ChatmanduChatmandu - Ramblings about Football Manager, Film & Design

Time Lapse Tour of Yosemite

Niall — Fri, 18 May 2012 09:48:44 +0000

Just been watching this video of Yosemite over at Vimeo and really want to go back. We had such a good time while we were there and it’s definitely somewhere I’ll visit again (slightly better planned next time mind you.)

Pictures from my trip.

Weyland Industries: David 8

Niall — Thu, 10 May 2012 15:28:25 +0000

He has been reimagined, reengineered and brought to life with better technological, intellectual, physical and emotional performance than ever before. Welcome to the eighth generation of cybernetic advancement. Brought to you by Weyland Industries.

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London Triathlon – Sponsor Me

Niall — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 10:31:28 +0000

Not my usual kind of post I know but I’m doing the London Triathlon (1.5km swim, 40km bike ride & 10km run) to raise money to support the fantastic work being done day in and day out by Macmillan Cancer Support and I’d like you to sponsor me.

A bit about what Macmillan do:

One in three of us will get cancer and it’s the toughest thing most of us will ever face. If you’ve been diagnosed with cancer, or a loved one has, you’ll want a team of people in your corner supporting you every step of the way.

Macmillan provide practical, medical and financial support and push for better cancer care.

I have lost several member of my direct and extended family to cancer so decided to do something that was completely out of my comfort zone in the hope of raising as much money as possible and a triathlon definitely is well out of my comfort zone.

I’m 197 days away from the big event and have just started ‘triathlon’ training for it which should be ample time to get to get to where I need to be. I’m planning on updating this site with progress on my training because I suspect it’ll be an interesting journey.

If you feel like sponsoring me visit http://www.justgiving.com/Niall-Walsh or Text MMCS99 £5 to 70070.

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How to Develop Young Players – FM2012 & FM2011

Niall — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 15:34:10 +0000

We’ve all been there, you sign what you think is going to be the next ‘wonderkid‘ and it doesn’t pan out. I’ll go through a number of things you can do to help develop young players in FM2011 & FM2012 to give them a fighting chance of developing into the next big thing.

As a club

There are a couple of things you can do at a club level to help you along with your youth development in FM2012/FM2011 etc:

Upgrade your training facilities as much as you can. If your board rejects the request wait a while and ask again. Eventually they will take the hint (or sack you) but as you’d expect better training facilities is a big help.
Employ good coaches because as previously pointed out in ‘Don’t Underestimate the Need for Good Backroom Staff‘ coaches have a big effect in training. Remember to make sure that you hire the right staff in the right areas. For example an Attacking coaches should have good attributes in Attacking, Tactical & DDM and also be assigned to the appropriate training categories eg Attacking. Oh and it goes without saying that coaches should rate highly in working with youngsters.

As a manager

There are a few things you can do as a manager to help you along with your youth development in FM2012/FM2011 etc:

Put your young players on an appropriate training schedule for young players. For a more detailed look at training check out the ‘Training Masterclass‘ that was produced last year.
Loaning out players helps them develop, game time = development time. If a team comes in to loan one of your players don’t just ideally accept. Sending them somewhere to ‘act as cover for the first team‘ isn’t as useful as them being ‘a important first team player‘ somewhere so choose wisely. Also have a look at how good the clubs youth facilities are, the better they are the better the coaching will be for your player.
Have your young players tutored by a more senior member of the squad. Tutoring is initiated in the Private Chat of the senior squad member that you wish to be the tutor by selecting Tutoring in the Development category. If you can find suitable pairings (eg similar positions & personalities) then tutoring can be a more useful way of teaching preferred moves to a player since it does not reduce the time a player spends on scheduled training.
Game time. If you can’t loan a player out then try and give them some game time in your first team. Be careful though you need to pick your moments, 3-0 down to Man City with 20 minutes to go isn’t the best time to boost a young players confidence. 4-0 up with 20 minutes to go is the perfect time to throw him in there. League Cup & FA Cup games are another decent option although be careful a weakened time can sometimes bite you in the backside.

There you go, none of it is rocket science but you’d be amazed how little some people do and expect these players to majically develop themselves. Have I missed anything? Let me know below.

Football Manager 2013 (FM2013) Wishlist

Niall — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 11:41:18 +0000

I have been very impressed with FM2012 and while there is nothing official to say that there will be a Football Manager 2013 (FM2013) I’m going to speculate and say that there probably will be a new Football Manager game so with that in mind…What would you like to see in Football Manager 2013?

Football Manager 2013 Wishlist

I said this last year but am improvement to the very limited set piece creator, set specific player runs while also being able to specify where players stand eg set 2 players to block the keeper etc
When scouting players I want to know exactly how they compare to my players in every postion they play in rather than just their natural one… Just like it does for your own players when you request a scout report on them.
Ability to buy youngsters and loan them back to their club for a season or two. Playing for my reserves can’t be as good as a year or two at a Championship club plus the club then might be more willing to sell.
Interviewing for job. Granted if a club wants a manager then a interview is not really required they are simply hired but there are jobs out there that you should have to interview for. Martin O’Neil didn’t get the England job because he didn’t interview well (he actually had a opinion.) Are you planning on bringing youth players in? Experienced players? Moneyball approach? Long ball or pass and move? etc

Anyway that is all for now. I’ll add more when I think of them.

What would you like to see in Football Manager 2013?

Football Manager 2013 (FM2013) Wonderkids & Future Stars

Football Manager 2013 (FM2013) Wonderkids & Future Stars

Niall — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 17:37:15 +0000

It’s my annual guessing game again. We’ve all played a chunk of FM2012 and been watching the Premiership, La Liga, Champions League etc so you may have spotted a player who you think has ‘FM2013 Wonderkid’ written all over him. Who is it?

I’ll get the ball rolling with a few:

John Flanagan
Ahmed Khalil
Raheem Sterling
Jon Toral
Xherdan Shaqiri
Philippe Coutinho
Suso
Luc Castaignos
Lucas Rodrigues
Mortiz Leitner
Stefan Bell

Who do you fancy?

Get Involved

The important thing to remember is this list is a work in progress and requires YOU to contribute also. It’ll be updated a few times a week so keep and eye out.

Films to Look Forward to in 2012

Niall — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 12:40:54 +0000

Yes, I know it’s already February but thought I’d drop in a few of the films I’m looking forward to in 2012 (in no particular order I must add). Yes they are all what you’d consider high profile choices and I suspect I’ll see much better films over the course of the year but these are the ones I’m looking forward to:

Prometheus

The gist: A team of explorers discover a clue to the origins of mankind on Earth, leading them on a journey to the darkest corners of the universe. There, they must fight a terrifying battle to save the future of the human race.
My view: It’s directed by Ridley Scott, it’s the future and it’s sci-fi what more is there to say. Well Damon Lindelof is one of the writers which can’t be a bad thing.
Release Date: 1 June 2012 (UK)
(Fake) Official site: http://www.prometheus-movie.com/

Skyfall (Bond 23)

The gist: Bond’s loyalty to M is tested as her past comes back to haunt her. As MI6 comes under attack, 007 must track down and destroy the threat, no matter how personal the cost.
My view: It’s fair to say Quantum of Solace was a pant of a convoluted mess but I’m hoping for a return to ‘Casino Royale‘ form. With Sam Mendes directing and a cast including Javier Bardem & Ralph Fiennes it’s looking good on paper. I’m a Bond geek so fingers crossed.
Release Date: 26 October 2012 (UK)
Official site: http://www.facebook.com/JamesBond007

The Avengers

The gist : Nick Fury and the international agency S.H.I.E.L.D. bring together a team of super humans to form The Avengers to help save the Earth from Loki & his various membered army.
My view: This has been setup for years over the course of the generally pretty good Iron Man , The Incredible Hulk, Thor & Captain America and with Joss Whedon directing I have every confidence it’ll be fantastic.
Release Date: 27 April 2012 (UK)
Official site: http://marvel.com/avengers_movie

Brave

The gist: Determined to make her own path in life, Princess Merida defies a custom that brings chaos to her kingdom. Granted one wish, Merida must rely on her bravery and her archery skills to undo a beastly curse.
My view: Ever since I saw the early concept art for this my attention was pricked. Pixar tackling the Scottish Highlands will surely be something to see and I’m sure it will be more of a ‘Up‘ rather than a ‘Cars 2‘ although I could be wrong.
Release Date: 13 August 2012 (UK)
Official site: http://www.disney.com/Brave/

Django Unchained

The gist: With the help of his mentor, a slave-turned-bounty hunter sets out to rescue his wife from a brutal Mississippi plantation owner.
My view: Inglorius Basterds was a revenge flick disguised as a World War II film and while it was far from perfect I throughly enjoyed it. In Django Unchained Quentin Tarantino applies the same methodology to the Civil War era USA. Only time will tell if it is as good.
Release Date: 26 December 2012 (UK)
(Fake) Official site: http://www.djangounchained.org/

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

The gist: Bilbo Baggins, a Hobbit, journeys to the Lonely Mountain accompanied by a group of dwarves to reclaim a treasure taken from them by the dragon Smaug.
My view: It was always going to be troublesome to follow the Lord of the Rings trilogy and early production of this was problematic (Guillermo del Toro was meant to direct) but with Peter Jackson back in the directors chair we know this will look stunning and the source material is fantastic. While The Hobbit is generally seen as a lesser book to the Lord of the Rings trilogy it is my personal favorite so I’m hopeful for this film.
Release Date: 14 December 2012 (UK)
Official site: http://www.thehobbitblog.com/

The Dark Knight Rises

The gist: Eight years after the events of The Dark Knight, the terrorist leader Bane arrives in Gotham City, pushing it and its police force to their limits, forcing its former hero Batman to resurface after taking the fall for Harvey Dent’s crimes.
My view: Batman Begins was good, The Dark Knight was better and I suspect Christopher Nolan’s third and final entry in the Batman franchise will raise the bar even higher. The hype will be hard to live up to but with villain Bane (Tom Hardy) and antihero Catwoman (Anne Hathaway) I think this will be fantastic.
Release Date: 20 July 2012 (UK)
Official site: http://www.thedarkknightrises.com/

Honourable Mentions

The Five-Year Engagement: A comedy that charts the ups and downs of an engaged couple’s relationship.
The Gangster Squad: A chronicle of the LAPD’s fight to keep East Coast Mafia types out of Los Angeles in the 1940s and 50s.
The Gangster Squad: A chronicle of the LAPD’s fight to keep East Coast Mafia types out of Los Angeles in the 1940s and 50s.
Cloud Atlas: Six stories set in a different time and place become intricately related to each other.
Lincoln: The sixteenth President of the United States guides the North to victory during the Civil War.

Lonesome Ghosts

Niall — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 13:46:03 +0000

Lonesome Ghosts is one of my favorite Disney ‘shorts’ and features the legends that are Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and Goofy as a trio of “Ajax Ghost Exterminators”. It was released in 1937 and rumour has it it helped inspire Ghostbusters no less.

Yesterday I managed to pickup a fantastic print from Mondo by Tom Whalen. Was very pleased to get it because (as always) the prints sold out in a matter of minutes. I really love the stuff Mondo commission but it is so hard to get at times it’s silly. For once I was a happy camper and can’t wait for it to arrive.

LONESOME GHOSTS is SOLD OUT!

February 9, 2012 7:56 pm via TweetDeck ReplyRetweetFavorite

@MondoNews

Justin Ishmael

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The Amazing Spiderman

Niall — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 13:33:01 +0000

Jaysus… Just watched the trailer for ‘The Amazing Spiderman’ and there is so much going on in it. Generally I’m fairly I’m pretty encouraged & excited by it. From what I have seen here Andrew Garfield looks to have nailed Spidey although I can’t help but think it has been rebooted far too soon. That said i’ll still go and see it.

Official site – http://theamazingspiderman.com/

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Football Manager 2012 Release Date

Niall — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 08:41:27 +0000

Football Manager 2012 will be released on the 21st October on Windows Vista / 7 / XP & Mac OS X. I suspect there will be a demo available on Friday 7th although will post details as soon as I know more. Related posts: FM09 Demo Available – What do you think? Football Manager 2012 [...] Related posts: