Summer 2006 Transfer Activity

No sooner had the season ended than Burchet and Zamenhof stormed into my office demanding a contract renewal.  I had security remove them. It crossed my mind to smile wide and offer them both 5-year extensions, then immediately put them on the market.  If this were a normal ML, I might do that.  350p in salary versus 2,200p in sale value later on.

But this isn’t a normal ML.  After I reach my salary requirements, any extra p lying around will just be used to light cigars — aside from the occasional youth player picked up on a free, there won’t be any transfer business.  This season is different, of course, as I’m trying to make sure I reach my salary requirements to avoid the dreaded Game Over screen.  To that end, Zamenhof and Burchet are more useful to me off my payroll than on my transfer list.

Giersen, Stein and Fouque were all given 5-year contract renewals, and we set up a photo-shoot with them trying to look tough under a banner that reads “The Future of Emil Athlétic Club.”

Final 2006 D2 Standings

Emil Athlétic Club finished second from last in D2 to end season 2006. OGC Nice and FC Sochaux were promoted to D1, and their places will be filled by FC Twente and FC Lorient.

OGC Nice	27
FC Sochaux	26
RKC Waalwijk	20
FC Nantes-Atlantique	18
Toulouse FC	17
Heracles Almelo	15
Emil Athlétic Club	14
ADO Den Haag	11

2006 End of Season Review

I’ve given final season ratings for Les Baudets and updated teamwork growth through to the end of the season.

2006 European Cup Winners

AC Milan were crowned European Champions, thrashing Chelsea 4-nil.

Liverpool defeated Inter Milan 3-2 to take the UEFA Cup

D2 Cup final: Toulouse 2 -2 (5-4 PK) FC Sochaux

The D2 Cup final came down to penalties with Toulouse coming out the winner. I can’t say for sure, but I suspect Mathieu was named man-of-the-match, and probably scored the winning penalty.

D2 Cup awarded players include:

• Overall Best Player: Brunel (FC Sochaux)
• Top Scorer: Brunel (FC Sochaux)
• Assist Leader: Macco (Emil Athlétic Club)

Muh who?  Is that a typo?

Macco won something!?

It must be true, Macco Works Every Time™.

Final matchday: FC Nantes-Atlantique 1 – 0 Emil AC

1 – 0

A 60th minute goal sends Les Baudets to the beach with tear-stained shirts, as Nantes claims an essentially meaningless victory, while Nice celebrates a championship.

A word about the scripting

When PES 6 decides to script a match, it has one of three choices to make:

• A: Affect the performance of the player’s team (strengthening or weakening them),
• B: Affect the performance of the Computer’s team, or
• C: Affect both.

It often chooses C in your first year, but I’ve seen instances of B as well this season.  No A yet, but that’s to be expected, as that doesn’t come until later seasons.

For the record, I heartily support B.  Opposing teams should play over their heads from time to time, and especially if they are playing for something meaningful.  C’est la vie, as Ettori would say. The duel between the #5 and #6 teams in a first division ought to be a dogfight.  I do think, however, that A, while perhaps “realistic,” is cruel.  It’s a videogame, for fuck’s sake, and I expect to be able to play it a certain way.  Player form is fine and dandy, but this team-wide nerfing is extremely brutal when you’re already playing with the Worst Players In The Game.

When the COM does decide to affect (inflict?) your team, here are the following ways in which it executes its “momentum”:

• 1: Weakening your players, making them extremely susceptible to contact.  A weakened player will stumble through a full second animation cycle at the slightest touch.
• 2: Slowing the response times of the players, making the game feel like it’s being played through molasses.  This one is painful, and the most obvious to me.  The same team of Donkeys that moved normally just one minute ago in real-time are now reeeeealy slow to react to my commands.
• 3: Slowing the pace of the players.
• 4: Slowing the pace of the players’ passing.
• 5: All of the above

I would be remiss if I didn’t point out that for our final game, the computer chose a C-5 Script for my Fighting Defaults.

2006 D2 league table going in to final matchday

FC Sochaux and OGC Nice are the only clubs still in contention for the Division 2 Championship, with promotion asa consolation prize.  Emil AC could take full points from Nantes and finish as high as fourth with a victory, ending their season on a high note.

Of course, even the degenerate gamblers in Lyon are not so wildly optimistic. Current odds against an Emil AC victory are 10-1.

FC Sochaux	25
OGC Nice	24
RKC Waalwijk	20
Toulouse FC	17
FC Nantes-Atlantique	15
Emil Athlétic Club	15
ADO Den Haag	12
Heracles Almelo	12

Matchday 13: Toulouse FC 0 – 0 Emil AC

Emil AC’s promotion hopes die with a whimper, not a bang, as a feeble attack fails to gain a foothold and Minanda’s red mist seals the draw.

Matchday 12: Emil AC 0 – 2 OGC Nice

More misery for Les Baudets as Ruskin’s early humiliation sums up the day’s events.