Fierce_LiNk

Right, let's compare our two teams. For the sake of simplicity, I'll use red to describe DRAGOOOOO and blue to describe your team. Goalkeepers Rik Maakay - 34 6 - retiring Zambotto Sesia - 24 8 Jeremias Mullholland 33 - 14 Nat Cowling 22 - 8 Verdict: I will need to bring in a replacement for Rik. I'm happy in this department, although it's worth noting that you brought in a replacement (Jeremias) who has played 13 games compared to Nat's 2. If I did that, I would have significantly hampered Zambotto's development. Which is the opposite of what I want to do. The tradeoff is that an 8 skill is not particularly strong for the Elite League. Defence Johan Kellner 32 - 11 Sebastiano Luis 31 - 12 Albertino Pesseiro 24 - 8 Amadeus Wennergren 19 - 6 Ors Roka 18 - 4 Paulica Mandrisor 18 - 4 Noah Backroos 29 - 11 Carl-Bertil Ryman 27 - 11 Pawel Barcz 23 - 8 Stewart Bould 21 - 7 Noah Payton 17 - 4 Verdict: My defence is older in places and younger in others than yours, which has a nice middle. This is the area of my team that I am working on the most. I have 3 players under the age of 20 and I will be adding another next season most likely. Sebastiano and Johan were bought for competing in the Elite League last season and have SIGNIFICANTLY hampered the process of my other youths, both last season and current. They will most likely be on the way out, paving the way for new blood. You have lots of years left in Noah and Carl, and Pawel and Stewart are both young and with good skill levels. Midfield Bedecito Guevara 32 - 11 Daan Wielink 30 - 10 Ernesto Iacopino 25 - 10 Graciano Velho 24 - 8 Par-Ola Strindlov 20 - 6 Huberto Farlan 17 - 4 Theobald Paine 32 - 10 Rory Ashe 28 - 10 Dudley Dhall 25 - 9 Krzysztof Szymanek 23 - 9 Derek Payton 20 - 6 Rhys Nixon 19 - 5 Verdict: Fairly equal. The downside of mine is that Daan and Benny are over 30, which means that they are on the downside of their careers and will be approaching the end, which means that I have to start blooding youth NOW. I could probably get away with them for another 2 seasons, but I would struggle in the Elite League after that if I didn't start developing youngsters, which would mean Daan and Benny would need to be dropped/sold. Strikers Patric Barculo 26 - 9 Gregor Forsyth 21 - 7 David Le Frapper 19 - 5 Andy Balboa 33 - 10 Conor Shearer 24 - 8 Dave Breen 18 - 3 Matthe Izon 17 - 4 Verdict: The one area where I think I may have the better of you in the long-run, although it's debatable. Andy is better than Patric, although Patric is younger. Conor is not as good as Patric, but is younger, whilst Gregor has the potential to be better than Conor. Saying that, you are the forth lowest scorer in the Elite with 20 goals and I am the second highest in the Middle with 34. Meaning that, in essence, we would struggle for goals in the Elite league unless I buy in somebody which would hamper the development of the others. There you have it, a break down of our squads. You brought in another keeper just to give you the potential to stay up. I did that with defenders before and I don't want to do it again as it made a mess of things in the longer term. Your defence is better than mine as mine is younger and less experienced. We need to gain experience and the place to do that is in the Middle League, NOT the Elite League where I will learn NOTHING about my team and will instead be going into each game hoping not to get hammered 4 or 5 nil. I will learn nothing about potentially playing 4-3-3 (my desired formation) against equal opposition because there will be NO equal opposition. I will be the weakest team in the league. The midfield and attacking line don't have much between them, as there are players of an equal nature. But, two of my midfielders are older and will need replacing, which means blood my youth for next season. Here's what my squad will look like next season. I will assume a one-skill increase due to high DVs for some players. For the others, I will keep it the same. GK: Zambotto Sesia 25 - 9 GK: New player DF: Albertino Pesseiro 25 - 9 DF: Amadeus Wennergren 20 - 7 DF: Ors Roka 19 - 5 DF: Paulica Mandrisor 19 - 5 DF: Possibly getting rid of one or both of Sebastiano and Johann. At LEAST one new defender. Maybe a 20 6. MF: Daan Wielink 31- 10 (if keeping) MF: Ernesto Iacopino 26 - 10 MF: Graciano Velho 25 - 9 MF Par-ola Strindlov - 21 - 7 MF Huberto Farlan - 18 - 5 MF: New midfielder - a youth ST: Patric Barculo - 27 - 10 ST: Gregor Forsyth - 22 - 8 ST: David le Frapper 20- 6 This team can't compete in the Elite League and we will get destroyed in 80% of games. There is the full breakdown and that is accounting for a possible 1-skill increase, which may or may not happen. Yes, it would be fantastic to go into the Elite League and stay up, but it would be even better (in my opinion) to stay down for a few seasons and then look to achieve a Top 3 or 4 place in a few seasons time.

I'd argue that it's being competitive. :p Either way, I feel justified in what I'm doing and it's better for the long term. I'm clearly not the only one since there are 2 other teams which think the same thing. Why be a yo-yo club?

I went up and got shitty DVs, blew 5 million econ+ on experienced defenders in order to give myself half a chance of staying up and ended up coming back down anyway. What's the point in going up, getting my arse kicked (I WILL get my arse kicked, I am breeding a new defence with two 18 4s, a 19 6 and possibly a 17/18 4 again next season), as well as breeding my attacking line which features a 21 7 and 19 5. The midfield is decent but 2 of those are over 30. I'd rather not go up this season and get myself in a better position for next season where if I do end up going up, I'll have a better chance of cementing my position. In addition to that, as fun as this game is, there is no fun in getting your arse kicked and having to resort to playing certain formations because the other teams have teams which are far better than yours. I'd rather be competitive, which the games in the middle league this season have been, than be totally outclassed and end up going back to square one. I am not canon fodder and I refuse to go up and call the next season a write-off and resort to playing stupid defensive formations in order not to get trampled on by the teams going for the title. Give me one, maybe two more seasons in the middle league and I will give you all a good game in the Elite League.

Then enjoy the Elite League brah, where Tales and Odwin rampage your anus without having the decency to lube you up first. HWOAR HWOAR

What are your current stats for these lifts? Squat Deadlift Bench Press/Incline Bench (either dumbbells or barbell) Shoulder/Military press Barbell Row Lateral Pulldown/number of Pullups Bicep curl Skullcrusher/Tricep Kickback Dips Try and increase your stats in each of these. It is addictive and as long as you perform them correctly, it's good for you. Turn your attention to those rather than crisps. Even if you're only doing one more rep than last time, it's an improvement. You'll get into better shape with it, you'll see the improvements and you won't feel bad about eating shit. Can't remember the last time I ate a crisp.

Are we the spotlight for this week? Guess the number of goalies playing outfield and the number of strikers playing. It's going to be a farrrrce. You know, I could put out my strongest side now and thump you 10-0? It would be Xpert history...I wonder.

Not exactly a great advert for Scottish girls, is she? :p I bet she's a Rangers fan, too.

Sorry to hear about that, dude. Manhugssss o'clock.

It's going to backfire on me dramatically. I bet I win the next game 5-0.

Hmm, aw well. It'll still put him in good stead for the next year. Would have loved a double jump, that would make him an 18 6 next year. I dunno man, have you heard of the away goals rule? And the rules for the group stages of the Champions League if two teams have the same points? I doubt he'll get to 18 again next season. Would be insane if he did. Fuuuck, tell Roger he's not allowed to do that! He's going up whether he likes it or not. :p Hmm, I'm confident I can get his DV high for next season, due to the young age. I guess the most I can hope for is a single jump, and hope that somewhere down the line he goes for a double. It's not essential to my plans, but would have been lovely. Tactics are set. Let's just say that there are some interesting selections to my team. :p

I'm tempted as hell to do something like that, but I'll get called out for bringing the game into disrepute. Normally I would be fine with promotion (it's an honour, after all), but not with this team. Fast forward 3 seasons, if I were in the same position, I'd be aiming for the title in the Middle League. This team is just way too young in places and not enough depth. Give me time and I'll give you a good game in the Elite League. What we need is Financial Fair Play to come into effect, to bankrupt the bigger teams and allow the almighty DRAGOOOOO to walk the title. I have a 17 4 midfielder who is currently on 18DV. If he doesn't double jump, I'm going to cry like a bitch. What is the DV required/most likely need for a player to double jump? I've got a 19 6 and a 24 8 both on 16DV.

I watched that clip recently. Very true. He has an excellent and funny way of explaining politics, that man.

The parents are passing down that information probably because they were massively burned by her. I generally agree, it makes it harder for the youth of today to make informed opinions when the older generation clearly have a negative view. Either way, I am finding it interesting reading as much as I can about the situation of Britain at that time. It probably has affected things, but then it also annoys me. If, as a society, we are trying to promote equality, it shouldn't really be an issue whether she is the first woman to be PM or the second or the third, or whatever. We can't on the one hand say we want equality for sexes and then on the other make a song and dance about a woman becoming PM, it defeats the whole point of equality. I would give no fucks if the next PM was a transsexual. I also find it equally annoying (thank you, facebook) that there are so many people "thanking her" for being the first woman PM and making a stand against the men. To give her some credit, I'm pretty sure Thatcher didn't become PM with the intention of being the first woman to do it, but to actually make a difference to the damned country.

I'd be fine with that. Although, surely it would fuck things up when a World Cup/European Championship comes around?

They are the worst kind of people at the gym. The guys who travel in groups of 3+ and spend an hour taking it in turns to use one piece of equipment. So much wasted time talking, too. I have no idea how they can consider it a good workout. Well done, dude. Had my push day yesterday. My legs are still sore from leg day, and I have squash this evening. I think pull day will have to be rescheduled for tomorrow. I'm noticing an improvement with my bench press and in the overall look of the chest. I can bench 78kg for a good 5 reps now, which is an area I've struggled with. Hoping to break down the 80kg barrier next time.

It's amazing that somebody who had 3 terms is the same person who is so widely hated. I've never seen so much hatred in this country for one person. It's extraordinary. I doubt we'll ever see anything like this ever again in the UK.

Young seems decent on paper, but he doesn't seem to do it in matches for us. You'd expect him to be whipping dangerous crosses and beating men in every game, but he's been a 6/10 player at best. I want him to do well, but all of our wingers have been terrible this season. Nani, Young and Valencia haven't cemented their places, so it's no wonder Welbeck gets put out there. It might be where his future lies. As for Van Persie, he only seems to be getting one chance per game at the moment. We're not whipping in crosses for him to attack, not enough from the midfield to help him. The only player who seems to be supplementing the attack is Carrick. Not sure why Kagawa isn't playing more games because he's the right type of player who should be playing to create more chances for Van Persie. Those Phil Jones pictures are amazing. Also, yesterday's Champions League games were outstanding. I watched the Galatasaray match against Real Madrid and I was on my feet when their third goal went in. It's a shame that they weren't given a penalty in the first leg, because it would have made the final result even closer. Dortmund's match against Malaga was breath-taking at times. Dortmund's first goal in particular was such a fantastic team goal. I'm happy that they're through.

Nowt cowardly about it. Speaking for myself, my team won't be able to compete if we go to the Elite League next season. The season afterwards will be much better for us and even then I might need another one to build. If we get promoted, then we'll either come straight back down, or I'll have to spend money to invest in higher skilled players to be able to compete and stay up, which would defeat the object of this season and next, which is to build a new team. It's actually better for the league if I don't go up, because when I do I want to be able to stay up and stay up well. There's no fun in being promoted and then getting battered all the way back down to the previous league. It's easy for you to say "cowards" when you're about to win the league.

Brah, I'll be playing 4-2-4 DEFENSIVE. Better yeah, I'll put my best striker in goal and play my goalie as one of the two midfielders.

DRAGOOOOO. Middle League safety confirmed! I've found it hard getting the DVs up for the guys who are over 30. I might make it Dragooooo policy to only allow 2 over 30s in the future. I'm only making exceptions for now because my defence needs time to build. I have 10 players with over 15DV, so the future is looking good. My defence is the area that needs most work. 3 players under 20, so they're the ones for the future. I'm expecting one of my over 30s to announce retirement when the change report comes. Based on who that is, I'll then look at bringing in another youngster to replace them. Rest of the season will now be spent trying out new things, bumping certain player's DVs up. We're a bit too close to the promotion spots for my liking. If this teams goes up to the Elite League, we are going to be prison raped.

No way. Even as a kid growing up, this was one of the biggest games of our season. (Liverpool were the other huuuge one to me) Sure, the two clubs have had different fortunes over the past few decades, but it's similar to how most Man Utd and Leeds Utd fans get hyped for their games together, despite being in different leagues. Yes, City getting rich has added another dimension to it, but even then its still a huge fixture for both teams. One of my earliest memories is that Andrei Kanchelskis hat-trick. Anyway, we weren't great yesterday and haven't really played any good football since the Champions League exit. I don't agree with putting Giggs in central midfield and we didn't control that battle there. The likes of Toure, Silva and Milner had free reign for most of the night. Also, I'm still not sure how I feel about Ashley Young. Aside from his opening few good months, he's not really turned it on since. He didn't do an awful lot yesterday. Our best winger this season has been Danny Welbeck, which isn't good when you've got the likes of Nani, Young, Valencia and Kagawa (who can play there) available. Can't really say that City didn't deserve it, but I was expecting a better performance than that. Almost no service from the midfield to the strikers.

I don't have an ego. :p Yeah, the club is awesome. It's so close to us which is extremely convenient, it never feels like a hassle having to drive there. It's easy to get to the courts, we've not had any interruptions or annoyances so far. The downside is that it is a bit expensive, so we have to keep going to get our monies worth out of it. :p Did leg day today instead of yesterday, as I was too tired after squash. The lunges killed me today. My calves also feel like they want to fall off and die.

Come on now. :p Last season, there was the 6-1 game in City's favour. I hated it, but it must have been great for the neutral. There was the FA Cup game. The 3-2 from earlier this season with Van Persie's winner. The epic games in the League Cup. The 4-3 with Michael Owen's winner. In recent years, the derby games have been getting better. They went through a period where they went a bit flat, but City spending millions has at least made the derbies even more interesting, for many different reasons. The majority of United fans I know keep it low key. It's the Liverpool, Leeds and Spurs fans who need a smack in the mouth. :p (particularly the Leeds lot)