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Final PT Rankings 2017
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| wackojackohighcliffe |
Posted on 28-04-2018 19:22
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Grand Tour Champion
Posts: 7681
Joined: 19-02-2008
PCM$: 200.00
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Congratulations to Sotd and all the surviving teams, commiserations to those going down. A big thanks to all those involved over the years and particularly to those who've put in so much work behind the scenes, notably SN and roturn. 6th is AFAIK our best ever result so it's a pleasing way to go out as I shut down the team.
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| knockout |
Posted on 28-04-2018 19:40
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Grand Tour Champion
Posts: 7735
Joined: 21-12-2010
PCM$: 400.00
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Gonna make a longer post later but sad to see wacko and Shonak leave the game. Both of you will be missed 
Especially Strava has been my favourite team for quite some time. It will be strange to not being able to see them perform well with their depth
A Big Thank You To All MG Reporters! |
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| Ad Bot |
Posted on 26-11-2024 19:10
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Bot Agent
Posts: Countless
Joined: 23.11.09
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| SotD |
Posted on 28-04-2018 19:40
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World Champion
Posts: 12188
Joined: 29-11-2006
PCM$: 2980.00
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I guess it means I can finally have a chance to get Senechal, which is obviously nice - although not quite the way I wanted to get within a shot.
Thanks for some good seasons wacko!
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| Ollfardh |
Posted on 28-04-2018 21:17
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World Champion
Posts: 14563
Joined: 08-08-2011
PCM$: 9100.00
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So much sad news here, nice teams going down or even disband..
Shonak, if you stay in the MG, I'll promiss not to do my crazy steal offer next ICL transfer season 
Changed my sig, this was getting absurd.
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| Atlantius |
Posted on 28-04-2018 21:28
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Team Leader
Posts: 6795
Joined: 21-07-2010
PCM$: 200.00
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A great battle in the PT this year but sad to see two great teams folding.
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| Marcovdw |
Posted on 28-04-2018 21:31
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Grand Tour Champion
Posts: 7593
Joined: 04-07-2012
PCM$: 15445.00
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Farewell to two teams with a proud history in MG! Sad to see you guys leave.
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| SportingNonsense |
Posted on 28-04-2018 22:42
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Team Manager
Posts: 33046
Joined: 08-03-2007
PCM$: 200.00
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Looking at Vesuvio, it's nice to finish in 4th place, just edging out Aegon there by the tightest of margins.
It was all about the Vuelta this year and having Andy winning there was a great achievement. Gastauer with a good season too, and just beating him in points was Keinath - some really fantastic performances by him over the second half of the season, really helping to keep us in the mix at the top.
Kittel also with a great season, and reasonable points too from Vanmarcke, Konig and Goos to all finish in the Top 100. A nice improvement on last year's 5, especially since one of those was Suaza, who we sold. Terrible season for Van der Lijke though, only my 14th best rider.
With Frank gone, and Andy declining, it's unlikely we'll be as high as this for many seasons to come. Indeed, Andy would make for a very interesting PCT rider in 2019, which does open up some interesting planning decisions when considering what to do for 2018.
Elsewhere, an interesting fight throughout the season for Festina and Moser. Festina were the strongest team, and that did show through in the end. Interesting to see if Moser can press on from here, with Velits not likely to repeat this season, and Sagan sure to demand more money. Evonik could be a real threat for next season then. Some high scoring races at the end took them to the podium, but they're clearly one of the teams with the best base for the future. Aegon backed up their 5th from last year, and now get another chance to find a strategy to push higher. Puma obviously another who are well placed for better things in the seasons to come.
Big congratulations to Porto for cracking the key stay-in-PT challenge, having not managed to at the first attempt. Also Hugo Boss for doing it the first time round - the combination of Alarcon and Ponzi proving quite successful. And Wiesenhof having their most comfortable PT survival season too.
eBuddy finally bettering 9th place in the standings; Gazelle, RBC and Jayco all finishing higher than last season too.
Aker very unlucky to end up 12th, but still a good season for them I think - I thought things could be harder with the sale of EBH, but clearly not. And fellow Scandinavians Spotify being quietly impressive all season. It felt that they had more to do than other promoting teams, pre-transfers, and while Ahlstrand hasn't got the hang of PT just yet, they were regular scorers and never really in relegation danger.
Tinkoff with a sharp drop from recent seasons, and ultimately a bit of a surprise that they managed to stay up. Finishing 17th has been followed by relegation in the subsequent season though, in recent years - Iberia this year's example. After a tough couple of seasons, perhaps a return to PCT can help the team in the long run. Ayubowan did well to be as close as they were, while Nemiroff were always facing a big challenge given their transfers strategy!
It will be a real shame to not have Pendleton's or Strava continuing in the game. After many seasons for Pendleton's, building a talented squad, finally seeing more rewards this season with the Top 10 position and Dombrowski's Vuelta. Strava have been a great team to follow too. The regular rebuild strategy isn't always an easy one, and I don't think one would necessarily have been needed for next season. Particularly a shame if it is the case that the difference of relegation and staying up has been the key driver in the choice.
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| Scorchio |
Posted on 28-04-2018 23:00
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Small Tour Specialist
Posts: 2073
Joined: 14-09-2013
PCM$: 4500.00
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Wacko falls on his sword too. Shame to see such a long-running team be lost. Had a really good set-up for the future as well, but of course everyone has to consider their own ability to continue the level of commitment to the MG. WHen the season is so well organised, keeping up isn't the easiest!
Manager of ISA - Hexacta in the MG |
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| jph27 |
Posted on 29-04-2018 01:33
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Team Leader
Posts: 7339
Joined: 20-03-2010
PCM$: 900.00
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Bit disappointed to go down having been so close to staying up, but then I think back to expectations at the start of the season. Most predictions had us finishing last, or if we really over-performed, second last. So to make it to 19th as well as being within touching distance of staying up is actually a remarkable achievement.
In fact, if it hadn't have been for Monsalve's bizarre final stage drop from 4th to 19th in the Dauphine - to this day I still don't understand it - then we would have ended up staying up by the skin of our teeth. Admittedly we had a lot of luck getting into this position, but it really puts into perspective just how close we were to surviving.
Congratulations of course to SotD on another title, and to Roman for a fantastic season which sadly came up just short. It's also a shame to see wacko and Shonak leaving the scene, two managers who have contributed a lot to the Man-Game and who will be sorely missed.
Looking to next season, and I think we should have a good chance at bouncing straight back up. Have been planning for PCT since before the season began, and I reckon that we can afford to keep everyone except Baugnies going forward. A core of Monsalve, Yates, Carthy, McCarthy, Bellis and Petit with depth from Ranaweera, Gallopin, Chatarunga, Kemboi and Perera is a nice start heading into transfers - and will hopefully be upgraded further. Only real issue will be the number of Level 4 talents I'll have, but nothing that can't be dealt with one way or another. Feel free to pencil us in as PCT favourites until I go mad and sign a bunch of talents again |
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| Shonak |
Posted on 29-04-2018 03:53
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Tour de France Champion
Posts: 15615
Joined: 16-07-2013
PCM$: 350.00
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Thanks for all the nice words. Surprised to see wacko step down too but sometimes it feels right. Hope u stay on daily anyway. Your songs are amazing  You have built an amazing squad and it will be fun to see a bidding war of the ages for the next Schleck.
Ollfardh wrote:
Shonak, if you stay in the MG, I'll promiss not to do my crazy steal offer next ICL transfer season
Sure, try me.
Edited by Shonak on 29-04-2018 04:14
"It’s a little bit scary when Contador attacks." - Tommy V
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| tsmoha |
Posted on 29-04-2018 10:54
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Directeur Sportif
Posts: 11819
Joined: 19-07-2010
PCM$: 300.00
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So this is it.
First of all, congrats to SotD for yet another stunning title campaign. Even though, I would have loved to see Moser taking it for a change, it's certainly a well deserved victory (especially when looking at your HQ and your approach to the MG). A big year for Moser anyway, so also congrats to Roman and of course all those other teams, that finished at the top of the standings. Pretty sure, I will never end up being a Top-5 contender in the ProTour, but it must be a somewhat great feeling for you guys
And then, a huge thank you to all the guys behind the scenes. Particularly roturn, who took over the job at the beginning of this pretty fast paced season. But of course also SN, the mastermind behind the game. All the reporters (in this case, particularly the ProTour reporters), who made for such a smooth season this year. It can't be said enough: your support for the game is essential, obviously.
As for Jayco, well. It's been a season with a lot of frustration and despite some positives here and then, I did not really enjoy following my team for something like half of the races we did. Finishing 13th ain't exactly satisfiyng, but what hurts even more is to miss out on so many goals we had. At least, it should become one of the most interesting off-seasons for us. Basically everything can happen: taking it easy with just some micro management or going crazy and come around with a completely different approach. We will see.
So let's just talk about a few positives: Jack Haig's Vuelta performance. Maybe the best stage-win in our MG history. Lahcen Saber's TONE performance. May some African focused teams come around and remember his stellar ride in one of the toughest stage races of the year Jack Bobridge.. well.. not his best season overall, but at least he made it a third consecutive Tasmania podium. Obviously a special race for Jayco, so I'm glad we kept delivering some good results here. Our Copenhagen - Malmo victory was great, too. Not too many highlights otherwise, except of Lachlan Morton's Giro podium. Our first GT podium must be considered a great thing, even though we had some luck with a weak startlist, of course.
Sad to see Shonak and wacko leaving the game though.
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| Bushwackers |
Posted on 29-04-2018 16:13
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Sprinter
Posts: 1907
Joined: 07-02-2009
PCM$: 200.00
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Bummed to see Wacko and Shonak leaving the game, two great teams and managers that will be missed. Of course congratulations to SotD (and Roman), but it couldn't have ended up any other way I guess 
Fjhoekie's team reminds me a lot of UBS when we relegated to PCT. I lacked depth around Amador and relied on him too much for points, so it took 2 seasons to promote as I built up my secondary leaders. I would caution you around that approach with Pluchkin, although I'm not sure what your plans are with keeping him. Might be difficult with his insane salary anyway, as Amador only cost ~1/2 as much at the time.
Of the others relegating, I would predict Ayubowan as the most likely to bounce back. I think the depth with all those young riders improving another level is going to be good if jph can keep some of his leaders around with better salaries. Project Africa and Iberia are close, but I think they will lose a more talent in the offseason.
Thanks for another great season everyone!
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| sgdanny |
Posted on 29-04-2018 17:25
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Classics Specialist
Posts: 3591
Joined: 18-03-2014
PCM$: 200.00
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Big congrats to SotD who once again showed how great his team package just really is. Moser did make a run for his money, but the last 1/3 of the season just went into his favour. I were really hoping that Moser would come out on top, as a new PT winner would've been good for the competition. However Moser is a team that always should end in the top of the PT, so big kudos to Roman for that.
Very nice transfer season overall for Hugo Boss, just made them take a haul at the Top 10 of the PT in their first year, so that was really impressive. Just goes to show that Alarcon and Ponzi put together makes for an already strong chance of making it into the Top 10 of the PT.
Sad to see beagle go down like this. It wasn't just his season and Degenkolb really really got screwed hard by PCM. Damn the PCT will be hard next season 
EDIT : And sad to see Shonak and wacko leave the game. Interesting projects from my POV, so just a bummer that they won't be part of the MG again.
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| knockout |
Posted on 29-04-2018 18:29
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Grand Tour Champion
Posts: 7735
Joined: 21-12-2010
PCM$: 400.00
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SportingNonsense wrote:
Interesting to see if Moser can press on from here, with Velits not likely to repeat this season, and Sagan sure to demand more money. Evonik could be a real threat for next season then. Some high scoring races at the end took them to the podium, but they're clearly one of the teams with the best base for the future. Aegon backed up their 5th from last year, and now get another chance to find a strategy to push higher. Puma obviously another who are well placed for better things in the seasons to come.
Interesting that you name my team first when discussing possible new challengers for the future. I've had more luck in the second half of the season than any other team, GVA starts to decline and MAL is still very expensive without being a point scorer yet. I don't think I'm really ready to be a title contender yet.
I believe that Aegon and Puma are the two teams that will challenge Aegon and Festina (depending on how much SotD will really go into rebuild mode) while Grieg is the final team that could fight for the title with a good transfer season.
A Big Thank You To All MG Reporters! |
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| SportingNonsense |
Posted on 29-04-2018 20:54
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Team Manager
Posts: 33046
Joined: 08-03-2007
PCM$: 200.00
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Well you finished higher, so you get mentioned first. It'd be nice to see more teams in the mix for the top spot next season, but who knows what will emerge in transfers.
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| Gustavovskiy |
Posted on 29-04-2018 23:47
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Team Leader
Posts: 6036
Joined: 20-07-2008
PCM$: 200.00
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Very glad to hear some of the positive words about our team staying up, thanks guys! On the other hand it's really sad to hear both Strava and Pendelton's are folding. I'm hopeful you guys will still reconsider. The two of you have some of the most popular teams in the game. It'd be a real shame to lose the pinky blues and the orange of Strava , especially in the same season.
I'll give you guys Zmorka and maybe even half Borges, eh
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| wackojackohighcliffe |
Posted on 30-04-2018 07:16
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Grand Tour Champion
Posts: 7681
Joined: 19-02-2008
PCM$: 200.00
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Shonak wrote:
Hope u stay on daily anyway. Your songs are amazing You have built an amazing squad and it will be fun to see a bidding war of the ages for the next Schleck.
Cheers fella, might stick around just for that.
Thanks to all for the kind words but I just don't have the time to make any significant contribution to the game; I'm sure my replacement will be much more active.
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| beagle |
Posted on 30-04-2018 09:38
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Grand Tour Specialist
Posts: 4200
Joined: 06-10-2007
PCM$: 200.00
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Well, another season is (almost) over. Due to fantastic work of whole MG crew, whole process went swiftly and smoothly. Thanks a lot guys!
Congratulation to SotD, again you proved you´re probably the most skillful manager in the game. However, Roman fought bravely until very end this year keeping things open, although final margin of almost 500 points looks very comfortable. Well done Roman, hopefully you´ll celebrate after season 2018!
Final podium place for knockout is quite surprising for me, considering the huge expense for (for now almost) useless MAL. Indeed, lucky outcome of Lisbon classic and GP Moscow helped a lot, but history won´t ask how you managed to succeed. For me well deserved place for great team and manager.
Happy to see old fellow managers Gusta and Oleg saved PT for next season eventually, sad to see wacko and Shonak leaving the game...
What to say about my own team? Due to some bad luck and especially poor manager work in pre-season period, our step down to PCT was inevitable after TdF already. Well, at least my nerves were saved without feeling any pressure in such dramatic final part of season. Actually, I´m looking forward to new experience and challenge. PCT, here we come! Also, hopefully, I´ll become more active again.
Manager of Polar in Man-Game
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| jt1109 |
Posted on 02-05-2018 09:43
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Classics Specialist
Posts: 3217
Joined: 23-07-2008
PCM$: 400.00
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Sorry for my lack of activity the last few races working in the middle of nowhere with no signal at the moment so struggling a bit to keep up.
First great effort by Festina to clinch another title Sotd and Roman team's are just so far ahead at the moment it could take a while for anyone to catch them
Also such a shame to see Strava and Pendeltons go both were interesting for very different reasons Strava having another rebuild in PCT could have really helped them come back stronger though I see why it's been decided against
With Pendeltons I feel sad as I see them as the team's that's one of two pieces off joining the top 2 in the league and without them the division will suffer |
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| OlegTinkov |
Posted on 07-05-2018 01:06
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Small Tour Specialist
Posts: 2668
Joined: 31-12-2007
PCM$: 450.00
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So the PCT planning is not needed after all, wouldn't might relegating but another season in the PT is of course better for us (I hope). Thanks everybody for another ManGame season!
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