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Diamonds in the Rough
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| dkfroggy |
Posted on 26-07-2018 23:06
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Amateur
Posts: 14
Joined: 23-07-2018
PCM$: 200.00
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+2 Acceleration
+1 Hills
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| Mresuperstar |
Posted on 27-07-2018 07:38
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Grand Tour Champion
Posts: 8059
Joined: 22-06-2009
PCM$: 650.00
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2018 Football Offseason: World Cup
I can only dream of playing on the world's biggest stage. Maybe, just maybe, someday I could be there instead of watching it on my TV. I know it's a long shot, but I'm already breaking barriers as the first professional footballer and cyclist.
Why not reach for the stars? Dream big is what my dad used to tell me.
Miracles do happen, and if England ever wants to win another World Cup... well, a miracle would be needed. Or, perhaps my best bet to ever reach the World Cup would be to switch nationalities to either Scotland (mother) or Nigeria (grandfather), but that's a conversation for another day.
Time to see how the 2018 World Cup in Russia unfolds.
| W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS |  Italy | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 9 |  South Korea | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 |  Russia | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 | -1 | 3 |  Costa Rica | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 5 | -4 | 0 |
| W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS |  Spain | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 6 |  Mexico | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 |  Wales | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | -1 | 4 |  Australia | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | -4 | 1 |
| W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS |  England | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 9 |  Argentina | 2 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 2 | 8 | 6 |  Netherlands | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | -4 | 3 |  South Africa | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 10 | -10 | 0 |
| W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS |  Poland | 3 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 2 | 9 | 9 |  Egypt | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | -4 | 4 |  Chile | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | -2 | 3 |  Honduras | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | -3 | 1 |
| W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS |  Colombia | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 9 |  Croatia | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 6 |  Iceland | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | -3 | 1 |  Nigeria | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | -3 | 1 |
| W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS |  Ivory Coast | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 7 |  Uruguay | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | -1 | 4 |  Japan | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 4 | -1 | 3 |  Belgium | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 4 | -1 | 3 |
| W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS |  United States | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 7 |  Germany | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 5 |  Switzerland | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 4 |  Iran | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 6 | -5 | 0 |
| W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS |  Portugal | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 7 |  Guinea | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 7 |  Austria | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | -1 | 3 |  Brazil | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 5 | -3 | 0 |
England somehow breezes through a 'Group of Death.' No. 1 World Ranked Brazil shockingly doesn't win a game. Iceland doesn't live up to it's No. 3 world ranking after they beat 17th ranked France in a playoff to reach the World Cup. No. 54 ranked Guinea reaches the Round of 16 and Africa rejoices with two teams moving on as Ivory Coast tops Group F.
Spoiler
Yep, everyone saw this coming. England falls on its face really hard. Defender Harry Maguire puts the ball into his own net on a cross to give Egypt a 1-0 win on an own goal. Time to start cheering for Guinea. Spoiler
Messi over Italy. Cinderella Guinea routed by overlooked Croatia. Spain escapes in extra time. Defending champions go down to Suarez. Spoiler
Remarkable second half comeback from Croatia. Uruguay takes down the 2010 champions. Croatia vs. Uruguay for the championship crown. Who saw this coming?
Argentina beat Spain, 5-3, in a thrilling third-place game. Spoiler
 CROATIA WORLD CHAMPIONS
Defeats Uruguay 3-2 in Extra TimeMandzukic scores the World Cup winner in the 117th minute.
Mario Mandzukic etched his name into football lore, but the player of the match was Filip Krovinovic with two goals and the assist to Mandzukic on the winner. The victory was well deserved as Croatia outshot Uruguay 23-12 (8-4 on target) and had 57% of the possession. | First | Second | Third | | Best Player: | Franco Cervi | M. Mandzukic | Lionel Messi | | Golden Boot: | R. Lewandowski (7) | Lionel Messi (7) | M. Mandzukic (6) | | Golden Glove: | Danijel Subasic | | Young Player: | Robert Gumny |
Training Ground
*Community Growth Development* Spoiler - Each member gets 5.0 points to spread however they like over the 36 attributes listed above. One post per member.
- Stats work on a decimal system starting at 1.0.
- Stats are bumped up in FM when they hit that number, ex. 2.9 = 2 in-game, and 13.4 = 13 stat in-game.
- The decimal numbers will remain hidden.
- There is a threshold for each stat when more points are needed to increase that stat. It's start off on a 1-to-1 scale where 1 point equals 1 stat upgrade. However, the scales get exponentially further and further apart the closer that stat gets to the maximum of 20. The increasing scale will also remain a mystery and is different from the cycling progression scale.
-Comment below to provide stat upgrades. Offseason Grind: The World Cup has Marcus Diamond pumped up to do his offseason training. Normal training rules apply, except a Multiplier Mystery Pot is in play. Out of the 5 points you typical receive for training, any of those points can be put into the pot. The points in the pot will be doubled and then evenly distributed across five random stats.
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| jandal7 |
Posted on 27-07-2018 07:47
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World Champion
Posts: 11395
Joined: 17-12-2014
PCM$: 1020.00
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Get motivated from that World Cup Marcus, time to kick on!
+3 Determination
+2 Aggression
24/02/21 - kandesbunzler said “I don't drink famous people."
15/08/22 - SotD said "Your [jandal's] humour is overrated"
11/06/24 - knockout said "Winning is fine I guess. Truth be told this felt completely unimportant."
[ICL] Santos-Euskadi | [PT]  Xero Racing
5x  x5
2x  x2
2x  x2 |
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| viking90 |
Posted on 27-07-2018 09:01
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Grand Tour Specialist
Posts: 4032
Joined: 24-01-2009
PCM$: 200.00
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2.0 - Pace
1.5 - Passing
1.5 - Long Shot
That looked like a B-World Cup, I mean Sweden is not even in it? 
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| United Forever |
Posted on 27-07-2018 09:29
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Domestique
Posts: 494
Joined: 27-04-2009
PCM$: 200.00
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5.0 Mystery pot
Focus, hard work and determination will get him far! 
Use the Summer to achieve new heights
Edited by United Forever on 27-07-2018 12:08
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| United Forever |
Posted on 27-07-2018 09:37
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Domestique
Posts: 494
Joined: 27-04-2009
PCM$: 200.00
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@Mresuperstar
Quick question, regarding rules. 
Are we allowed to suggest growth in "hidden values" like position changes, versility, important matches etc?
Or will these values change through a natural course in the story?
The reason I ask is that his skills would suit say a winger, so training a new position, might evolve him even further. 
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| dkfroggy |
Posted on 27-07-2018 10:26
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Amateur
Posts: 14
Joined: 23-07-2018
PCM$: 200.00
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+2 Off the ball
+3 Mystery pot
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| sammyt93 |
Posted on 27-07-2018 10:51
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Classics Specialist
Posts: 3634
Joined: 03-07-2012
PCM$: 300.00
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+5 Mystery Pot
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| Aquarius97 |
Posted on 27-07-2018 11:02
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Grand Tour Specialist
Posts: 4191
Joined: 13-09-2015
PCM$: 300.00
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+5 Corners
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| Owlsome |
Posted on 27-07-2018 11:10
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Under 23
Posts: 51
Joined: 01-07-2013
PCM$: 200.00
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+3 Balance
+2 Agility
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| Ad Bot |
Posted on 24-11-2024 10:36
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Bot Agent
Posts: Countless
Joined: 23.11.09
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| IP: None |
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| jseadog1 |
Posted on 27-07-2018 14:21
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Grand Tour Champion
Posts: 9595
Joined: 18-07-2010
PCM$: 13552.00
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+5 Mystery Pot
PCM.Daily Survivor Season 2 Fan Favorite Winner
PCM.Daily NFL Fantasy Football Champion: 2012
PCM.Daily NHL Prediction Game Champion: 2013
PCM.Daily NFL Prediction Game Champion: 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2021
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| Mresuperstar |
Posted on 27-07-2018 19:13
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Grand Tour Champion
Posts: 8059
Joined: 22-06-2009
PCM$: 650.00
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United Forever wrote:
@Mresuperstar
Quick question, regarding rules.
Are we allowed to suggest growth in "hidden values" like position changes, versility, important matches etc?
Or will these values change through a natural course in the story?
The reason I ask is that his skills would suit say a winger, so training a new position, might evolve him even further.
It's a combination of both. Making suggestions never hurts, but won't always be implemented. Hidden values will change when I see fit, but position changes can happen over time given the outlook of his team and where Marcus could fit in best. His primary two positions right now are central midfielder and right winger.
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| Mresuperstar |
Posted on 28-07-2018 06:52
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Grand Tour Champion
Posts: 8059
Joined: 22-06-2009
PCM$: 650.00
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Still on the hunt for my first professional cycling victory. Could this be the month?
Race Day #20-24 at C.C. de Solidarnosc et des C. Olympiques Pretty boring tour with four flat stages, all in on the hilly Stage 4. Spoiler
Summary: A rainy run in to the finish split the pack a part. Those that remained battled it out in a sprint. Somehow the Top 76 riders were still given the same time.
Result: 6th - I got boxed in hard. I think I could have won this one if the road was a little bigger. Well, there is always tomorrow.
| 1 | Maris Bogdanovics | Amore & Vita - Prodir | 2h30'17 | | 2 | Anthony Giacoppo | Bennelong SwissWellness | s.t. | | 3 | Manuel Penalver | Trevigiani Phonix - Hemus 1896 | s.t. | | 4 | Filippo Fortin | Team Felbermayr Simplon Wels | s.t. | | 5 | Germain Burton | JLT Condor | s.t. |
Spoiler
Summary: Another sprint finish, as expected. Pretty close too. I just wish I could have seen it in person...
Result: DNF - Lining up for the sprint finish, I touched wheels with the cyclist in front of me and went down hard. I started a pretty hectic chain reaction on the right side of the right.
I was shaken up but felt okay, then I looked down at my left wrist. Quickly my adrenaline wore off and I was getting rushed over to the hospital with a fractured wrist.
Doctor says I'll be out 6-8 weeks. Crazy how quick things can change. Looks like I'm watching the Tour de France for the rest of the month.
| 1 | Gašper Katrašnik | Adria Mobil | 2h08'11 | | 2 | Filippo Fortin | Team Felbermayr Simplon Wels | s.t. | | 3 | Maris Bogdanovics | Amore & Vita - Prodir | s.t. | | 4 | Emils Liepins | ONE Pro Cycling | s.t. | | 5 | Anthony Giacoppo | Bennelong SwissWellness | s.t. |
Four-time champion  Chris Froome crashes out of the Tour de France (I feel his pain) to hand 24-year-old Miguel Angel Lopez his first GC title ahead of Wout Poels (+1'49") and Simon Yates (+1'49"), Geraint Thomas (+2'09") and Tom Dumoulin (+3'05"). Pretty entertaining.
The consensus for me is trying to get back on the road for the race on August 26. If that doesn't happen, then I at least have to be ready for the OVO Energy Tour of Britain from September 2-9. I'm not missing that race.
My progression before the crash. At least it was my wrist and not my legs. Still, not being able to get on the bike sucks. No training rides. Development stops for now, but I shouldn't regress either.
Speedy Recovery?: Keep Marcus Diamond motivated to make a quick return. The more members that post get well wishes, the higher chance Marcus will be ready in late-August or the Tour of Britain in September.
Edited by Mresuperstar on 30-07-2018 05:04
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| jandal7 |
Posted on 28-07-2018 07:01
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World Champion
Posts: 11395
Joined: 17-12-2014
PCM$: 1020.00
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Wow, sounds like a cool Tour! Shame for Marcus, especially as he was feeling good! Hope for a speedy recovery, I know Marcus is a determined guy and will be back in action soon!
24/02/21 - kandesbunzler said “I don't drink famous people."
15/08/22 - SotD said "Your [jandal's] humour is overrated"
11/06/24 - knockout said "Winning is fine I guess. Truth be told this felt completely unimportant."
[ICL] Santos-Euskadi | [PT] Xero Racing
5x x5
2x x2
2x x2 |
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| Mresuperstar |
Posted on 29-07-2018 17:44
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Grand Tour Champion
Posts: 8059
Joined: 22-06-2009
PCM$: 650.00
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New team and new faces. Witham President Gareth Grimshaw went on a spending spree in the offseason to revamp the club. I'm one of those new acquisitions.
Showing up to the first practice with a hard cast on my left hand after my crash in Poland wasn't a very good first impression. The team kept me out of drills, but at least I could be around the guys and get a feel for our identity next season.
This is the squad we rolled out for our second friendly, which we drew 1-1 against Chelmsford (a step above us in the Vanarama National League South). We won our first friendly against Beckenham (in a lower league), 4-0. Daniel Akindayini and Luke Mallett each had two goals.
When I can play again, I'll probably slot right into Craig Waters spot. The 16-year-old isn't quite ready for the limelight.
The season preview has us finishing 8th, right behind Canvey Islands. The Media Dream XI has Witham goalkeeper Morgan Bacon, left back Romoney Crichlow-Noble, center back Macauley King and striker Akindayini all in it. Looks like it will be my job to connect the pieces in the midfield and put it all together.
Here is rest of the 2018-19 Witham roster:
Training Ground
*Community Growth Development* Spoiler - Each member gets 5.0 points to spread however they like over the 36 attributes listed above. One post per member.
- Stats work on a decimal system starting at 1.0.
- Stats are bumped up in FM when they hit that number, ex. 2.9 = 2 in-game, and 13.4 = 13 stat in-game.
- The decimal numbers will remain hidden.
- There is a threshold for each stat when more points are needed to increase that stat. It's start off on a 1-to-1 scale where 1 point equals 1 stat upgrade. However, the scales get exponentially further and further apart the closer that stat gets to the maximum of 20. The increasing scale will also remain a mystery and is different from the cycling progression scale.
-Comment below to provide stat upgrades. Mentally Tough: Because of Marcus Diamond's injury, only Mental attributes can be upgraded this month.
Wrist It?: The doctors advise against it, but Marcus Diamond has been given the option to play with a hard cast on his wrist and not miss the first few games of the season, including the highly anticipated clash against Canvey Island. Should he tough it out for his new teammates or sit out and fully recover before getting on the pitch?
Edited by Mresuperstar on 29-07-2018 17:54
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| viking90 |
Posted on 29-07-2018 17:48
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Grand Tour Specialist
Posts: 4032
Joined: 24-01-2009
PCM$: 200.00
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5 - Concentration
Be tough and earn some respect from fans and teammates and play!
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| Aquarius97 |
Posted on 29-07-2018 18:04
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Grand Tour Specialist
Posts: 4191
Joined: 13-09-2015
PCM$: 300.00
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Leadership +5
Sit out until fully recovered
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| dkfroggy |
Posted on 29-07-2018 19:36
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Amateur
Posts: 14
Joined: 23-07-2018
PCM$: 200.00
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What a Tour that looks to have been! Too bad for Marcus, hope he recovers fast!
+5 Off the ball (did my 2 points from last round not result in an increase?)
Sit out and recover to reduce risk of reinjury.
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| jandal7 |
Posted on 29-07-2018 20:47
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World Champion
Posts: 11395
Joined: 17-12-2014
PCM$: 1020.00
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+5 Work Rate
Sit them out
24/02/21 - kandesbunzler said “I don't drink famous people."
15/08/22 - SotD said "Your [jandal's] humour is overrated"
11/06/24 - knockout said "Winning is fine I guess. Truth be told this felt completely unimportant."
[ICL] Santos-Euskadi | [PT] Xero Racing
5x x5
2x x2
2x x2 |
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| Mresuperstar |
Posted on 30-07-2018 05:54
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Grand Tour Champion
Posts: 8059
Joined: 22-06-2009
PCM$: 650.00
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"Does that hurt?" the team doctor said while pressing down on my wrist.
"Yeah, that hurts like hell. Get off me."
"You're not ready. Come see me again in a couple weeks."
Well, that didn't go as planned. Looks like this month is a no-go. At this rate, we can probably cross off the Tour of Britain at the start of next month as well. My season is slowly coming to a crashing end. Promising start, forgetful finish.
Is Britain Worth It?: Marcus Diamond badly wants to race in his home OVO Energy Tour of Britain. The doctor is willing to provide the pain killers to make that happen. However, one crash would spell the end of his season (albeit he only has 3 races left afterwards anyways) and would sideline him longer for Witham. If he races and makes it through the tour, his reputation and resistance stat will get a boost. So, race or sit out?
Edited by Mresuperstar on 30-07-2018 07:00
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