Hattrick

[Matt the Shrimp]

So folks, how did we all get on this weekend?

I won 7-0 whilst PiC, so I'm obviously delighted with that. Poor home gate, though... only 25,000 or so. My fans are so fairweather it's unreal.

My new midfielder is definitely coming to the boil with all his stamina training - 5* for him this week. Obviously I'm delighted about that.

Looks like I'll be finishing in my customary third place in the table... hey ho.

Matt

 

[Hong Kong Blue]

A slightly disappointing 5-0 win against the team in third. However with all the bankholiday sunshine Southend-United Arena sold out for the first time, thereby solving my quandry whether to upgrade my arena before the latest price increases.

 

[blues_r_best]

Won 4-2 whilst PIC away from home but dropped to third on GD both of us on 30 points, 4 points away from the leaders.

My team is badly out of form but play the team in 6th on Sunday at home and should be MOTS to improve the GD and move back into 2nd. And Brad Lockhart should be back from injury by then.

 

[* ORM *]

Lost 2-0 away to the team in second and two key midfielders both got injured. One bruised but playing the other only out for a week so it could've been a lot worse.

Despite my poor record in the second half of the season I should hold on to 4th spot as I'm at home to the basement boys this Sunday.

I have a pretty good defence but I still need to strengthen the squad for next season. A better GK and two wingers are next on the shopping list but I cannot finance these without some training pops. I'm hanging onto my excellent defender for the time being. He's 20 and has had 5 weeks training since he last popped. Next time he pops the money will be put to good use. A couple of my solids should pop in the next 2-3 weeks.

Question - Can I go over the 133K to finance ground improvements ? I'm always 90/95% full so I think it could be justified.

 

[Matt the Shrimp]

Quote[/b] (* ORM * @ May 03 2005,12:12)]Question - Can I go over the 133K to finance ground improvements ? I'm always 90/95% full so I think it could be justified.

Pretty sure the answer to that is "no".

Matt

 

[Birri]

Lost 3-0 away against 5th stay 6th and will stay 6th if I win lose or draw am going MOTS as I got smashed 6-0 in game 1 and want to try & win this one.

 

[Hong Kong Blue]

Quote[/b] (* ORM * @ May 03 2005,12:12)]Lost 2-0 away to the team in second and two key midfielders both got injured. One bruised but playing the other only out for a week so it could've been a lot worse.

Despite my poor record in the second half of the season I should hold on to 4th spot as I'm at home to the basement boys this Sunday.

I have a pretty good defence but I still need to strengthen the squad for next season. A better GK and two wingers are next on the shopping list but I cannot finance these without some training pops. I'm hanging onto my excellent defender for the time being. He's 20 and has had 5 weeks training since he last popped. Next time he pops the money will be put to good use. A couple of my solids should pop in the next 2-3 weeks.

Question - Can I go over the 133K to finance ground improvements ? I'm always 90/95% full so I think it could be justified.

I'd advocate a long term approach.

Don't sell your trainees until they are 20 or outstanding - try and resist that temptation to cash in and upgrade your side everytime a player pops. Your team will continue to improve as long as you have a training scheme in place. It should be possible to get promoted with still a handful of passables and solids in your team.

Personally I wouldn't bother with a new keeper as they are expensive, have high wages and you are training defenders so your defence should already be pretty decent (and if not soon will be) - MrB any views as a defence trainer on this? A solid winger can be picked up for next to nothing, go for an older one as they will be cheaper but should have experience.

Your short term priority must be to increase your capacity, sell the 20yo once he hits formidable to pay for that increase. Reinvest the rest in a new trainee to replace him. Then sit back for a season or two and wait for your defenders to hit outstanding. Once they do, reinvest the money firstly in trainees and then secondly in improving your team and look to improve a player by two or three levels at one (ie try and replace a passable with a formidable).

 

[Bob Cratchitt]

Won 4-1 away from home. Was 4-0 up then I lost one of my Outstanding IMs.

Well looks like I am promoted to Level IV as I am 3 pts clear of the cut off point with +9 GD higher than the 1st guy underneath the line.

On top that fact I have not lost a game in the past 13 league games. I cannot see me losing the last one by such a scoreline.

Say we are top of the league, say we are top of the league.

E-I-E-I-E-I-O up the Hattrick League we go!!!

 

[Matt the Shrimp]

Quote[/b] (Bob Cratchitt @ May 03 2005,14:03)]Well looks like I am promoted to Level IV as I am 3 pts clear of the cut off point with +9 GD higher than the 1st guy underneath the line.

Congrats, Chairman Bob - fair play to you, and well done for being the first member of SZ to play at Level IV.

Not that I'm jealous or anything...

Ah well, one last week of stamina training, and then back onto the scorer training... there should be at least one brilliant scorer for sale sooner rather than later. Time to raise some cash, I reckon.

Matt

 

[Hong Kong Blue]

Congrats, reaching div.IV is a very impressive achievement. Are you the first SZer to achieve this feat?

 

[Bob Cratchitt]

Thanks guys.

It would appear that way, I spent two seasons in Level VI then started up the league, whereas Matt joined straight into Level V. GNH started in VI but was promoted first season to V.

No one else to my knowledge has been up there, although to be honest I feel that I will be straight back down, but I thought that in my first season in Level V but finished 3rd.

 

[MrB]

Quote[/b] (Hong Kong Blue @ May 03 2005,13:07)]Personally I wouldn't bother with a new keeper as they are expensive, have high wages and you are training defenders so your defence should already be pretty decent (and if not soon will be) - MrB any views as a defence trainer on this?

Unless you have the finances to get a keeper that is two levels higher than the one you have then I wouldn't worry about it. your moeny would be better spent elsewhere.

We lost 1-0 to a late goal just as it looked we'd get the point we needed to be safe. We're now stuck with a dilemma of whether to shut up shop in th elast game or go for the win, the team I'm playing is a forward trainer playing 3-4-3 so I'm not sure that my pressing will be able to absorb the chances that they'll have.

On the upside, bidding for my YP is up to £567k with over a day to go

 

[Barmy Army]

Won 6-0 at home to 4th

Striker in poor form bagged a brace, but doubt he'll get a decent increase in form on Thursday.

Last game is vs top of the league. They lead by 2 points so if I win I finish top. They've got a quality strike force, but not a great deal else, however I never fair well against them. I've had to bring in an excellent keeper to replace my injured one, so hopefully he'll help keep the goals out. Any advice would be much appreciated.

 

[MrB]

Quote[/b] (Barmy Army @ May 03 2005,17:15)]Last game is vs top of the league.  They lead by 2 points so if I win I finish top.  They've got a quality strike force, but not a great deal else, however I never fair well against them.  I've had to bring in an excellent keeper to replace my injured one, so hopefully he'll help keep the goals out.  Any advice would be much appreciated.  

Presumably they play 3-4-3, how do they set out their midfield and defence?

 

[* ORM *]

Quote[/b] (MrB @ May 03 2005,14:58)]

Quote[/b] (Hong Kong Blue @ May 03 2005,13:07)]Personally I wouldn't bother with a new keeper as they are expensive, have high wages and you are training defenders so your defence should already be pretty decent (and if not soon will be) - MrB any views as a defence trainer on this?

Unless you have the finances to get a keeper that is two levels higher than the one you have then I wouldn't worry about it.  your moeny would be better spent elsewhere.

Cheers you two - solid (or better) wingers is the main priority then - I appreciate your comment about waiting for decent levels HKB but even financing two solid wingers is going to require funding from somewhere and if I'm serious about next season I need to buy them in the next 3 weeks.

 

[Barmy Army]

Quote[/b] (MrB @ May 03 2005,17:47)]

Quote[/b] (Barmy Army @ May 03 2005,17:15)]Last game is vs top of the league. They lead by 2 points so if I win I finish top. They've got a quality strike force, but not a great deal else, however I never fair well against them. I've had to bring in an excellent keeper to replace my injured one, so hopefully he'll help keep the goals out. Any advice would be much appreciated.

Presumably they play 3-4-3, how do they set out their midfield and defence?

In fact they run a 3-5-2 system, the same as me.

They get 7* between their two strikers, both have over 6.000 TSI each and have scored a combined 32 goals this season.

They've not really improved from our first encounter of the season where it ended 3-3 despite the fact that I got 140 hatstats to his 109.

So really apart from their strikeforce they don't have a lot to write home about and I should be able to beat them, but I doubt that I will.

This is my team ID - 54813 - I've played the last few games as PIC to get some TS for Sunday's game

His is 58128

Again any advice would be great as I'd love to get out of this godforsaken division

 

[southend_utd_fan]

I lost 2-1, I will now stay bottom as im playing the team who are 2nd and could go top when they beat me.

 

[Hong Kong Blue]

BA - Unfortunately as you are currently below the promotion line you are probably going to have to play a qualification match if you beat your opponent. Even more unfortunate is that your opponent will go up automatically if he wins and will therefore almost certainly MOTS. I think you may as well concentrate on winning the series and then hope your opponent in a qualifier wants to relegate. So I'd say MOTS.
Last time you probably only drew because your team weren't familiar with 3-5-2, this shouldn't be a problem this time which should make you just about favourites. As for tactics, I'm a big fan of normal.

ORM - I think defence training is a long term game, I'd be looking beyond next season. Solid wingers with no secondaries can be picked up for under £10,000 ie gate receipts from a single match, and my first promotion was achieved with 2 such players lining the flanks. I did upgrade to a solid winger with secondaries once I was promoted, but he was signed primarily as a future coach. He's still in my side and has dropped to passable.

 

[Kent Shrimper]

5-0 home win infront of a 50,000 sell out. I will already finish the highest i have in series V if i stay the same (Third). However i have a real opportunity to finish 2nd as he is playing the top team and im playing the bottom team.

Also sold my formidable IM for 1.2M which was nice.

P.S. Congrats Bob_C

 

[* ORM *]

Quote[/b] (Hong Kong Blue @ May 03 2005,21:09)]ORM - I think defence training is a long term game, I'd be looking beyond next season. Solid wingers with no secondaries can be picked up for under £10,000 ie gate receipts from a single match, and my first promotion was achieved with 2 such players lining the flanks. I did upgrade to a solid winger with secondaries once I was promoted, but he was signed primarily as a future coach. He's still in my side and has dropped to passable.

Picking up solid wingers would seem to be the way to go and I do intend to keep most of my defenders until formidable or better.

However last night I decided to test out the theory that you couldn't go over £134K to extend your stadium and now find myself £278K in debt.

I have a home game this Sunday and a couple of players up for sale which should reduce that to round about 200K but I'm going to have to keep a very careful eye on finances over the close season and may need to sacrifice my excellent defender.