Good day to you and welcome to day three of the 2019 CM9798 Cup. We’re back with groups C & D today, which means we’ll see two teams for the first time this tournament in Sporting Po-Taitos and S4ooters Outlaws. Here’s a quick reminder of how both groups look after one game:
Losing the first two could be a disaster but on the flip side, six points at this stage would put one foot in the last 8. Let’s see what today brings…
Welcome back! The 2019 tournament got off to a frantic start on Sunday. Our defending champion FPLHints took a battering, Bells United got some redemption for manager Ross Bell and a couple of games went right to the wire. Now though it is time for groups A and B to join the party. I use the term party loosely.
Welcome! For the next month, this is your life. Or at the very least, this is my life. You’ll have seen in the preview blogs that our 20 managers have been working for this moment for several weeks. Drafts have been drafted, torn up and then drafted again. Four players were accidentally drafted twice. Steve Potts was inexplicably included. Kinder eggs were used for an unnecessary draw ceremony. All of that lead to this moment – the beginning of the 2019 CM9798 Cup.
Without a host nation to speak of, what better way to start than our defending champion FPLHints?
Well hello there. With the 2019 CM9798 Cup due to kick off next week, it’s time for the second of two previews. Last week I analysed/insulted (a fine line) Groups A & B if you want to have a pick through that, or you can remind yourself of the whole process here.
Let’s take a look what groups C & D have to offer.
Dave is a bit of a wildcard in the pack. Selected based on his thorough knowledge of the CM9798 editor, he’s played the draft system reasonably well and has a strong squad to pick from.
@davemathieson84
Having landed the most sought after player in the draft process – Luis Enrique – Dave is one of the few managers with a multitude of options in defence. Generally, there’s a lot of versatility throughout the squad which can only bode well. Creativity shouldn’t be a problem with Djorkaeff, Mijatovic and Denilson in the ranks but where will the goals come from?
Bobic and Hubner are good but are they world class? This will be a good test of their ability. I bloody love Youri Djorkaeff and you wouldn’t say there were many weaknesses in the squad. It’s a solid 8 out of 10 everywhere really plus Enrique, who is brilliant. My advice – don’t waste him at full back just because he can play there.
Verdict – Dave will be in the mix for qualification but the lack of a goalscorer might inhibit the chances of winning the group.
Selected Odds – Mijatovic most assists in tournament – 5/1
Tom Reed is one of our veterans having entered all three CM Cups to date. His squad has a strong PSG presence plus the “friends of Giggsy” draft pack. Can it succeed?
@tomreedwriting
Getting the most out of Giggs and Rai looks vital here. Nicky Butt is also very good but that’s more about keeping the goals out. There’s a lot of strikers who become very good, but how will they get on just a few days into the game? That might put the scoring burden on Andy Cole which history has shown will either be feast or famine. The defence is ok – Pallister and Goma flanked by Abel Xavier, Irwin and Paul Le Guen in some combination means they will be solid if unspectacular.
Verdict – Unfortunately I think this side will just fall short. However, there’s a lot of Man Utd and PSG players in here who are two extremely strong sides, so they must have something about them.
Selected Odds – PSG Mashup to qualify – 10/1
Another “three cup” veteran, Ross will be hoping to reach the latter stages after exiting in the group stages last year. If he is to progress this year, it’s not going to be based on his defence.
@Riddley82
The first issue is the goalkeeper. Ogrizovic is coming towards the end of his career whilst Neil Finn is 18. Jorge Costa will have his work cutout at centre half with the promising Valerien Ismael likely to partner him. Dyer, McCall and the veteran Tommy Boyd will vie for the full back positions. The real question is where Ross fits Matthias Sammer into his system. Sammer is still riding the wave of being the best player at Euro 96 and usually attracts interest from Barcelona.
Bisgaard and Fernando will have to take on creative duties but who are they supplying the bullets for? That’ll be a tough call.
Verdict – Long term, this side would do pretty well. Over a short sprint of 4 games, Ross is going to have to call on all of his skills that were on show during his guest saves.
Selected Odds – Matthias Sammer highest average rating of group stages – 7/2
Rob Tait is extremely knowledgeable about CM9798. His guest blogging series’ have shown that but also his in-depth tactics article last year was very useful. He’s assembled a varied squad which looks to have star power at both ends of the pitch.
@taitanator
I was surprised to see Kopke deemed a star player given some of the other players in the squad but the AI knows best. Oli, Del Piero and Chiesa is a devastating trio whilst Rob has gotten the best out of Leandro before. Albertini and Ince should lock own the midfield whilst Iuliano, Panucci and Ziege are three parts of a solid back four. Whether it is Stimac or Beto who partners Iuliano remains to be seen.
Rob still plays regularly and this team has goals in it. I suspect he’ll find a way and he’s my favourite to progress.
Verdict – A potential group winner with plenty of goals to be had.
Selected Odds – Leandro to win golden boot – 12/1
Michael Marden is flying the flag for Quickly Kevin and he’s managed to get together a rather strong team. What he lacks in strikers he makes up for in…holding midfielders. Michael moves from the punditry booth to the dugout this time but can he inspire his team to glory?
@_Michael_Marden
I was fascinated by Michael’s interview with us a few years ago. Here is a man who played the hell out of this game when it was first released. Sure, he blotted his copybook by boldly claiming Perez Munoz Alfonso and Denilson were the same person but we’re all allowed one. In Maldini, Desailly and Southgate there’s a strong defence in there – even backups Hinchcliffe and Duberry are fairly useful alongside the versatile Haaland.
Deschamps and Sousa will marshal the midfield which should free up Le Tissier to do Le Tissier type things. Ravanelli won the golden boot at the World Cup last summer, proving he has the credentials to lead the line here whilst Kirovski is highly rated. Totti is young and similar to Michael Owen – he’ll have good games and bad.
Michael’s always been very generous in giving up his time to help out with my various schemes and I’m delighted he’s on board for this year. If he can find the right formation here I’m tipping him to advance to the knockouts.
Verdict – A strong defence will set him up nicely and I think he’ll be hard to break down away from home. If he can find a formation that gets the best out of Le Tissier and Ravanelli then I’m backing Quickly Kevin United for 2nd place.
Selected Odds – Le Tissier to score 3+ goals – 2/1
Ross has somehow nabbed two of the best goalkeepers on the game but no right backs. An impressive set of options up front should make all the difference as Ross looks to bounce back from a group stage exit last summer.
@RossBell1984
The positives then, outside of the two aforementioned goalkeepers, are Bakayoko and Ortega. A fearsome partnership in the making there. Sadly Henrik Larsson is somewhat short of his real life heroics whilst Hasselbaink is good if not great. Edmundo is a real wildcard, just as he was in real life. Rui Costa and Moller will create plenty.
The defence is obviously a bit lopsided but Antonio Carlos, Lucic and Bjorklund are all good centre half options. Having Jarni and De Boer is a shame but I’ll be interested to see what system Ross uses.
Ross created the Man on the Post podcast network and gave me a podcast home last summer. For that, I am eternally grateful. My advice is to get Bakayoko as far forward as possible.
Verdict – If there was a right back this squad would be great. Instead, it will have to settle for being good. Bakayoko and Ortega can win games by themselves and to be fair they might have to.
Selected Odds – Henrik Larsson to score 0 goals – 6/1
The current champion didn’t have the best of drafts but with so many attacking options available, who needs defenders anyway?
@FPLhints
With Johnsen, Hierro, Porrini and Dublin all good centre half options I’d imagine our champ will be looking at three at the back. Having Roy Keane and potentially McAllister to knit things together should help release Raul, Laudrup and Yorke, amongst others.
What we saw last year was that Ash (real name!) reaped the benefits of taking a hands on approach. In game changes won him several matches and I’d expect more of the same this time around. He’ll have to pull on all of that experience to get through this time.
Verdict – I think his past form will propel him into the mix, most likely for second. This is a set of teams who could all beat each other though.
Selected Odds – FPLHints to retain the CM Cup – 16/1
If you’ve been following Matt’s guest blogs you’ll know he is somewhat of a mad scientist. Full of bright ideas, he’s picked a squad that was mostly unique and gives him plenty of options.
@Matt_C_Wills
What I like about this squad is that it’s full of players who are extremely good but you wouldn’t think it. Witschge, Guerrero, Finidi and Watson all fall into this category. Papin performed brilliantly for France in last summer’s World Cup but that is my only concern with this team – are there enough goals in the forwards?
Verdict – I expect Matt will win this group due to having the most balanced squad. It’s a really tough group to call though.
Selected Odds – Criterion Club to qualify – 7/4
Dan picked a squad right out of the 90s back book. Indeed Dan only needed to pick one player on the draft pack and he chose…Dave Beasant. This was akin to Bart choosing the elephant on that Simpsons episode.
@BarkerDan10
Ginola, Kinkladze and Kanchelskis will provide the creativity and if they can provide the crosses for Ferdinand and Ferguson, that could be a positive avenue. Anelka is still very raw, as is Ian Harte.
I think this is one of the weaker sides in the group but I wouldn’t want to defend against Ferguson and Ferdinand. It’s a classic back four too, which will be difficult to unlock.
Verdict – They’ll compete in every game but will they have the quality?
Selected Odds – Duncan Ferguson to be sent off – Evens
Dan won our prize bundle in 2017 and comes in with a startling lack of defenders. He does however have Gazza.
@s4ooter
Dan will have no option but to go all out attack to try and bring Hagi, Gazza and everyone’s favourite Icelandic superstar into play. CM favourite Bjorn Heidenstrom will need to be at his best to marshal this defence.
Verdict – I have it on good authority that Dan is going to throw caution to the wind which I think is the way to go. Ultimately though they’ll have to play two away games and I think that’ll be where they fall down.
Selected Odds – Darren Anderton to get injured – 1/10
Greetings and welcome to the first of two previews for the 2019 CM9798 Cup. Seeing as I opted out of playing this year I get to run the rule over everybody’s selections. If you need reminding of how we got to this stage, this post should help. Today I’ll be going through Groups A & B with C & D to follow on Sunday. Here’s a reminder of the draw:
It is of course very difficult to say how some of our new managers will perform but I have some good intel on some of the repeat competitors. Please note odds are offered purely in jest, there isn’t a real market for this.
I was going to say something nice about every competitor but it’s really difficult with Chris. His CM Cup campaigns so far have seen him manage Real Madrid to a first round loss in 2017 whilst his Argentina team were eliminated in the last 16 by Spain in the World Cup last summer. He failed to read the rules correctly this year but his squad may give him some hope of progression.
@RonnieDogChris
I would say it lacks star power at first glance but he’s one of the few teams able to put out a back four, with Sergi a particular standout. Robert Page and Christian Worns are both CM stalwarts whilst Laudrup, De Boer and Sibierski are all excellent. The team is perhaps a little light on strikers but Litmanen scored over a goal a game for my all conquering Ajax side and Boksic is a useful hand – this is pre-Boro.
I owe Chris a lot for his support over the years not just with this blog but the subsequent books and writing platforms he has given me. For that I give you one solid piece of advice – don’t play 4-4-2.
Verdict – This team is hamstrung by the manager. If Chris can have his Mike Bassett moment and take charge of this mob then he might not get his eyebrows shaved off for drawing 0-0 with Egypt. He has an outside chance of qualifying.
Selected Odds – Stuart Pearce to miss a pen – evens
By Tom’s own admission he hasn’t played the game for roughly 20 years but he’s clearly still got a good memory for some stars of the past.
@TJRostance
There’s an obvious omission of a left back but with Davids as a DM he could play as a wingback. The AI clearly doesn’t fancy David Platt or Steve Potts but I think that’s more down to the club’s reputation being 20. Ian Wright is lethal in the first season so don’t underestimate him whilst Maurice, Salas and Pires are obvious stars. Add in Beckham and the always popular (on CM) Lamouchi and there’s a pretty solid side in there. Finding the right formation will be the difference between progressing and an early exit.
Tom has always been very supportive of the blog since I tagged him in one of the early Darlington live texts. He definitely live blogs a good game but can he play one on Champ?
Verdict – What I like about this squad is that it has the right mix of flair and graft. Blending them is easier said than done but if Tom can solve that puzzle then he’ll be in the running.
Selected Odds – Rostance Rovers to qualify for the knockouts – 7/2
Ash played down his chances last summer but the host of Alive and Kicking 90s Podcast was always going to know a thing or two and took Holland to the semi-finals. His squad is stacked although maybe a little too much in the goalkeeper area.
@AshRoseUK
Three top centre backs and one of the bets left backs on the game should provide good cover in front of presumably Nigel Martyn. There’s a myriad of attacking talent, the most exciting of which is probably Juninho but Davor Suker is at Real Madrid at the start of the game and is very good indeed. Bergkamp’s talent is no secret whilst Michael Owen is very young but capable of great things. Shevchenko – who has his name spelled incorrectly in the database – was a goal machine for my Aston Villa side when I was tactics testing the other year. The biggest problem Ash is going to have is figuring out the jigsaw that gets all of these players into the team.
Obviously Ash and I share a common interest so I was delighted when he asked me to be a guest on his show a few years ago, even if re-living Newcastle’s 95/96 meltdown was a tough one to take. My only advice here is not to expect miracles from Owen – this game came out before World Cup 98 so whilst his potential is very high, he’s very inconsistent.
Verdict – If Ash can find a formation that hides the right back frailty and gets the best out of his many attacking options I can see PCR sneaking through.
Selected Odds – Roberto Carlos to score a free kick – 4/1
Poor old Supernova came bottom of the draft phase and had most of his squad handed to him by the draft pack system. To make matters worse I ballsed up and gave him Paolo Maldini when he had been drafted elsewhere. Talk about kicking a man when he’s down…
@Supernovadragon
Despite all of that, the squad is competitive. Any team that can pair Nesta and John Curtis at centre half should do fine, whilst McManaman and Fernando will provide the creativity. I’m just not sure where the goals will come from. Emile Heskey is extremely highly rated whilst Sutton and Negri have been proven goalscorers at this point in their careers. Nevland and Tomlinson have their best years ahead of them whilst Kanu is a bit of a maverick.
SD has done great blog work with the Man Utd youth team and three of that squad have made it here. I would say this is the weakest squad in the group but a solid defence will make him hard to beat.
Verdict – It doesn’t look the strongest but then again neither did Greece. A strong defence can get you everywhere.
Selected Odds – Neil Lennon to be red carded in any game – 1/3
If you haven’t read “Cashing In” by Sid then you are missing out. I’m not contractually obliged to plug Sid’s material but good work deserves to be recognised. Meanwhile, Sid is another who hasn’t played the game in 20 years but his squad is groin grabbingly good.
@sid_lambert
The defence is decidedly average, admittedly. But fundamentally he is able to name a conventional back four should he want to so it stands up well already. Martin Djetou is one of my favourite ever CM players, he will do a job in defence or midfield. Svindal Larsen speaks for himself and then any combination of Shearer, Batistuta, Romario and Scholes will get goals. This is one of the better balanced squads in the group and if he can nail that in a formation, he’ll go far in the competition.
Verdict – My favourite to win the group but at the very least should qualify for the knockouts.
Selected Odds – Gabriel Batistuta to win the golden boot – 8/1
Paddy was runner-up last season with France. Some people will claim he has not taken this entirely seriously, but at the end of the day he got his entire team without question.
@90sfootball
So, genius or insanity? In Kluivert, Loko, Berger, Vieira and Andersson there’s the spine of a good team there. Whether Pat Nevin is entrusted alongside them remains to be seen. My main concern here is the goalkeeper. I think it’s the most important position on the game and I know nothing about Lodewijks. Pat Bonner is terrible. There are a lot of unknowns in this squad.
I’ll always be grateful to Paddy for giving me a re-tweet when I first got started, it may even be how some of you came to find the blog. I wish I could offer some constructive advice here but many of these players even I have never managed. Patrice Carteron played for Sunderland and scored in the Tyne-Wear derby once whilst Patrick Valery played for Blackburn. Good luck?
Verdict – With the attacking talent he has available I suspect he will be strong at home but may struggle away given the strength of some attacks they will be up against.
Selected Odds – Patrick Vieira to be booked three or more times – 2/1
Andrew had such high hopes for his Norway side last summer but ran into an inspired Belgium side in the last 16 and that was that. A real connoisseur of the Scandinavian leagues, this side could be a force.
@KingOfTheRooks
Two good goalkeepers and options at the back – this is not like most teams we have seen so far. Figo and Joao Pinto are rightly flagged as star players whilst Vieri always scores goals. Neset, Rushfeldt and Svensson are relative unknow quantities but they have been selected for a reason.
Andy knows this game inside out as shown by his blog posts for us. He will find a way and probably already has. He’s one of my favourites to progress from this group.
Verdict – I think he’ll get through. It’s not the flashiest of teams but it will be organised and the likes of Figo will unlock a door.
Selected Odds – Mihailjovic to score a free kick anytime – 3/1
There’s been a lot of love for Mark’s squad on Twitter and it’s not hard to see why. Has he found the perfect mix? Mark was Brazil manager last summer but couldn’t convert a great start into the cup win. Will this year be any better?
@MarkCarruthers_
Let’s focus on where it matters here. Zidane and Rivaldo in the same team? Crikey. Emmers is just as good as them, bizarrely, whilst Ronaldo could be partnered by any of his colleagues there and still be a hit. There’s barely a wasted spot in the squad. Bould, Ferdinand and Gravesen is a good pool of centre backs and even the AI often plays Gary Neville there.
Mark has shown great form in these competitions. He was runner up in the inaugural cup in 2017 and will have a re-match with Dan during the group phase. A strong favourite not only to progress but for the cup itself.
Verdict – I think he’d have won the World Cup last summer if Ronaldo had stayed fit. Assuming he remains fit here, I think Mark will be in the latter stages.
Selected Odds – Ronaldo to win the golden boot – 7/2
As mentioned, Dan won the inaugural cup in 2017 and provided one of my favourite moments in last summer’s World Cup. His much unfancied Chile side faced elimination unless they could pull off a high scoring win over Mexico and a 90th minute goal secured a 5-3 win and progression to the next round. What can he do here?
@winkveron
It’s a very strong attacking team but there’s a high risk of Jeff Kenna at the other end. That said, Phil Neville and Luis Fernandez should keep him away whilst Campbell and Roberto Rios is a good pairing. Barcelona pair Guardiola and De La Pena will do well in central midfield whilst Alfonso is a hero to us all. Japhet N’Doram and Kiko are both highly rated in game. There’s a lot to like here.
Verdict – Dan is basically the Bielsa of CM. His games will be entertaining but will he fall on his sword? For me he’ll be in the scrap for second. As we found out last summer, never write him off.
Selected Odds – Boca Seniors most goals scored in Group B – 5/1
This is a squad of great players but will they make a great team? Michael knows what he is doing and did well with Romania last summer but what will he do to get the most out of this squad?
@CorinthianHead
With only two centre backs any injuries could be problematic. He has three right backs though so that’ll help. Robbie Fowler is a goal machine whilst Baggio, Zola, Signori and Henry is an embarrassment of riches. There’s not much balance to the centre of midfield though and I think that may be where he falls down compared to some other teams. He does however have a good CM pedigree and has probably already figured out how to get the most out of this squad.
Corinthian Collector has a book coming out about Corinthian Figures soon so you’ll want to keep your eyes peeled for that. The recipe for doing well here is probably not playing Maradona.
Verdict – Should score a lot of goals but might lose the edge in tight matches. Will be in the running but I think will just fall short.
Selected Odds – Diego Maradona to be sent home – evens
There we go then, the first two groups previewed. The thing is, all teams are stacked with top class players and it could even just take one of them to have a great day to win the game for his team. I think Group B is marginally stronger than Group A but it’s pure speculation, I’m really looking forward to seeing this play out.
I’ll be back on Sunday with the preview for groups C and D. See you then!
Hello! Since introducing the tournament last week, anticipation has been building for the 2019 CM9798 Cup. I mean that genuinely as well, I’ve received literally more than 5 tweets about it. It therefore gives me great pleasure to bring you the draw as we move a step closer to actually playing some matches. For those who don’t want to watch my wife draw names out of kinder egg pods for 6 minutes, you can scroll down past the video and there’s an image of the draw to save you the hassle.
As promised, here it is in pictorial format.
Matthew and Matt will be here on Tuesday and Wednesday to finalise their two saves and then there’ll be a preview piece for the cup on Thursday. The matches should start next week.
Merry Monday to you all,
Dave
Hello! It’s no secret that the wheels have been in motion for the 2019 CM9798 Cup for a while. In an attempt to go bigger and better than last year’s World Cup, we’ve upped the field to 20 and ran a draft style system. Each manager has their own team, custom designed and ready to entertain.
This will be my last big tournament as I’m cutting back my commitments in the new season. The blog will continue and I’ll hopefully still have regular updates for you but I doubt I’ll be able to put aside the amount of time to do this sort of thing. The hours of editing, creating and generally pissing about with a spreadsheet of over 600 players do not come easily. Now if somebody wants to pay me to do this, that’s another matter…
Anyway, onto the event.
The Contenders
FPL Hints returns as defending champion. He will immediately have a bullseye on his chest after winning the World Cup with Italy last summer. Beaten finalist 90sFootball is also back for another crack.
In fact 14 of the field featured last season. Only myself and Adam (Belgium) have dropped out, so we welcome back guest writers KingOfTheRooks, Matt_C_Wills, Ross Jacobs, Rob Tait and Corinthian Collector. There’s also spots for friends of the blog Ross Bell, Tom Reed, Chris Darwen, Ash Rose, Mark Carruthers, Dan Barker and 2017 Champion Dan Williamson.
Stepping up from their analysis roles last season are Tom Rostance and Michael Marden. They talk a good game but how will their get on in the dugout?
SupernovaDragon joined the writing team this season so he pitches up with a team, whilst 90s enthusiast Sid Lambert brings a wealth of knowledge to the table. Dave Mathieson is full of 9798 nuggets on Twitter and takes the 19th spot which leaves bundle winner S4ooter to take the final spot.
The Draft
It’s not easy trying to organise twenty people around the country so although I wanted to do a draft, I was also aware time was an issue. I mean that in the sense both in terms of how long I had to set things up but also asking people to give up their time for this.
The lads were asked to pick a squad of 18 players but order them in terms of who they prioritised. So their first pick was their most important player. If more than one team picked the same player, whoever had them as a higher priority got the player. Those spaces would then be filled by the second draft phase.
Clearly some strategy would be needed – picking the best 18 players imaginable would leave the managers running the gauntlet of the second draft so some tact would be needed. Paddy (90sFootball) took matters into his own hands and named a team of Patrick’s (or continental equivalent) and got all 18 of his squad. Poor old SupernovaDragon got 4 of his 18. If anybody really wants to see it I’ll publish the full spreadsheet of carnage.
A scoring system was in place so that a unique player was worth 20 points, a player you stole from another team (due to a higher priority ranking) was worth 10 and a player you lost on that basis was worth -10. The highest score meant you got first pick of a draft pack. As Paddy didn’t need any replacements, there were 19 draft packs.
The draft packs were my way of speeding the process up. Each pack had 14 players in and there were two preview players on show for each pack. Each manager in turn chose a pack and then were given the full list of 14 – they’d then pick however many they needed from that list to complete their squads.
Confused? Try administering it!
The Squads
The upshot of all that is that the squads are now complete. They are in the thumbnails below if you want to take a peek – there’ll be a full preview blog coming up. The lads were asked to pick team names related to their name/Twitter name/publication but that soon went by the wayside. Please note AFC Supernova Dragons were awarded a bonus Chris Sutton by way of an apology – my foolproof spreadsheet failed to pick up Paolo Maldini at number 4 in his list when Quickly Kevin United had him at number two. Racked with guilt, Maldini was replaced by Nesta and Sutton is playing the role of a basket of muffins.
The Format
There will be four groups of five teams, with the top two in each advancing to the quarter finals. Then it’ll be a straight knockout to the final.
The draw will be coming up in a few days, I just need more kinder egg pods. Yes, really.
Matches will be recorded but as ever they will be summarised via blog posts. We’re almost ready to start, I’ll have a definitive date soon and we can be started by June at the latest.
The Prize
Alongside the coveted trophy, there’s a £25 Classic Football Shirts voucher up for grabs. There are other prizes being worked on – please do get in touch if you have something to give away in exchange for exposure on the posts. My sincere thanks to CFS for offering up any sort of prize, it’s really appreciated.
For the non-entrants there will be prizes to be won along the way, so keep an eye out for that.
So in the words of David S Pumpkins – Any Questions?
