Finally, finally. Pardon the exclamation mark up there. I was just so excited. Here is Donadel’s first goal for Coventry City:

I had to wait almost a full season for it, but it was worth it.

Apart from this high point and the ongoing Cup run, my league form is still poor. I’ve hit the doldrums again in the run-up to the mid-season negotiations. A string of draws and one defeat. If this keeps up I might find myself dragged down into the relegation dogfight. Now that would be a first.

I’m actually feeling pretty fed-up with PES2008 right now.

For one thing, I’m suddenly seeing way more slowdown.

In the match at Galatasaray earlier this season, the action slowed to a crawl every time the ball was at either end of the pitch. The same thing happened against Blackburn Rovers at their ground.

For another thing, the CPU teams this year are majorly annoying. They’ve been annoying for a couple of years, but this year the annoying is turned up to 11.

PES2008, more than any other PES before it, uses its foreknowledge of what button(s) you have just pressed to give the CPU team an advantage. In PES5 and PES6, it used the knowledge to avoid your sliding tackles on the wings but rarely anywhere else. Now, it uses that knowledge all over the park, and can sidestep or hurdle any and every sliding tackle with ease. And it will do this multiple times within seconds. For example:

Yes, that’s absolutely awful defending from me, isn’t it? But it looks worse than it is. The camera angle doesn’t help - at least one of those four attempted tackles should have stopped the other player. The above clip is an example of what the CPU players do a lot more in PES2008 than they ever did before — they turn into untouchable supermen. After the CPU player evaded the first two I kind of knew what was coming.

Am I feeling disillusioned by PES, or by PES2008 in particular? Is the hurricane of fan dismay and negative press affecting my judgement? Possibly.

Ow. The latest results are in.

Coventry City 1-0 Everton
Galatasaray 2-0 Coventry City
Coventry City 1-2 Blackburn Rovers
Aston Villa 0-0 Coventry City

I beat Everton, but I don’t know how. The CPU was all over me. I got a nice glancing headed goal from Chiesa at a corner. After he scored he did his trademark aeroplane celebration - running in a dreamlike trance with his arms fully extended - for ages. It was mesmerising to watch. Really, it just goes on forever. I kept Everton at bay and picked up my first 3 points in the top flight. Now this, I thought, is a bit more like it.

The next few games were terrible for me. It was as if the Arsenal game had set the real tone and the Everton win was - whisper it - a scripted gift from the game. Couldn’t pass, couldn’t shoot, couldn’t defend.

I wasn’t pleased to come up against my old nemesis, Galatasaray, so quickly. They absolutely wiped the floor with me. Every Master League brings its bogey teams with it - PES5’s FC Bosphorus, anyone? - and Galatasaray are mine in this one.

And don’t talk to me about stamina… Due to fitness issues I have had to play several players out of position, despite having 2344 players in the squad. Donadel came on as a substitute in the defeat by Blackburn and had to play as a left-sided CF - there was literally no other choice. Everyone else was knackered. (He did set up my consolation goal in that game , though. Super Donadel!)

In the last of my five openers I played Aston Villa. Traditionally, they’re Coventry City’s big local rivals in the Midlands, although it has to be said that the rivalry is felt more keenly by Coventry’s fans than by Villa’s fans (they look to Birmingham City for all of their local rivalry needs).

So I was, as they say, up for it - and it was a good game, probably the best one of the five openers in terms of excitement and near-misses, despite the 0-0 outcome. I had the strange sensation that I was actually in control of the game. Maybe the scripting engine at the heart of PES2008 is programmed to take the day off - or to take it easy - occasionally.

Below is a screenshot of one of my player’s current stats.

The player is Schwarz. On the left are his stats back when he joined my club two and a half seasons ago. On the right are his stats now. He has a good many years of continuous development ahead of him yet. It’s almost frightening. All of the youngsters I got in the first and second seasons are starting to come good in a similar way.

So I don’t think I really need to get some great new players during the off-season - but it would be nice.

PES2008’s players’ stamina gauges are frailer than eggshells. They cannot play two full games in succession. Well… they can, but then you lose them for two or more games while their stamina builds up again. You really need at least three players to cover for every position. No wonder the starting squad was so huge this year.

Things got off to a good start in Week 1 of negotiations. An offer came in for Van den Berg. That was a very welcome 2400 points, right there. This boosted my overall points to 26000. My wages at the end of the season would only be 14500 or so. I had lots of points to play with.

Here’s who I got, and why:

KIM U DON (GK, age 17)
Due to those stamina issues, I really need a third goalkeeper in the squad. This Korean youngster is 3 years younger than Friedel but already has better stats than him in every department but one (stamina of course). In addition he shares two key special skills with Friedel: 1-on-1 saves, and Penalty saves. Rather than just lazily looking at the Show All Players and the Openness to Negotiation lists, it’s always worth doing Advanced Searches for players with the exact attributes you want. I searched for a keeper aged 17-26 with the two special skills and a minimum Keeper Skills rating of 80. There were about 30 players who matched the criteria (including my own Friedel). Kim U Don was among them. Yes, a more experienced head would have been preferable, but Friedel at 20, and Ivarov at… whatever age he is, have got the experienced angles covered.

FELIPE (CB, 25)
Not much to say about this one. I traded Valeny for him, paying a couple of thousand points on top. Good stats, good height, good heading ability.

REYES (SS, Age 26)
One of Europe’s brightest real-life stars was sitting on the Unbelonging list, just waiting for a club to come in for him. His abilities actually look a little poor right now, but his development chart shows he still has a ways to go yet. He is primarily an SS, but has alternate positions of AMF and CF. Always handy, that.

CHIESA (SS, 17)
Another worthy name from real life popped up in the Youth list as a regenerated player. I snapped him up in the last negotiation week.

VAN STEENSEL (SB, 26)
I wanted a left-sided SB to replace Ruskin, wonder goals notwithstanding. In the last negotiation week I Advance Searched and found this player. His stamina is pretty poor but in all other respects he’s better than Ruskin. I traded Ruskin for him, paying only 500 points on top.

And that was all - just the four players. I hunted high and low for a great DMF with the precious Middle Shooting ability (or Shooting from Distance as it has been renamed in PES2008).

Mathieu’s club still won’t let me make a bid for him. He’s 27 now. If I don’t get him before he’s 31 or so, it won’t be worth getting him at all - I’d wait for him to retire and then reappear as a Regen. But I’ll be trying for a few more negotiation periods yet.

I did find a DMF (with Middle Shooting) called Muntari. I tried to trade Mao Molina plus 7000-odd points for him, but negotiations broke down in the final week, and Muntari went off to Valencia in the end. I left it alone for now. I still have Donadel, who is still playing just great. And Duffy is starting to mature too.

So, on the verge of game 1 in Division 1 - against Arsenal, no less - here’s my full current squad:

From which I have chosen this First XI:

I’d prefer to stick with Friedel in goal, but I want to give Kim U Don a little run to settle him in. And technically he is the better keeper anyway.

I’m going to start with Chiesa on the right up front as often as I can. One thing I have learned about young players is that they’re ultimately worth it.