Ah ha! Have I cracked it? Is this solid surge from 16th to 4th and 2 points off the playoffs mean Banditos have turned the corner? Have i spoken far too soon? Can i ask any more questions without giving answers?

(answers are respectively, i don't know, hopefully, , probably, obviously not)

As the done thing now on these blogs seems to be including a screen print of the relevant data to prove one is not lying, here it is...

Riviting information i'm sure you'll agree. Starting to look a little like the Honk Kong skyline, which has a really tall one at the right hand end - so hopefully i can stalk down the purple angels in the last week. Doubt it, but with new signing Calabras Hierro on the case (14 goals in 11 games, including 4 this morning!) anything is possible at the Stadio el Banditos.

A word on Calabras. My new signing is a machine. He keeps on going through whatever is thrown across his path. Banditos may have had the reputation of a party club in the past, but the aquisition of such a model professional marks the turning over of a new leaf, a fresh page, and any other metaphors for newness. Just as long as he can keep away from the Cranberry Sambuca (colloquially called "Cranbuca") that the hills of Patalonia have started to produce he'll be fine...

Its much more fun to be sitting on the verge of something going into the last week. In recent seasons I've watched from the dugout as my boys have thrown away championship after championship. Mostly, we ended up disgruntled in the playoffs. This time, I'd be very happy with the playoffs, as would they (especially the new boys) and that is a much better mindset to go into them with. We've won promotion through the playoffs only once in six attempts, and this needs to change swiftly. Maybe this season is our season, who knows...

(do you know? do you have a crystal ball in your back pocket, if so let me know?  Comment on to this blog entry what you think will happen to Banditos. A correct prediciton might find you getting a credit or two flying at you (either in rage or happiness, oh no, brackets in brackets again! better get out!) - almost like some kind of sideline competition. All depends on the detail you go into and whatnot...)

Recent thoughts on improving managerleague

If you have happened to chance past this blog before, you'll know i have suggested previously both 1. a "Hairdryer" button to allow me to yell at my underperforming squad, as well as 2. a "Pyschologist Staff Member" to help those players who are clearly having some emotional problems. I would still go for the first option, but the second i'm not so sure about as it seems to have got messy in the trial of it i did in my head. Paolo is still distracting Eric more than anything else, but at least he's training better. Anyway...

My latest thoughts to add to the list of growing brilliant reccomendations that will ultimately be ignored are

3. Hall of Fame

I suggested this in the forums in the PB era (pre-blogs, i thank you) that a hall of fame listing the winnerds of division 1, possibly division 2 and the league cup would be nice so that we can see who's been the most successful etc. There is no self promotion in this i assure you - look at my league position! I feel i should state it again here.

4. Loans

This is the brainstorm one from this morning.  I have my new youth player, a 71 rated defender who is be worst defender. Now, i'd like to train him up as in a few seasons he could be useful to me. At the moment he is not. I can't play him in my team and risk losing just to improve him, nor can i play too many friendlies as i don't have a squad big enough to do so without affecting my overall fitness for subsequent games. So what can i do?

Well, a team in division 5 would probably be interested in having him play for them. He may be better than their defenders. But i don't want to sell him, and they can't afford him.

If i could loan him out to them, he would get match practice and improve as a result, they'd get a good first team player. You could have the loans lasting for a fixed length and shade the player's box to indicate who actually owned them. At the end of the season, they'd come back to me, unless i still wanted to loan them out? Everybody wins? I think so!

But will I win? Will Banditos finally realise their potential and succeed where they have failed so many times in the past? Will Teo ever be found? Will I get the taste of Cranbuca out of my mouth after drinking a whole bottle to prevent Calabras from seeing it? Will my vision ever be the same again after doing that? Will  i really give away a credit to someone who correctly predicts the end to my season? Will I post subsequent competitions of an equally pointless nature?  Can I get a cup of Tea? Will I get my Hairdryer button? Will I answer these questions in the form of a Noirish Chandleresque Bogie-Bacall parady in my next blog?

Can you wait to find out?

You'll have to...