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#Post#: 2407--------------------------------------------------
Re: Nikara Dragons
By: christaylor101 Date: January 30, 2024, 3:35 am
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[right]80pts[/right]
Zachariadis on his way out?
The most obvious part of the Nikara Dragons 'transformation'
(capitulation??) is the movement to filling the squad with kids
with no room for old players. Old, in this instance, means 22
and older which as everyone knows is very old. This plan worked
for David O'Leary from 1998 to 2002 and it always worked in
Champ Man in the 90's so it must be a good idea!
A quick summary of the current squad shows that there are just 4
players who are deemed 'old' by the analytics department which
puts them all in the firing line. Lets take a look at who is
safe and who is at risk.
Probably safe
First up is back up goalkeeper Oh Gabriel who is probably safe
on the basis that he's the only backup for top goalkeeper Dave
Zachariadis. Even if they did sign a child to be the goalkeeper
of the future/present the chances are that Oh would stay and
wind up spending the next 6 years doing very little.
Another thought of as safe is new signing Vitor Melav who at 26
is very old for an outfield player at Nikara. There were rumours
the club were considering offers for him the day after he joined
though these have never been substantiated. With Lllannellllli
Gallahad leaving the club as part of the deal to sign Shallohs
the club are now light in midfield and Melav looks like the sort
of player that would be appreciated by the manager.
Probably at risk
The one player that stands out like a sore thumb is LM Viquez
who is young enough at 26 to add value to the club and good
enough at 14 rated to play substantial minutes. Its hard to see
how he'd fit into the Nikara plans so it would surprise
absolutely nobody if he left for a club looking to improve their
forward line rotation.
The really interesting case
As the title suggests there is one name that stands out in the
OAP club. Starting goalkeeper Dave Zachariadis is 26 years old
and manning a first team position, almost unchallenged. At 16
rated he is on a par with many of the good/not great goalkeepers
across the league and offers a steadying presence behind a very
young defence. Some investment in his development would push him
to 17 rated for the new season which starts to make him a
differentiator at the club. This is, of course, if the club
don't bin him off for being a 26 year old dinosaur as part of
the youth movement.
There's no comment from the club on any of these players which
is likely the kiss of death for all of them. What the club need
to remember is that you can't win anything with a bad goalkeeper
though its hard to imagine anyone at the club cares about that.
#Post#: 2412--------------------------------------------------
Re: Nikara Dragons
By: christaylor101 Date: January 31, 2024, 2:41 am
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[right]80pts[/right]
Excitement builds as stadium expansion draws near
After the excitement of the transfer deadline day things have
started to settle down a little in Nikara with news slow to come
by this week. Still the club are in dire need of those sweet
sweet bonus abs so we will carry on regardless.
The 'big' news this week comes from sub contractor Bob Le
Builder Inc who are reporting to be on track in the completion
of the next phase of the stadium renovation project. The
expansion was thought to be going slowly what with Mr Le
Builder's insistence on using plastic tools, however in a
stunning turn of events it seems the expansion will be completed
on time this Sunday.
With Nikara playing away from home this weekend the club won't
lose any more time with depleted attendance numbers and are said
to be thrilled to welcome an additional 5000 fans for thee next
home game against Hellsinki.
It's been widely reported that the club have 150,000 fans on
their season ticket waiting list which means the most recent
news will lower that number to 145,000! The club have gone on
record as saying they intend to maximise the infrastructure at
the club and will continue with the project to create a 95,000
seater noise dome at Sinegard Stadium. Whether the next stage of
the expansion will start before the end of the season is still
to be agreed upon however it is thought to be a major priority
for the club to compete with the financial powerhouses within
the league.
How does Sinegard Stadium compare to others in the league
To be fair the club already house one of the most dedicated and
raucous fans in the league and the stadium is large in
comparison to others. Pancho Arena is Hungary, the home of
Puskas Academia, and Parrallel Park, the home of Rael Nerrad,
are the only clubs in the top flight with larger grounds than
the Nikara Dragons and both will be even from Sunday.
The largest ground in the game (and the only other ground larger
than Sinegard Stadium) is the Eagles Stadium which houses 75,000
fans for every home game. It makes sense that the ground would
be large as there must be a huge following of people that want
to watch the galacticos of division 2 each week. Why 60,000
regular turn up for the Nikara Dragons is a whole other
question.
Whether anyone else has the enthusiasm for ground renovations
that the Dragons board seem to have is still to be seen but even
at the most aggressive estimates it would take about 17 weeks to
get the ground on a par with Eagles stadium and another 40 weeks
to hit their target level. Thats a lot of 'articles' about
stadium increases to be had in the next year....
#Post#: 2430--------------------------------------------------
Re: Nikara Dragons
By: christaylor101 Date: February 3, 2024, 2:58 pm
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[right]50pts[/right]
Nikara invest heavily in new analytics hub
The Nikara Dragons have been on a mission to upgrade the
infrastructure at the club with work going into a new training
ground, stadium improvements and a new coffee machine in the
cafeteria. The stadium increase is due to be completed tomorrow
and there's a belief the club have also bought some new corner
flags on Amazon (we reached out to a spokesperson from Amazon
but they said they don't confirm customer purchases unless you
pay a lot).
The big news today, other than their astounding victory at the
Boleyn Ground, is confirmation that the club has acquired a
state of the art data and analytics centre. It is thought the
club will soon announce the hiring of a Chief Data Scientist to
give the club with an advert on Monster.com listing the
following attributes as 'preferable':
- can count to really high numbers
- can spell xg and knows how to use it in a sentence
- at least once developed a local team to champions league glory
in Football Manager
- can get all the rows on an excel sheet to add up
It's not immediately clear what the team hope to use the new
data laboratory for but most credible clubs use it for
identifying top talent, understanding player development and
spotting tactical advantages to bamboozle the rest of the
league. Knowing the ownership at Nikara is most likely just a
Microsoft Office subscription!
#Post#: 2447--------------------------------------------------
Re: Nikara Dragons
By: christaylor101 Date: February 6, 2024, 2:36 pm
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[right]50pts[/right]
What the data says...episode 1
Late last week we reported that the Nikara Dragons had invested
heavily in a new data analytics lab including the hiring of a
new Chief Data Scientist. Today the club have opened a window
into what this facility have been tasked with and announced a
number of additional hires to fill out the department. The first
point of note is that the facility has been built underground in
Siberia on the recommendation of Valeri Sql, the new Chief Data
Scientist. Its believed he is deeply concerned with big tech
interference in his ingenious ideas and so is willing to go to
any length to protect his work.
Today we learned there are three key areas that they expect to
influence:
1) Medical and injury prevention
Using the latest in Fitbits, the club expect to be able to cut
back on the number of heart attacks their players might have
whilst also trimming a few kilos off some of the more 'robust'
(rotund?) players. They are also looking into tracking the
players sleep patterns though its thought the intention here is
to get the players to take less naps during team meetings.
Player Development
Through detailed analysis and identifying growth areas it is
thought the club can find a competitive advantage. Growing their
players faster and in a more effective manner than the
competition is a central aspect of the clubs plans. Looking at
the latest training methods and advances in sports science is
only one aspect of this. The other is identifying which players
at the club have the potential to develop into superstar players
and which need binning off as quickly as possible!
Recruitment and Talent Acquisition
Perhaps the most obvious aspect of the data organisation is in
identifying current and emerging talent to add to the existing
squad. The club need an enormous amount of work to improve both
the quality and depth of the squad if it is to progress beyond
the current mess and getting in some foundational talent to
partner with the kids will be central to that work.
So what...
So what is an excellent question. What does any of this drivel
mean? It means Aristotle is screwed. The 21 year old 12 rated
defender has neither the immediate ability to contribute or the
long term potential to be of greater value in the long term. The
numerous pHD's in the analytics hub have put their enormous
brains together and worked this out all by themselves which is
extremely impressive insight. Who knows what they'll come up
with next?
#Post#: 2449--------------------------------------------------
Re: Nikara Dragons
By: christaylor101 Date: February 7, 2024, 1:44 pm
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[right]80pts[/right]
Identifying the Dragons targets
It doesn't take an analytics department buried in a mountain in
Siberia to tell you that a team that is rammed full of 13 and 14
rated players is a good fit for 7th place in division 2. The
highest rated player is 16 rated goalkeeper Zachariadis which
ranks him in the bottom 50% of keepers in the league whilst the
average rating of the starting back four is just 13.5. So
getting reinforcements in is key, but who are they after?
Goalkeeper - Okuninushi (Kyushu Yakuza)
He's on loan now which implies Kyushu are keen on developing him
but they also have 18 rated Rob Cundy who is young and good.
Okuninushi isn't actually higher rated than what they have now
but safe to say there's youth on the Japanese #1's side.
Doubtful this gets done but who knows.
Defender - Tony Ruusumaki (Golden Eagles)
The Eagles have 239 quality defenders already so at least in
principle seem to be someone who could afford someone to go.
Ruusumaki (probably not called Tony) is 15 rated so immediately
upgrades the Dragons defense but has 12 passing which fits in
with the passing approach they seem to prefer. Marginally worse
player than Marashko so probably fits as the 6th defender in the
squad and they also have a 16 year old prodigy they might want
to play.
Midfielder - DeDavis Roy (Hellsinki Hellhounds)
His manager has a load of options in midfield and has seemed to
imply that Roy might be available. He's a top class all round
midfielder with plenty left in the tank. I'd expect a number of
offers headed Hellsinki's direction this off season though
whether any of them match the clubs valuation is to be seen.
Would add a ton to the Dragons midfield!
Forwards - Dion Dublin (Sky Blues)
Ok we'll call this one a near certainty to not happen but maybe,
just maybe he misses his minutes and isn't saved with cash. Even
if he is saved who would bet against a big bid for a player who
is just 19 years old and 16 rated. Doesn't have dreamy secondary
skills but who cares when they can finish like big Dion. Could
see an offer that still allows him to do "Homes Under the
Hammer" whilst playing at weekends. Again, think this has a 2%
chance and even that might be optimistic
If any club is not best pleased that their players are being
banded about then the club would like to express there
admiration for your squad and let you know its intended as a
compliment! Not much is going to get confirmed until the
transfer window is reopened but for now expect speculation to
ramp up enormously!
#Post#: 2456--------------------------------------------------
Re: Nikara Dragons
By: christaylor101 Date: February 8, 2024, 3:56 am
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[right]50pts[/right]
Crisis averted?
News out of Japan this morning is that star players Tommy Taylor
and Hatori Hanzo have withdrawn their transfer requests. The
rebuild project at the Nikara Dragons is centred around the
ability of these two players to be foundational players at the
club and whilst no player is off limits, the idea that these two
would leave in the near term was seen as a huge problem at the
club.
So what has changed?
Over the last 4 weeks both have played every minute available to
them and its thought their fragile egos have been suitable
caressed to the point where they want to stay and be part of the
turnaround. Its thought both players agents had set the club
minimum expectations around how many minutes they expected their
players and now that both are ahead of this goal the thought is
that both will continue their careers with the Dragons.
Are the club now out of the woods?
Not exactly. Whilst it looks like Ryan Van Cleef will hit his
minutes target this week there is always the risk of injury or
suspension derailing that problem. Regardless you'd expect Van
Cleef to be fine.
Where is it much more questionable is with new signing Vitor
Melav who joined the club needing to play a very high percentage
of the available minutes. Melav played all of the first two
games but a yellow card in the last game means he is now serving
a one game suspension. This has left Melav needing 120 minutes
over the final 2 games of the season which is achievable but
requires nothing to go wrong. Losing Melav would be a big blow
for Nikara as he wants a key part of the recent deal with
Cockney Cockrells.
For now there has been a huge sigh of relief at the club as
Taylor and Hanzo look set to sign new contracts with the club.
#Post#: 2495--------------------------------------------------
Re: Nikara Dragons
By: christaylor101 Date: February 16, 2024, 10:21 am
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[right]50pts[/right]
TRANSFER GOSSIP
The rumour mill is exploding with news that Ady Sanders is going
to join the might Nikara Dragons. The Daily Moon is reporting
that the Sarnians manager has been touting him all over the
league, desperate to sell him to anyone. The Dragons finally
look like the team that has relented in this player giveaway and
now expect to get the deal done in the next few days.
Members of Sanders' family have reported that Ady is delighted
with the news as he is apparently desperate to join the club.
There's even rumours that he's agreed to a paycut to facilitate
the deal with Sander's girlfriends, brothers milkman said to be
'certain this is true'.
We'll await official word on whether, or perhaps more likely
'when' this deal will be processed but fans at Sinegard Stadium
are likely to be delighted to add a player of his calibre.
OFF SEASON PRIORITIES
Safe to say there are problems across the Dragons team with a
serious lack of talent at every level. That said the biggest
priority is likely to be in the backline where a new goalkeeper
and a few new defenders are said to be the main goal. This seems
to marry with the general consensus of the squad where the
midfield is comparatively strong and there's at least one good
player up front.
In goal Zachariadis is 16 rated which places him at around the
50% percentile of players in his position in the league. At 26
years old its not likely that the player will get substantially
better in a hurry so its not a surprise to hear the club are
hoping to move on from him. Lundrum is the best of the defenders
but he'll only just be 15 rated at the end of the season and
with some teams in the league hosting 17 rated defenders there's
room for significant growth. This is compounded further when the
other starters are 14 rated (Kushimo) and 13 rated (Yobari and
Marconato).
Having said all that the club have long had their beady little
eyes on top tier forwards across the league to partner Hatori
Hanzo. The Dion Dublin rumours have been shut down but safe to
say the club will be looking at other options, probably with a
higher rating than infants Rutter and Shallahs. No word on who
these players are but no doubt the rumour mill will spit out
some names soon enough.
What does the analytics department say
Nothing, turns out they were using a pirate copy of Excel and
Microsoft found out so for now they are offline. What a waste of
money.
#Post#: 2512--------------------------------------------------
Re: Nikara Dragons
By: christaylor101 Date: February 19, 2024, 4:54 pm
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[right]50pts[/right]
Huge transfer turned down
In a stunning turn of events it appears that the Nikara Dragons
have turned down a monster offer for Tommy Taylor. There's no
word about where this bid came from however its thought to have
included multiple players and a sizable cash figure making this
the largest transfer offer the club have received in recent
times.
Why did they say no?
Its thought that Taylor is one of the foundational players in
the Nikara rebuild. He's only 18 years old but already has 15
rated passing and is just 60 abs away from being 16 rated. This
gives him a chance to be one of the leagues best passers in the
next 3 or 4 years which is thought to be of huge importance to
the club. Alongside this he offers a great rounded skillset with
13 tackling and shooting!
The club have been vocal in saying that they don't feel there
are many people out there that can replace the unique skillset
that Taylor offers, and looking to do so with multiple players
reduces their flexibility.
Its expected the club will be very active in the transfer market
in the next month as the season draws to a close and clubs look
to re-jig their squads for the new season. With a decent chunk
of cash in the club coffers it would be very surprising if we
don't see 3 or 4 additions to the Nikara squad in the hope that
they can challenge for promotion next season
#Post#: 2523--------------------------------------------------
Re: Nikara Dragons
By: christaylor101 Date: February 23, 2024, 6:59 am
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[right]50pts[/right]
Major signing set to be announced
There are more leaks at the Nikara Dragons than there are in the
whole of Wales (leeks/leaks???) and the latest leak relates to a
major transfer that is all but certain to be confirmed in the
coming week. With news coming from the league office about the
structure of the game next season, including the parameters to
which scouts can operate, its given huge credibility to the
belief that the Dragons have finalised a deal for another
teenage 'superstar'
Local prospect, Takehiro Tomiyasu, from Fukuoka, Japan has
allegedly agreed terms to join the Nikara Dragons. At just 16
years of age Tomiyasu has great potential as a ball playing
defender, with 13 rated tackling and 11 rated passing. He lacks
any real prowess going forward with just 3 shooting but the
Dragons are hoping they wont need their centre backs to score
too many goals in the coming seasons.
Its thought Tomiyasu will slot into the back four alongside
Marconato, Kushimo and Lundrum pushing Yobari and Van Cleef into
back up roles more suited for their potential. Whilst this won't
help in the short term its hoped that he can develop his skill
set and work on developing to a 16 rated passer in the next 4
seasons whilst maintaining his complementary passing skills.
When asked outside his home about the move Tomiyasu said:
"It's been a lifelong dream to play professional football in the
OFMC leagues and if playing for the Dragons allows me to do that
then I have to take the chance. I can't be too picky about
playing for a good team or one with a competent structure -
these chances might only come around once in a lifetime and if I
play well and develop then there's always the chance that a good
team might sign me later"
#Post#: 2536--------------------------------------------------
Re: Nikara Dragons
By: christaylor101 Date: February 24, 2024, 4:33 pm
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[right]50pts[/right]
Nikara seeking goalkeeping help
Despite Zachariadis keeping a stunning clean sheet in the 0-0
draw with the Eastern Whirlwinds, news has broken today that the
club are looking to replace the Greek international in goal. A
bit of investment in Zachariadis would probably make him good
enough to be a top tier goalkeeper in a season or two but the
club are not thought to find that an acceptable option and as
such are back into the market.
It wouldn't take a rocket scientist to assume that the club are
looking for someone whose age starts with a 1 in it given that
that would include near enough every single person the club have
brought in. Finding a seller of such a player might prove much
harder and the club are not thought to have progressed very far
despite numerous enquiries.
Who might be the bargaining chips? Its thought that top striker
Hatori_Hanzo might be available and he offers close to 16 rated
finishing which might be appealing to some in the league.
Failing that there are rumours that defensive midfielder Vilo
Fleuss might be sick to death of his incompetent manager and his
gibberish team talks so could also be added as a chip in any
deals. The last resort is cold hard cash money of which the
Dragons have a decent wedge, though its thought that most of it
is invested in extremely questionable monkey NFTs so whether
they still have any access to actual cash is anyone's guess.
When asked about this issue the manager reportedly said that he
felt Zachariadis was a decent keeper and an ok person but his
goal kicks stink and that's completely unacceptable for a team
that pride itself for chances created from set pieces.
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