the external tank) during most of the ascent. It's explained pretty well here:


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I have Ubuntu 12.04 with BIND9, working just as a caching server (forwarding to 184.108.40.206).
When I use, for example,
dig +norecurse @l.root-servers.net www.uniroma1.it, I obtain the following output
; <<>> DiG 9.8.1-P1 <<>> +norecurse @l.root-servers.net www.uniroma1.it
; (1 server found)
;; global options: +cmd
;; connection timed out; no servers could be reached
Using Wireshark I discovered that the outgoing queries are correct, but there aren't any incoming answers. Why?
P.S. Using simply
dig www.uniroma1.it I obtain the correct answers.


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When not promoting Patapon 3 or helping people, Japanese comedian Egashira 2:50 has another hobby: whipping out his dick.
Now you can bring Egashira's antics to your desktop or bookshelf with this upcoming posable figure. Part of the Figma line, this Egashira 2:50 action figure is slated for next June and priced at ¥3,800. (Amazon Japan has it for ¥3,489).
Egashira is a famous comedian in Japan, but he's not exactly one of Japan's most popular. He is one of Japan's most loathed, as his schtick is sometimes a bit much.
If you aren't familiar with Egashira's work, watch this video of some of his highlights, set to a reworked Ponyo theme. (Heads up, he's got his pants down in one bit and seems to be doing something.)
figma 江頭2:50 (ノンスケール ABS&PVC製塗装済み可動フィギュア)


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My question is whether the axiom of extensionality is required to show that the schema of collection follows from the schema of replacement in the usual Zermelo-Fraenkel environment with choice. In other words: Is the schema of collection a theorem schema in Zermelo-Fraenkel set theory with choice minus the axiom schema of extensionality?
Collection is not provable in ZFC minus extensionality, a simple countermodel is described in http://mathoverflow.net/questions/54328 . (That the model cannot provably satisfy collection follows from Gödel's theorem. For a specific instance of collection which fails, let $\bar\omega$ denote one of the many representations of $\omega$ in the model, and $\bar0\in\bar\omega$ the corresponding empty set: then the model satisfies "for every $n\in\bar\omega\smallsetminus\{\bar0\}$, there exists a function $f$ with domain $n$ such that $f(\bar0)=\bar\omega$, and $f(x)\in f(y)$ whenever $x\in y\in n$", but there is no set collecting such functions for every $n\in\bar\omega\smallsetminus\{\bar0\}$.)


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An inside look at life as a Software Design Engineer in Test at Microsoft in the Visual Studio product group.
I post code samples and workarounds, information on new features and random thoughts. My sense of humor is an acquired taste- which is a polite way of saying I make some pretty dumb jokes.
For more information, see post #1!


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US Figure Skating Championships Session 3Sun, January 20, 2013 - 7:30 PMCenturyLink Center Omaha in Omaha, NE
We are sorry, the date for this event has already passed. This event took place on 1/20/2013. Click here to view upcoming events for US Figure Skating Championships.
Still unsure? Check out our user reviews for:
Have a question? Need help? Call us at 800.477.5285


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Fuji FinePix 16MP Digital Camera with GPS, 3" LCD, 15x Optical Zoom, Image Stabilization & 1080p HD for $109.99 + free shipping
GAH! Sorry. That butterfly is so giant and lifelike, I thought it was Mothra coming to eat my face.
10 Comments add a comment
$15 bucks less then it was just a few days ago. It was a great deal then & is even better now. http://deals.woot.com/deals/go/afc6c8a4-56f3-461c-b0bd-0a9bc1d64161
Bought an iPad case from them nearly 3 weeks ago and still don't have it. Have repeatedly emailed them and no answer to date. I will cancel my Paypal transaction. Now, you can't even surf to their website. BEWARE!!!
They do take a very long time to ship,they are part of 1saleaday. Ordered several times from them and it takes 3+ weeks but my stuff did get to me. Rating on Amazon for this Fuji is only three stars but this seems to be a good price.
I ordered a camera from them - it was a sponsored deal a couple weeks ago. I have not yet received it, but I knew this wasn't Amazon Prime. They had some bad reviews. I didn't expect quick shipping.
But-I gave Ben's a chance and I will see how they do.
can't speak for the seller...but have had really good luck with Fuji cameras. Although my current is a Lumix, my previous digital was a Fuji. I thought it took excellent photos, had all the useful options to select the correct settings. I would not hesitate to get another. this, unlike my old Fuji, is sleek...mine was pretty clunky. this, I believe, could slip into a pocket. Not bad compromise for a camera with a good MP and good magnification...I take lots of landscape photos, and also closeups of flowers, so that combo is essential to me.
OK.. I ordered one.. lets see how long it takes to ship.
Until recently I worked in a camera store. This Fuji F600EXR is an excellent pocket camera. The quality won't beat a full sized SLR, but it's on the high side of pocket cameras. We were selling it for $300 in the past year.
There are many features and settings, enough for most camera enthusiasts. However, in its auto mode, the camera can be a simple point and shoot.
At this price I'm tempted to buy one (even though I already have 4 other cameras).
Word of warning, the seller has some VERY mixed reviews. Be ready to wait a long time to receive your order.
I would have snapped this item up...just not willing to trust this vender. Sketchy track record at best.
Today I got an email from Ben's saying the Fuji I ordered on 12/11 has been shipped. Good so far.
Fuji F550EXR and it is an incredible camera for what I use it for. I paid $150 for mine so this price is a damn good price for the updated model.


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and is such interpretation the norm?
When something went from 4 units to 8 units, most authoritative sources seem to agree with the use of "a two-fold increase", even though what was actually increased is more like "one-fold", i.e. the original quantity.
But if the "two-fold increase" is the correct usage, why most people seem to interpret "a 100% increase" the same thing?


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Everyone's seen that scene in king-fu movies, right? Someone charges the good-guy, and he flips him tail over teakettle. Sometimes the baddy in question gets tossed a foot or two, sometimes he gets tossed through a door.
What feat/class feature/rule/mcguffin would I need to do this? The rules for throwing other characters (player or otherwise) in general are kind of vague, and I can't seem to find anything that would let me do it, which seems kind of odd to me considering how much of a hallmark it is of the martial arts.


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Information about external links on birmingham.gov.uk
Birmingham City Council includes links to websites provided by other organisations.
The council is not responsible for the content of these sites and accepts no liability for material within them.
When following links to external sites, you are leaving Birmingham City Council's website (www.birmingham.gov.uk).


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My Very Merry Christmas Personalized Book
- Overview
- 6" square
- 20 pages.
- This keepsake book has a hard cover and durable board pages with charming illustrations of Goose, Chipmunk and other furry friends who deliver a note about your child to Santa.
- Please follow these steps when selecting your personalization:
- 1. On the first line, enter the child's first name.
- 2. On the second line, enter the child's last name.
- 3. On the third line, enter whether this is the child's first Christmas (yes or no).
- Includes a personalized cover.
- Orders must be placed by midnight on 12/9 in order to arrive by Christmas.
- Standard delivery time is 3 weeks after date of order.
- Newborn and up.
- Made in the USA.
- Click here for a virtual tour of this book.
- Dimensions & Care
- When ordering, we will ask you whether the book is being given to the child for his or her first Christmas.
- If you answer "no," the title of your child's book will be [Child's First Name's] Very Merry Christmas.
- If you answer "yes," we will add the word "First" into the title of the book so that it reads, [Child's First Name's] Very Merry First Christmas.
- If you answer "yes," we will also change the text in the story to refer to the fact that it is the child's very first Christmas.
- Dust with a soft, dry cloth.
- Shipping & Return Info
This item ships directly from our manufacturer within 2-3 weeks of your order.
This is a special order item.
View Our Shipping Information
Return Policy
At Pottery Barn Kids, we take great pride in the quality and craftsmanship of our products. Attention to design, materials, safety and construction is our priority. We carefully inspect your order prior to shipment; upon receipt, please inspect your purchase and notify us of any damage. We will arrange for a prompt replacement. If, within 7 days for Quick Ship upholstery and 30 days for all other products, you are dissatisfied for any reason, you may return your purchase for a refund of the merchandise value.
If your return for Merchandise Credit Cards is greater than $10,000, we will issue $10,000 in Merchandise Credit Cards to you that day, and then mail additional Merchandise Credit Card(s) for the amount in excess of $10,000 to you.
We cannot accept returns on monogrammed, personalized, special-order items, or on items damaged through normal wear and tear. We also cannot accept returns of final-sale items, which are identified by a price that ends in $0.99.
For returns of items purchased from your Pottery Barn Kids registry, we will gladly provide a refund or exchange for the merchandise within 90 days of your event or within 90 days of purchase, whichever date is later.
For assistance, please contact Customer Service at 800.993.4923, 7 days a week, 5:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m. PST.
International Returns: Online returns are available only for items that were shipped to the United States. If you would like to return items that were shipped outside the US, please see International Returns and Exceptions.


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1. Best price
Prices quoted on our website are guaranteed to be the most competitive prices available. If you find a cheaper price for our services, do let us know, we will further discount your booking.
2. Exclusive offers
Our official website offers exclusive deals. You can book a 5% up to 40% discounted deals posted on the website last minute. A guaranteed saving.
3. Order now, pay when you check in
Secure your booking now, our website's online booking system is available 24/7. Details of your credit card will be required for guaranteeing the booking. Pay when you check in with either a cheque, cash or card.
4. World class security
Our online booking system is SSL encrypted providing highest level of security. Your card will only be used to secure your booking, it will not be used for billing purposes.
5. The personal touch
Within 24 hours of booking on our website we will contact you to verify your booking and enquire whether any further information is required, either on our hotel and services and or the area.


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Customer Lifetime Value: Viewing Customers as an Investment
By tobyehatch-Oracle on Mar 27, 2014
In this age of customer-centricity, do you really know how to put a value on your customers? I had the pleasure of interviewing Gary Cokins, the founder of Analytics-Based Performance Management - an advisory firm in Raleigh North Carolina - for a Thought Leadership podcast on this topic. We discussed Customer Lifetime Value and how to view customers – not only as profitable or unprofitable to a business – but similar to investments for a business like in an equity stock portfolio. The objective from a shareholder's view is increase the return on investment from the customers. Gary has written a dozen books on Enterprise Performance Management, Activity-Based Costing, Quality Management and more.
Many of you likely already have a firm grasp on the concepts of measuring and reporting profitability, but may be less familiar the concept of Customer Lifetime Value. Gary defined it for us this way: "Customers and consumers pass through life cycle stages. For example, teenage girls become young adults, then mothers, and so on. At each stage, their consumer needs change. Each type of consumer's future profit potential needs to be understood based on which stage in their life-cycle they are. The marketing and sales functions have begun exploring what is basically a math equation that calculates Customer Lifetime Value in monetary terms. The equation is intended to measure the future potential level of profitability of a customer or consumer to a supplier." In essence, Customer Lifetime Value is a forward-looking view of shareholder wealth creation possibilities.
So how are these calculations different from customer profitability calculations, such as from last month or last year? Gary explained that most profitability measures are historical and do not consider the products' and customers' prospective profit contribution. Customer Lifetime Value math is trickier, because it also considers the probability of losing some customers (or churn). In addition, the calculation of future streams of revenue and their associated costs, which would include the net present value of discounted cash flows, are taken into consideration. This involves time value of money principles and math that considers both the timing of future cash inflows and outflows, as well as the weighted average cost of capital. A lot to think about when considering Customer Lifetime Value!
Customer classifications come into play as well. Some customers are high maintenance types with substantial demands on a supplier and some are low maintenance - often referred to as demon customers and angel customers., The substantial costs-to-serve incurred below the product gross profit margin line (i.e., channel, marketing, sales, and customer service costs) for high maintenance customers obviously erodes profits. But Gary explained that understanding the amount of the cost-to-serve for each customer is very important. A shift is needed from being product-centric to customer-centric. Suppliers need to understand the unique preferences of and differentiated services for each customer, as well as different distribution channel expenses to service their existing customers, and desirable, prospective customers to acquire.
So how does this affect spend by the suppliers? According to Gary, the key is to spend "the next dollar" on consumers who will most likely generate a relatively higher incremental increase in sales relative to the incremental expense to "lift" those sales. And this analysis should focus only on the impact of interventions with consumers independent of how the consumer might increase their volume of purchases from a supplier simply due to their progression through their life cycle.
I highly recommend listening to the entire podcast as we covered a lot more content in the interview. But the long and short of it is that suppliers must consider Customer Lifetime Value when understanding profitability to get a complete picture and determine which best actions to retain and grow profits from consumers. They must view customers as an investment – the financial return on customer – and not just a short term gain.
To listen to the entire podcast, click here.
To learn about Hyperion Profitability and Cost Management, click here.


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How have you managed to get a first and play so much Football Manager?! That alone deserves a merit of some kind.
How have you managed to get a first and play so much Football Manager?! That alone deserves a merit of some kind.
I want to know :P
Maybe Football Manager is actually what I told my mum it is...a revision tool.
I remember once, many years ago, setting some of the names of my favourite first teamers to those of 18 century philosophers, in an attempt to remember their names before an A level exam 8-)
The Squad: 2039
Alessandro Gasperini - GK - Italy - Finished last season as first choice, before missing out on the Champions League final cruelly through injury. If he kicks on this year he could make the shirt his own.
Emanuele Gandini - GK - Italy - Played just once during his loan at Man Utd, but he looked good enough that I felt okay to sell Rocha.
Eugenio Barroso - GK - Spain - £1.1m was a bargain fee to bring the young keeper over from Real Madrid - could be special, this kid.
Jesus - D/WB/M/AMR - Spain - Can play up and down the right flank - versatility that makes him a key squad member, if not first team player.
Tim Taylor - D/WBR - USA - A fitting successor to Loureiro and Aramaio.
Daniele Ruggiero - DR - Italy - Had to bring him back from a loan spell at Benevento halfway through last season due to injuries to Taylor and Jesus, and did very well. Wasn't too impressed when he decided he was too good to go back there afterwards though. Will have to watch his attitude.
Jose Maria - D/WBL - Spain - Not sure how we'll replace him - hopefully that won't be a problem for another 4 or 5 seasons.
Carlos Quinonez - DL - Spain - Very capable backup.
Nauzet Martinez Gonzalez - DC - Spain - Lost out to Gauthier for a spot alongside Wansi - can't believe he's nearly 30.
Raul - DRC - Spain - He's back to near where he used to be - but that cruciate injury means he will never be the key first-teamer he was before.
Gregoire Gauthier - DC - France - Finally cemented his place as a regular starter after a few stop-start seasons.
Daniel Wansi - DLC - France - Reminds me of Kooiman in his prime - the ultimate compliment for a Messina centre-back.
Walter Gonzalez - AMLC - Argentina - Injuries continue to hamper him even now. A wonderful player, but I'd have loved him to be on the pitch a little more.
Julian Juarez - AML - Spain - Almost first choice now thanks to Gonzalez's injury woes.
Raimondo Astolfi - AMLC - Italy - Stats just don't seem to be improving significantly - but the coaches say he has plenty of potential. Needs to start living up to that, as Gonzalez spends more and more time in the treatment room.
Carlos Roldan - AMRLC - Argentina - Keeps getting injured - really could do with that not happening, as he's fabulously effective.
Daniel Vicente - AMR - Spain - Inexplicably overlooked whenever he went on loan, he's a fantastic player even now - we won't miss Mikhailov too much if he's the player he's threatening to be.
Bartul Misic - DM/MC - Croatia - Since Soula's arrival he's really benefited from the regular rest I can allow him now.
Mohammed Benali - DM/MC - Spain - Probably going to be a case of what might have been for the one-time £20m player. Never progressed at the same rate since his cruciate got knacked.
Gian Maria Lelj - D/DM/MC - Italy - Really surprised at how well he's come on - the anti-Benali, you could say!
Baptiste Soula - DM/MC - France - Really top class performer - kicks Misic out of the team every so often.
Jose Luis Vega - M/AMC - Spain - Not long left now, but I'll savour him whilst I can.
Igor Mikhailov - M/AMRC - Russia - A combination of his great mental stats, and the ability to rest him consistently with Roldan and Vicente providing able backup, should see him play well into his 30s.
Gustavo - AMC/ST - Spain - We'll miss Vega, but not much thanks to this guy. Already a wonderful player, and so much more to come.
Oleg Ryzhov - M/AMC - Russia - A very tidy player indeed, but when you're up against Vega, Gustavo, and Marquinhos Parana for a slot in the team, that's not quite enough unfortunately.
Marco Antonio - AMC/ST - Brazil - Can't really say anything more about this guy. Amazingly good, season after season.
Marquinhos Parana - AMC/ST - Brazil - For such a fantastic player he doesn't really play often enough for us. Just can't hold down a position in either AMC or ST unfortunately.
Vitor Goncalves - ST - Portugal - Is far too brittle to hold down a regular spot in the team - hence the purchase of Ronaldo. Still ridiculously good on occasion, though.
Ronaldo - ST - Brazil - £22.5m brings the namesake of quite possibly the greatest striker of all time (the Brazilian one, not the winking Portuguese) to the club - and he looks absolutely ridiculously good. Genuine competition for places up front now!
On Loan
None this time.
Daniel Martin - GK - Argentina - A really terrible decline saw him barely play over the last two seasons of his contract with us, but we shouldn't forget how good he was before.
Ricardo Rocha - GK - Portugal - Lost his starting place to Gasperini mid-way through last season, before getting it back for the Champions League final through injury. Was going to keep him, but a £15m bid from Valencia was too good to turn down.
The squad looks as strong as ever - goalkeepers possibly aside. Hopefully we can either pick up another clean sweep, or finally get that unbeaten league season we've threatened to do for the last couple of years.
Forza Messina!
Wow, your strikers really are great. Amazing competition up front. Fingers crossed for the elusive unbeaten season!
Ronaldo has low composure and finishing for me :P
Ronaldo is the new Ronaldo, but only quicker! I just hope he doesn't have his namesakes injury proneness!
I've got a top class newgen with the name Mohammed Benali in my game too. However, he's a Belgian striker who plays for Arsenal. Not bad for 21 I suppose!
this then
I do hope not - I already have two glass kneed players in my squad - could do without a third!I just hope he doesn't have his namesakes injury proneness!
He looks fantastic!I've got a top class newgen with the name Mohammed Benali in my game too. However, he's a Belgian striker who plays for Arsenal. Not bad for 21 I suppose!
That video was obviously before he started on the pies then!
More before his knees fell to bits really
Just a shame everyone will remember him as the tranny-boffing tubbster, rather than how good he actually was.
Same! One of the first players I saw who really blew my socks off in terms of his ability.
Ditto SnakeXe.
My ultimate fantasy team would have him up front with Roberto Baggio as his striker partner!
A bit off topic, but I thought I'd just post this:
The new Nobby Stiles \o/
So Lucas Weatherby is ugly and has no teeth.
Hooray we're back!
And I have surprisingly little to update...
Took you a while to find your way back SnakeXe!
Season 29: Winter Break Update
We kicked off with the two mickey mousiest of the Micky Mouse trophies - the Supercoppa and European Super Cup. The former pitched us against Lazio, who we overcame 3-0 with goals from Roldan, Marco Antonio and Wansi. The latter was against no-longer super-rich AC Milan, who we beat by the same scoreline, with Mikhailov and Marquinhos Parana on target after an own goal had put us in front.
The league season started unusually poorly for us with two 1-1 draws in a row against Fiorentina and Catania. A 5-2 win over Mantova got us on the right track, which continue for 3 more games, including a 6-0 stuffing of Pescara, a hattrick of braces from Ronaldo, Wansi and Gauthier. Palermo ended the unbeaten run before it had really gotten going, a 2-1 loss made worse by the 0-0 with Roma that followed it.
That little blip was emphatically ended though, as Torino were taken apart 10-0 at Serpente Park - Goncalves and Mikhailov getting 4 each. A 3-3 against Inter in the next game was the last points dropped of the year, as we won 7 in a row to close out the decade, leaving us 2nd in the table over the winter break, behind Inter.
The Champions League group was easy looking enough, Young Boys might as well rename themselves "Whipping Boys", whilst Shakhtar and Liverpool are now shadows of their former selves. A 4-1 win at home over Young Boys started things easily enough, before an 8-2 destruction of Shakhtar in Ukraine really started the party - Vicente getting a hattrick in his best career performance yet. Liverpool were dispatched 2-1, before a 1-1 draw at home resulted in our first dropped points of the group.
Whipping Boys went down 4-1 away, before a 5-3 win at home to Shakhtar finished the group. Galatasaray await in the next round, a simple enough draw for once!
Finally, the slightly less mickey mousey Micky Mouse trophy - the Club World Championship. We drew Heartland in the semi-final, who put up literally no resistance as we stuffed them 6-0. I didn't think Sao Paulo would lay down as easily, and they sure didn't. They were even worse, we absolutely annihilated them in an 8-0 win that should really have entered double figures! The scoreline wasn't even the most remarkable thing about that game...
Look closely at Vega's stats. In particular the assist column. You read that right, 7 in one game.
In other news, Jose Alberto Loureiro is now the manager of Torino - he can't be any worse than the last manager!
The Good
- The sheer volume of goals has been ridiculous at times
- Vega's 7 assists in one game
- Still on course for a clean sweep
The Bad
- Rubbish form in the beginning of the league season means we have a lot to do in the second half
- Juarez has been heinous
- Marco Antonio's discipline has been disappointing (scraping the barrel here)
Results 1 - Results 2 - League Table - Squad 1 - Squad 2
I think about a week and a half.
Check in the User CP, pretty sure there will be an option in there to turn it off
SnakeXe's Messina - Season 29 - 2039/40
Story of the Season:
Serie A - 1st, Champions
When I left you in January we were 2nd in the table, well poised behind an Inter side - unfortunately an Inter side in quite spectacular form. We matched each other win-for-win throughout January, before AC Milan beat us 2-1 at the San Siro - a disappointing result but probably deserved as we never really got going.
Inter eventually dropped some points as well, whilst we got back to winning ways, leaving us within striking distance by the time we faced them at Serpente Park at the beginning of March - just 3 points behind with superior goal difference. The 3-3 draw in the San Siro earlier in the season meant any win would put us top - and we sure came up with one, making a mockery of our parity in the league with a 5-2 thumping!
We carried on winning, whilst Inter dropped more points to drop back to 6 behind us, and with 4 games to go the title was seemingly in the bag. Any 2 wins for us against Gubbio, Lazio, AC Milan and Juventus would see us take a third straight title, no matter what Inter did. Having just beaten our previous record for league goals in a season with 4 games still to go, I was feeling confident.
Gubbio at home was the first match, a good side running in 6th but still a side we should beat. We did not. We lost 1-0. Next, Lazio away - another similar sort of match. We lost again, 1-0. We had one eye on the Champions League, sure, but successive blanks, let alone successive defeats, is something we haven't suffered in a long while.
To make matters worse, Inter had won their two matches, meaning we probably had to win the toughest two matches of the four that had been remaining - at home to 3rd placed AC Milan and away to 4th placed Juventus. Inter's matches were against a Grosseto side on the way to relegation, and mid-table Livorno who had nothing to play for.
The AC Milan game was a cagey affair to begin with, but nerves were settled as Marco Antonio dispatched a 17th minute penalty. We had most of the play, and Juarez's goal just after the break gave us a comfortable margin to hang on to, which we did. Inter won as well, though, which piled on the pressure for one of the toughest fixtures of the league calendar - a trip to Conte Park.
Juve play a 4-4-2, a system that my 4-2-3-1 doesn't really do brilliantly against, so I shuffled round slightly to a Mourinho-style 4-3-3 with the hopes of containing their midfield and hitting them on the break. It worked quite well - Juventus were very strong as I'd anticipated, so we definitely needed the insurance of a 3-man midfield, but we weren't offering much threat. Half-time arrived with the score still at 0-0 - Inter were, of course, in front.
With one eye on the score in Livorno, we tried to get forward a little more, which also had the welcome effect of slightly curtailing Juventus' forays into our final third. Then, on 54 minutes, Livorno equalised! Great news for us, but we still could do with a goal of our own to make things a little more relaxing.
Unfortunately, the next goal came for Inter, Rafael putting them back in front just 9 minutes later. As the clocks ticked down and we entered the last 5 minutes of the season it looked like we weren't going to do it. But then in the space of just one minute the whole thing shifted balance.
First, substitute centre-half Raul sent the travelling support crazy at Conte Park to put us in front from a corner, then Livorno did us a huge favour, equalising again. Us and our former parent-club held on to keep the title at Serpente Park for a third successive season!
Coppa Italia - Semi Final (lost v Pescara)
My backups stuffed Torino 5-0, before we snuck past Juventus 2-1 in the quarter final. Pescara were the opposition the semis, and I thought we'd probably get the best of them quite easily. Still, I sent out a high-quality 11 in the home leg, hoping to have the tie won before the away later in the season. It didn't really work. We lost 1-0.
Still, we were well capable of beating them comfortably enough away from home, and had done so in the league - 3-0 in fact. But we didn't. We lost 1-0 again. I can't really complain as Pescara were far, far better than us in both legs, but perhaps I should do my homework on why they were so much better before we face them again next season. One match is a blip, two suggests their manager has the measure of my system.
Supercoppa - Winners
3-0 against Lazio.
European Super Cup - Winners
3-0 against AC Milan.
Champions League - Winners
A trip to Turkey for us in the Champions League first knockout round, as we took on giants Galatasaray. An own goal from Ubeda and Gustavo's lovely finish having come off the bench made short work of the tricky away tie, and we finished the job well with a 2-1 home win courtesy of Goncalves and Gauthier.
Arsenal lay in wait in the quarter final, a tricky task. A famous smash-and-grab performance at the Emirates somehow gave us a 3-1 win to take back to Italy, where we ground out a 1-1 draw to set up a semi final against CSKA Moscow.
The Russians were unfamiliar opposition - we'd only played them once ever, 3 years ago in the European Super Cup, in which we had lost, so I wasn't too sure what to expect. What I definitely didn't expect was a 10-3 aggregate thrashing, but hey, that's what we got! Daniel Vicente absolutely tore them apart in the second leg at Serpente Park, bagging a hattrick and two assists in a 6-1 annihilation.
The final saw us take on perennial foes Real Madrid, a true titanic battle. I only had one real decision to make - whether to include Julian Juarez or a half-fit Walter Gonzalez at left-wing. In the end I went with Juarez, so we lined up as: Gasperini; Taylor, Wansi, M. Gonzalez, Jose Maria; Benali, Soula; Roldan, Vega, Juarez; Marco Antonio.
Madrid started very strongly, so strongly in fact that I radically revised my plans to go after them and switched to the 4-3-3 we used against Juventus to try and soak up some of the pressure. They still scored after just 13 minutes, Aguilar getting the better of Gasperini with a dipping shot. We got ourselves into the game slowly, managing to get some attacks of our own in by half-time.
Then disaster struck - Real went 2-0 ahead, again through Aguilar. Back to Plan A - attack, attack, attack.
On 58 minutes, Plan A paid off, Marco Antonio finishing a great run to make it 2-1. Disaster, however, was not finished, and Jose Luis Vega was sent off for an aggressive lunge on a Madrid midfielder.
I had two choices - sacrifice my wingers and go for a 4-3-1-1 or shift the defensive midfielder up alongside Soula and go for the jugular with a 4-2-3. I went for the latter - reasoning that all containment had done was get us 2-0 down. I'm glad I did.
Marco Antonio was sublimely assisted by wonderful interplay and movement from my remaining 4 midfielders and full-backs, and Madrid were absolutely stunned as we equalised just 4 minutes after going down to 10. We continued to press, and 3 minutes later we were ahead, Antonio completing his hattrick! Were we done? No, no we were not. Wansi cleared a corner with a thumping header, which Benali won high up the pitch, laying it off to Antonio. The Brazilian striker played it back to him first time before setting off at a lightning place towards goal. Benali laid it through to him perfectly, and boom - 4-2, and back-to-back Champions League wins!
Club World Championship - Winners
The usual cake-walk.
Results 1 - Results 2 - Results 3 - Results 4 - Squad 1 - Squad 2
Transfers - £7.3m Loss
Just the one significant in and out, as Ronaldo joined for £22.5m and Rocha left for £15m
5 Most Important Players:
5. Nauzet Martinez Gonzalez - DC - One half of an awesome partnership with Wansi.
4. Daniel Wansi - DLC - The best centre-back we've had since Rene Kooiman.
3. Jose Luis Vega - AMC - Red card in the Champions League Final notwithstanding, another tour de force from the Spaniard, including the 7 assists in one match in the Club World Championship.
2. Carlos Roldan - AMRLC - A quite unbelievable contribution of 33 goals and assists in just 27 starts - what a player.
1. Marco Antonio - AMC/ST - After his disciplinary problems at the start of the season it really is awesome to see him finish in the right manner - probably as complete a match-winning performance as I've seen in my time at Messina.
Code:Season League Position Achievements ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2011/12 Serie C2/C 2nd Serie C Cup Runners Up, Playoff Finalists 2012/13 Serie C2/C 1st Serie C2/C Champions, Promoted 2013/14 Serie C1/B 5th Playoff Semi-Finalists 2014/15 Serie C1/B 2nd Playoff Winners, Promoted 2015/15 Serie B 12th 2016/17 Serie B 2nd Promoted 2017/18 Serie A 20th Relegated 2018/19 Serie B 2nd Promoted 2019/20 Serie A 7th Qualified for Europa League 2020/21 Serie A 6th Qualified for Europa League 2021/22 Serie A 9th 2022/23 Serie A 5th Qualified for Europa League 2023/24 Serie A 3rd Qualified for Champions League, Coppa Italia Runners Up 2024/25 Serie A 4th Qualified for Champions League, Coppa Italia Runners Up 2025/26 Serie A 4th Qualified for Champions League 2026/27 Serie A 4th Qualified for Champions League 2027/28 Serie A 3rd Qualified for Champions League 2028/29 Serie A 1st Serie A Champions, Coppa Italia Runners Up 2029/30 Serie A 1st Serie A Champions, Champions League Winners 2030/31 Serie A 1st Serie A Champions, Champions League Winners, CWC Winners 2031/32 Serie A 3rd Champions League Winners, Coppa Italia Winners, CWC Winners 2032/33 Serie A 1st Serie A Champions, Champions League Winners, Coppa Italia Winners, CWC Winners 2033/34 Serie A 1st Serie A Champions, CWC Winners 2034/35 Serie A 1st Serie A Champions 2035/36 Serie A 1st Serie A Champions, Champions League Runners Up 2036/37 Serie A 2nd Champions League Winners, Coppa Italia Runners Up 2037/38 Serie A 1st Serie A Champions, Coppa Italia Winners, CWC Winners, Champions League R-Up 2038/39 Serie A 1st Serie A Champions, Champions League Winners 2039/40 Serie A 1st Serie A Champions, Champions League Winners, CWC Winners
Messina 100 Club:
A list of those Messina players who make 100 or more appearances for the club under my management.Code:Name Pos Era Apps Goals AvR -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rene Kooiman DC 2019-2035 618 80 7.17 Filippo Vitone AMRC 2018-2035 561 123 7.11 Jose A. Loureiro DR 2020-2037 471 3 7.20 Jose Luis Vega AMC 2028-Present 465 46 7.29 Walter Gonzalez AMLC 2026-Present 436 77 7.18 Daniel Martin GK 2027-2039 432 0 7.00 Jon Pagola AMLC 2019-2034 417 78 7.20 Walter Aguero AM/ST 2021-2032 414 146 7.06 Igor Mikhailov AMRC 2029-Present 388 105 7.23 Julian Juarez AML 2029-Present 388 58 7.11 Jose Maria DL 2028-Present 382 1 7.26 Victor Amoruso MC 2018-2029 380 33 6.98 Mauro Quiroga DM/MC 2019-2031 372 17 6.96 Abel Petrillo AML/ST 2016-2031 366 153 7.13 Marco Antonio AMC/ST 2030-Present 364 232 7.37 Bartul Misic DM/MC 2030-Present 360 41 7.19 Nauzet M. Gonzalez DC 2029-Present 348 70 7.31 Joaquin Arguelles AM/ST 2025-2038 298 180 7.28 Da Silva DC 2027-2038 287 33 7.15 Antonio Gola DM/MC 2028-2038 286 10 7.09 Nenad Arnautovic DM/MC 2025-2035 279 28 7.00 Stefano Tulino D/DM/MRC 2019-2030 274 17 7.12 Jose D/WB/M/AML 2026-2035 267 6 7.07 Philipp Egger DC 2023-2035 251 38 7.20 Javier AMR 2025-2034 227 29 7.00 Mauro Vigorito GK 2011-2023 217 0 6.82 Carlos Roldan AMRLC 2034-Present 215 56 7.32 Marquinhos Parana AM/ST 2032-Present 208 72 7.07 Juan Jose Godoy GK 2023-2027 207 0 6.96 Patxi Rodriguez DM/MC 2017-2026 203 14 6.87 Nenad Lukic MLC 2021-2026 188 23 6.98 Mauricio Martin D/DM/MC 2020-2027 187 9 6.96 Mohammed Benali DM/MC 2034-Present 185 6 7.16 Nicolas Amodio DM/MC 2012-2018 183 12 6.93 Remi Thouvenin DL 2021-2026 181 0 7.06 Antonio Marino DLC 2013-2021 180 5 6.88 Sergio Real ST 2024-2030 174 31 6.87 Agustin Lertxundi DM/MC 2031-2037 173 6 7.05 Adem Ljajic AMRLC 2019-2027 170 26 6.91 Mario Ortiz DM/MC 2013-2021 169 5 6.83 Celso DM/MC 2025-2030 169 9 6.95 Nicola Ravaglia GK 2018-2025 164 0 6.90 Gustavo Sanchez AMC 2031-2037 162 16 6.97 Enzo Scorza ST 2012-2018 159 82 7.24 Nicolas D/DM/MC 2015-2022 159 5 6.85 Raul DRC 2034-Present 154 39 7.45 Rocco Signore D/WBR 2022-2035 154 0 7.06 Rosario Licata D/WB/ML 2011-2016 146 3 6.92 Francesc Alcalde AMLC/ST 2014-2020 145 45 6.98 Javier Aramaio DR 2031-2035 142 1 7.28 Luca Tedeschi DC 2012-2018 139 8 7.09 Mogi DRC 2017-2022 134 0 6.76 Daniel Wansi DLC 2035-Present 131 32 7.51 Gregoire Gauthier DC 2035-Present 130 38 7.38 Baptiste Soula DM/MC 2037-Present 129 19 7.18 Diego Farias AMRLC 2015-2019 126 19 6.90 Gonzalo Valdez ST 2022-2026 126 34 6.87 Carlos Quinonez D/WBL 2031-Present 122 2 7.30 Davide Testa AM/ST 2011-2015 121 40 7.04 Yohann Sallaberry AMLC 2021-2028 117 10 7.01 Tim Taylor D/WBR 2036-Present 112 0 7.21 Vitor Goncalves ST 2035-Present 106 58 7.32 Ricardo Rocha GK 2032-33, 2035-2039 105 0 7.00 Ruben AML 2015-2019 103 7 6.86 Fausto Rossi AML 2016-2021 102 18 6.97 Juan Carlos GK 2028-2038 100 0 7.03
Next Season:
So close to taking the clean-sweep but Pescara really deserved it over the two legs so I can't complain too much. Also very close to throwing away both the Serie A title and the Champions League trophy, but luckily Raul and Marco Antonio took the bull by the horns in each of those games respectively.
As you probably noticed, this season took absolutely forever, which was because when I graduated I went straight into freelance web development, building quite a big and complicated site for a startup company. As any other freelancer will tell you, you're never really off when there's work available, so it's been pretty flat-out.
I'm off back to uni in September for a PhD now, so should be able to have a better work-life balance then - which means more time for FM
Definitely want to get season 30 done on this game before FM12, so stay tuned!
Forza Messina!
impressive season you had there clean sweep next season should be on the cards?
You have another couple of months to win everything again before FM2012.
Amazing career you've had Snake
Must be a bother to update that 100 Club table tho! I'd love something like that in the game itself. Have thought about doing something similar for my own save, but think it would be a lot of work to maintain it.
Good luck. Do you plan on sorting out an all-Italian team when you get your facilities up to snuff?
Cheers Pangaea
Yeah it takes almost as long as the entire rest of the report! I got some way towards producing a web app to create it for me but then I had to start doing stuff that would pay me in the end
Would love to do all-Italian, indeed I've been focussing my scouting on the Italian U20s leagues in the hopes of picking up some prospects, but my academy has been utterly useless. The facilities and network are bang up to date but I've had only one 3-star potential player come through ever - Gianmarco Di Donato - almost 15 years ago! Stark contrast to my FM10 game where I wasn't far off an all-Merthyr Tydfil (RIP ) academy side.
I have, however, just taken the Italy job post-Euro 2040...
Another fantastic season there Snake Not much else to do now except a clean sweep of trophies I think?
Daniel Wansi is incredibly good for a 21 year old! What a player. Another very impressive season there Snake, look forward to the next update
Cheers guys Yeah Wansi is awesome - I had to check I hadn't put an old screenshot up when you mentioned he was still only 21 but you're right! Seems crazy - he's already been a first choice player in Serie A for 4 seasons (3 for us, his first for Pro Vercelli on loan), and was a backup for another season before that! Wonderful player to have - quick, strong and good on the ball.
The Squad: 2040
Alessandro Gasperini - GK - Italy - Was first choice last season, but will probably drop back to second with the arrival of Guilloux.
Eugenio Barroso - GK - Spain - Progressed brilliantly last year, but still too young to be first choice. I'm expecting Guilloux to pull up trees for a couple of years then leave for a big fee - this kid will replace him.
Alban Guilloux - GK - France - Absolute bargain at £5.75m from Recreativo, no idea how he's not been capped by France yet.
Jesus - D/WB/M/AMR - Spain - Had a very good season last time along with Quinonez, getting plenty of game time. Turned down £20m+ offers for him this summer.
Tim Taylor - D/WBR - USA - Excellent, dependable attacking fullback.
Daniele Ruggiero - DR - Italy - Refuses to go back on loan so I don't know how he's going to really get the game time he needs to progress. I can perhaps give him 10 appearances but he needs a good 30 or so to see if he'll become a really good player.
Jose Maria - D/WBL - Spain - Ditto Tim Taylor - one of the real Messina legends alongside Kooiman and Arguelles.
Carlos Quinonez - DL - Spain - See Jesus, apart from the £20m+ offers.
Nauzet Martinez Gonzalez - DC - Spain - Regained his first team slot from Gauthier and made a really solid partnership with Wansi.
Raul - DRC - Spain - Finally looks to be over the cruciate injury he suffered - he's not as quick as he was, but still an excellent player.
Gregoire Gauthier - DC - France - Lost out to M. Gonzalez for a first choice spot but still played well and frequently.
Daniel Wansi - DLC - France - Awesome.
Kevin Hervieu - DC - France - £2.7m brings the young centre-half over from Saint-Etienne, seems to have massive potential. He's being tutored by Raul for the first half of the season then I intend to send him over to Pro Vercelli on loan (if he'll go).
Walter Gonzalez - AMLC - Argentina - Probably just over the hill in terms of being top-class now.
Julian Juarez - AML - Spain - Still a reliable choice.
Raimondo Astolfi - AMLC - Italy - I accepted a £7.5m offer from Galatasaray for him this summer but they couldn't sign him due to an excess of foreign players in their squad. He's just not technically good enough, and I don't think he really ever will be.
Carlos Roldan - AMRLC - Argentina - Amazing season last time.
Daniel Vicente - AMR - Spain - His devastating performance against CSKA Moscow in the Champions League semi-final hints at the player he is on the verge of becoming consistently - I can't wait.
Bartul Misic - DM/MC - Croatia - The captain, and important squad member.
Mohammed Benali - DM/MC - Spain - I say it every year but what if he hadn't done his cruciate at 18.
Gian Maria Lelj - D/DM/MC - Italy - Very tidy defensive midfielder, and good at centre-half too.
Baptiste Soula - DM/MC - France - Probably just ahead of Misic in the ability stakes now, but we can't leave the captain out all the time.
Jose Luis Vega - M/AMC - Spain - 28 assists last season.
Igor Mikhailov - M/AMRC - Russia - Just about 3rd choice for right-wing with Vicente's promise, but plays regularly enough.
Gustavo - AMC/ST - Spain - I need to be careful to keep this guy developing at a good pace, he could be incredible.
Marco Antonio - AMC/ST - Brazil - Wonderful player.
Marquinhos Parana - AMC/ST - Brazil - Had a good season, I do still need to play him more.
Vitor Goncalves - ST - Portugal - Excellent super-sub.
Ronaldo - ST - Brazil - Started like a train but then forgot how to score after Christmas - hopefully a summer off and a fresh start will see him back to form. Undoubtedly a quality player but I'm concerned that he may be mentally fragile after how last season went.
On Loan
None this time.
Emanuele Gandini - GK - Italy - Continuing my quick turnover of goalkeepers in the last couple of seasons, he's off to Spurs for £6m.
Oleg Ryzhov - M/AMC - Russia - Sent him off to PSG for nothing, he wasn't happy and barely made 5 appearances last year. Deserved better, he's a very talented player.
Plenty of strength across the park and in depth. Could do with a few more Italians, but hey ho. Guilloux is a top-class keeper, and our first one since Daniel Martin's sad decline - as good as Rocha was, he wasn't quite of the same class. I'm planning to give Gasperini and Barroso plenty of game time, though.
Forza Messina!
SnakeXe, have you got a properly working thread for your other update thread prior to this one?
I tried to locate it, but the only I found was one that was drastically cut down. Did much of it get lost in the forum migration?
You mean the one with Merthyr? That's here - I didn't have a CU thread for the whole of that game so the previous season updates are in the FM10 dafuge's challenge thread, the final post of which is linked to in the OP of the CU thread. The final post in the dafuge's challenge thread links to all previous season updates, so you should be able to work through that one, even if it is a bit awkward!
That's what confused me. I looked up that thread and it started with 2040. But now I see it's all available in the other thread. Will give it a read when I have time. Thanks for clearing it up
Season 30: Winter Break Update
The mickey mouse competitions started the season as usual, and as we usually do now we won both of them. Pescara were swept aside 2-0 in the Supercoppa, whilst the European Super Cup was slightly more difficult, but we finally defeated Man City on penalties after going behind 3 times in a 3-3 draw - the final equaliser coming after 120+5 minutes! Both sides ended up with 9 men after City had two players sent off and we lost two to injury after having made all three changes already - a real nail-biter of a match.
We won our first 5 league games easily before our first disappointment of the season occurred in the form of a 2-2 draw at home with relegation candidates Mantova - all the more irritating as we'd been 2-0 up. 3 more wins got us back on track before an absolutely ridiculous match lead to a 4-3 loss against Gubbio. They seemed to score from every set piece or cross, despite the presence of the usually aerially-dominant Gauthier at the back, and despite pulling the third back with 20 minutes remaining we couldn't fashion a single decent chance for an equaliser.
I received a touchline ban after that match for complaining about one of their goals, and as luck would have it I missed the local derby with Palermo. Fortunately Nauzet Martinez Gonzalez put on a master class for the defenders from the previous game and scored a hattrick from set pieces to secure a 3-1 win. We closed off the year with 3 wins and 2 slightly poor draws, but with a 7-point lead at the top we're sitting pretty regardless.
The Champions League group was fairly straightforward, kicking off with a 6-0 demolition of Partizan at home - debutant youngster Kevin Hervieu scoring twice from corners to cap a memorable night. Shakhtar went down 4-0 before a wonderful display of finishing saw us beat Man City 5-1 in an even game. We nicked a 1-0 in the match at Eastlands, closing out the group in style with a 4-0 and 3-1 against Partizan away and Shakhtar at home respectively. Bayern await in the next round.
The Club World Championship was slightly interesting this year - we still won it comfortably in the end, but we didn't have things all our own way. First up were Ivorian side ASEC, who we demolished 9-0 but still managed to have both Lelj and Raul receive straight reds - an extreme example of our at times poor discipline. Sao Paulo were the victims in the final - or so we thought - they gave us a massive scare as a combination of their keeper, our rubbish finishing, and a smartly taken goal from Nenem on the break meant they lead 1-0 from 31 to 59 minutes. Juarez finally got it right to equalise, and a Marco Antonio penalty plus a thumping Gauthier header completed a 3-1 win late on.
The Good
- Ronaldo has rediscovered his touch
- Roldan has continued his incredible form
- Still on course for a clean sweep
The Bad
- A few poor results take the lustre off a bit
- The discipline hasn't been the greatest
- I got a touchline ban
Results 1 - Results 2 - League Table - Squad 1 - Squad 2
Italy National Team Update
As I mentioned earlier, I took on the Italy job after the previous incumbent resigned after taking them to the European Championship Semi Final - citing he'd taken them as far as he could. Obviously, I plan to go a couple better than that! The first part of that plan was qualifying for the World Cup in 2042, hosted in none other than sunny old England!
Time has not been kind to the Italy side, they haven't won anything since the 2006 World Cup, a runners-up spot in the 2036 European Championship the best result by far. However, they do have some good players, for example:
- Emiliano Saladino - ST - Barcelona - The Barcelona man is an absolutely unstoppable striker.
- Stefano Di Tora - AMR/ST - Man Utd - I tried to sign this guy for Messina back when he was at Roma, but he wouldn't agree to fit into my wage budget. With hindsight maybe I should have broken it, but at least I get to manage him now!
- Marco Baleani - AML - Palermo - He does play for dirty Palermo, our local rivals, but he's a fabulous player.
- Paolo Passeri - DC - Inter - I'm glad this guy came through recently, because there's not really any other top-class centrebacks available.
- Ismail Agnaou - DR/L - Chelsea - An excellent fullback capable of playing on either side, who should hopefully keep his stats high until well past the World Cup.
Best of all, there's only one really top-class player (an MC) who doesn't fit into my 4-2-3-1 system, so we can brush him under the carpet for the moment and romp to the World Cup, Messina style! Our qualifying group is fairly easy, comprising, in order of good-ness, of Ukraine, Denmark, Albania, Azerbaijan, and Faroe Islands.
We started hardest match first, away in the Ukraine, and with the side still getting used to my new-fangled tactics, and we narrowly snuck a 2-1 win in my debut match after having gone behind, Saladino doing the damage (as he would continue to do) with a brace. We then had a slightly easier time of it against the Faroes at home, smashing 11 past them, Saladino getting 5. Finally, we went to Azerbaijan and hit them for 4, Saladino again with a brace. All that left us top of the group on goal difference, with the toughest game out of the way, and the team beginning to gel nicely.
Finally, I brought in Messina and Italy legend Jose Alberto Loureiro as assistant manager after he was sacked by Torino (I'd like to say he was unlucky, but he was awful).
always nice to bring back legends to the club as staff. I brought back chamberlain to southampton after he joined hull as a scout. he had previously played 20 years for my club which wont happen irl lol
He's not really good enough for Messina assistant manager, but I don't really need one for Italy so he's perfect as a figurehead for that!
Real managers get touchline bans I have had at least 4
SnakeXe's Messina - Season 30 - 2040/41
Story of the Season:
Serie A - 1st, Champions
With a healthy lead coming into the new year, it was simply a case of keeping things ticking over and not throwing away stupid points. 4 successive wins was good, a 3-2 loss away to Pescara was not. Likewise, wins over Lazio and AC Milan were good, successive draws against Pro Vercelli and Juve were not (although the Juve draw wasn't a bad result).
We ploughed on though, only dropping 4 more points all season in draws against Palermo and Fiorentina, securing the title with 3 games to go!
Coppa Italia - Winners
A Marquinhos Parana hattrick coupled with a Ronaldo brace gave us a 5-0 win over Bari in the first round. Palermo put up much sterner resistance in the quarter final, a 1-1 draw followed by us winning the penalty shootout. Fiorentina looked a decent draw in the semi final, but we all remember what happened last season, so I was cautiously optimistic.
A 2-2 draw in the away leg was a decent enough result, the goals again from Marquinhos and Ronaldo, but we blew them away 5-0 in the second leg, Roldan (2), Mikhailov, Vega and Wansi changing things up on the scoresheet. The final was against the side probably closest to us in the whole of Europe - AC Milan - and I was anticipating a tricky game.
The side lined up: Guilloux; Taylor, Wansi, M. Gonzalez, Jose Maria; Lelj, Benali; Roldan, Vega, W. Gonzalez; Ronaldo. We played quite poorly in the first half, but Ronaldo scored a brace with our only two attempts on goal, which gave us the lead at half-time despite Gerlach getting one back for Milan. We reorganised in the second half and played much better, finally securing the trophy as Juarez knocked in the rebound from a stinging Ronaldo drive!
Supercoppa - Winners
Easy enough win.
European Super Cup - Winners
A win on penalties after an entertaining 3-3 draw.
Champions League - Winners
Bayern were a tricky looking draw in the first knockout round, and so they proved. They roared into a 3-0 lead before half-time in the away leg, before adding a fourth just a minute into the second half. I was expecting us to be heading straight out of the competition at this point, so I threw caution to the wind and decided to go for the jugular in an attempt to get back into the tie. Thankfully the players responded, Vega and Marco Antonio striking in close succession to bring it back to 4-2. Misic added to our woes by getting himself sent off, but we still looked the more likely to score, and Marco Antonio got the crucial goal to put us within touching distance in injury time, 4-3. The home leg was a much more simple affair, a Marco Antonio hattrick putting us through 6-4 on aggregate.
A trip to England was up next in the quarter finals, as we took on Chelsea. A 0-0 in west London was a decent enough result, and so it proved, as we blew them away 5-0 in the home leg.
The semi final was a real grudge match against Lyon, who, along with the big Spanish pair of Madrid and Barcelona, have been our principle rivals in European football over the past decade. For the first leg I decided to dig in and try and grind out another 0-0, which we looked like doing, until Lyon's midfielder Marcelo changed the makeup of the tie by getting himself sent off early in the second half. I decided to go for a win, which would really swing things in our favour given our amazing home record thus far. Vega stepped up and fired home from range to give us a 1-0 lead and away goal!
Back in Sicily, we created quite a few chances, but were unable to convert. Luckily, neither were the French club, despite a stupid red card for Lelj, and we snuck through with a 0-0 draw. Not the most entertaining of semi finals, but neither us or our fans were bothered.
AC Milan were up in the final - could we make it a hattrick of runners up positions to us for them? We had to make a couple of changes from the successful Coppa Italia final lineup as Lelj was suspended and Walter Gonzalez unfit. Bartul Misic and Julian Juarez replaced them, as we lined up: Guilloux; Taylor, Wansi, M. Gonzalez, Jose Maria; Misic, Benali; Roldan, Vega, Juarez; Ronaldo.
After some early sparring - not much bar a few yellow cards occurred for the first 20 mins - we took the lead through Ronaldo after 36 minutes, and it was well deserved as we took that lead into the second half. Martinez Gonzalez headed home from a corner for the second, and Marquinhos Parana came off the bench to smash in a penalty to secure an excellent 3-0 win!
Club World Championship - Winners
Slightly trickier than usual, but not by much.
Results 1 - Results 2 - Results 3 - Results 4 - Squad 1 - Squad 2
Transfers - £5.15m Loss
Only Guilloux in and Gandini out in terms of first team players, but some prospects in Hervieu, Gimenez and Volpecina also arriving for fees.
5 Most Important Players:
5. Jose Maria - D/WBL - Cracking season from a great club servant.
4. Daniel Wansi - DLC - Simply awesome.
3. Jose Luis Vega - AMC - No signs of giving in to father time yet, 28 assists and 4 goals in 28 starts is remarkable.
2. Marco Antonio - AMC/ST - Typically brilliant season, 25 goals in 25 starts.
1. Ronaldo - ST - After last season's abject finish I was concerned about him, but I needn't have worried - 38 goals in 32 starts, breaking Marco Antonio's record for most goals in a season, and match-winner in both Copa Italia and Champions League finals as part of a run of 8 goals in the last 4 matches of the season.
Code:Season League Position Achievements ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2011/12 Serie C2/C 2nd Serie C Cup Runners Up, Playoff Finalists 2012/13 Serie C2/C 1st Serie C2/C Champions, Promoted 2013/14 Serie C1/B 5th Playoff Semi-Finalists 2014/15 Serie C1/B 2nd Playoff Winners, Promoted 2015/15 Serie B 12th 2016/17 Serie B 2nd Promoted 2017/18 Serie A 20th Relegated 2018/19 Serie B 2nd Promoted 2019/20 Serie A 7th Qualified for Europa League 2020/21 Serie A 6th Qualified for Europa League 2021/22 Serie A 9th 2022/23 Serie A 5th Qualified for Europa League 2023/24 Serie A 3rd Qualified for Champions League, Coppa Italia Runners Up 2024/25 Serie A 4th Qualified for Champions League, Coppa Italia Runners Up 2025/26 Serie A 4th Qualified for Champions League 2026/27 Serie A 4th Qualified for Champions League 2027/28 Serie A 3rd Qualified for Champions League 2028/29 Serie A 1st Serie A Champions, Coppa Italia Runners Up 2029/30 Serie A 1st Serie A Champions, Champions League Winners 2030/31 Serie A 1st Serie A Champions, Champions League Winners, CWC Winners 2031/32 Serie A 3rd Champions League Winners, Coppa Italia Winners, CWC Winners 2032/33 Serie A 1st Serie A Champions, Champions League Winners, Coppa Italia Winners, CWC Winners 2033/34 Serie A 1st Serie A Champions, CWC Winners 2034/35 Serie A 1st Serie A Champions 2035/36 Serie A 1st Serie A Champions, Champions League Runners Up 2036/37 Serie A 2nd Champions League Winners, Coppa Italia Runners Up 2037/38 Serie A 1st Serie A Champions, Coppa Italia Winners, CWC Winners, Champions League R-Up 2038/39 Serie A 1st Serie A Champions, Champions League Winners 2039/40 Serie A 1st Serie A Champions, Champions League Winners, CWC Winners 2040/41 Serie A 1st Serie A Champions, Champions League Winners, Copa Italia Winners, CWC Winners
Messina 100 Club:
A list of those Messina players who make 100 or more appearances for the club under my management.Next Season:Code:Name Pos Era Apps Goals AvR -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rene Kooiman DC 2019-2035 618 80 7.17 Filippo Vitone AMRC 2018-2035 561 123 7.11 Jose Luis Vega AMC 2028-Present 508 50 7.29 Jose A. Loureiro DR 2020-2037 471 3 7.20 Walter Gonzalez AMLC 2026-Present 462 77 7.17 Daniel Martin GK 2027-2039 432 0 7.00 Julian Juarez AML 2029-Present 424 65 7.12 Igor Mikhailov AMRC 2029-Present 417 109 7.23 Jon Pagola AMLC 2019-2034 417 78 7.20 Jose Maria D/WBL 2028-Present 415 2 7.27 Walter Aguero AM/ST 2021-2032 414 146 7.06 Marco Antonio AMC/ST 2030-Present 394 257 7.39 Bartul Misic DM/MC 2030-Present 392 42 7.19 Nauzet M. Gonzalez DC 2029-Present 382 80 7.32 Victor Amoruso MC 2018-2029 380 33 6.98 Mauro Quiroga DM/MC 2019-2031 372 17 6.96 Abel Petrillo AML/ST 2016-2031 366 153 7.13 Joaquin Arguelles AM/ST 2025-2038 298 180 7.28 Da Silva DC 2027-2038 287 33 7.15 Antonio Gola DM/MC 2028-2038 286 10 7.09 Nenad Arnautovic DM/MC 2025-2035 279 28 7.00 Stefano Tulino D/DM/MRC 2019-2030 274 17 7.12 Jose D/WB/M/AML 2026-2035 267 6 7.07 Carlos Roldan AMRLC 2034-Present 253 65 7.32 Philipp Egger DC 2023-2035 251 38 7.20 Marquinhos Parana AM/ST 2032-Present 240 84 7.08 Mohammed Benali DM/MC 2034-Present 229 8 7.16 Javier AMR 2025-2034 227 29 7.00 Mauro Vigorito GK 2011-2023 217 0 6.82 Juan Jose Godoy GK 2023-2027 207 0 6.96 Patxi Rodriguez DM/MC 2017-2026 203 14 6.87 Nenad Lukic MLC 2021-2026 188 23 6.98 Mauricio Martin D/DM/MC 2020-2027 187 9 6.96 Nicolas Amodio DM/MC 2012-2018 183 12 6.93 Remi Thouvenin DL 2021-2026 181 0 7.06 Antonio Marino DLC 2013-2021 180 5 6.88 Raul DRC 2034-Present 179 44 7.42 Sergio Real ST 2024-2030 174 31 6.87 Agustin Lertxundi DM/MC 2031-2037 173 6 7.05 Adem Ljajic AMRLC 2019-2027 170 26 6.91 Daniel Wansi DLC 2035-Present 169 41 7.51 Mario Ortiz DM/MC 2013-2021 169 5 6.83 Celso DM/MC 2025-2030 169 9 6.95 Nicola Ravaglia GK 2018-2025 164 0 6.90 Gustavo Sanchez AMC 2031-2037 162 16 6.97 Enzo Scorza ST 2012-2018 159 82 7.24 Nicolas D/DM/MC 2015-2022 159 5 6.85 Baptiste Soula DM/MC 2037-Present 157 23 7.18 Gregoire Gauthier DC 2035-Present 156 42 7.38 Rocco Signore D/WBR 2022-2035 154 0 7.06 Carlos Quinonez D/WBL 2031-Present 149 2 7.30 Rosario Licata D/WB/ML 2011-2016 146 3 6.92 Francesc Alcalde AMLC/ST 2014-2020 145 45 6.98 Javier Aramaio DR 2031-2035 142 1 7.28 Tim Taylor D/WBR 2036-Present 142 0 7.21 Luca Tedeschi DC 2012-2018 139 8 7.09 Mogi DRC 2017-2022 134 0 6.76 Gian Maria Lelj D/DM/MC 2036-Present 132 3 7.12 Diego Farias AMRLC 2015-2019 126 19 6.90 Gonzalo Valdez ST 2022-2026 126 34 6.87 Davide Testa AM/ST 2011-2015 121 40 7.04 Gustavo M/AMC/ST 2037-Present 118 16 7.13 Yohann Sallaberry AMLC 2021-2028 117 10 7.01 Jesus D/WB/M/AMR 2036-Present 115 6 7.32 Vitor Goncalves ST 2035-Present 111 60 7.32 Ricardo Rocha GK 2032-33, 2035-2039 105 0 7.00 Ruben AML 2015-2019 103 7 6.86 Fausto Rossi AML 2016-2021 102 18 6.97 Juan Carlos GK 2028-2038 100 0 7.03
Only our second ever clean-sweep is a fantastic way to celebrate 30 seasons in charge, and the target has to be to do that again. Despite the achievement, the squad is clearly lacking in a few areas - the decline of Walter Gonzalez leaves us without a top-class left winger, whilst Bartul Misic's fading legs leave us a little flimsy in midfield, especially when Soula suffering a serious injury.
With the correct reinforcement (and I'm thinking of raising my wage ceiling for the first time in many, many years) we can definitely repeat this, but given how often we've managed it so far, the odds have to be against us. I'll settle for retaining at least one of Serie A and the Champions League.
Forza Messina!
Not good enough :P
The Squad: 2041
Alessandro Gasperini - GK - Italy - After being first choice for a couple of seasons dropped back to third. Unfortunately seems incapable of being a bit part player, in his one league appearance he conceded four.
Eugenio Barroso - GK - Spain - He keeps growing in stature well, responding to the good 15 matches I was able to give him last season. Should break the 20 mark this time round.
Alban Guilloux - GK - France - Fantastic debut season, and sure enough, as soon as he signed for us he was French number 1.
Jesus - D/WB/M/AMR - Spain - His playing time slightly suffered from the need to offer Ruggiero game time, but still played well - including scoring 4 in one game at right wing to triple his career total.
Tim Taylor - D/WBR - USA - The American Gary Neville - in a nice way.
Daniele Ruggiero - DR - Italy - Like Barroso responded well to a bit more game time. If another stupid offer comes in for Jesus or Taylor I might well sell up.
Jose Maria - D/WBL - Spain - Slightly miffed I gave him a "match highest earner" clause as Roldan's new contract means he's on too much money for too long at his age. Should keep things together reasonably well but we'll see.
Carlos Quinonez - DL - Ecuador - Finally had some big offers for the new Ecuadorian international - of course I rejected them.
Nauzet Martinez Gonzalez - DC - Spain - Excellent partner for Wansi.
Raul - DRC - Spain - Was, at times, rubbish last season. Very inconsistent.
Gregoire Gauthier - DC - France - Had some eye-watering offers for the big man, but said no. Hervieu isn't quite ready.
Daniel Wansi - DLC - France - Just incredible, once again.
Kevin Hervieu - DC - France - Has progressed very nicely with some expect tutoring from Raul and getting into double figures for appearances on loan at Pro Vercelli last season. That they were relegated is probably not his fault - they're really quite rubbish when I can't loan them 3 or 4 players. Scored a brace on his debut - in the Champions League no less!
Walter Gonzalez - AMLC - Argentina - His powers are really waning now - this will be his last contract I imagine.
Julian Juarez - AML - Spain - He's never particularly convinced since he was a teenager, but thanks to Gonzalez's injury problems has probably been our first choice left winger for a number of years. No longer, with Baleani arriving.
Marco Baleani - AML - Italy - A bargain fee of £13.5m brings the Italy international over from rivals Palermo - where he simply didn't fit into their 3-5-2 system. Their loss is our gain!
Carlos Roldan - AMRLC - Argentina - Well here he is - the man who made me break a 30-year long wage ceiling. He's worth it though, unplayably good on his day. The increased ceiling also allowed me to capture Baleani, so it's probably a good thing.
Daniel Vicente - AMR - Spain - A slightly poor season last time, mostly due to injury, didn't stop bids of over £30m coming in from other Italian sides. It says much about him that despite his troubles I rejected them all.
Bartul Misic - DM/MC - Croatia - The legs aren't what they used to be, almost certainly on his way out at the end of this season.
Mohammed Benali - DM/MC - Spain - Very tidy.
Gian Maria Lelj - D/DM/MC - Italy - Ditto Benali.
Baptiste Soula - DM/MC - France - His injury problems last season were a real difficulty in the last third of the season - hence the reappearance of this familiar face...
Tiago Conceicao - DM/MC - France - Yes, you read that right, Tiago is back!! Yes, Lyon may have had the best 10 years of his career, yes, he may only have a couple of years left, but he's certainly not finished yet, and was an absolute steal at £6.25m regardless of my desire to have him back.
Jose Luis Vega - M/AMC - Spain - His right foot is an absolute metronome - 28 assists for the last two seasons running.
Igor Mikhailov - M/AMRC - Russia - Came into his own as a central midfielder when we had to switch to 4-3-3 with an injury/suspension crisis in defensive midfield - perhaps his last few years will be played out there.
Gustavo - AMC/ST - Spain - Already top-class, it's such a luxury having this guy to step in when Vega needs a rest.
Marco Antonio - AMC/ST - Brazil - Actually usurped by Ronaldo last season - who'd have thunk it? Still top-class of course.
Marquinhos Parana - AMC/ST - Brazil - Probably his best season for us last time round, scoring goals and assisting in the playmaker role.
Vitor Goncalves - ST - Portugal - His legs have pretty much gone now - another one who won't be getting a new contract.
Ronaldo - ST - Brazil - Kept up his high level past Christmas this time, and actually exceeded it in the end with 8 goals in the last 4 matches of the season.
Jean-Christophe Bisson - AMRL/ST - France - £14.5m is a hell of a fee for such a raw player but I've got a funny feeling he'll be worth it. I'm planning to develop him on the right wing mostly as Mikhailov declines, then shift him up top when Marco Antonio starts dropping off.
Development Squad
I actually have some youngsters worth talking about now, so here we go...
Arturo Barreiro - D/ML - Spain - 3* - The 16-year old was a steal from Valencia at £2.2m - fingers crossed he's the successor to Jose Maria we'll soon need.
Daniele Vitiello - DC - Italy - 3* - Stolen from the Juventus youth system for £1.4m, looks a real prospect for club and country.
Juan Antonio Esteban - D/DM/MC - Spain - 3* - Looks almost ready for some first-team action this season, will probably be the one to step in when Misic finishes.
Claudio Gimenez - DM/M/AMRC - Argentina - 3* - With his stats he'll almost certainly be a defensive midfielder rather than an attacking one, like Esteban looks close to first-team squad level. Might stick him out on loan in the second half of the season.
Alessandro Bernardo - DM/MC - Italy - 3* - I paid Parma serious money for this guy - £5.5m - and he looks like he'll become a serious player. Defensive midfield should be well-stocked for years to come!
Moises Torres - AML - Spain - 3* - Grabbed this chap from Barcelona, following in the proud tradition of Juarez, Benali, Gustavo, Arguelles, Martinez Gonzalez... the list goes on. Hopefully he'll have as big an impact as some of those guys.
Gino Volpecina - AMRC - Italy - 3* - He's got a long way to go but he's got one great old Italian AMRC to follow in the footsteps of - a certain Filippo Vitone...
Maurizio Offer - ST - Italy - 2.5* - One who actually came through our academy! I doubt he'll ever trouble the first team, but maybe he's worth a buy-back clause when we sell him.
Nicolo Lauro - ST - Italy - 2.5* - Almost exactly the same as Offer but a couple of years younger.
On Loan
None this time.
Raimondo Astolfi - AMLC - Italy - £12m takes him over to Serie A rivals Inter. I doubt he's worth half that. Always performed okay, but really not good enough considering the extra strain Gonzalez's failing legs put on the squad.
Our squad is actually huge now, even without the guys in the Under 20s who will be looking to join it soon. It's always hard to say goodbye to club legends - as almost all of our players are now, if not in the game then certainly in my eyes - but we'll have to start being a bit more aggressive in trimming them out if we're to allow all the talent we have coming through to blossom.
£12m for Astolfi is probaby deal of the century. He'll be at Pro Vercelli or someone like that inside 3 years.
Forza Messina!
I know, what are they thinking? Rubbish, me.
Your defence is just too good.
No chance at all of you attempting Youth Only like you did at Merthyr?
I'd love to, but the academy is churning out absolute rubbish compared to what I was getting at Merthyr
Have had max youth networking for a few seasons now, and my youth facilities were top notch until last season when they were downgraded due to the passage of time or whatever it says, dunno what else I can do to get better youngsters through. It's a shame too as I've got some fantastic tutors around.
You win everything... and you say your squad is lacking.
Please send me any cast offs to my Newcastle Town squad in my save. Thanks.
I'll try and convince Walter Gonzalez to see out his career with you, but it might be a tough sell - I've heard the manager's a piece of work.
You've obviously done a fantastic job building the team and so forth, but this is one of the weakest areas of FM I think. The AI simply can't cope with humans in the long run. Really hope FM12 will improve in this area.
If you keep winning more or less everything you compete in the next few years I think you should make a leap of some type. All youths, all Italians, all women, something. It will probably be more interesting for you, and will be a more interesting read too. At least that is my experience. I grew butt tired of my old save (Trafford) when my only goal was to get a bigger stadium, and that was still 9 years off or something like that.
Yeah I realise it's not really that interesting to just read about us waltzing to most of the available trophies every season, but my preferred route (all academy) just isn't an option so far. All Italian could be an option but it'd have to be a gradual thing as I couldn't bear to ship out the likes of Wansi to accelerate the process. With FM12 not far away I may just pootle along with this, see out Vega's career, then do something more interesting on the new game.
I quite like seeing the culmination of a very succesful long term project, and I think the skills required to constantly refresh the team are underrated! Keep going in my opinion, I take it your top of the world hall of fame now?
A great career SnakeXe and still interesting to read about. Keep it up until FM12, I say. Maybe focus on the all Italian team or just bringing through youth players?
What are your plans for FM12 anyway? I'm interested to know. Personally, I'll finally have a decent computer, so I'm planning a long-term career save with a number of leagues loaded! Can't wait!
Cheers crouchy!
I don't know really, I might do a big journeyman save, or another small-to-big career in a smaller country. Probably leaning towards the former at the moment as it'll allow me to get started somewhere I'm comfortable - England or Italy - and then move on out of my comfort zone when I fancy it.
Have you picked up your copy of FM12 yet SnakeXe?
It won't be quite the same without a SnakeXe save to read for FM12 if not!
I think I want to see a massive journeyman save from you, starting at the bottom and working your way up. You've got unfinished business there after the less than successful attempt last time around. It's up to you, though, of course.
He will have it and will be :P I know cos he's told me
Good news Flamers. How about you?
FM12 installing as we speak
Big journeyman save is definitely the plan - was quite tempted to start with St. Albans as an homage to your amazing career, but I'll see who comes up after a season's holiday.
Ha, I'd love to see what you can do with the Saints!
Glad to hear you're installing now. Journeymanning is definitely the way for FM12, I feel!
I'm not getting FM12 until after Christmas I don't think. I am enjoying my FM11 new save now


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This blog is about new paperless reading materials like downloadable audio books, ebooks, and online magazines, made available to you through the Appleton Public Library. I plan to provide helpful tips on using these new products, along with reviews of audio books, music on cd, and movies on DVD and Blu-ray. The library is changing as rapidly as your access to media and the Internet. We want to keep on top of the trends and bring you information and entertainment in a way that fits your life today. -Beth
Love to Listen? Sign up for SYNC audiobooks.
Tue, Apr 28, 2015
There is something about audiobooks that allows stories to surround you. Chores become easier and more enjoyable. Daily walks and drives become grand adventures. If you can relate or if your own interest is piqued, SYNC, free audiobook downloads provided by AudioFile Magazine, may be for you.
Between May 7 and August 13, two free downloads per week will be available. In an effort to promote the pleasure of audiobook listening to teens, SYNC audiobook titles are given away in pairs. A young adult title is matched with a related classic, another young adult title or required summer reading title. Though the selection is intentionally geared toward teens, adults can also take advantage of this awesome program. Titles are delivered through the OverDrive app, a familiar digital lending service available with your library card. Simply text syncya to 25827 to join SYNC and receive alerts about these free audiobooks.
If this sounds too good to be true, take a look for yourself. Happy Listening!
New Features for Holds in Overdrive
Tue, Aug 26, 2014
New features have been added to the Overdrive holds process. You now have the ability to suspend holds temporarily. You are also able to automate checkouts on holds in order to avoid losing out on an item due to the 3 day availability limit.
Suspending Holds
Since it is impossible to predict accurately when a hold will become available, suspension will come in handy for those who don't want to miss out on an item or be overwhelmed by too much reading or listening material at one time.
As the hold is suspended for a certain amount of time, your position will continue to advance through the waiting list, but the hold will not be filled. After that amount of time ends, the title will continue to advance until the hold becomes available. If you happen to advance to the first position in the waiting list while the hold is suspended, the system will skip ahead to fill the hold for the next user in line. You will remain in the first position until the suspension ends.
Automatic Checkout
At the time you place a hold, the option to 'auto-checkout' the title when it becomes available can be set. Currently the choice defaults to auto-checkout. If you choose this option, you will receive a notification your title is available confirming that it has been checked out and can be found on their account bookshelf. If you opt out of auto-checkout, you will experience the previous notification process, which involves a 3 day window of opportunity to check out the available hold.
*Screen shots and the basis of this update courtesy of WiLS
OneClickdigital's Newsworthy eAudio App
Fri, Aug 22, 2014
There is exciting news for the library's audiobook fans. OneClickdigital has released a new eAudio app. With enhancements, the upgrade should appeal to previous and new OneClickdigital users, alike.
Once an account is created through our OneClickdigital webpage, audiobooks can be checked out, downloaded, and enjoyed within the app. The new app will prompt you to enter your username and password, which are not your library barcode and pin number. but are created especially for OneClickdigital. If, as a previous user, you have forgotten this information, you can visit our OneClickdigital webpage to reset and update your account information. This is a great opportunity to give OneClickdigital audiobooks a whirl, or in some cases, another whirl.
Here are a couple tips for a smoother setup. When you are ready to download the app, search for OneClickdigital in your app store and, if given a choice, choose the eAudio Player, not the eReader app. Also, as you are entering your information into the newly installed app, use Outagamie Waupaca Library System – Owlsnet as the name of your library. Once you start typing, the dropdown option should appear.
Happy listening!
Kill a What? Kill a Watt.
Tue, Jun 24, 2014
Do you have a vampire lurking inside your home? Chances are you do. Electricity is being wasted even while your appliances are turned off. Could it be that your appliances are not as efficient as you once thought? There is a way to find out about your household energy consumption.
For some time now, the library has made meters available that measure electric consumption in the home. We have recently replaced these meters with brand new ones. We now offer a meter called Kill a Watt. The loan period is still 7 days. To use, unplug your device, plug the watt meter into the socket, and plug your device into the meter. Further instructions are included. The meter will allow you to estimate usage and cost over the course of a day, a week, a month, or a year.
I encourage you to take advantage of this equipment for use in your own home. Vanish the energy-sucking appliances that are silently draining your wallet. Stop by the reference desk, and ask for a Kill a Watt.
Mango Languages
Fri, Mar 28, 2014
Going to another country? Like to watch foreign films, but don't like subtitles?
You can learn many languages for free by using Mango Languages. It is available through the Appleton Public Library with a valid library card.
On the library home page, www.apl.org, look down the right hand side until you come to Mango. Click on the square to sign up.
Choose Create a Profile to start learning. If you would like to test it first, there is a guest mode which allows you to try out a language before creating an account--click Try It First.
Learn practical conversational skills and valuable cultural insights by listening and saying the words. In the Dashboard, click Learn, then choose your language. There are more than 57 languages for English Speakers, and 17 for people learning English.
Mango Premiere features films with scene by scene description, vocabulary definitions, cultural tidbits and more. Currently there are only seven languages in this feature, but more are being added. Mango Conversations allows you to use the words and phrases you have learned to create conversations.
Mango Languages Library Edition app allows you to study on the go. Check the App Store for the iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch edition, and Google Play for Android devices.
You can learn multiple languages in a natural way with Mango Languages. Try it today!
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Send a Question or Comment to Appleton Public Library.


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Recently, I had to prepare a few beamer presentations, and during this process I realized that the "ideal" presentation would be much more interactive and live than one can possibly do with LaTeX. It is true that there are ways to embed a video or SWF file within a pdfLaTeX source, but this is just a partial solution: the animation has to be produced outside LaTeX and visually is often well separated from the rest of the presentation.
Alternatively, one can use package such as
animate (or the
\animate beamer command) to create animation in PDF, but this is really a hack and produces results that cannot be compared with a real Flash animation.
Is there a way to create a Flash animation out of a LaTeX file? Ideally, I would like to embed Flash objects and actionscripts within the LaTeX file, and to be able to have at the end of the process a Flash presentation.
P.S. I would see this as the natural evolution of TeX -> pdfTeX -> flashTeX, but I might be dreaming.


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I am replacing two 6 year old Windows 2003 servers (one hosting Exchange Server 2003) and a 4 year old Storage Server 2003 machine with a new ESXi Server running two production VM's (Windows Server 2008 R2 and Exchange Server 2010) and NAS running Windows Storage Server 2008 R2.
The old servers which are still functioning perfectly are going to be moved to an nearby location linked via fiber to the main office.
Rather than retiring them, I am looking for any practical way to use them for replication, backup, and maybe even failover.
Any ideas would be appreciated.


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HoboNinja White Elephant Sale – Free Shipping Sitewide & Free Drawstring Backpack
coupon code: HoboNinja-WES
It never hurts to be ready for any potential white elephant party.
3 Comments add a comment
Membership info problems - this site is terrible, along with its sister sites '7 Deadly Deals', 'That Daily Deal', and '13 Deals'. (There's another, 'Locobuy', that I've never tried). They have an admin system that never seems to recognize my password from one order to the next, requiring a reset. Each site has its own login but they share login info, so resetting one password means updating all, if you keep a list. I tried submitting a complaint, but if your complaint relates to an account you have to provide your password (?!). I appreciate a deal, but you need to spend a couple of bucks on someone who knows web design.
Thank you for the head's up. I have tried a few community deals and the sites were awful!
Appreciate your sharing.
@email4dj: I just have to come to their defense to point out that there are a ton of upvotes (which I will guess are from people with similar experiences to my own), and I have had experiences with nearly all of the sister sites, including this one, which were very positive. Their shipping is slow, but such is the cost of these kinds of sites. I've had to deal with order modifications after placement, and when following the instructions of acting quickly I have had good results. I also have never had log in issues, and suggest maybe it has to do with the use of oddball characters in your passwords?
Not trying to say your experience isn't valid, but just don't want a negative comment about cheaply made site many people may not be familiar with to be the only written comment, and dissuade someone from using a perfectly reputable company.


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When Terry Gholson walked out of the middle school after last spring, he had a multitude of things on his agenda to continue. While his duties as a school administrator had come to an end, he still knew he would be involved with various education interests.
But one area he may have not considered was a return to coaching. However, things change.
Gholson, at this week's school board meeting, was hired for his third go around as the Bulldogs wrestling coach. If past results are any indication, Gholson's hire is a good one; he leads all past Bulldog wrestling coaches in wins.
Gholson's first run as head coach was for two years, from 1979 to 1981. He then returned to the team in 1990 and stayed on as coach until 2004.
In his 16 seasons as coach, Gholson holds a 174-148-99 record. He coached 72 individual sectional qualifiers.
In the 1998-1999 season, the Bulldogs were undefeated at 19-0 and picked up their first and only North Egypt Conference title. The team picked up Carmi's first ever regional title and qualified at that time a record nine grapplers for the individual sectional. John Barbre and Chris Budde also qualified for the state meet.
Gholson's team also picked up a regional title in the 200-2001 season as well.
Gholson's knowledge of the sport will be a major benefit to the team and will lead to an exciting season later this year at Carmi-White County.
Location, ST | website.com


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After sprinting from terminal B to terminal A in the Atlanta airport so I didn't miss my connection to Orlando, it dawned on me. This flight could have WiFi. My flight from Chicago to Atlanta didn't, but this one might. I saw little teasing banners all the way down the jet bridge. "Check out gogo," one taunted. "WiFi now onboard," another boasted.
Okay, I have been anxiously waiting the day when I could blog from 35,000+ feet and it has FINALLY ARRIVED. I've been saving gogoinflight codes for months, patiently biding my traveler time until I would have the opportunity to tweet "I'm so high" and then wonder if everyone thinks I do drugs. I don't. I just want to tweet I'm so high because, well, I'm THOUSANDS of feet above the Earth!
I'd like to thank Gini Dietrich for the gogo code she tweeted earlier this month – it worked, and I'm blogging, for free, up high.
Clearly I'm ecstatic about this but I am also a little fearful. There isn't anywhere, but on an airplane, that I can totally disconnect for that period of time. Everywhere else, I'm on. I may choose not to be active sometimes, but on a plane was the only place that I COULDN'T be on. I wonder if I'll miss that quiet time. Probably not.
But maybe. Because I've written the start to some killer posts in the air, and countless drafts that never amounted to anything. But I was writing them in Word, then copying and pasting them over. Didn't have time (or the opportunity) to get distracted.
For now, I'm totally into it. I imagine as long as online time on a plane is fun, I'll enjoy it.
And, for the record, can I just say this was the CUTEST flight crew ever? They did the safety instructions to the tune of "Twas the Night Before Christmas" and made it all rhyme-ey and fun. It seriously was the best start to my holiday ever.
Now, if only I could post this before I land. I can't – because my dad and I have managed to keep me coming home for Christmas a secret, and we're surprising my mom and sister. By the time you read this, it will have already happened because I don't want to take the chance on them seeing this post before I get home.
So, WiFi on planes… do you love it or do you hate it? Are you like me and totally stoked that now you can blog your flight away? Are you having mixed emotions like I am?


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I have a server that, as of the upgrade to 10.04, is now running the "ondemand" CPU scaling daemon. Why would it automatically install this? I don't want my server saving power at the expense of performance.
Instead of disabling execution of the
To make the init system not start the script, this is the recognized way of doing it! Disabling the exec permission (
Frequency scaling isn't static. As soon as there is work to do, the CPU hops into action, P states boost up, and everything flies.
It's enabled because it's widely seen as a good thing. Saves you energy (good for your wallet and the environment). Keeps heat down (so important in a server room). And it's pretty unnoticeable.
Moreover on modern Intel chips, if you have scaling on you can use "turbo boost" where one core will run at higher-than-stock speeds for a time. This is very useful for spikes of single-threaded work. Without scaling enabled, you don't get this.
You could install the rcconf debian tool:
then disable the "ondemand" service from there.
To make all CPUs run at maximum performance continually on a Ubuntu desktop or server, run:
at the shell prompt and enter your password. This disables the shell script that makes all CPUs run at speed "OnDemand", making them default to full speed (Performance). You will need to reboot for this to take effect.
I have only tested this in Ubuntu Jaunty 9.04, but it should work and not cause any problems on any version of Ubuntu.
I think the Ubuntu defaults are strange for this. A desktop or server should run at full speed, in my opinion.
Regards, George
On some systems, the 'ondemand' governor is unfortunately broken.
This is the case for "Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Quad CPU Q9300 @ 2.50GHz" and kernel 2.6.32-42.
The kernel thinks it can set the frequency individually for each CPU while the hardware actually only allows setting the frequency on groups of several CPUs (e.g. CPU 0 and 1 together, and CPU 2 and 3 together).
You may find out that the kernel isn't aware of this by looking at the /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu*/cpufreq/affected_cpus files which contain "0", "1", "2", "3" instead of "0 1", "0 1", "2 3", "2 3".
The visible effect of this missmatch is a single-threaded process that starts running full speed on one CPU (the 'ondemand' governor reacts fast), and then, after about 20 seconds (depends on setting details), looses some of its speed.
The reason is the OS, with the 'ondemand' governor, periodically reapplies low freqs on the idle CPUs, not expecting that it will also implicitly change the freq of our busy CPU. It's not even visible when you look at /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu*/cpufreq/*cur_freq or /proc/cpuinfo, the OS is just not aware of it!
So, on these systems the solution is to switch back to the simple 'performance' governor.
PS: In my case, running the CPUs constantly at their full freq didn't change anything concerning fan noise. I suppose when a CPU is idling, a lower or higher frequency will not have much impact on its power usage.
I have a new processor AMD Athlon II X4 631 (Fusion processor for socket FM1) and it doesn't save any energy whatsoever (I looked it with energy meter)! I don't have a turbo core, so I don't need ondemand setting. Most new processors save enery by themselves.
When benchmarking, there is a little difference, in the range on 1-2%, when comparing ondemand and performance setting.
This is old, but since no one mentioned it, and for the sake of completeness, I will add that the argument how CPU which runs on the maximum speed will waste power, produce heat, fan noise etc. is WRONG.
Almost all modern CPUs, especially Desktop / Server CPUs, will enter deep sleep mode when idle (google race to idle.).
Voltage scaling will probably save more power, so on laptops this could increase running time a little, but on desktop and servers running performance governor will be fine for most of 'normal' users (who don't run server farms or similar.).
I use performance gov with my i7-2600k and the CPU temperature is usually around 30 C.