Episode 3: Three humans at the top, a plan until Monday, and the Diamond rule

Kick-off

Ida: The voices in this podcast are AI-generated.

Malte: The stories are not. They all really happened. This week.

Malte: Hello and welcome to the third Kickoff League Show! I'm Malte.

Ida: And I'm Ida. Hello!

Malte: Ida, the season changes on Monday. For many of our listeners this episode is the last chance to get something done.

Ida: So today we have a plan. We have the Silver League, with three clubs run by humans at the top. A portrait of Silver League Two. The vote on Diamonds, and a tip for the market.

Malte: And the number of the week?

Ida: Not today. We saved it for next week.

Malte: That sounds like a threat.

Ida: It's an announcement.

Silver League: three humans at the top

Malte: Let's start at the top. Silver League, League five, group one. Ida, three clubs run by humans, and all three are at the top.

Ida: In places one, two and three. The leader has seventy-nine points, twenty-six wins, one draw and one defeat. Behind them, the runner-up on seventy-five, and the third on seventy.

Malte: And the fourth place, the one the game runs?

Ida: Has forty-five points and two games left. Even if it wins both, it reaches fifty-one. The third has seventy.

Malte: So the third is safe from the fourth.

Ida: Mathematically safe. The three humans are at the top, whatever the rest does. The only question left is the title.

Malte: And the leader has a four-point lead.

Ida: With two matchdays to go. The runner-up would have to win both games, then it stands on eighty-one. The leader is then allowed at most one point. That is possible, but only with help.

Malte: Help from whom?

Ida: From the leader itself. It has scored one hundred and twenty-one goals and conceded only fifteen. It would have to try quite hard to throw that away.

Malte: So a title race where the favourite only has to keep winning.

Ida: Something like that. But with two games left, anything can happen. We have learned that.

Portrait: Silver League Two

Malte: Now the league portrait. Silver League Two, League six. Two groups, each with sixteen clubs. Ida, introduce the league.

Ida: Fifteen clubs are run by humans. Group one has seven of them, group two has eight. In group one, computer opponents hold places eight to sixteen. In group two, they hold places eight to fifteen, and a human sits in place sixteen.

Malte: And at the top?

Ida: Group one: the leader has seventy-four points and only twenty-one goals conceded. Behind it, the runner-up with seventy-three, and that one has the best attack in the league. One hundred and twenty-six goals. That is the highest number in both groups.

Malte: One hundred and twenty-six. So the runner-up likes an open game.

Ida: It likes scoring goals. Whether that is enough for the title depends on how many the others take. The third has sixty-seven, the fourth sixty-two.

Malte: And group two?

Ida: There the leader is ahead with seventy-three points. One hundred and seven goals scored, thirty-one conceded, twenty-three wins. The second and third both have sixty-nine points, and the fourth has sixty-eight.

Malte: And then comes the gap.

Ida: Then comes the gap. The fifth has only forty-five. Between places four and five there are twenty-three points. So group two has a clear top and a much weaker rest.

Malte: That sounds harsh.

Ida: That's the table. And at the bottom of group two is a human with fourteen points, twenty-eight goals scored and sixty-eight conceded. Two matchdays are still open, and if nothing changes, that club goes down.

Malte: Three go down. That's the rule. The question is who.

Ida: At the moment it is the human on place sixteen, and above it the computer opponent on fifteen. That can still turn around in two games.

Bronze and District: walls and defence

Malte: Now the Bronze League and the District League. Ida, last week you talked about a wall.

Ida: The wall from group four now has twelve goals conceded in twenty-eight games. Before it was ten in twenty-six. It wobbles a little, but it is still standing.

Malte: And the District League?

Ida: There are two defences I won't forget. In group five the leader has seventy-eight points and only nine goals conceded in twenty-eight games. Nine! The best scorer of that group, meanwhile, scored six goals this week alone.

Malte: And the second defence?

Ida: Group eight. The first place has one hundred and seven goals, but fourteen conceded. The second place has sixty-five goals and only six conceded, with seventy points.

Malte: So the first is the attack and the second the defence.

Ida: Both in one group, with two clubs taking points off each other.

Malte: And in Bronze, group five?

Ida: The leader has seventy-three points, eighty-one goals and twenty-four conceded. The second, a club from Flensburg, has sixty-eight points, one hundred and seven goals and thirty-five conceded.

Malte: So the second likes playing forward.

Ida: The second plays the way it plays. And so far, that is working for it.

Season plan: what happens before Monday

Malte: Now the plan up to the season change. Ida, what do people need to know?

Ida: First: the rules for season five are set. The Diamond question is decided, more on that in a minute.

Malte: Second?

Ida: Since the sixth of November, your own players in League six can develop from Gold to Diamond. That does not end on Monday. It stays that way in season five, as long as the rule applies. For other cases, the league binding applies.

Malte: The conditions are not automatic.

Ida: No. The player is twenty-six at most and not on loan, with an overall rating of at least eighty-one out of eighty-two. He also needs six appearances in twenty-one days with a top rating. Then he has an eight percent chance each day, at most once per season.

Malte: Third?

Ida: Third: from the ninth of November, suspensions apply per competition, and that setting is now fixed.

Malte: Fourth, and that's my favourite, because it affects everyone: the contract.

Ida: If you don't extend a contract by the end of the season, that player is without a club afterwards. Then any club can sign him. Extending is almost always better than searching. We said that last week too, and it still holds.

Malte: And what is not happening?

Ida: No promises for wishes that are still on the list. The rules for season five are set. Everything else stays on the topic list with its weighting. No date, no promise.

Community: the Diamond rule is decided

Malte: Last week we left the Diamond vote open. Now there is a result.

Ida: The answer with the most votes stands: allow development. That is the rule from the plan we just went through. Buying and signing stay locked for League six, and that only opens from League five.

Malte: And if that player goes down afterwards?

Ida: Then in League seven he is not eligible to play, except in friendly matches. He also gets half his wage. That is in the rules for season five, and it replaces what we said before.

Malte: And the protection for what you already own?

Ida: Stays. Nobody loses players they already have.

Malte: And the in-between ticker messages that were announced?

Ida: They are live now. If nothing happens in a match for five minutes or more, short lines appear in the ticker, for example about possession or the score. It is display only and does not change the result.

Malte: And the limit on offers?

Ida: Each week, managers can make at most five offers, counted from Monday midnight. That rule already applies. It is not written into the guide yet, but it already applies.

Malte: I think that was a bit long.

Ida: It was necessary. Several managers didn't know it.

Tips and tricks: market and contracts

Malte: Now my favourite part. Ida, who should we look at?

Ida: First the rule again: you may buy Gold in every league. Diamonds only from League five. Status Saturday morning, seven o'clock.

Malte: Good.

Ida: Gold: Yuri Marques, nineteen, right back, overall rating seventy-nine. The buy-now price is just over seventy thousand. The auction runs until Monday, twelve thirty.

Malte: That's close to the season change.

Ida: That's exactly why I'm saying it now, and not on Monday.

Malte: Silver?

Ida: Oskar Wolf, nineteen, defensive central midfield, overall rating sixty-six. The buy-now price is twelve thousand. There is already one bid. It runs until Monday, eight twenty-five in the evening.

Malte: And Diamond, only for clubs from League five up?

Ida: Raiden Nakano, seventeen, left midfield, overall rating eighty-seven. The buy-now price is just over two hundred and sixty thousand. The auction runs today until six fifty-six in the evening.

Malte: Whoever pays that should check their account first.

Ida: And contracts: if a player's contract runs out at the end of this season or the next, your offer goes to the player as a contract offer. No minimum transfer fee, zero is possible.

Malte: And players without a club are available to everyone.

Ida: So look at your own squad first. Extending is better than searching.

Malte: Long balls!

Ida: Stop it.

Participate: code word and your questions

Malte: The code word for this episode is new. Ida, say it.

Ida: Crossbar.

Malte: Crossbar. The bar you never hit, unless it's wondering whether the goal counts.

Ida: Malte, a code word is not a poem.

Malte: The code words of the last two episodes still work. Corner flag and Cross. The deadlines are on the code word page.

Ida: The code word can be redeemed once per club and episode. Your club must be at least one week old, with a real manager behind it.

Malte: And where?

Ida: At beanlings dot com, slash kickoff, slash podcast. Sign in there with your club.

Malte: And the question page?

Ida: You'll find it at beanlings dot com, slash kickoff, slash podcast, slash questions. There you choose whether we name your club, your manager name, or no name at all. We only name a manager if you explicitly choose that.

In our own words

Malte: A quick word from our own side. Ida, you brought something.

Ida: Yes. At pinnry there is an online advent calendar to give away. Twenty-four doors with your own texts, from four euros ninety-nine. The Plus version also has photos and short videos. The person who receives it needs no app and no account.

Malte: And the Halloween calendar, which runs until the fifteenth of November.

Ida: Exactly. Everything is at pinnry dot com.

Malte: And a word about the supporters.

Ida: Supporters are not required. If you just play along, you're part of the crowd too.

Malte: And to everyone who is already on board: thank you. From the heart.

Ida: We only name people here if they explicitly ask. So today, no names.

Outlook

Malte: Finally: the last matchdays before the change. The remaining games run today and in the next few days, then Monday is the season change.

Ida: And in Silver League One, the runner-up has to keep winning if it still wants the title.

Malte: My tip: the leader wins, and then it's over.

Ida: You say that every week.

Malte: And I say it every week, and every week I'm a little more surprised.

Ida: That was the Kickoff League Show. Remember the code word: Crossbar. And get ready for the season five rules to take effect on Monday.

Malte: And long balls!

Ida: Malte!