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JT Jag posted:Kuwait are minnows on the national scene. I assume that good goalkeepers on bad teams tend to have better ratings than they would on a better team, because they are challenged more often and thus display their capabilities much more frequently over the course of a match. As opposed to being a goalkeeper on a good team, your defense is actually up to snuff and so you just make just a few saves a game, not a ton of opportunities to impress. Another way goalies seem to get ratings is through assists, which whilst they're borne out at the end of the match I don't think their assists are actually recorded. A crazy good sweeper keeper can be an offensive threat in his own right but it won't show up in the records.
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Jan 28, 2014 21:30
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I've played up to Christmas, 2016, and then realized I had way too much for one update. So, it's getting split in half.
habeasdorkus fucked around with this message at 00:44 on Jan 30, 2014 |
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Jan 30, 2014 00:40
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habeasdorkus posted:I've played up to Christmas, 2016, and then realized I had way too much for one update. So, it's getting split in half. Aim for the Treble! ...or the almost-but-not-quite Single. Yeah, that sounds more realistic.
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Jan 30, 2014 00:41
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Dias posted:Aim for the Treble! Heh, I edited that out that because I didn't want to remove the tension, but eh, my own fault 
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Jan 30, 2014 01:09
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Seems that you do better when you're going all out on the offense, and very poorly when on defense.
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Jan 30, 2014 01:28
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Tithin Melias posted:Seems that you do better when you're going all out on the offense, and very poorly when on defense. When we go for offense we're usually playing weaker teams, when we play defense we're usually playing stronger ones. Even ingame if we're on the attack the score is usually tied or we're behind, so the opposition plays less aggressively unless they're way better than us, while when we switch to a defensive posture it's because we're ahead and the opposition is playing attacking football to try and pull level. Game states matter a huge amount in football when it comes to shots taken, at least from the research by an acquaintance of mine on the subject.
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Jan 30, 2014 02:35
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Tithin Melias posted:Seems that you do better when you're going all out on the offense, and very poorly when on defense. I don't want to be 'that guy' and stick my oar in giving tactical advice where it isn't wanted (or needed) but: Its all well and good setting up in a more defensive posture against strong teams, or switching to a counterattacking style when holding on to a result, but at the same time you're inviting pressure. You hand over initiative to the other team, let them dictate the tempo of the game, let them create chances. You have to have defenders with high composure and most importantly high concentration so they don't concede late goals (which has happened to us a lot). And you'd better be drat sure your team is good at defending set pieces, because even if the opposition can't create many clear cut chances, if you sit deep, they'll be earning free kicks and corners (which we've been conceding from). When you're on top, stay on top, keep up the pressure and only go defensive late on/if the opposition are much better/they have super speedy strikers that can get in behind your defensive line. Basically what I'm saying is we should have more games like the one I was at last night: http://www.101greatgoals.com/gvideos/aston-villa-4-west-brom-3/
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Jan 30, 2014 15:44
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Dekko posted:Basically what I'm saying is we should have more games like the one I was at last night: http://www.101greatgoals.com/gvideos/aston-villa-4-west-brom-3/  That game was awesome, and I danced a little when Soccer Special cut back to Benteke putting us 4-3 up
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Jan 30, 2014 18:29
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Dekko posted:I don't want to be 'that guy' and stick my oar in giving tactical advice where it isn't wanted (or needed) but I'm always happy to listen to tactical advice. Tactics is by far my weakest area of the game. I won't promise to take any advice, but I'm absolutely willing to consider it. I've mainly been playing on the counter when we're ahead in the hopes that their pushing up the field will spring our speedy wingers and strikers behind their defense. But you're absolutely right that giving up possession leads to them getting a lot of shots on goal against us, as well as corners.
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Jan 30, 2014 18:49
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Play like Barcelona: when you always have the ball, you don't need to worry about the defense.
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Jan 30, 2014 18:56
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I play what FM insists on calling a patient possession game and it's got its upsides: focusing on keeping the ball reduces the chances of better teams, makes chances against weaker teams and is a good way to maximise the value of a good midfield. On the other hand every second highlight will be your guys passing around in a circle for five minutes before shooting from thirty yards, but it can't all be great.
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Jan 30, 2014 19:00
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I've been getting really good results for the last two games with a 4-2-2-1-1 deep system, where you run with 2 DM's, both wide midfielders (ML and MR) and an attacking mid up the centre supporting the striker. Generally the plan is to make one DM a BWM and the other a BBM to just fill out the centre spot a little bit more, the central defenders are a BPD playing cover, and a Limited Defender playing the stopper. Fullbacks are in basic wingback roles, so not complete, but a bit more than usual. Set the lone striker to a complete forward to hopefully make him link up a bit more with the AMC, and the AMC can run whatever suits your players best. It works nicely with a counter mentality, and if you have the team pass the ball to feet, there generally tends to be a good bit of pressure you can build up around the middle and with the striker occasionally coming deeper to play the ball off and around, the defense sometimes don't see it coming.
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Jan 30, 2014 19:17
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Just caught up with the thread. This is the most I've been interested in football in... forever, I guess. Good job, op.
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Jan 30, 2014 22:00
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Camoes posted:Play like Barcelona: when you always have the ball, you don't need to worry about the defense. Obliterati posted:I play what FM insists on calling a patient possession game and it's got its upsides: focusing on keeping the ball reduces the chances of better teams, makes chances against weaker teams and is a good way to maximise the value of a good midfield. On the other hand every second highlight will be your guys passing around in a circle for five minutes before shooting from thirty yards, but it can't all be great. Highly effective possession football requires a high level of passing and technique in the entire team, which then can keep the ball and move it around quickly enough so that you not only have the drat thing always on your feet but also can score, which awed the world, with reason. Then Bayern München tractored the poo poo out of Barça (and Borussia shocked Real Madrid too in a smaller scale) with the venerable German approach to football: a Prussian discipline with defense (and a great technical midfield that can ALSO defend pretty well), highly objective passing and no loving around in the opposition's box when it comes to finishing. (Also Chelsea managed to defeat Barça by simply giving no fucks whatsoever about possession and just waiting for the right opportunity to counter, by having Fernando Torres of all people scoring that drat goal.) That said, such approach I think is completely outside Wrexham's capacity to be used effectively. Like I joked earlier on, possession football really shines when you are a very good Championship side and then a Premier League regular, so you can have the players with the quality necessary to make it work.
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Jan 30, 2014 22:38
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Chapter the Fifth: On the march to Wembley. November 2, 2016-November 25, 2016 This update was originally going to run to Christmas, but we ended up playing twelve games in that period so I decided to split it in twain.  I demand that they make Hay a key player to ensure maximal playing time and Luton refuses. He'll be coming home in a few weeks.  Who's giving Tierney interviews? He's an unemployed old lower league player. Not exactly a big get. Bloggers are ruining the media! At Rochdale, November 5, 2016 League Two  Rochdale has improved some since last year, so I'm not sure what the result will be. I'd really like to not lose, just because the last thing I need is the board getting pissed off at me again. Starting Formation: 4-5-1 Counter Starting 11: Al-Beloushi, Tench, Todd, Poole, Smissen, Simpson (c), Cobb, Bailey, Franks, Mujkic, Spilsbury. Subs: Higgs, Thomas, Reid, Kadhim, Jenkins, Netala, Price. Al-Beloushi puts us in a hole early when he can't handle a shot and the rebound bounces directly to a Rochdale player. We keep them from scoring the rest of the game, but we can't score ourselves. Spilsbury and Mujkic both spoil good opportunities, and we take a deserved loss.   Rochdale 1-0 Wrexham  He'll probably want a raise now, dangit.  I get all excited about this potential signing when I see the scout report until I look at the estimated wages he'd demand. Who do you think we are, Mr. Scout, Tackleford?  They're optimistic? We're playing away to an OK League One side. I'd be pretty psyched with a draw, personally. At Oldham Athletic, November 8, 2016 Johnstone's Paint Trophy, North Quarterfinals  As I said, Oldham Athletic is a League One side, and they're at home. We're going to be playing defensively from the start, I don't think we're a strong enough team yet to impose our will on an opponent when we're playing away. We're also forced to use a weaker lineup due to international callups and fatigue, which makes it even more imperative to keep things tight at the back. Starting Formation: 4-5-1 Counter Starting 11: Higgs, Thomas, Reid, Poole, Ashton, Kadhim, Jenkins, Cobb, Price, Netala, Harrison (c). Subs: Smissen, Lewis, Bailey, Franks, Spilsbury. We survive a couple of scares at the dawn of the match, and then cause some of our own. After Harrison can't get a narrow angle shot on target Yohan Netala finds himself with the ball and all the room in the world to run. As he enters the box and the Oldham defense begins to collapse about him he passes it to a trailing Harrison, who has the easiest shot in the world to put us up 1-0. We don't keep that lead for even five minutes, as we allow an incredibly easy goal from a corner. We cause repeated problems for Oldham in the second half, until they finally concede a penalty in the 66th minute. Price converts, and we carry a 2-1 victory out of Oldham. Man of the Match: William Harrison   Oldham 1-2 Wrexham  Bury is in the midtable of League Two right now, so this will be a toss-up as to who advances.  Wales is atop their qualifying group with four wins in four games over Sweden, Estonia, the Danes, and Belgium. Wales has somehow become a pocket powerhouse in this game, lead by all world winger Shaun Davies.  Let's hope it's Scunthorpe, I'd rather not have to play a third League One team in a row. vs. Port Vale, November 12, 2016 League Two  We've got four goddamned players away on International Duty. That's only going to get worse over the course of the month. Adrian Read is our first youth player called up, he'll be backing up our winger position. Port Vale is doing well, and in contention to make a quick return to League One after their relegation last season, so our home field advantage is going to be much needed. Starting Formation: 4-5-1 Counter Starting 11: Higgs, Tench, Reid, Poole, Smissen, Simpson (c), Cobb, Bailey, Franks, Netala, Spilsbury. Subs: McFadden, Thomas, Lewis, Kadhim, Jenkins, Read, Price. The game is a defensive struggle where all of four chances are created between the two sides. We're scoreless after the seventy minute mark, and I'm starting to get concerned that we'll give up a late goal and drop the points. Instead it's us who sends Port Vale to a late defeat, when Netala plays a beautiful through ball to Spilsbury, who had with perfect timing gotten behind the Port Vale defense and who turns Netala's ball into a glorious three points. Man of the Match: Sam Smissen   Wrexham 1-0 Port Vale  We've got four matches coming up where at least four of our players will be on international duty. I decide not to ask for a delay, as that would cut into our recovery time in mid-December before yet another thick run of games. I will rue this seriously if Higgs gets hurt, but we should be deep enough to get through.  When they fire the US manager, which will almost certainly happen if they miss the World Cup, I'm throwing my hat in the ring to manage the USMNT. Don't worry, I can do both that and manage Wrexham at the same time.   Jeez, one rough month and everyone's still panicking six weeks later. vs Colchester, November 19, 2016 League Two  Colchester is in the promotion playoffs right now, which is better than I expected. Still, even with a lot of players missing we should be able to make something of this, another three points would do us a world of good in recovering from our September swoon. Starting Formation: 4-5-1 Counter Starting 11: Higgs, Tench, Todd, Pooles, Smissen, Simpson (c), Cobb, Bailey, Coulson, Mujkic, Harrison. Subs: McFadden, Thomas, Lewis, Jenkins, Price, Netala, Spilsbury. We can't do anything for the first half of the match. In stoppage time Harrison is clear of the defenders but goes down at a touch behind by a Colchester defender. The defender earns a red card, and we're up a man for 45 minutes. Later replays show that the red card was entirely uncalled for, but we take full advantage of Colchester's bad fortune and the ref's indebtedness to a Singaporean bookie.  I throw us onto the attack and we unleash a barrage in the opening minutes of the second half. By the end of the 50th minute we've scored three times, with two goals from Coulson and another from Harrison. We stay on the attack for the rest of the game, but that five minute barrage gives us the final score. Man of the Match: Michael Coulson   Wrexham 3-0 Colchester  Uh-oh.  The Premier League clubs seem to have realized what type of talent Todd is. He's still just 17, so I can't extend his contract beyond the end of next season, but we won't have to worry about having to sell him yet. I've set our asking price at five million pounds, which should also scare teams away from making an offer for him. At Carlisle, November 22, 2016 League Two  Carlisle (which I found incredibly easy to pronounce until I had to spell it and confused myself as to where the syllables stopped and ended) is another League One squad fallen on hard times. We're on a good run, so I tell the players that I'm expecting to keep our good run going. Several of them look like they're going to wet themselves, and I have to spend the rest of the pep talk rebuilding their self-esteem. Starting Formation: 4-5-1 Counter Starting 11: Higgs, Tench, Reid, Lewis, Ashton, Simpson (c), Cobb, Bailey, Franks, Netala, Harrison. Subs: McFadden, Thomas, Todd, Jenkins, Price, Mujkic, Spilsbury. My efforts to make them believe in themselves clearly didn't work. After the first half we're down two goals. That would be bad enough, the first goal came on a shot from outside of the penalty area that would have left a soccer ball sized hole in Higgs had he been able to interpose himself between it and the net, but Higgs makes an error that he himself is entirely responsible for, scoring for the opponents with an own goal. Despite having as many, and better, looks at the goal than we can only push one in ourselves after I scream myself hoarse during halftime, and we're back to playing inconsistently.   Carlisle 2-1 Wrexham  He hasn't gotten a lot of playing time, but he's done nothing with what he's gotten. We might have been better off not signing him and using a youth side player as our fourth CB. Luckily he's cheap and his contract only lasts until the end of the season, so the worst we have to worry about is him moping about the training facilities when it becomes clear he's not going to get into many games.  I didn't get the league table screenshot, so here's our past positions in League Two. As you can see we bounced around a lot, until recently settling in. We need to improve our league position, but the difference between our place and the promotion playoffs is only four points. Still, winning two and losing two is not the way to do that. The bright side is that we've now beaten three higher division teams this season in cup play, and we're into the North bracket semi-finals for the Football League Trophy. One more win in that competition and we'll play in the semi-finals at Wembley. 
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Jan 31, 2014 00:52
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The team really seems to be giant killers, but has trouble with teams it should easily beat. Also, what the hell is wonder-kid doing? I haven't seen him do almost anything since his signing and he's supposed to be incredible.
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Jan 31, 2014 01:05
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beru04 posted:
Counterpoint: gently caress Villa
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Jan 31, 2014 02:00
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PotatoManJack posted:The team really seems to be giant killers, but has trouble with teams it should easily beat. He plays for Australia's under 21 team, so I think he's been on international duty most of the time.
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Jan 31, 2014 02:57
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The game is half-off on Steam again for the weekend, if anyone is interested.
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Jan 31, 2014 05:00
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How is Wales doing so well internationally?
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Jan 31, 2014 05:06
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i81icu812 posted:How is Wales doing so well internationally? Well, making the Euros wasn't as impressive as it seems- the Euros are expanding from 16 to 24 teams, and FM models that, of course. Otherwise, I'm guessing they got lucky with Shaun Davies', AKA not-Gareth Bale's stat rolls. Generally, it tries to keep stats close to what they are, or at least re-assigns them based on ability and potential (so the player that replaces Messi, for example, is also a really good Argentinian, even if his stats aren't 1-1 with Messi as defined in the database). Still a bit  for fans of real football, but a world-class player like Bale (and not-Bale) can do that.
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Jan 31, 2014 05:17
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i81icu812 posted:How is Wales doing so well internationally? They have one of the five best players in the world in Shaun Davies. Dude is shortlisted for the Ballon d'Or. That plus a number of decent players who are rotation or first team players on Premier League quality teams equals a very solid international team. On top of that they have another world class player in midfielder Huw Morris who is a key player for Chelsea. They're basically a slightly more well rounded version of our world's Portugal team. Cthulhu Dreams posted:He plays for Australia's under 21 team, so I think he's been on international duty most of the time. He has a lot of international duty, and he's still got a fairly high "jaded" score so it takes him longer to recover stamina than most others. We're in schedule congestion hell right now, so he's basically trading off matches with Netala (who's been really good himself and who I don't want to sit on the bench for too long). habeasdorkus fucked around with this message at 05:21 on Jan 31, 2014 |
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Jan 31, 2014 05:17
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Some Welsh National Team stats: Check out who those guys play for. Many of the first 11 have spots on teams in the Champion's League. That's better than the current US. The Welsh team is, as of Christmas 2016, 22nd in the FIFA rankings.  This is Shaun Davies. He's a monster, essentially a novo Ronaldo. He's possibly the best player on Real Madrid right now, and easily one of the very very best players in the world.  Huw Morris is the linchpin to Chelsea's midfield. He's played in every game for Chelsea this season, and earned a 7.35 rating. That's good for 12th in the Premier League.  Edward Richards plays for Man U and is a rotation option. He's still better than anyone who plays for the US Men's National Team. Wales is for real right now, they've got a golden generation going on. I feel bad for AU Ryan Giggs, he was born 10 years too early. habeasdorkus fucked around with this message at 06:22 on Jan 31, 2014 |
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Jan 31, 2014 05:38
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FA expects Giggs to have regressed or even have retired by 2016? Clearly the simulation still needs some work.
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Jan 31, 2014 08:49
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Zeroisanumber posted:The game is half-off on Steam again for the weekend, if anyone is interested. What?! Oh god, it is! And I just got paid! Must resist....  [edit] Actually the timer says the offer lasts for only (roughly) 16 more hours from my post? Galaga Galaxian fucked around with this message at 09:15 on Jan 31, 2014 |
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Jan 31, 2014 09:10
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Galaga Galaxian posted:What?! Oh god, it is!  It's not a timesink, I swears! (Though to be fair I often leave it on for hours at a time when I'm not actively playing, and when I'm viewing replays to write up match reports, so that's a good chunk of the total time) The next level of addictedness rating is "I think I should put FM on my CV."
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Jan 31, 2014 15:22
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habeasdorkus posted:
Well, there IS that guy from Azerbaijan that got hired by a professional team based on his FM expertise...
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Jan 31, 2014 15:44
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Trying to figure out who those other two great Welsh players are. One of them presumably is a transferred not-Aaron Ramsay, but i've no clue who the other could be. Joe Allen?
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Jan 31, 2014 16:02
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Yeah, Huw Morris is Ramsey, Edward Richards is Allen. They've also got Jonathan Williams of Crystal Palace, who's developed into another exceptional midfielder and is currently one of the ten to fifteen best players in Serie A for Torino. Dewi Morris is Neil Taylor, still at Swansea and an above average left back. Greg Williams is Adam Matthews, who's gone from Celtic to Hull to Stoke and has been the best right back in the Premier League this year, tied with Morris for 12th highest average rating in the BPL. Basically they have an amazing midfield, one of the best right backs in the world, and one of the top five players in the world. They don't have a lot of depth, and their centerbacks are awful, but they've got 14 players on the squad who are at clubs in the top leagues. Meanwhile, the US is terrible. John Anthony Brooks's doppleganger has turned out to be a solid centerback in the Bundesliga, but after that the best player is Alt-Altidore, who's a mediocre striker in the French Ligue 1 after being mediocre at Sunderland (hey, just like he's been in real life!).
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Jan 31, 2014 18:16
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Chapter the Sixth: We will Bury you. November 26, 2016-December 25, 2016 Holy fixture congestion, Batman. From November 26th through December 17th we played 7 games. We've also got a number of players away on international duty in late and Kadhim and Al-Beloushi were away for another extended stretch with their national teams for a Middle Eastern international tournament. We've got matches scheduled back to back with both Bury and Scunthorpe, the former we play in the FA Cup and the latter we face in the Johnstones Paint Trophy North Semifinals. I told you I was an expert at this game!  Ashton has been the worst player on the team so far, and has seen a lot of his playing time stolen by Smissen. My scouts also don't know that he's going to get that much better, even though he's only 20. All of that should make him very concerned about his place on the team.  I will slam my shoe on the desk while shouting in Russian if we don't win this match. At Bury, November 26, 2016 FA Cup, Second Round  Bury's doing about as well as we are in League Two, but they're considered the least of the four demoted teams from League One. We're playing on their turf, so it's going to be a little harder. Al-Beloushi and Kadhim are both out on international duty, and Reid seems to be entering another one of his slumps, so our lineup is slightly less than what I'd prefer. We've still got our best attacking set-up out there, so I'm going to try to put us ahead early. Starting Formation: 4-5-1 Attack Starting 11: Higgs, Tench, Todd, Poole, Smissen, Simpson (c), Cobb, Bailey, Coulson, Mujkic, Harrison. Subs: Thomas, Reid, Jenkins, Price, Netala, Franks, Spilsbury The strategy of attacking off the bat works like a charm. Harrison is able to beat Bury's defense in the 4th minute with his A+ speed and put us ahead, and then gets himself into position in the 8th minute to volley in a perfect cross from Mujkic. Bury puts their offense into overdrive, and I switch us over to a counter-attack formation in order to take advantage of any gaps created in their defense. We're the ones who get undone, with Bury pulling one back in the 22nd minute. We trade blows for the next hour, but the biggest news is Harrison having to come off injured in the 62nd minute. With that loss we are rendered punchless on offense. In the 88th minute Bury ties it up, completing the comeback. Not only did we blow a 2-0 lead, but Harrison could be seriously injured. We'll be playing Bury in our house for the FA Cup replay, which will come right in the midst of an already packed schedule. Man of the Match: William Harrison.   Bury 2-2 Wrexham  Disaster! Harrison's been excellent this season, especially in Cup matches where he's scored six goals in six matches. He hasn't been as amazing in league games, but he's still our best striker. Spilsbury is really going to have to step up, and I'll be trying out our plethora of youth squad forwards to see if any of them want to seize the opportunity. Between Anthony Hay, Adrian Read, Michael Upson, Anthony Morgan, and James Fulton we should be able to get at least one decent backup striker.  Yeah, trying to organize 30 images that all look alike and aren't labeled on a public gif maker is too much work. If someone knows of a good, easy to use gif maker, let me know and I'll use it in the future. If we can handle Bury at home we'll face Derby, a Championship side. This is a poor draw for us, Derby is a very good Championship level squad but it's unlikely we get much of a payday by playing them at the Racecourse Ground. vs. Bury, November 29, 2016 League Two  Hey, look who we're playing again. This is a league two match, so the stakes aren't as high. I'm playing a very rotated squad given how many matches we have coming up. That means bringing in some youth side players. 18 year old Neil Sinclair gets a start in the second central midfield spot and 16 year old Adrian Read is on the bench as a backup striker/winger. Starting Formation: 4-5-1 Attack. Starting 11: Higgs, Thomas (c), Reid, Poole, Ashton, Jenkins, Sinclair, Price, Franks, Netala, Spilsbury. Subs: McFadden, Tench, Todd, Simpson, Holt, Read, Coulson. It's a back and forth game throughout, with Bury taking an absolute ton of shots with more than 2/3rds of them coming from range. We only get six shots off compared to their twenty-two, but we equal their chances and shots on target. When Yohan Netala takes a knock and can't go on in the 27th minute Adrian Read comes in for his debut. Our defense is excellent, and we take the lead a half hour in when Bury earns a penalty for going in on Liam Franks from behind. Spilsbury converts with ease. Read makes his debut a memorable one in the second half when he scores off a one-timer from a brilliant Thomas cross after a throw in. Yet another set piece goal I won't get any credit for. We win comfortably, and one of our rookies has an excellent debut. If this is Read's real quality he's going to see a lot of time with the first season even when Harrison comes back. Man of the Match: Daniel Thomas   Wrexham 2-0 Bury  Go Shaun Davies! My hope is that by the time this LP is over we'll have signed him as an aging player for our Champion's League team. That would put the greatest Welsh player of his generation on the greatest Welsh team of any generation. At Dartford, December 3, 2016 League Two  I am going to be furious with the team if we don't get the win here.  Yes, we're playing in Dartford, but look at them. They're nowhere near our quality. They're likely to get relegated out of the Football League, while at this points I'd call us a better than 50-50 shot to earn promotion. Starting Formation: 4-5-1 Attack Starting 11: Higgs, Peters, Todd, Lewis, Smissen, Jenkins, Cobb (c), Bailey, Netala, Mujkic, Coulson. Subs: McFadden, Ashton, Poole, Simpson, McCarthy, Read, Spilsbury. We attack the entire first half, but it's no use. Dartford has parked the bus in front of their goal, and we can't break through, thanks in part to their goalie standing on his head. Add a couple squandered chances on our part, and it's level at the half. Spilsbury finally puts us on top with his second goal since Harrison went down, and Dartford is unable to muster an equalizer. We win a narrow victory, and all credit should go to Dartford's keeper for playing the game of his life.   Dartford 0-1 Wrexham  WE WILL BURY YOU.  vs. Bury, December 7, 2016 FA Cup, Second Round Replay  Third match with Bury in two weeks. We're getting familiar with each other. I expect nothing but a win, it's time to put this baby to bed. Our players are pretty well rested given that this is our fourth game in 10 days, so we're able to play a team that would be at full strength but for our international absences and Harrison. We're also now quite comfortable with offensive-minded football, which means that we're more effective when playing that way. Starting Formation: 4-5-1 Attack Starting 11: Higgs, Tench, Reid, Poole, Smissen, Simpson (c), Cobb, Bailey, Coulson, Mujkic, Spilsbury. Subs: McFadden, Thomas, Todd, Jenkins, Price, Netala, Franks. The game starts well, as we spend the majority of time in Bury's area. Bailey has the ball as we advance up the field and spots Mujkic in prime position for a breakthrough, and passes into space. Mujkic blows past his marker and latches onto the pass, scoring with elan. Mujkic continues to terrorize Bury when he makes a perfect cross from near the touchline to Coulson's head on the far post, and we're back to being up 2-0. Bury is able to make it 2-1 in the 60th minute, and I am briefly concerned that we might be looking at a repeat of the first match. That anxiety dissolves into elation five minutes after Bury's goal when Matthew Poole seals the game with a goal off of a corner. We're through to the third round for the third year in a row, and this time we're going to be looking to advance. Man of the Match: Justin Bailey   Wrexham 3-1 Bury  We're pretty low on cash right now, this is very welcome. I might have to sell a player or two to make ends meet if we don't get past Derby in the FA Cup.  Simpson's passing skills are pretty good, his speed and dribbling skills not so much. It behooves us to have him learn to pass first.  I assume at this point that Tierney has a blog called Dragon Captain's Corner on livejournal. He's not that far behind the times, he crossposts to the Wrexham Facebook group! vs. Scunthorpe, December 10, 2016 League Two  Scunthorpe has noticeably improved since last year, and have some bonafide League Two stars on their team. We're on a high after our three game victory streak, so my pre-match press conference is all about trying to plant the lad's feet firmly on the ground. We've got some seriously tired players as well, and virtually the entire set of subs I use for the game are made up of Under-18 players. Starting Formation: 4-5-1 Attack Starting 11: Higgs, Thomas, Todd, Lewis, Ashton, Simpson (c), Jenkins, Price, Franks, Netala, Spilsbury. Subs: McFadden, Peters, Curran, McCarthy, Sinclair, Morgan, Read. The match goes well for most of the first half. We're not creating many chances, but Scunthorpe is reduced largely to shots from range and can't seem to get any on target. Scunthorpe is able to go ahead on a goal against the run of play in the 40th minute, though, and I have just brief moments to get my vocal cords prepped for a screaming match. Despite my whipping the team like a recalcitrant mule the team still can't make anything happen when play resumes. I send on three youth players, Peters, Sinclair, and Read, with 20 minutes remaining in an effort to spark something. I'm ready to concede that it didn't when we catch a lucky break. Jenkins tosses it deep from the sidelines into space, and a just offsides Adrian Read picks it up and scores the equalizer in the second minute of stoppage time. Scunthorpe berates the refs, but the flag stayed down and we salvage a late point.   Wrexham 1-1 Scunthorpe  This is good to see. Mujkic has been improving over time and my biggest concern was that he'd stagnate from playing against people below his level of talent. Given that he's improving I expect him to be a minor deity on the field once he's fully rested and settled with the team. I don't expect that many goals, though, his finishing is just 7. vs. Scunthorpe December 13, 2016 Johnstone's Paint Trophy North Semifinals.  We play seven games in the stretch starting November 26th through December 17th. Five of those games have been against two teams. Al-Beloushi is finally back from his international duty, and the first team is largely ready and rested from sitting out the last match. If we win here we play the North Final at Wembley, and potentially the Johnstone's Paint Trophy itself if we can make it three more wins in a row. Starting Formation: 4-5-1 Attack Starting 11: Al-Beloushi, Tench, Reid, Poole, Smissen, Jenkins, Cobb (c), Bailey, Coulson, Mujkic, Spilsbury. Subs: Thomas, Todd, Simpson, Price, Read. The game is very evenly matched. Spilsbury has a chance to put us ahead in the first half, but is left hanging his head after his shot goes just wide and blasts off the woodwork. He makes amends for it in the second half, scoring after a failed clearance on a Mujkic cross delivers the ball right to him. Coulson is left looking the fool when he can't salt the game away in the 75th minute when he's one on one with the keeper, allowing Scunthorpe to fight back and tie the match moments later. As we head into the final minute of stoppage time I'm left to wonder what the tiebreaking procedures of the Johnstone's Paint Trophy are, but as I'm mulling what comes next Sam Smissen makes the question moot with an excellent goal just before the final whistle. We're through to Wembley. Man of the Match: Sam Smissen   Wrexham 2-1 Scunthorpe  The Johnstone's Paint Trophy is not exactly a prestigious competition, and since season ticket holders don't have tickets to the game we're looking at our worst attendance since I took over.  The WAFF is a Middle Eastern international tournament. Kadhim, who unbeknownst to me was the captain of the Iraqi national team, played an integral part in leading Iraq to the title. At Yeovil Town, December 17, 2016 League Two  A win here could see us really move up the table, and should at least put us in the promotion playoffs. With over a week until our next match I'm sending out the first team even though some of them are a bit more tired than I'd prefer. Starting Formation: 4-5-1 Counter Starting 11: Al-Beloushi, Tench, Reid, Poole, Smissen, Simpson (c), Cobb, Bailey, Coulson, Mujkic, Spilsbury. Subs: Higgs, Thomas, Todd, Jenkins, Price, Netala, Franks. Man of the Match: Justin Bailey.   With goals from Coulson and Spilsbury, both aided by the vision and creativity of Bailey, we're in good shape heading into the second half. Yeovil is able to get one back early in the second half when Smissen loses his mark on a corner, but we keep the lead and see out the rest of the match without incident. Unfortunately matches amongst the rest of the league don't go our way, so while we're now tied for the final playoff spot on points we're just outside of them due to goal differential. Still, the top eight spots are separated by a mere five spots, so everything from disappointment to glory could be in the cards at the half way point of the season. Yeovil 1-2 Wrexham  Netala has been very good and Mujkic is still struggling with his fitness, so there's every reason to continue this loan. I'm looking forward to this summer when I can give Mujkic a month and a half off.  Big time teams are sniffing around Hay as well as Todd. I'm much more likely to sell Hay, but it's going to take a pretty good offer.  Atrocious timing. He's going to miss at least two games, possibly three. Why didn't you get your flu shot? Stop relying on herd immunity! Someone asked how Wales was doing so well on the international level. They're currently on course to qualify for the World Cup for the first time ever, are ranked 22nd in the world, and as you can see they have a bunch of players who play club football for megabastards like Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea, and Real Madrid. Given that they have four players who currently rate among the best in their respective leagues, and one of those is shortlisted for the most prestigious award in soccer, it's not a huge shock that they're experiencing a golden generation. This is Shaun Davies. He's a monster, essentially a novo Ronaldo. He's possibly the best player on Real Madrid right now, and easily one of the very very best players in the world. Huw Morris is the linchpin to Chelsea's midfield. He's played in every game for Chelsea this season, and earned a 7.35 rating. That's good for 12th in the Premier League, same as Welsh right back Dewi Morris. Wales is for real right now, they've got a golden generation going on. I feel bad for AU Ryan Giggs, he was born 10 years too early.   Bailey has been pulling the strings all year for us. He's already at 10 assists on the season, and has the fourth most in League Two. He's completing even more of his passes than he was previously, at a very healthy 83%, and he's tied for 10th in average rating for all League Two players. Right behind him is Matthew Poole, who's made me not miss Stuart Martin by being one of the best centerbacks in the league. Losing Harrison for two months hurts, as he remains our top goalscorer even after having been out for weeks, but Spilsbury has been an adequate substitute. Coulson has been effective on the wing, leading to a reduction in Liam Frank's playing time.16 year old phenom Adrian Read has also made a strong case to get more playing time with two goals and an assist in his four appearances. Our newcomers have performed reasonably well. Mujkic has six assists so far and his average rating has been climbing since becoming more acclimated to our club. He's got a 6.92 rating over the last twenty team matches, and has put on just four slightly subpar performances in that stretch. Netala has paired well with Mujkic, and has also seen his performances improve over the course of the season. I might seek to extend his loan through next season if he keeps up his recent form. Cobb's quality has allowed me to play Simpson as a defensive midfielder, which has moved Kadhim out of the starting 11. Tench and Smissen have both been upgrades over Thomas and Ashton, as well as over last year's fullbacks Don-Duncan, Evans, and Underwood. Combined with the development of Ioan Peters on the youth squad and Ashton's days on the team are likely numbered. Lastly, Jenkins and Lewis have both been cromulent backups, though they certainly haven't looked like they'll be pushing anyone out of their starting job anytime soon.  The top of the table is jam packed. We're tied on points for a playoff spot, and only five off the league leader. We're getting better every day, and we're going to be playing at least one match at Wembley. We shall beat League Two beneath our leathern wings and burn them with the strength of our fire. 
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Feb 1, 2014 22:29
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Yay, not a single loss! (draws dont count)
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Feb 2, 2014 00:07
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5 points off the top with half the season to go? Good shape. Could be better, but it could be much worse.
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Feb 2, 2014 01:11
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habeasdorkus posted:If someone knows of a good, easy to use gif maker, let me know and I'll use it in the future. Try out GifCam and see if you like it.
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Feb 2, 2014 01:46
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rizzen posted:5 points off the top with half the season to go? Good shape. Could be better, but it could be much worse. After that October swoon I'm pretty happy with our position on the table. I think we'll get promoted fairly easily, and winning the league is entirely in the realm of possibility.
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Feb 2, 2014 02:00
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One of the things I really hate that would be so easy to fix is the game constantly going back to your terrible, old players for media quotes. No, FM, I don't care what a guy who played for us in the conference thinks about our Champion's League draw. Ok, let's see, going purely by the names... Neymar, Bale we know, Muller, Messi, Ronaldo, Revenant Threshold fucked around with this message at 02:19 on Feb 2, 2014 |
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Feb 2, 2014 02:17
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(Assertively) Much more like it! I'm satisfied you'll earn us some glory or die trying, so keep at it!
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Feb 2, 2014 02:25
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Revenant Threshold posted:One of the things I really hate that would be so easy to fix is the game constantly going back to your terrible, old players for media quotes. No, FM, I don't care what a guy who played for us in the conference thinks about our Champion's League draw. I'm betting Ibra is retired, or very close to by now. Rezic may be Kovacic?
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Feb 2, 2014 03:03
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Alberto is Thiago Alcantara. Axel Deron is Marco Reus, somehow still at Borussia Dortmund. Miquel Merino is Juan Mata, who wasn't discarded by Mourinho and is still at Chelsea. Rezic is a 31 year old Luka Modric. (!?) Joaquin Morales is Messi. Davies is Bale. Ricardo Lobo is Ronaldo, and he's not shortlisted for the award. I can't even find Neymar, the only person who matches his age and position on the Brazilian national team is an Atletico player named Bimbao, who's been at Atletico since the start of the game. Philipp Lahm goes by Maximilian Rudolph, which is a total upgrade name wise, and is still pretty great despite declining physical stats. Thomas Müller I can't find, though there is still a Thomas Müller on Bayern. Ibra has retired. eta: I'm guessing AU-Messi wins this year, he's got an average rating over 8. The only guy who's within spitting distance is AU-Marek Hamsik. Also, I tried to look up Franck Ribery, but the game told me there was no one that was quite as big a habeasdorkus fucked around with this message at 03:31 on Feb 2, 2014 |
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Feb 2, 2014 03:22
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habeasdorkus posted:John Anthony Brooks's doppleganger has turned out to be a solid centerback in the Bundesliga, but after that the best player is Alt-Altidore, who's a mediocre striker in the French Ligue 1 after being mediocre at Sunderland (hey, just like he's been in real life!).  Wales did actually qualify for the 1958 World Cup, but it's certainly unusual for the team of this era to ... get anywhere near.
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Feb 2, 2014 04:41
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Arquebus posted:Mediocre is a far better compliment than Real Altidore deserves Altidore is not that bad. He was in a horrible position in Sunderland under lil' Mussolini and has lost all confidence. He's still got some real quality, and I think he could turn out to be an OK prem league striker in the end based upon his national team form over the last year and his performance at AZ Alkmaar.
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Feb 2, 2014 06:37
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