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Haden

Xpert 11 Season 27: We few, we happy few, we band of brothers

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WTF.. I'm half way to last season's points total already? having played Inter, Madpool & Battlestar :o

 

Come on The Baggies :yay:

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Another loss, but by only a single goal, so it's progress, I guess?

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Alliances

Eights United, Real Peeps, Recall United: 24

The Shield: Madpool, Hadens Rangers, Coloccini FC: 21

Winston Gardens, The Roger Federer Crew, Rossers Rovers: 20

BuBic: DuDs Baggies, bob, Cubic County: 18

Intergalactico Stars, Leeds M.O.T, Fedex United: 14

 

 

Spotlight

 

Week 1: The Spotlight this week is on DuDs Baggies vs Battlestar Odwinica, please predict the total number of chances created in the game.

 

Haden was closest with his guess of 2-1 to DuD and 6-2 chances, the actual outcome was 2-0 and 8-2 chances.

 

Winners:

 

Week 1: Hadens Rangers

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Curses! I lost against Bayer Sometimeslosenbutnotthistime.

 

W1D1L1 currently, which isn't bad i suppose. Will probably go down i think though eventually.

 

Very pleased with the win, especially the last minute goal to get it. You beat me away last season so I got my revenge!

 

Another loss, but by only a single goal, so it's progress, I guess?

 

You were unlucky to lose that, equal chances and you had more possession.

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I don't know, whatever portray me as the supreme overlord and I'm fine with it :p

 

Always nice with an away win. Even better when Odwin can't do the same. I had prepared the line up, but somehow forgot to set tactics. Weird.

 

Also, forgot the xpert pool for the second time this season :(

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We should combine our team names.... how about we call ourselves Peeps United?

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Eurgh, I got beaten by defensive tactics again! Two major midfield injuries as well scuppered me, can see this season going awful all over again.

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We should combine our team names.... how about we call ourselves Peeps United?

 

Interesting combination you chose there :p

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Macedon 800BC (ulcer)

 

whitman-main.jpg

 

Gardens around the Headingley arena:

Supporters wait in anticipation of the match, pass by stalls which offer pre-match

fruit. Distant, the roar of

digital lions.

 

The numbers are

Raw

Moneyball, a reality:

contemporary fictional football runs in accord to the Brad Pitt model of team management

Applications to the Football Econ Economy MA at the Football Econ Academy are oversubscribed

 

The team blackboard is a dropdown menu. I have the total and complete attention of my players as

I switch out Goodison

tinkering in favour of a

more defensively minded 4-5-1

Can I risk this delicate forward line?

(The players quiver at the very movement of my fingertips)

Perhaps a false nine, in this most decisive of games...

(Is this what it is, to play a higher power?)

My fingers drip digital ink.

 

For what we all crave is total control

responsibility in our, and only our superior hands

Here, numbers are our liquids. We gorge ourselves on 9s and 14s - the refined fruity taste of a 27:11 on our palettes, contrasted on rare occasion by the unusual, distinctive scent of the 19:8. (It smells like econ)

The looping soundbyte

of the crowd on matchday is the very air that we breath - But wait!

(Is the very passivity - This feeling of total, all-consuming powerlessness

that being a supporter entails - paramount to the overriding purpose of football?

Is the undeserved, autonomous pain suffered in fact a vital method of acclimatization to the disappointments,

The arbitrary and randomised unfairness of adult life?)

Only supporters of The Eights know little of defeat

They felt the weight of it once, two seasons past

Yet still they taste it

It clings in the back of the mouth,

An ulca which gently nags. The pain from an old wound. Threatens to flare up at times of stress -

Manifesting into an unfortunate lump of flegm, of course!

I spit it out.

 

Might compatibility between fictional players define the weeks ahead?

Could tempestuous faux-personalities skewer the very heart of what we call ‘teamwork’, opening

gaping rifts in the strongest that the league may have to offer, rifts

into which goals will pour forth?

To be berated at the hands of Gary Neville’s Sky Computer Gadget screen

Subjected to the humiliation of endlessly enjoyed .gifs

from the following morning’s Soccer Saturday to

an anecdote recounted by an ageing AC Jimbob during the Guardian football Pod on a slow week on an international break in 2017?

(I bask in the warm glow of the whitened screen of my squad selector)

 

All at once the screen deadens to black, this comforting glow stolen from me, snatched from in front of my eyes

With haste I attempt to gather my lifeline

pressure!

(midfield strong enough?)

the cable, through which my vital energy runs

jammed back in time

yet here the age old anxiety reappears...

This momentous achievement

This grandiose project,

perfection, precision, product of our hours,

I feel it’s true nature. fleeting, temporal.

Our confluence of imagination and the precision of logic (mitigated with a touch of wit?)

this simulacra,

Whisper it.

Baudrillard would have a field day if he knew!

Egan would sit us down,

put on the kettle and have some words,

hoping the steam from the toasty brew would be sufficient to snap awake our synapses, bring us back to Lived Reality

But it is too late. New

neurological pathways forged

The nodal structures of our brains irreversibly changed

Modified in order to allow us to process, to absorb, to feel these complex streams of data

Xpert is our ‘reality’ (for Now)

 

Was this ever the dream?

Did the Greeks pause their games under the sun in Macedon - tracing diagrams in the sand to illustrate the ideal way to react an opposing team who had switched to a 5-3-2 with wingbacks?

Did Romans discuss the place of a 20-6 in the current footballing climate? Perhaps attempted calculations on each hypothesies, tallied on the wretched abacus? (If only we had an Amstrad! Cried a frustrated Caeser)

Is there to be, in the future, an even more advanced form of weekly simulated football management, of which we are currently entirely oblivious?

One hypothetical prospect too far for me.

 

When I am working on my tactics, I never think about beauty.

I think only how to win the game.

But when I have finished

if the tactics are not beautiful

I know they are wrong.

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tumblr_miwa7mLbU01qgcra2o1_500.gif

 

There is a post of the year in the NE end of year prizes right? Cause I have my entry down right above this post, outstanding.

 

I wonder if in this forum we devote more time, words, concepts, competitions etc than any other group of people that play it.

 

It's great!

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I wonder if in this forum we devote more time, words, concepts, competitions etc than any other group of people that play it.

 

It's great!

 

I thought the same a few months ago so had a quick search and whilst there are a few small forums out there they didn't seem to be as diverse, dedicated or devoted (3D) to xpert as this one...they should employ us! :p

 

interview-new-logo.jpg

 

Greetings MilaGi of Coloccini FC and welcome to The Inter View, it's good to have you on the show! You should be familiar with the way this works now so I'll just fire away:-

 

Hello and thanks for having me!

 

Question 1) You're still relatively new to xpert in your sixth season here now, do you feel like you've got to grips with it yet and how would you describe your footballing/managment philosophy?

 

I still can't quite believe it's been 6 seasons already! I knew it would always take a while to get to grips with it, but I feel I'm getting there (slowly but surely). I have to thank Peeps and Aqui1a for giving me a lot of advice as well as introducing me into the world of Xpert in the first place!

 

As for my managerial style, I'd say I'm an advocate of fluent attacking football. A bit like the Kevin Keegan style of "you score 3 and we'll score 4" philosophy! We want to entertain, we want to win games, we want to win titles and accolades. We're not here to make up the numbers, we're here to compete, but we want to do it the right way!

 

Question 2) You seem to have a fairly high turnover of players at the club (27 players have been shown the club exit door since you arrived, only five less than mine and I've been managing 6 seasons longer...why such a cull? Also, with 12 of your 17 players aged 22 or younger are you finally happy with your current youthful batch and is everything going according to plan?

I think the beauty of having a relatively new team is that there are no immediate expectations resting on your shoulders. I've been able to manage my team with practically zero pressure, and in turn, it has enabled me to mould the team the way I want without drawing too much attention.

 

I could have easily played my highest skilled players game after game from the offset but chose to almost build from the foundation up with the exuberance of youth and develop a squad capable of challenging for honours. I see it as more of a long-term project that will take a bit more patience and hopefully that patience will be rewarded in a few seasons time!

 

I believe we're starting to get somewhere. I also believe the disappointment of relegation last season will be seen as advantageous than anything negative. I'm quite happy with my current squad. I still have a reasonable mix of youth and experience, although we're lacking any real stand out players. I could possibly take on one more youth, but they'll have to be very special for that to happen!

 

I'd probably say "watch this space" for now and I'm sure everyone will see a difference in about 2-3 seasons.

 

Question 3) What are your short and long term aims for the club? Being only the fifth strongest squad in the lower league on paper this season, can you see yourself winning promotion to the Middle League yet?

 

I'd say my short-term goals would be to continue to develop the youth players I have, which also leads into a long-term aim of having a strong team that could be challenging for league titles.

The long-term aim is simple... to reach the Elite League and try and break into the top half there, which is no mean feat! I'm ambitious but we're not going to get ahead of ourselves. We know there's a long way to go to get anywhere near that level, but we'll strive to get to that.

 

In the meantime, we'll be taking it game by game, season by season. Our aim this season is to achieve a top 3 finish within the lower league and gain promotion back into the Middle League. I don't think we'll manage an unbeaten season like we achieved last time we were promoted but that's not important. There are stronger teams than us this season and I'm sure we'll have set backs. It's how we deal with those which will determine the direction of the club. We're off to the best possible start with 3 wins from 3 so just have to keep getting those results on the board! Our next match is at home to Andy's Allstars, who we beat 6-1 in a pre-season friendly. Andy happens to be my brother so it's all about sibling rivalry and bragging rights. Let's see if he remembers to set his tactics this time! There'll be no friendly reminder!

 

Any final words (optional)...

 

I'd like to thank Haden and Madpool for inviting me into the SHIELD this season. It's an honour to have such faith put into me and it's been a boost for the players too given our frenetic start!

 

Nikos, thanks very much for inviting me for The Inter View. It's been a pleasure!

 

Thanks, it was good to have you in the hot seat. We'll all be looking forward to seeing how your team turns out in three seasons or so as I can see the potential is there for you to become a formidable force in time!

 

Look out for next weeks Inter View with MadDog of MadPool...

Edited by Nikos9
Automerged Doublepost

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Oh sweet indeed. Youth acadamy just payed out a beauty. A 17-5 forward, valued at 4.1 million. Pay day for Recall!!!.

 

Going for an entire youth strike team, going to develop them. Got a 21-7, 17-5 and a 19-5 at present, it's looking good for Recall for the future. I also picked up a 17-4 midfielder for development, next season a youth defender.

Edited by Jimbob

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Decided to get VIP again!

 

If anyone wants my 17-4 GK just let me know, he has two goalkeeping special skills + leader!

 

Although unfortunately, his name is Flink Likesdan :(

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Couldn't imagine you without VIP Ell you are an xpert legend :D

 

Looking forward to my game with Peeps tom he will win I reckon but hopefully it might be close.

 

Report from Friday will arrive tom eve :)

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First 3 rounds of the Lower league reports, quick and cheerful to catch-up as it were.

 

 

And with these interviews, i wish to partake.

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Decided to get VIP again!

 

If anyone wants my 17-4 GK just let me know, he has two goalkeeping special skills + leader!

 

Although unfortunately, his name is Flink Likesdan :(

 

How much are we talking here? :p

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Argh...I just got screwed over by the pools! I had provisionally put in all my guesses, went to compare teams for one of the games then clicked back and confirmed the bet only to see that all my guesses had been automatically changed but I only noticed after it was too late...grrr! Never know...it may have worked in my favour but I doubt it! :indeed:

 

The Inter View list now looks like this:-

 

  1. Haden
  2. Coloccini
  3. Madpool
  4. Peeps
  5. Eights
  6. Balbuzards
  7. Co-op
  8. Fedex
  9. Recall
  10. bob
  11. Cubic
  12. Valyrian Steelers (Alliance)

Edited by Nikos9
Automerged Doublepost

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Can i be number 10!?

 

Also, we've finally solved the mystery of who the hell Andy's Allstars are!

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Have lost the last two games against defensive opponents playing 541. Most annoying thing ever!

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Won 2-1 today, new striker David Lister scored both goals. Potentially a bright future ahead for him. Full lower league report coming later today (this evening)

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49 Adílio Lagarto of Fedex United was substituted by Jonathan Rooke

52 Sam Boxall of Cubic County was substituted by Noel Pearce

79 Chris Eastwood of Cubic County was substituted by Harri Vaughan

83 Ross Mansell of Fedex United was substituted by Terence Howarth

85 Bradley Commons of Cubic County was substituted by Gareth Attwell

87 Ferdinand Åkerland of Fedex United was substituted by Ian Potts

 

What a thrilling match.

 

@Nikos9 You can add me to the interview list if you want.

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Usual good game with Madpool. My 24 year old midfielder scored on his 100th game :)

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Alliances

Infinity: Eights United, Real Peeps, Recall United: 27

The Shield: Madpool, Hadens Rangers, Coloccini FC: 19

Winston Gardens, The Roger Federer Crew, Rossers Rovers: 19

Intergalactico Stars, Leeds M.O.T, Fedex United: 17

BuBic: DuDs Baggies, bob, Cubic County: 13

 

 

Spotlight

 

Week 2: The Spotlight this week is on Hadens Rangers vs Atlético Aqui1a. Please predict the outcome and how many freekicks will be taken in the game.

 

Winners:

 

Week 1: Hadens Rangers

 

I went with infinity for our team name because the symbol for infinity is a sideways 8 which should make Tales happy :p it's also how long our alliance will stay on top for.

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