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@ CHAMPIONSHIP MANAGER: SEASON 03/04 @
@ SCOTTISH LEAGUE & CUP GUIDE @
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|| Created by Daniel Adams (VillanzUK) ||
|| on 22nd June 2004 ||
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|| VERSION 1.1 ||
|| 14/07/04 ||
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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 official 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.
Also note that I'm using Championship Manager: Season 2003/04 with the most
recent patch installed (4.1.5). If you are using an earlier version some things
in this guide might be incorrect - so get yourself the latest patch, it's free!
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 "The
Project" (http://tp.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
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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 The Project (username = villanz).
2 - INTRODUCTION TO MANAGING IN SCOTLAND
_______________________________________________________________________________
Scotland is home to one of the oldest football leagues in the world, although
it's not one of the strongest. The title is historically only 2 horse race
between Celtic and Rangers.
Apart from the 2 Glasgow giants there isn't much money floating around in
Scottish football so leading a smaller club to glory is a real challenge.
PROFILE
=======
CONTINENT: Europe
PLAYABLE TEAMS: 42
LEAGUES: 4
- Premier League
- First Division
- Second Division
- Third Division
CUPS: 3
- Scottish Cup
- League Cup
- Challenge Cup
CONTINENTAL COMPETITIONS: 2
- European Champions Cup
- UEFA Cup
Here are some basic rules and restrictions that apply in Scottish football.
FOREIGN PLAYER RESTRICTIONS:
- There is no limit on the amount of foreign players at each club.
- The European work permit rule does apply in Scotland and restricts the
signing of players from outside the European Union. For more information on
European work permits see Section 3.1 below.
TRANSFERS/LOANS:
- The summer transfer window is open between June 6th & August 31st.
- The winter transfer window is open between January 1st & January 29th.
- Each club is only allowed to bring in 5 loan players per season.
- Each club can only have 4 loan players in the squad at any one time.
- Loans can only be arranged during transfer windows.
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3.1 - Work Permits
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
European law says that anyone from outside the European Union requires a work
permit to work (and play football) in Europe. So when you try to 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 I will try to explain as much as I can.
PROBLEM #1: GETTING A PERMIT
----------------------------
IS HE A FULL INTERNATIONAL?
As far as I can tell, this is the most important factor when trying to get a
work permit for a player. The current rule says:
- The player must have played in at least 75% of his country's international
matches over the last 2 years. So, for example, if his national team have
played 20 games in the last 2 years, the player has to have taken part in at
least 15 of them to recognised as a full international.
- The player's country must be in the top 75 in the FIFA World Rankings.
If the player does not meet these reqiurements, his permit will depend on
special circumstances.
HOW FAMOUS IS THE PLAYER?
Sometimes you will want to buy a player who is world famous but doesn't meet
the 'full international' criteria. One example would be Ronaldo of Brazil - due
to injuries he hasn't quite played in 75% of Brazil's recent games but as he is
a very famous player he would be very likely to be granted a work permit
anyway. Also, someone like George Weah who used to play for Liberia and AC
Milan would be likely to get a permit even though his country is not in the top
75 in the world rankings. So, effectively, if the player has a very high
reputation you can get around the other rules.
LUCKY BREAKS
Sometimes, either due to bug in CM or to simulate the real-life system, a
player will be given a work permit even though he's not an international and
not very famous. This doesn't happen very often but it's worth a try if you
really want the player.
Of course, there is one very simple way around the work permit problem...
DOES THE PLAYER HOLD AN EU PASSPORT?
Quite often, a non-European player will have a 'second nationality' for a
European country. Just look on his 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 players have a French or Portuguese second nationality and will
therefore be much easier to buy.
STILL NOT SURE? ASK YOUR SCOUTS
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.
PROBLEM #2: KEEPING THE PERMIT
------------------------------
Getting the player into the country is only half of the task. If the player
turns out to be a superstar in the making, you'll want to keep him for as long
as possible and to do this you have to make sure a gets a good share of first
team action. He has to play in 75% of your teams matches each season in order
to get his work permit renewed. You will see an indicator at the bottom of the
player's information screen which tells you what percentage of games he has
currently played.
NOTE: The player doesn't have to start the matches, he just needs to play some
part in the match for it to count.
=============================
= SCOTTISH PREMIER DIVISION =
=============================
TEAMS: 12
FORMAT: Normal league format with a split after 33 games
SEASON: August - May
PROMOTION: None
RELEGATION: Bottom team only
CONTINENTAL QUALIFIERS: Champions Cup (2)
PLAYER SELECTION:
- At least 2 players under the age of 21 must be selected.
- 5 substitutes can be selected, up to 3 can be used.
- No restrictions on the number foreign players selected.
FORMAT
======
The standard league system is used for the first 3 quarters of the season.
Teams play each other THREE times on a home and away basis (once at home, once
away and the third meeting is selected randomly) making 33 games per team.
After all teams have played their 33 games, the league splits in 2.
The top 6 teams then play each other once, and the bottom 6 play each other
once. After this stage, all teams will have played 38 games and the season is
over.
CONTINENTAL QUALIFIERS
----------------------
The number of qualifying places for each European competition can change from
season to season based on how well the clubs perform in Europe (the UEFA
co-efficient). But in the first season there are just TWO european places up
for grabs directly from league placing:
1st place = Champions Cup (Group Stage)
2nd place = Champions Cup (3rd Qualifying Round)
It's also possible for the 3rd placed team to qualify for Europe - if the 1st
or 2nd placed team wins the LEAGUE CUP, they pass their UEFA Cup place to the
team that finishes 3rd in the league.
RELEGATION
----------
At the end of the season the 12th placed (bottom) team is relegated to the
First Division.
===========================
= SCOTTISH FIRST DIVISION =
===========================
TEAMS: 10
FORMAT: Normal league format
SEASON: August - May
PROMOTION: 1 (division winner)
RELEGATION: Bottom 2 teams
CONTINENTAL QUALIFIERS: None
PLAYER SELECTION:
- 5 substitutes can be selected, up to 3 can be used.
- No restrictions on the number foreign players selected.
FORMAT
======
This is just a standard league system. Teams play each other FOUR times making
a total of 36 games per team.
PROMOTION
---------
At the end of the season, the division winner is promoted to the Premier
League. Simple as that.
RELEGATION
----------
At the end of the season, the bottom 2 teams are relegated to the Second
Division.
============================
= SCOTTISH SECOND DIVISION =
============================
TEAMS: 10
FORMAT: Normal league format
SEASON: August - May
PROMOTION: 2 (division winner + runner-up)
RELEGATION: Bottom 2 teams
CONTINENTAL QUALIFIERS: None
PLAYER SELECTION:
- 5 substitutes can be selected, up to 3 can be used.
- No restrictions on the number foreign players selected.
FORMAT
======
This is just a standard league system. Teams play each other FOUR times making
a total of 36 games per team.
PROMOTION
---------
At the end of the season, the division winner is promoted to the First
Division.
RELEGATION
----------
At the end of the season, the bottom 2 teams are relegated to the Third
Division.
===========================
= SCOTTISH THIRD DIVISION =
===========================
TEAMS: 10
FORMAT: Normal league format
SEASON: August - May
PROMOTION: 2 (Division winner + runner-up)
RELEGATION: None
CONTINENTAL QUALIFIERS: None
PLAYER SELECTION:
- 5 substitutes can be selected, up to 3 can be used.
- No restrictions on the number foreign players selected.
FORMAT
======
This is just a standard league system. Teams play each other FOUR times making
a total of 36 games per team.
PROMOTION
---------
At the end of the season, the division winner is promoted to the Second
Division.
================
= SCOTTISH CUP =
================
WHO: All Scottish league teams + some non-league teams
WHEN: December - May
HOW: Knockout Competition
CONTINENTAL QUALIFIERS: Cup winner qualifies for UEFA Cup (Qualifying Round)
PLAYER SELECTION:
- 5 substitutes can be selected, up to 3 can be used.
- No restrictions on the number of foreign players selected.
FORMAT
======
- Basic knockout competition.
- All matches are played as one-off knockout matches.
- If a match finishes level after 90 minutes, the match is replayed.
- If the replay finishes as a draw, extra-time and penalties are used.
*NOTE*
The Scottish Cup is one of the few cup competitions that uses replays. In the
event of a draw in any game, instead of playing extra-time and penalties, the
match is replayed, with the venue reversed (ie. the away team now becomes the
home team and vice-versa). This applies in all rounds except the Semi-final
and Final.
FIRST ROUND:
- 16 teams (5 Second Division teams, 6 Third Division teams, 5 nonleague teams)
- If a match is drawn, there will be a replay.
- If the replay finishes as a draw, extra-time and penalties will be used.
SECOND ROUND:
- 20 teams (8 winners from First Round + 5 Second Division teams + 4 Third
Division teams + 3 non-league teams)
THIRD ROUND:
- 32 teams (10 winner from Second Round + all 12 Premier League teams + all 10
First Division teams)
FOURTH ROUND:
- 16 teams (the winners from the Third Round)
QUARTER-FINAL:
- 8 teams (the winners from the Fourth Round)
SEMI-FINAL:
- 4 teams
- Played on neutral ground at Hampden Park, Glasgow.
- No replays in the Semi-Final stage.
- Extra-time and penalties used if a match finishes as a draw.
FINAL:
- Match played on neutral ground at Hampden Park, Glasgow.
- Extra-time and penalties used if a match finishes as a draw.
- The cup winner qualifies for the UEFA Cup (Qualifying Round)
- If the cup winner has already qualified for Europe through another route,
they pass their UEFA Cup place to the cup runner-up.
=======================
= SCOTTISH LEAGUE CUP =
=======================
WHO: All Scottish league teams
WHEN: September - March
HOW: Knockout competition
CONTINENTAL QUALIFIERS:
- Cup winner qualifies for UEFA Cup (First Round)
PLAYER SELECTION:
- 5 substitutes can be selected, up to 3 can be used.
- No restrictions on the number of foreign players selected.
FORMAT
======
- Basic knockout competition.
- All matches are played as one-off knockout matches.
- If a match finishes level after 90 minutes, 'normal' extra-time is played.
- If the game is still level it goes to a penalty shoot-out.
FIRST ROUND:
- 28 teams (All teams from the Second and Third Divisions + 8 teams from the
First Division)
SECOND ROUND:
- 24 teams (14 winners from First Round + remaining 2 First Division teams +
the 8 Premier League teams that are not in European competitions)
THIRD ROUND:
- 16 teams (12 winners from Second Round + the remaining Premier League teams)
FOURTH ROUND:
- 8 teams (the winners from the Third Round)
SEMI-FINAL:
- 4 teams
- Matches are played on neutral ground at Hampden Park, Glasgow.
FINAL:
- Played at Hampden Park, Glasgow
- Winner qualifies for UEFA Cup (First Round)
- If the cup winner has already qualifed for Europe through another route, they
pass their UEFA Cup place to the 3rd placed team in the league.
========================
= LEAGUE CHALLENGE CUP =
========================
WHO: All teams from the First, Second and Third Divisions
WHEN: August - October
HOW: Knockout competition
CONTINENTAL QUALIFIERS: None
PLAYER SELECTION:
- 5 substitutes can be selected, up to 3 can be used.
- No restrictions on foreign players.
FORMAT
======
- Basic knockout competition.
- All matches are played as one-off knockout matches.
- If a match finishes level after 90 minutes, 'normal' extra-time is played.
- If the game is still level it goes to a penalty shoot-out.
FIRST ROUND:
- 28 teams (All Second Division teams plus 9 First Div & 9 Third Div teams)
SECOND ROUND:
- 16 teams (Winners from First Round plus the remaining team from the First
Division and the remaining team from the Third Division)
THIRD ROUND:
- 8 teams (The 8 winners from the Second Round)
SEMI-FINAL:
- 4 teams
- These games are not played at a neutral stadium like some other semi-finals.
FINAL:
- Played at Beechwood Park, Stoneyburn (home of non-league minnows Stoneyburn)!
Well that's the end of this CM03/04 Scottish League & Cup FAQ. I hope it helped
you understand the game a bit better. Look out for the next league FAQ coming
soon to GameFAQs.com
