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|| Created by Daniel Adams (VillaNZ) ||
|| on 27th December 2003 ||
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|| VERSION 1.0 ||
|| 28/12/03 ||
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1 - ABOUT THIS FAQ
_______________________________________________________________________________
This guide/FAQ is intended as part of a series which will eventually cover all
competitions in Championship Manager 03/04. I won't be explaining the general
workings of the game, how to use the interface or what tactics will win games.
What I will be explaining is how all of the different leagues and cups in the
game work - things that the user manual and other FAQ's don't really go into,
such as how many foreign players can be used in each league, how many teams get
promoted/relegated, things like that. So if that's what you need to know then
you've come to the right place. Enjoy.
This FAQ may be not be reproduced under any circumstances except for personal,
private use. It may not be placed on any web site or otherwise distributed
publicly without advance written permission. Use of this guide on any other web
site or as a part of any public display is strictly prohibited, and a violation
of copyright.
All trademarks and copyrights contained in this document are owned by their
respective trademark and copyright holders.
Right now, this guide is only available from www.gamefaqs.com or at ProjectCM
(http://projectcm.thedugout.net) so if you found this on some other website,
please let me know.
Basically, unless otherwise stated, this is all my own work so don't steal it,
borrow it, publish it or stick it on your website without asking. Thank you.
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1.2 - Contact Me
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If you notice any huge errors in this guide or if there is something you'd like
me to cover in my next update or if you just want to tell me that this FAQ is
total rubbish then feel free to email me, or contact me on MSN or on the forums
at ProjectCM (username = VillaNZ).
2 - INTRODUCTION TO WALES
_______________________________________________________________________________
The Welsh league is a small one with only one playable division so there isn't
much scope for a 'career game' here. However it does make a good addition to
the English or Scottish leagues if you are playing there.
The clubs are small and money is tight in Wales so your transfer budget will be
pretty tiny who, whoever you manage and even when you have money you won't be
able to attract many well known or top-quality players. All this adds up to
make the Welsh league quite a tough challenge.
And if you do manage to win the league, its always fun to have a crack at the
Champions League.
Profile
=======
CONTINENT: Europe
PLAYABLE TEAMS: 17
- Aberystwyth Town
- Afan Lido
- Bangor City
- Barry Town
- Caernarfon Town
- Caersws
- Carmarthen Town
- Cefn Druids
- Connah's Quay
- Cwmbran
- Haverfordwest
- Newtown
- Port Talbot Town
- Porthmadog
- Rhyl
- TNS
- Welshpool
LEAGUES: 1
- Welsh Premier League
CUPS: 3
- Welsh Cup
- FAW Premier Cup
- Welsh League Cup
CONTINENTAL COMPETITIONS: 3
- European Champions Cup
- UEFA Cup
- Inter-toto Cup
Here are some basic rules and restrictions that apply in Wales.
FOREIGN PLAYER RESTRICTIONS:
- There are no restrictions on the amount of foreign or non-EU players you can
have in your squad. The only thing that restricts buying foreign players is the
work permit rule.
TRANSFERS/LOANS:
- Work permits are needed for all non-EU players.
For a more detailed description of work permits see section 3.1 below.
- Unlike many other leagues, there is no limit on how many players you can get
on loan, so take full advantage of this if your budget is tight.
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3.1 - Work Permits
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European law says that anyone from outside the European Union requires a work
permit to work (and play football) in Europe. So when you sign a player from
Cameroon, for example, he will only be allowed to sign if he is granted a work
permit, and its up to CM4 whether he gets one or not. The decision sometimes
takes 2-3 weeks and sometimes just 1-2 days.
The rule can be very annoying as CM4 does not say exactly what is required of
a player for him to get a permit but here are the main factors:
1. How famous is the player?
If the player is world famous, like Gabriel Batistuta or Ronaldo, then it is
likely that he will be given a work permit. In lower leagues, eg. English
Third Division the player doesn't have to be world famous, he just needs to
be a big-name player in relation to that league.
2. How much international experience does he have?
If the player you're trying to buy has a ship-load of international caps, he is
much more likely to be granted a work permit than someone who has never played
for his country and is unproven outside of his home league.
3. Does the player have an EU passport?
This is the easiest way around the permit rule. It shows up in the game if you
look at the player's 'information' screen, under 'Other Nationalities'. For
example Juan Sebastien Veron has a second nationality of Italian so he is able
to bypass the rule and is granted a work permit immediately.
*HINT* Many Argentinean players have a second nationality of Italian, and loads
of African player have a French or Portuguese second nationality and will
therefore be much easier to buy.
4. What do your scouts think?
If you're still not sure if it's a worthwhile going after a player, you can
always get a scout's opinion. Just select 'Get scout report' in the player's
action menu and within a few days one of your scouts will come back to you with
a brief report and he'll also tell you if he thinks the player will get a work
permit or not.
Once you sign the player and he has been granted a conditional work permit you
need to make sure he gets his fair share of action in the first team, otherwise
his work permit will not be renewed. You'll notice the line in his
'Information' screen that shows the percentage of games that he has played in.
NOTE: The player doesn't have to start, he just needs to play some part in the
match for it to count.
========================
= WELSH PREMIER LEAGUE =
========================
TEAMS: 17
FORMAT: Normal league format
SEASON: August - May
PROMOTION: None
RELEGATION: Bottom 2 teams
CONTINENTAL QUALIFIERS: Champions Cup (1), UEFA Cup (1), Inter-toto Cup (1)
FOREIGN PLAYER RULES:
- No restrictions on the number foreign players selected.
The Welsh Premier League just uses the classic league format. All teams play
each other twice (home and away) making 32 games per team. The top team after
32 games are the Welsh Champions and qualify for the European Champions Cup
(First Qualifying Round).
The bottom 2 teams are relegated to the First
Division but this is not a playable league on CM03/04 so if your team gets
relegated you'll get the sack :(
CONTINENTAL QUALIFIERS:
The top teams that finish 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the league qualify for Europe as
follows:
- 1st Place = Champions Cup (First Qualifying Round)
- 2nd Place = UEFA Cup (Qualifying Round)
- 3rd Place = Inter-toto Cup (First Round)
WHO: All Premier League teams plus some Welsh non-league teams
WHEN: October - May
HOW: Knockout Cup
CONTINENTAL QUALIFIERS: UEFA Cup (1)
FOREIGN PLAYERS:
- No restrictions on the number foreign players selected.
Format
======
SECOND ROUND:
- 56 teams (13 Welsh Premier League teams + assorted non-league sides)
- One-leg matches
- Extra-time and penalties used if a match finishes as a draw.
THIRD ROUND:
- 32 teams (28 winners from Second Round + 4 remaining Premier League teams)
- One-leg matches
- Extra-time and penalties used if a match finishes as a draw.
FOURTH ROUND:
- 16 teams
- One-leg matches
- Extra-time and penalties used if a match finishes as a draw.
QUARTER-FINAL:
- 8 teams
- One-leg matches
- Extra-time and penalties used if a match finishes as a draw.
SEMI-FINAL:
- 4 teams
- One-leg matches
- Extra-time and penalties used if a match finishes as a draw.
FINAL:
- One-leg match
- Extra-time and penalties used if a match finishes as a draw.
- Match played on neutral ground at Millennium Stadium, Cardiff.
- The cup winner qualifies for the UEFA Cup (Qualifying Round).
===================
= FAW PREMIER CUP =
===================
WHO: 9 best Welsh Premier League teams plus Cardiff, Wrexham and Swansea
WHEN: September - May
HOW: Group stage followed by knockout stage
CONTINENTAL QUALIFIERS: None
FOREIGN PLAYERS:
- No restrictions on the number foreign players selected.
Format
======
GROUP STAGE:
- 8 teams split into 2 groups of 4
- Teams play each other twice (home and away) making 6 games per team.
- The top 2 teams from each group go through to the Quarter Final.
QUARTER-FINAL:
- 8 teams (4 qualifiers from Group Stage + Cardiff, Swansea and Wrexham from
the English league + the previous season's Welsh League Champion)
- One-leg matches.
- Extra-time and penalties used if a match finishes as a draw.
SEMI-FINAL:
- 4 teams
- One-leg matches.
- Extra-time and penalties used if a match finishes as a draw.
FINAL:
- One-leg match
- Extra-time and penalties used if a match finishes as a draw.
====================
= WELSH LEAGUE CUP =
====================
WHO: All 17 Welsh Premier League teams.
WHEN: August - May
HOW: Knockout cup using 2-leg matches.
CONTINENTAL QUALIFIERS: None
FOREIGN PLAYERS:
- No restrictions on the number foreign players selected.
Format
======
PRELIMINARY ROUND:
- Only 2 teams in this round (so as to cut the total number of teams down to 16
for the First Round.
- 2-leg match.
- Away goal rule used if the scores are level after both legs.
- Extra-time and penalties used if the scores are still level.
- The winner goes into the First Round along with the other 15 Premier League
teams.
FIRST ROUND:
- 16 teams
- 2-leg matches
- Away goal rule used if the scores are level after both legs.
- Extra-time and penalties used if the scores are still level.
QUARTER-FINAL:
- 8 teams
- 2-leg matches
- Away goal rule used if the scores are level after both legs.
- Extra-time and penalties used if the scores are still level.
SEMI-FINAL:
- 4 teams
- 2-leg matches
- Away goal rule used if the scores are level after both legs.
- Extra-time and penalties used if the scores are still level.
FINAL:
- One-leg match
- Extra-time and penalties used if the scores are still level.
- Played on neutral ground at Millennium Stadium, Cardiff.
Well that's the end of this CM03/04 Welsh League & Cup FAQ by VillaNz. I hope
it helped you understand the game a bit better. Look out for the next league
FAQ coming soon to GameFAQs.com.
Other VillaNZ guides available from GameFAQs.com...
