MilaGi Posted March 1, 2014 Posted March 1, 2014 I'm feeling good about a 3rd place finish. @Dr\. bob who's hot on my heels! I have no matches this coming week but I'll be keeping an eye out on the games; in particular the bob vs Peeps double-header!
Tales Posted March 1, 2014 Posted March 1, 2014 How are people feeling on their chances of going through at this halfway stage? I feel pretty good about qualifing. Before the season started I hoped I would finish with nothing but victories, but that's ruined now.
Zell Posted March 2, 2014 Posted March 2, 2014 How are people feeling on their chances of going through at this halfway stage? I definitely see myself going through, but it looks like there will be a three horse race for top spot. I'm definitely under-performing so far. I'm gutted about losing to Dragooooo on Friday, I really felt I didn't deserve to lose that. On top of that, Delipiano got injured and we will severely miss him for our next run of fixtures. The next three games are crucial for us. Three wins should see us secure at the top.
bob Posted March 2, 2014 Posted March 2, 2014 I unfortunately can't see myself picking up enough points to sneak into fourth, but i'll give it a go!
Nikos9 Posted March 2, 2014 Posted March 2, 2014 @Aqui1a - when do you reckon you'll have your Inter View answers ready, just so I can start planning the next?
Charlie Posted March 3, 2014 Posted March 3, 2014 Just noticed that my 19 5 defender is already on 18 DV. Quite possible that he'll be my first ever double jump!
Haden Posted March 3, 2014 Author Posted March 3, 2014 Just noticed that my 19 5 defender is already on 18 DV. Quite possible that he'll be my first ever double jump! Holy shit! How much have you played him? That is fantastic for the halfway point.
Charlie Posted March 3, 2014 Posted March 3, 2014 Holy shit! How much have you played him? That is fantastic for the halfway point. 4 matches, 18 average form.
Haden Posted March 4, 2014 Author Posted March 4, 2014 (edited) Star and Flower League Report Week 3 Glory and Defeat Two of the big guns in the Star League RFC and Yellow Submarine had an interesting week. They both started it with crushing victories, RFC beat the 64s 8-0 and Yellow Submarine destroyed Madpool 7-0. However on Friday they both lost 1-0, RFC to Russian Revolution and Yellow Submarine to Dragooooo. These two losses were very significant and will be examined for our talking points in this league for this week. Dragooooo 1-0 Yellow Submarine This was always going to be a fascinating game, Yellow Submarine are one of the favourites to win this tournament however Dragooooo have quietly come into some fantastic form in their group and sit 2nd only on goal difference. They lined up with a 5-4-1 formation while Yellow Submarine went for 4-5-1. Dragooooo seemed content to not dominate possession but make clear cut chances, the architect Wielink fed a ball through to Velho who smashed it in for the opener. The first half had very few chances and both managers were hesitant to throw on new players with only Yellow Submarine bringing on a new defender. Both teams got into the game and when Wielink had to come off it seemed the home side would need to soak up pressure. It did but at a cost for both eams as Peseiro made two reckless challenges within two minutes being sent off for the 2nd which badly injured Yellow Submarine captain Delipiano and nearly started a brawl between the two sides. In the end however it was a great win for Dragooooo who are now seemingly certain to go through to the knockouts maybe even top of the group! Russian Revolution 1-0 The Roger Federer Crew Russian Revolution have had a torrid start to their campaign, they have had some hard fixtures and won none until today where they beat the group leaders RFC. They threw caution to the wind in this game and played 3-4-3 against a 4-4-2 RFC game. Revolution started well and the youth player Lenin scored his first ever goal for the team with a blistering low shot and what a game to score it in! RFC came back into the game after the break and both sides used a flurry of substitutes to try and control the game, it seemed inevitable that RFC would get a goal but Di Leva and his defence held out and the Revolution fans roared at what is a huge win for this team. Revolution now have a double header against rock bottom team 64s they simply must get 6 points from this double to build on this momentum and give them a chance to challenge for a top four spot. Baggies run a tight ship Baggies had two away games this week and again conceded no goals, they won via a Ashe breakaway goal against Coloccini and held the Wanderers to a 0-0 draw. Behind this unique run lies Cowling at the back with the two huge men Ryman and Unnarsson ahead of him and the quick Bould and Payton tracking down the wings while Barcz the veteran simply roams around the box keeping order. Ryman who was the captain in these two games had this to say “It is a huge point of pride for the lads to keep this clean sheet record going, we know if we do that it means the boys up front will get their job done and hopefully we will come away with 3 points.” However Baggies now play former champions Silverdale who sit behind them in 2nd place, surely the record will fall in this game? Bob tries something new bob adopted a 4-5-1 formation in what was the shock of the week as bob trounced Coloccini FC 5-0. In what was an unusual call for bob he opted for 1 striker up front Goufran who scored a hat trick and in doing so netted his 50th goal for the club in 88 games. Leppe was also on devastating form scoring one and making two more, he has 73 points (scoring or assisting) from 89 games which is even more impressive than Goufran. It is very much a long shot seeing bob make that top four but this win was critical, could bob start to rethink their tactics after this game and adopt more defense and midfield heavy formations in future games? Salmon the unpredictable one Over the last two games Silverdale Salmon has scored from three breakaways, three headers, a set piece free kick, a long shot and a shot after a corner. This varied way of scoring is scary for other teams, they have players like Scrimshaw and Wacek who have a lethal and powerful shot while Calderwood is dominant in the air and Orellana loves to curl in free kicks. Trying to keep Silverdale out is like trying to work out a rubix cube, the fact that this diverse attacking force will now face the defensive machine that is DuDs Baggies for the top spot in the group makes Silverdale vs DuD the potential game of the week. Nice win against a very talented Leeds team today. Interesting results in a lot of the leagues but wow have to take my hat off to @DuD masterful display today, still no goals conceded incredible! Edited March 4, 2014 by Haden Automerged Doublepost
DuD Posted March 4, 2014 Posted March 4, 2014 If only I could thank a post twice. Bit gutted at another injury, Rory Ashe will have been missing for 16 days and now Derek Payton
The Peeps Posted March 4, 2014 Posted March 4, 2014 Spotlight The spotlight is on the Mushroom League this round and the match of Atlético Aqui1a vs Kippen FC. Please predict the outcome and how many freekicks will be taken in the game! Standings Hadens Legends: 2 Bob: 1 Russian Revolution: 1
Charlie Posted March 4, 2014 Posted March 4, 2014 Very pleased with my win over Atletico today, top of the table by 2 points at the midway point. Very close between 1st and 5th so a lot of work left to do.
RogerFederer Posted March 4, 2014 Posted March 4, 2014 Hi everyone, Roger Federer here, I just want to say - Wow! What a season we’re having! This champion’s league format is such a smash, the most fun I’ve had since that crazy party we had at Stan’s house after his Australian Open Win! Oh man! Oh Stan! Anyway, it’s great to see so much close competition – just check out that Mushroom League! It’s tighter than a pair of John McEnroe’s short shorts! The boys are performing really well right now, I’m so proud. I’ve been using a larger racket head since the end of last year, and it’s really been helping with my game, so I thought, why not have the Crew play in bigger shoes? So I’ve got them all clomping round the training ground in size 15 shoes. What a comical image! But it really seems to have paid off. We’re playing better than ever! If we can sink the Yellow Submarine at home and get a result against Drago, then I believe we can win the league. And why not the championship? A win in the Xpert Champions League would be worth 10,000 ATP Ranking Points! I’d rocket back to world number one! Yeah! Roger Federer! Your pal, Roger Federer
MilaGi Posted March 4, 2014 Posted March 4, 2014 The top 3 teams in the Flower League are starting to break away a little bit from the rest. I'll need to be at my best to keep this 4th place spot! @Haden Looking forward to our friendly! I'm going for something a bit different lol :p So I'm expecting you'll score at least 6!
dan-likes-trees Posted March 4, 2014 Posted March 4, 2014 @Haden - I initially (mistakenly) thought I was doing reports for Flower and special - started to write them and left it a day - by which time you posted yours, we picked out the same points for our punditry! 1 - Half a season without a dud performance However they found themslves shut out by Lylat Wanderers in the last round - failure to score against a superior team in the knockouts will bring harsher consequences than two points dropped. 2 - High 5 for Bobs bandits An unusually cautious formation of a 4-5-1 from the wildcard manager has resulted in Bob’s biggest win of the season. , a hugely positive rebound from a humiliating 6-0 defeat to DuDs The Coloccini-Bob battle for the fourth spot in Flower league looks to be the hottest qualification battle in the cup. Anyways - 5 Talking points from Special and Mushroom leagues 1 - Glitz isnt everything at the top of Mushroom League Few before the start of this season have uttered Kippen’s name with much of a degree of excitement, coming off the back of two poor league campaigns and devoid of star players, yet halfway through this season they Charlie has silenced his critics as Kippen find themselves sitting top of the perch in the Mushroom league, a solid away draw at inter followed today by a tight victory over Aqua. More impressively, they have only conceded four goals this season - but today’s injury to Julian Bedford, the rock of their defence this season, will be a huge blow to the manager given the next couple of fixtures - both his next fixtrues, Aqua and then Leeds, are away, which make three at the back more of a risky proposition, and both teams remain in the hunt for qualification - this period will be a real test of the manager’s steele and tactical nouse. 2 - AC raise their game - yet lack a truely elite midfield One of the strongest teams in the competition, the Elites opened their campaign with a stuttering start this year but are finding themselves raising through the gears as the season has progressed, now second in this tight group. There is talent all over the pitch throughout this team, with a vastly superior goal difference to their rivals, yet they have struggled to make their mark in some of the tougher fixtures. Last week Zell suggested the 442 was the sign of a cautious approach - yet given Ell’s scorelines and tactics this might not appear the case, as the 442 employed with offensive intentions. With only four worthy midfielders available, the depth shown by the Elites might be a worry point. A 5 man midfield has been the preferred tactic of top sides over the past seasons, so it will be interesting to observe the success of Ell’s midfield four during the course of this cup. 3 - Curious case of Rosser’s Rovers Rosser’s Rovers are a club with a storied history - a strong start under Federer’s acquaintance Luker was followed with dismissal by the club after a drop down to lower league, before the ill-advised appointment of Cathedralimp, duly fired, left a rag-tag bunch of players for RLTA to work with when he took the reigns this season. After a tough two opening games, RLTA has adapted his tactics to suit a team that are vastly inferior to the majority of their opposition - two impressive draws were recorded before a shock 3 - 1 victory over Haden’s rangers gave the team their first win this season. With a rigid set of defenders and a talented new manager at the helm, Rossers could be the team to show that with well enough planned tactics, any squad is capable of reaching the last 16. 4 - Why are inter not cleaning up? A look at the Inter player roster is enough to make any manager salivate. It is a squad packed with special talents, real depth, and a solid mix of old veterans and new players - one that should by rights be far ahead of the pack in mushroom league. Yet they sit in 3rd, only this week clambering into the qualification zone, failing to register a shot as they were taken down by Aqui1a. Nikos will need more luck in the final third in the tail end of the season, as stubborn defensive efforts have all too often kept his strikeforce at bay. 5 - Leaky back Four of Eights? Despite a near-perfect points tally this season, one might be tempted to spot fault with the Eights defence. That five goals have been leaked this season suggests there is a weakness here, particularly given the lackluster quality of opponent eights have found themselves pitted against. Only three of the team’s current defenders could be described as truely worthy of a starting place at this huge club. Rumors persist that behind closed doors in the club’s hierarchy there are concerns about the decision to let the hugely talented Dagfinn Jalland to leave late last year, a defensive talent who has not really been replaced. It is, of course, the Eights way to win by outscoring the opponent regardless of their own defensive prowess; in contrast to title contenders DuDs this is expansive, ambitious football and they remain strong favourites to add another trophy to the swelling cabinet.
Rowan Posted March 4, 2014 Posted March 4, 2014 Poor from us in today's game. We never really got going and failed to get past DuDs solid defence. Fortunately we have the perfect oppertunity to make things right in the home tie.
The Peeps Posted March 5, 2014 Posted March 5, 2014 (edited) Just got an 18-6 defender through with hard trainer and quicker than most... I wish it was viable to keep him but I'm going to have to sell this late in the season (and he came through on 1dv and 3avg form). He's estimated at 7.9m Edited March 5, 2014 by The Peeps
Haden Posted March 5, 2014 Author Posted March 5, 2014 Just got an 18-6 defender through with hard trainer and quicker than most... I wish it was viable to keep him but I'm going to have to sell this late in the season (and he came through on 1dv and 3avg form). He's estimated at 7.9m Nice reports dan I'm enjoying this format. Your point on kippen and elites were really interesting that group truly is the group of death.
Nikos9 Posted March 5, 2014 Posted March 5, 2014 (edited) (To avoid confusion, these questions were conducted before gameweek 6, the answers of which were provided after) On the eve of battle I somewhat controversially invite my next opponent in the Champions League group stage onto the show, Aqui1a. Peeps has issued a strictly no violence policy whereby if either of us lay a finger on each other before the match, we will both have to watch the game from the stands...so without further ado, let the Inter View begin. *Commence exchanges of pizza throwing, football boot kicks to the face and steel chair shots!* Right, well, now we've got that out of our systems and banished each other to the stands for our game... Question 1) Being fellow members of the Mushroom League, level on points and two points behind top of the league Kippen, I think it's safe to say our division is probably one of the most surprise packages and unpredictable of the lot. Having achieved a win in this same fixture between the two of us last season and a draw away at the Galactico Battleground, are you confident of doing the same this time around and what do you think will be the final order of the top 4? It’s always difficult playing Inter. It’s true we did manage a win against them last season, but out of our nine previous encounters, it remains the only one. They have a very strong team of mostly twenty-somethings along with a fairly decent manager to coordinate things. So yeah, I’m hoping to get my tactics spot on and my players to finish the job. It’s made more important by the fact that the league is so close! I know a good few people have branded the Mushroom League as being the easy one, where certain teams are guaranteed a spot in the knockout stages, but I think they need to take another look… With three points separating 1st and 5th place, it’ll be really interesting to see how it all pans out. Can’t wait! As for how it’ll end up, it’s obviously still difficult to say. Despite underestimating the importance of tactics and failing to acknowledge the difference between playmaker and strongest player, I think AC Elites will finish top, with Inter close behind. And I reckon I’ll just about get third spot with Kippen getting fourth. But saying that, Leeds are doing very well this season so it’s not out of the question that they’ll progress. Question 2) Having had a quick recheck of the league stats I see that you have jumped up to being the third most valuable team in all of N-Europe, rising above my own Galactico's team value, previously occupying that position. That speaks volumes for how far your youth development is coming along as well as what the future may hold. All the talk in the forums, and rightly so, has been focused on either the dominance of Eights, the rapid rise of Yellow Subs, the downfall of Madpool or the potential breakthrough moment for Haden. Are you happy to remain in the shadows ready to step into the light when everyone least expects it and do you think that time will soon be upon us? Of course. I’ve been content with hovering about the bottom half of the Elite league for a few seasons because my focus is entirely on youth development at the moment. I realise how easy it would be to save up a load econ and buy in some fairly high-skilled players to bring success, but this is too short-term for my liking. I think to have a proper good team on Xpert, you need to start from the ground up. Fortunately I’ve received a few really great youths from the academy and bought two or three in from the market to help with building my team. Hopefully it won’t be too long before it all pays off and I win my first Elite League title (or any other league title for that matter D:). Question 3) Why the name Aqui1a? Where does it come from and what does it mean or stand for? It’s my gaming alias that I’ve been using since about 2003/2004. There is some meaning behind it… It’s a star constellation (see club crest) that represents an eagle that in Greek mythology carried Zeus’ thunderbolts around for him! Not that I knew this as the time. I was just like, “Oh that sounds alright! I’ll use that.” Any final words... Thanks for that Mr. Aqui1a...I'm liking the Greek connection there! Before we wrap the Inter View up I'd just like to take this opportunity to say congratulations on your win against my Galacticos last week, you deserved it but don't think I'll be going easy on you in the return leg! :p Next up...the Legends of Haden! The Inter View list:- Peeps Yellow Subs Aquila Haden Coloccini Winston Edited March 5, 2014 by Nikos9
Haden Posted March 5, 2014 Author Posted March 5, 2014 Spotlight The spotlight is on the Mushroom League this round and the match of Atlético Aqui1a vs Kippen FC. Please predict the outcome and how many freekicks will be taken in the game! Standings Hadens Legends: 2 Bob: 1 Russian Revolution: 1 Nice interview! Looking forward to mine. No spotlight love? I predict 2-0 with 2 free kicks.
Aqui1a Posted March 5, 2014 Posted March 5, 2014 Spotlight The spotlight is on the Mushroom League this round and the match of Atlético Aqui1a vs Kippen FC. Please predict the outcome and how many freekicks will be taken in the game! I reckon it'll be 3-0 with 4 freekicks.
Nikos9 Posted March 5, 2014 Posted March 5, 2014 Ah yes, I forgot to do last week's spotlight. I'll say 2-1 with 3 freekicks for this one!
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