Purple Pirates FC

[larrymcg421]

Figured I'd throw my hat into the ring with my own Hattrick dynasty I've been playing for a few weeks an dgetting to learn the ropes. I've made a few mistake sbut think I got the hang of things now.

Purple Pirates (71684)

Country: USA
Region: Florida
Arena: Purple Pirates Arena
Language: English
Series: # 7 in V.16

I took over for a last place team that had only scored 1 pt and 2 goals by week 8. My next two matches were against kpuck, the #1 team in the league. I lost back to back matches against them. I messed with my lineup some and won an 8-2 friendly victory that boosted my confidence. Then I managed to win a crucial league game 4-1 against the #6 team and moved into 7th with 4 pts. I continued winning friendlies but I lost a tough match against the #2 team by a score of 2-1. A missed penalty kick cost me a draw. I just drew my last friendly in exciting fashion. After giving up a 3-0 lead in the first half, I reduced in the 64th minute after my opponent lost a player due to penalties. He lost a 2nd player after the 85th minute. I was down 3-1 with a two man advantage and reduced in the 89th minute and equalized in the 90th minute for a draw.

Here are the current standings...

Series: V.16 (8389)

Country: USA
Level: 5 out of 6

 Team Played Goals Points 

1. kpuck 10 34 - 1 28 

 

2. OhBuddha 10 37 - 4 25 

3. Wisconsin Legend 10 42 - 10 24 

4. Virginia Beach Sun  10 17 - 27 14 

 

5. Lockwood United 10 20 - 27 11 

6. réal 10 6 - 45 6 

 

*7. Purple Pirates 10 7 - 26 4 

8. GLA92 10 6 - 29 4 

[larrymcg421]

Here's some info about my team...

The Club

Youth Squad: inadequate
Investment in the Youth squad: 20 000 US$ / week

Goaltending Coaches: 2
Assistant Coaches: 6
Sport Psychologists: 1
Spokepersons: 0
Economists: 1
Physiotherapists: 3
Doctors: 2

Team Spirit: composed
Confidence: strong

I started off training stamina, but am now training defending. My team is in terrible economic shape, at $183,000in debt.

Arena:

Total capacity: 18510
Terraces: 13625
Basic seating: 4025
Seats under roof: 810
Seats in VIP boxes: 50


Coach

Willy Huntley (12306086)
44 years, wretched form, healthy
A passable coach who is fond of attacking
A nasty fellow who is temperamental and upright.
Has outstanding experience and solid leadership abilities

Players

Aubrey Schell
51 000 US$, 23 years, poor form
Has wretched experience and poor leadership abilities

Stamina: inadequate Keeper: wretched
Playmaking: inadequate Passing: inadequate
Winger: inadequate Defending: poor
Scoring: inadequate Set Pieces: weak

Picked him up as a potential starting winger, but I'll have to wait for that form to improve.

Brandon Foote
33 000 US$, 25 years, weak form
Has poor experience and passable leadership abilities [Powerful]

Stamina: excellent Keeper: wretched
Playmaking: weak Passing: weak
Winger: poor Defending: inadequate
Scoring: weak Set Pieces: weak

Backup central defender.

Daryl Breeden
33 000 US$, 21 years, inadequate form
Has disastrous experience and weak leadership abilities

Stamina: poor Keeper: disastrous
Playmaking: inadequate Passing: weak
Winger: poor Defending: wretched
Scoring: passable Set Pieces: inadequate

Starting forward has done fairly well for me, but that stamina hurts.

Enrico Buendia 2
21 000 US$, 25 years, inadequate form
Has poor experience and poor leadership abilities

Stamina: solid Keeper: wretched
Playmaking: passable Passing: poor
Winger: disastrous Defending: poor
Scoring: weak Set Pieces: solid

Starting Inner Midfielder who is injured right now.

Felix Anaya 1
65 000 US$, 25 years, inadequate form
Has poor experience and weak leadership abilities

Stamina: inadequate Keeper: wretched
Playmaking: passable Passing: inadequate
Winger: poor Defending: inadequate
Scoring: wretched Set Pieces: wretched

Another starting Inner Middie that I expect will be healthy by my next game.

James Whitehead
17 000 US$, 26 years, passable form
Has weak experience and weak leadership abilities

Stamina: solid Keeper: disastrous
Playmaking: wretched Passing: poor
Winger: inadequate Defending: inadequate
Scoring: weak Set Pieces: disastrous

Starting Wingback. Love the form and stamina.

JC Henderson 1
7 000 US$, 27 years, weak form
Has weak experience and weak leadership abilities

Stamina: passable Keeper: disastrous
Playmaking: wretched Passing: weak
Winger: wretched Defending: disastrous
Scoring: inadequate Set Pieces: wretched

Injured backup forward.

Joe Dodson
35 000 US$, 21 years, inadequate form
Has disastrous experience and inadequate leadership abilities

Stamina: inadequate Keeper: disastrous
Playmaking: disastrous Passing: passable
Winger: inadequate Defending: inadequate
Scoring: wretched Set Pieces: disastrous

I've had him playing wingback but I'm gonna try him as a Winger soon and see what he can do.

Leland Olvera
77 000 US$, 22 years, weak form
Has wretched experience and poor leadership abilities

Stamina: inadequate Keeper: wretched
Playmaking: passable Passing: wretched
Winger: passable Defending: inadequate
Scoring: weak Set Pieces: wretched

Very good starting Winger. Hope that form goes up.

Leszek Migdalski
45 000 US$, 31 years, inadequate form
Has poor experience and inadequate leadership abilities

Stamina: excellent Keeper: wretched
Playmaking: poor Passing: solid
Winger: disastrous Defending: passable
Scoring: wretched Set Pieces: poor

Older central defender that I bought for the stretch run.

Loren Elliot
21 000 US$, 25 years, passable form
Has poor experience and passable leadership abilities [Technical]

Stamina: weak Keeper: disastrous
Playmaking: disastrous Passing: poor
Winger: inadequate Defending: poor
Scoring: inadequate Set Pieces: solid

Good as a backup and for set pieces in friendlies.

Louie Hoffman
267 000 US$, 23 years, inadequate form
Has wretched experience and weak leadership abilities

Stamina: solid Keeper: wretched
Playmaking: solid Passing: inadequate
Winger: wretched Defending: solid
Scoring: wretched Set Pieces: disastrous

My best player. Gets me **1/2's on a regular basis. Love the stamina.

Ned Wiseman
21 000 US$, 21 years, weak form
Has wretched experience and weak leadership abilities

Stamina: excellent Keeper: disastrous
Playmaking: wretched Passing: weak
Winger: weak Defending: poor
Scoring: inadequate Set Pieces: inadequate

Nice stamina but not much else. Currently seeing what he'll get me on the market, as I have enough mediocre forwards.

Paul Mahon
25 000 US$, 18 years, passable form
Has disastrous experience and passable leadership abilities [Unpredictable]

Stamina: weak Keeper: disastrous
Playmaking: poor Passing: weak
Winger: wretched Defending: passable
Scoring: weak Set Pieces: wretched

One of my recent purchases. The stamina hurts, but he'll be a good trainee for the long haul.

Percy Bragg
9 000 US$, 29 years, inadequate form
Has poor experience and inadequate leadership abilities

Stamina: excellent Keeper: disastrous
Playmaking: poor Passing: wretched
Winger: passable Defending: disastrous
Scoring: wretched Set Pieces: weak

Aging winger with poor secondary skills. Put him on the market.

Preston Anderson
232 000 US$, 22 years, passable form
Has wretched experience and poor leadership abilities [Powerful]

Stamina: inadequate Keeper: disastrous
Playmaking: solid Passing: weak
Winger: inadequate Defending: inadequate
Scoring: passable Set Pieces: disastrous

My 2nd best player. I've moved him from Inner Middie to Winger to Forward and even played him as a Wingback in my friendly since I'm training defending. He gets **'s wherever I put him.

Rupert Biggs
36 000 US$, 29 years, passable form
Has poor experience and weak leadership abilities [Powerful]

Stamina: excellent Keeper: disastrous
Playmaking: inadequate Passing: inadequate
Winger: poor Defending: inadequate
Scoring: wretched Set Pieces: wretched

Just bought him cheap to help with my Inner Middie depth.

Sam Chan
9 000 US$, 24 years, weak form
Has disastrous experience and passable leadership abilities [Quick]

Stamina: inadequate Keeper: wretched
Playmaking: weak Passing: wretched
Winger: inadequate Defending: poor
Scoring: poor Set Pieces: passable

BAckup Winger and set pieces guy.

Stanton Story
41 000 US$, 28 years, weak form
Has poor experience and wretched leadership abilities

Stamina: inadequate Keeper: disastrous
Playmaking: passable Passing: inadequate
Winger: inadequate Defending: poor
Scoring: poor Set Pieces: passable

Decent inner middie/winger if he can get his form up.

Stuart Charles
10 000 US$, 17 years, solid form
Has disastrous experience and wretched leadership abilities

Stamina: passable Keeper: disastrous
Playmaking: poor Passing: poor
Winger: poor Defending: inadequate
Scoring: weak Set Pieces: inadequate

Defender trainee.

Sui Woo-Sok
130 000 US$, 19 years, inadequate form
Has disastrous experience and weak leadership abilities [Head]

Stamina: weak Keeper: inadequate
Playmaking: wretched Passing: disastrous
Winger: disastrous Defending: disastrous
Scoring: disastrous Set Pieces: inadequate

My only keeper.

Tyree Sharp
20 000 US$, 21 years, poor form
Has disastrous experience and weak leadership abilities

Stamina: weak Keeper: disastrous
Playmaking: poor Passing: inadequate
Winger: poor Defending: weak
Scoring: inadequate Set Pieces: solid

I start him mostly for his set pieces. I wish he could improve that form.

[larrymcg421]

Sold a 31yr old inad/inad middie that was injured for about $11,000. Not bad I guess. The sale put me in the black for the week.

I was looking over my league and it looks like there is a slim possibility I could avoid a relegation match. I would have to likely win out, and Virginia Beach Sun Kings would have to lose out or lose three and draw one. I suppose I could win three and draw one if they lose out but I would have to catch them in goal differential. Not likely.

This is actually somewhat remotely likely, but it all boils down to one contest. Sun Kings have a match with real, a team that has been stinking it up. They provided me with my first win and have a terrible 6-45 goal differential. If real can upset them in two weeks, it's very possible that they'll lose the other three matches.

Anyways, I'm confident I can at least get to a relegation match. I get to play GLA92 in the coming weeks and don't have to play kpuck or OhBuddha.

[GoldenEagle]

Welcome to the FOFC Hattrick Community. I am looking forward to reading more of your dynasty. If you have any questions, please ask, as there is a good contingent of hattrick experts around. Also, make sure you register your team in the hattrick forum if you havent already.

[larrymcg421]

Thanks Eagle. I've been here lurking for a while, taking in all the helpful tips from everyone, so I thought I'd return the favor.

Right now though, I'd be happy just to avoid relegation. Also, I'm performing my Thursday night pop dance ritual (it's not pretty), which will be followed by my Saturday night sacrifice. I haven't decided what to sacrifice yet. All suggestions will be welcome.

[Aesyrqwe]

Wow you got some really good starting Inner Midfielders.. I wish i were that lucky.. Oh and if you are really desperate in cash you could sell either Anderson or Hoffman for quite a bit of money and get yourself a couple of good defender trainees..

-Aes-

[larrymcg421]

Aes,

The only reason I haven't sold either of them yet is because I'm very close to relegation. I need to pass up real' at least before I'm willing to dump my best players.

[larrymcg421]

I got killed in form this week.

Aubrey Schell dropped from poor to wretched.
Enrico Buendia dropped from inad to weak.
Felix Anaya jumped from inad to passable.
James Whitehead jumped from passable to solid.
JC Henderson dropped from poor to weak.
Joe Dodson dropped from inad to weak.
Louie Hoffman dropped from inad to poor!
Ned Wiseman jumped from weak to inad.
Rupert Biggs jumped from passable to solid.
Sam Chan jumped from weak to inad.
Stanton Story dropped from weak to poor.
Stuart Charles dropped from solid to passable.
Tyree Sharp dropped from poor to wretched.

Not good news for my upcoming match against Lockwood. My best player is in terrible shape and my forwards are a mess. Got a couple guys in solid and Anderson is still passable, so I'll have to hang my hat on them.

I'll be back tommorrow night with a youth pull and starting lineups.

[larrymcg421]

Quick update...

Bought a forward from Oceania for $15,000 that will start immediately.

Hyman Baker
19 years, 36 000 US$, passable form

A pleasant guy who is temperamental and honest.
Has disastrous experience and passable leadership abilities.

Stamina: inadequate Goaltending: disastrous
Playmaking: poor Passing: weak
Winger: poor Defending: wretched
Scoring: passable Set Pieces: poor

[sterlingice]

Good old Oceania- where bargains are born

SI

[larrymcg421]

Cash funds: -192 656 US$ (-232 950) US$
Sponsors: irritated
Supporter Club: 565 members
Supporters: content

I'm in the crapper. I need money fast, but I'm also trying to avoid relegation. If I win tomorrow night, I'll sell a guy or two. I'd love to have a youth player to sell, but my inad squad pulled a wretched goalie. I gave him directions to Burger King.

Upcoming Match

Purple Pirates at Lockwood United

Lockwood is the #5 team in V.16 and this is a game I need to win. A win will put me out of the automatic relegation zone with an easy match against a new team coming up the next week.

Starting Lineup

Formation: 3-5-2

Right Wingback: James Whitehead
Central Defender: Paul Mahon
Central Defender: Leszek Migdalski

Right Winger: Preston Anderson (Towards Middle)
Inner Midfielder: Louie Hoffman
Inner Midfielder: Felix Anaya
Inner Midfielder: Rupert Biggs
Left Winger: Leland Olvera (Defensive)

Forward: Hyman Baker
Forward: Daryl Breeden

Set Pieces: Daryl Breeden
Team Captain: James Whitehead

Subs

Keeper: Stuart Charles
Defender: Brandon Foote
Winger: Sam Chan
Midfielder: Aubrey Schell
Forward: Ned Wiseman

I'm going to MOTS this week since I should be able to PIC next week's match.

[Havok]

always good to see another Hattrick Dynasty....

good luck with the rest of the season Larry

[larrymcg421]

Match Report

Purple Pirates at Lockwood United

Date: 6/16/2003 at 01:00
MatchID: 5541849
Arena: The Aggro Crag
Crowd: 9108

Overcast weather free of rain made for a crowd turnout of 9108 at The Aggro Crag today. Lockwood started off with a 3-5-2 lineup. The following players had been chosen: Dennison - Latham, Miller, Moore - Dozier, Cockrell, Grimes, Hook, Hurman - Chung, Haza.

Pirates started off with a 3-5-2 lineup. The following players had been chosen: Woo-Sok - Whitehead, Migdalski, Mahon - Anderson, Biggs, Schell, Hoffman, Olvera - Breeden, Baker.

Some beautiful plays on the left side of the field resulted in a 11th minute goal by Darrell Chung for Lockwood, putting them ahead 1 - 0. The referee showed Piratess Hyman Baker the yellow card after a particularly nasty challenge. Some brilliant football from the visitors right wing resulted in a 15:th minute levelling of scores as Piratess Daryl Breeden equalised to 1 - 1. Carlos Haza gave his Lockwood the lead with 2 - 1, as he successfully challenged both the guests central defenders, then placed the ball unreachably at the goaltenders right post. A well placed corner kick from Jeff Cockrell was followed by Ty Hook´s hard but accurate header. The nice combination meant 3-1 for Lockwood. The visitors replied in the games 30:th minute, scoring the 3 - 2 goal, as Daryl Breeden broke through from the left, easily lobbing the ball over the home teams keeper. Halftime score was 3 - 2. Pirates held the ball, with a clear 65 percent possession rate.

The crowd was silenced in the 50:th minute as the visiting teams Aubrey Schell came in from the left, levelling the score to 3 - 3. Louie Hoffman of Pirates received a yellow card in the 56:th minute for unsportsmanlike behaviour. Pirates had a good opportunity to score the lead goal but the home team goaltender Barrett Dennison saved Paul Mahon´s shot headed for the top corner. In the 66:th minute the visitors broke through on the right after some poor defending and Hyman Baker put the ball away for 3 - 4. Pirates, bringing the final ball possession rate to 71 percent, dominated the battle.

Lockwood´s best player was Carlos Haza. However, Stephen Hurman made a disastrous appearance. The most dominating Pirates player was without a doubt Rupert Biggs. However, Aubrey Schell made a disastrous appearance. The match ends 3 - 4.

Right Wingback: James Whitehead **
Central Defender: Paul Mahon **
Central Defender: Leszek Migdalski **

Right Winger: Preston Anderson (Towards Middle) **
Inner Midfielder: Louie Hoffman **
Inner Midfielder: Aubrey Schell *
Inner Midfielder: Rupert Biggs **
Left Winger: Leland Olvera (Defensive) *1/2

Forward: Hyman Baker **
Forward: Daryl Breeden **

Big comeback win for us! Down 3-1 on the road and scored 3 unanswered goals to shock Lockwood, who probably was hoping to move into 4th place to avoid a relegation match.

Standings V.16

1. kpuck 11 40 - 1 31

2. OhBuddha 11 40 - 5 28
3. Wisconsin Legend 11 46 - 11 27
4. Virginia Beach Sun 11 18 - 31 14

5. Lockwood United 11 23 - 31 11
6. Purple Pirates 11 11 - 29 7

7. réal 11 7 - 48 6
8. Montg. United 11 6 - 29 4

Next week I face off against Montg. United, a new team that lost their first match tonight against kpuck. I'll be PICing. I hope I don't get bit in the ass like Lockwood did this week.

Next match is a friendly against LibertarianPride. I'll be running a 5-4-1 for defensive training.

[larrymcg421]

Friendly Match Report

LibertarianPride at Purple Pirates

I was gonna run a 5-4-1 but I was stupid and forgot to finish making my selections, so I ended up running a 4-4-2.

Keeper: Sui Woo-Suk

Right Wingback: Preston Anderson
Central Defender: Brandon Foote
Central Defender: Stuart Charles
Left Wingback: Joe Dodson

Right Winger: Sam Chan
Inner Midfielder: Rupert Biggs
Inner Midfielder: Aubrey Schell
Left Winger: Loren Elliott

Forward: Ned Wiseman
Forward: Tyree Sharp

496 spectators arrived at Purple Pirates Arena, where weather conditions were pretty good for football. Pirates started off with a 4-4-2 lineup. The following players had been chosen: Woo-Sok - Anderson, Foote, Charles, Dodson - Chan, Biggs, Schell, Elliot - Wiseman, Sharp.

LibertarianPride started off with a 5-4-1 lineup. They fielded: Hinojosa - Thomas, Posey, Moreno, Tipton, Monroy - Skelton, Tillström, Barfield, Gutierrez - Vazquez.

Tyree Sharp gave his Pirates the lead with 1 - 0, as he successfully challenged both the guests central defenders, then placed the ball unreachably at the goaltenders right post. LibertarianPride got a chance to level the score as Harry Barfield suddenly found himself free with the goaltender but the finishing shot hit the bar. LibertarianPride seemed to suffer a certain amount of confusion about the organization of the team. With 19 minutes played Ned Wiseman could have brought this one home for Pirates, had his hooked ball gone in, but it went just a bit too high. With 22 minutes played Aubrey Schell could have brought this one home for Pirates, had his hooked ball gone in, but it went just a bit too high. The teams went for a half-time break at 1 - 0. Pirates held the ball, with a clear 58 percent possession rate.

During the break LibertarianPride´s coach went through the teams new tactics yet again. A header from Ned Wiseman connected with a corner kick after 61 minutes, and the ball ended up with Joe Dodson of Pirates who shot the 2-0 goal. A speedy charge from the left side of the field put Pirates lead up with 3 - 0. Rupert Biggs finished that one off competently, firing from an acute angle. After an industrious effort down the middle Tyree Sharp could have closed the game off in the 76:th minute, but his finishing shot hit the post. LibertarianPride seemed to suffer a certain amount of confusion about the organization of the team. A couple of quick and successful challenges, followed by a shot from just outside the penalty area after 80 minutes might have resulted in another goal for Pirates. However, Hud Hinojosa made a spectacular save. LibertarianPride had obvious problems in finding their positions. In the 87:th minute Pirates put themselves up 4 - 0. The visitors defenders lost the ball to Stuart Charles coming up from the left, who proceeded to cooly round the goaltender and knock the ball home. The structure of the game started to change as Pirates decided to pull back and meet their opponents in the defensive zone. Pirates held the ball, with a clear 77 percent possession rate.

Pirates´s best player was Rupert Biggs. However, Aubrey Schell made a disastrous appearance. The most dominating LibertarianPride player was without a doubt Elmer Posey. Anders Tillström on the other hand, had a terrible day. The match ends 4 - 0.

Midfield: wretched
Right Side Defence: inadequate
Central Defence: inadequate
Left Side Defence: weak
Right Side Attack: inadequate
Central Attack: weak
Left Side Attack: inadequate

** - Biggs, Anderson, Sok
*1/2 - Wiseman, Chan, Elliott, Foote, Charles, Dodson
* - Sharp, Schell

While a 4-0 win should be nice, I am not happy with my team's performance. Charles did not perform well and Sharp and Schell were killed by poor form. I hope the starters fare better in this weeks crucial game.

I'll be back tomorrow with a training update. Hopefully someone will pop and my form will improve.

[Alf]

Your (too big for you) kills you economically.

Otherwise, good luck in your run to avoid demotion !

[sterlingice]

You might need to consider general training just to help out your form a little. Then again, maybe the form fairy will be kind to you in training.

SI

[larrymcg421]

I'm going up against the #8 team this week. They have a new owner that hasn't made any moves. However, I will consider training form for the last few weeks. I'll need good form for that relegation match.

[larrymcg421]

No one popped this week, but I had much better luck with form this week, except for the two level drop for Biggs.

Daryl Breeden jumped from inad to passable.
Felix Anaya jumped from passable to solid.
Hyman Baker dropped from passable to inad.
Leland Olvera jumped from weak to inad.
Ned Wiseman jumped from inad to passable.
Rupert Biggs dropped from solid to inad.
Stuart Charles dropped from solid to passable.
Sui Woo-Sok jumped from inad to passable.
Tyree Sharp jumped from wretched to poor.

I'll be back with an economic update and starting lineup.

[larrymcg421]

Economic Update

Last week

Revenue Expenses
Crowd 1 305 Arena 10 565
Sponsors 22 650 Wages 18 166
Financial 2 500 Interest 9 633
Temporary 20 375 Temporary 5 000
Staff 24 000
Youth squad 20 000
Total revenue 46 830 Total expenses 87 364
Last week´s income/loss -40 534

This could've been worse. In a week where I didn't have a home game, I only lost 40,000. I should be able to turn a pretty good profit this week.

My youth pull was a poor central defender and I told him to take a hike.

Upcoming Match: Montg. United at Purple Pirates

This week, I am playing #8 Montg. United. This is a crucial game. A win will most certainly keep me above the auto relegation line, unless real or Montg. United have some major upsets. What worries me is that I MOTS'd last week (and it was worth it) and got an NSI of 41. Montg. United, a new team that just started last week, managed a 39 in their first ever game. Maybe they MOTS'd since they were playing #1 but this worries me as I will be PIC'ing this one. I still think I can win, especially with Felix Anaya off the injured list.

Right Wingback: James Whitehead (Passable, Inad)
Central Defender: Leszek Migdalski (Passable)
Left Wingback (Defensive): Paul Mahon (Passable)

Right Winger (Towards Middle): Preston Anderson (Solid, Weak, Inad, Inad)
Inner Midfielder: Louie Hoffman (Solid, Inad, Solid)
Inner Midfielder: Felix Anaya (Passsable, Inad, Inad)
Inner Midfielder: Rupert Biggs (Inad, Inad, Inad)
Left Winger: Leland Olvera (Passable, Wretched, Passable, Inad)

Forward: Daryl Breeden (Passable, Weak)
Forward: Hyman Baker (Passable, Weak)

Set Pieces: Daryl Breeden (inad)
Team Captain: James Whitehead (weak, weak)

All of these guys are in inad form or better, except Louie Hoffman, who is in poor form for the 2nd week in a row. He pulled a ** in inad form last week, so I'm expecting that again. I'm looking for great things from Anaya, who is in solid form coming off an injury.

Backups

Forward: Ned Wiseman (inad, weak)
Midfielder: Enrico Buendia (passable, poor, poor)
Winger: Sam Chan (inad, weak, wretched, poor)
Defender: Stuart Charles (inad)
Keeper: Brandon Foote (wretched)

I'm also gonna be closely watching #7 real' take on #4 Virginia Beach Sun Kings. If real can beat Virginia Beach then I have a shot at 4th place. I face Virginia Beach in the final week and that could be the deciding match. If real loses, then I will PIC my final two matches to prepare for the relegation match.

I'll see you guys tomorrow night, hopefully to report a victory.

[larrymcg421]

Now that I've taken a look at the fixtures, I don't think I have a chance at making #4. Lockwood United, the #5 team plays real' and Montg. United (#7 and #8) in the final two weeks. If they win both of those, I won't be able to catch them. So I will most likely PIC three weeks in a row, leading up to my relegation match.

[larrymcg421]

League Match

Montg. United at Purple Pirates
Arena: Purple Pirates Arena
Crowd: 6306


The crowd of 6306 turning up at Purple Pirates Arena today were greeted by some nasty showers of rain. Pirates started off with a 3-5-2 lineup. The following players had been chosen: Woo-Sok - Whitehead, Migdalski, Mahon - Anderson, Biggs, Anaya, Hoffman, Olvera - Breeden, Baker.

Montg. tactics involved an interesting 4-4-2 combination. Lineup: Melendez - Weems, Tharp, Doherty, Bernstein - Busch, Spears, Libby, Gillette - Espinoza, Duncan.

Pirates were awarded a penalty 16 minutes into the game but Daryl Breeden produced a poor shot, quite easily saved by Felix Melendez. Montg.´s Rick Weems could have put the guests one up in the 21st minute, chasing a through ball but Sui Woo-Sok was fast as a snake, grabbing the ball from under his nose. In the 21st minute cheers broke out as Rupert Biggs found his way through the guests central defense line, clipping the 1 - 0 goal in for Pirates. The referee showed Piratess Daryl Breeden the yellow card after a particularly nasty challenge. Pirates put themselves up 2 - 0 when Felix Anaya broke through on the right, leaving the entire defensive box behind him. After 29 minutes Montg.´s Victor Doherty contracted a slight foot injury, but could finish the game. 2 - 0 was the half-time score. Pirates, bringing the final ball possession rate to 71 percent, dominated the battle.

Pirates put themselves up 3 - 0 when Daryl Breeden broke through on the right, leaving the entire defensive box behind him. By now Pirates were drawing the troops back in order to defend their lead. A speedy charge from the left side of the field put Pirates lead up with 4 - 0. Daryl Breeden finished that one off competently, firing from an acute angle. A couple of quick and successful challenges, followed by a shot from just outside the penalty area after 75 minutes might have resulted in another goal for Pirates. However, Felix Melendez made a spectacular save. Rick Weems of Montg. received a yellow card in the 84:th minute for unsportsmanlike behaviour. Pirates held the ball, with a clear 81 percent possession rate.

The most dominating Pirates player was without a doubt Paul Mahon. Louie Hoffman on the other hand, had a terrible day. Most important Montg. player was Brian Tharp. Marc Libby on the other hand, had a terrible day. The match ends 4 - 0.

Midfield: poor (3)
Right Side Defence: passable (6)
Central Defence: passable (6)
Left Side Defence: passable (6)
Right Side Attack: weak (4)
Central Attack: passable (6)
Left Side Attack: passable (6)

Player Ratings

**1/2 - Paul Mahon
** - Daryl Breeden, Hyman Baker, Preston Anderson, Rupert Biggs, Leland Olvera, James Whitehead, Leszek Migdalski, Felix Anaya, Sui Woo-Sok
*1/2 - Louie Hoffman

The NSI of 43 is my highest and it came when I PIC'd. I'd like to thank my fellow FOFC'ers for giving me the idea to play my 2nd central defender at wingback and set him defensively. I did this with Mahon and he got his first **1/2 rating. Plus, I didn't have to sacrifice my left side defense like I did last week when I played two Central Defenders and no Left Wingback.

I have put Louie Hoffman (Solid, Inad, Solid) on the market, and he is currently going for $130,000. I didn't want to sell him before because I didn't want to give away my best player, but I've proven I can win without him, and his declining form combined with high salary has made him a liability.

Other matches in V.16...

Virginia Beach 2, real' 0
OhBuddha 5, Lockwood United 0
kpuck 1, Wisconsin Legend 0

Here are the current standings in V.16...

Team Played Goals Points
1. kpuck 12 41 - 1 34

2. OhBuddha 12 45 - 5 31
3. Wisconsin Legend 12 46 - 12 27
4. Virginia Beach Sun 12 20 - 31 17

5. Lockwood United 12 23 - 36 11
6. Purple Pirates 12 15 - 29 10

7. réal 12 7 - 50 6
8. Montg. Utd 12 6 - 39 4

My distant dreams of 4th place died with Virginia Beach's 2-0 victory over real. I'm actually glad, though. Now I can focus on the relegation match. real would have to beat or tie kpuck to catch me and Montg. United has a -33 GD compared to my -14. Therefore, I plan to PIC the final two weeks in preparation for the relegation match. It'd be nice to pass Lockwood for 5th place, but the relegation match is more important.

Coming up next for the Pirates is a friendly against Yuma, a Div. II team with a Divine keeper. He probably won't be playing but their backup is pretty damn good, too. Either way, we plan on getting pounded. I'll be running a 5-4-1 so hopefully that will minimize the damage.

[larrymcg421]

I've decided to use HATStats to track my progress some more. Here are my current rankings in Div. V

Total Stars - 829th
Defensive - 1067th
Midfield - 649th
Attack - 1084th
NSI - 943rd

Here are some players I've recently bought...

Øyvind Bergli
Age: 19
Defending: Passable
Price: $17,000

Samuil Yanev
Age: 19
Defending: Inadequate
Price: $3,000

Michael Burbidge
Age: 18
Defending: Inadequate
Price: $1,000

Donnie Gillet
Age: 17
Defending: Passable
Price: $25,000
Note: Got Gillet after giving up in a bidding war for another passable

17 yr old that went for $41,000. Three hours later I found Mr. Gillet in Oceania for $25,000. Thank you, Oceania.

Now my defensive trainees are set with Bergli, Yanev, Burbidge, Charles, and Gillet (who may get a chance to start) as the starters for my B-team that will run a 5-4-1, and Mahon, Whitehead, and Migdalski starting on my A-team that runs a 3-5-2.

Everything is running rather smoothly after a rough start. I'll get
killed this week in the friendly and I should lose my next two league matches since I'm PIC'ing but I'll be ready for the relegation match.

Next year, we'll be able to make some noise in V.16 and maybe even the FOFC Cup.

[larrymcg421]

Tonight I am taking on a Div. II team on the road. I'll be running a 5-4-1 with extra defensive emphases. Hopefully this will minimize the damage. Even if I get killed, this is really only about training. I don't have an important match for three weeks when I fight off relegation against a Div. VI team.

I am running nearly a cmoplete B-team this week. The only starters playing are Buendia and Hoffman (about to be sold).

Keeper: Sui Woo-Sok

Right Wingback: Donnie Gillet (Defensive)
Central Defender: Stuart Charles
Central Defender: Michael Burbidge
Central Defender: Samuil Yanev
Left Wingback: Oyvind Bergli (Defensive)

Right Winger: Joe Dodson (Defensive)
Inner Midfielder: Louie Hoffman (Defensive)
Inner Midfielder: Enrico Buendia (Offensive)
Left Winger: Loren Elliott

Forward: Tyree Sharp

I'll be back after the match with a match summary.

[larrymcg421]

Match Report

Purple Pirates at Yuma Bulldogs

The 1297 spectators at Yuma Bulldogs Arena were in for an afternoon of sunshine. Bulldogs had chosen a strategic 3-5-2 formation. They fielded: Bueno Damião - Dutton, Keys, Delvalle - Romero, Cook, Flaherty, Hongkan, Colburn - Åhlstål, Burris.

Pirates had chosen a strategic 5-4-1 formation. Lineup: Woo-Sok - Gillett, Yanev, Charles, Burbidge, Bergli - Dodson, Buendia, Hoffman, Elliot - Sharp.

Bulldogss Jerry Cook gave, after 6 minutes, the home team a 1 - 0 lead after an attack coming in from the right. Louie Hoffman of Pirates received a yellow card in the 10:th minute for unsportsmanlike behaviour. Pirates had obvious problems in finding their positions. In the game's 14:th minute Bulldogs´s David Keys limped slightly after a late challenge, but he was able to continue. With 18 minutes played Joseph Burris could have brought this one home for Bulldogs, had his hooked ball gone in, but it went just a bit too high. The teams went for a half-time break at 1 - 0. Bulldogs held the ball, with a clear 73 percent possession rate.

The Pirates players spent the half-time break getting a rerun of the teams tactical organization. Tze Hongkan behaved like an inexperienced youth player in the 49:th minute as he gave the ball away to an opponent. Lucky for him though, there was no goal. In the 69:th minute Piratess Loren Elliot received a yellow card for going into a challenge studs first. A couple of quick and successful challenges, followed by a shot from just outside the penalty area after 72 minutes might have resulted in another goal for Bulldogs. However, Sui Woo-Sok made a spectacular save. Pirates appeared unsure on how to play. Joseph Burris almost managed to score another goal for Bulldogs, but his header was tipped to a corner by the visitors goalie. Bulldogs held the ball, with a clear 74 percent possession rate.

The most dominating Bulldogs player was without a doubt Fernando Augusto Bueno Damião. Tze Hongkan was a disappointment, however. Most important Pirates player was Donnie Gillett. Tyree Sharp on the other hand, had a terrible day. The match ends 1 - 0.

Team Ratings

Midfield: wretched
Right Side Defence: solid
Central Defence: excellent
Left Side Defence: solid
Right Side Attack: wretched
Central Attack: wretched
Left Side Attack: poor

Player Ratings

2.5 * - Donnie Gillett
2 * - Louie Hoffman, Oyvind Bergli, Samuil Yanev, Sui Woo-Sok
1.5 * - Michael Burbidge, Enrico Buendia, Loren Elliott, Stuart Charles
1 * - Tyree Sharp, Joe Dodson

Notes: The goal of this match was to minimize damage. I was pretty sure I wouldn't win so I played my wingbacks, one winger, and two IM's defensively. It worked pretty well and I only lost 1-0 to a Div. II team. Gillett was great in his first match and won himself a starting job.

Louie Hoffman, my Solid/Inad/Solid Midfielder sold for $240,000. This was much more than I expected and helped get me out of debt.

I bought an extra winger. He'll allow me to play Anderson as an Inner Midfielder.

Brandon Turagabea
19 years, passable form, healthy
Stamina: weak
Playmaking: inadequate
Winger: inadequate
Defending: inadequate

I also got rid of some other dead weight for very little money. I'm currently selling Leszek Migdalski (31 yr old Passable Defender, Solid Passing, Solid Form) as I don't need him anymore with the emergence of my defensive trainees.

Training Update:

No one popped this week, and I took a couple of bad hits in form. Starters in bold

Hyman Baker jumped from inad to passable.
Felix Anaya dropped from solid to inad.
Rupert Biggs dropped from inad to weak.
Tyree Sharp jumped from poor to weak.
Leland Olvera jumped from inad to passable.
Stuart Charles jumped from passable to solid.

One consolation is that Hoffman's form continued to drop and is now wretched, so it looks like I got rid of him just in time. Unfortunately, now another FOFC'er is stuck with him. Sorry, man.

My next match is at Wisconsin Legend. They're the #3 team in the series but only managed a 46 NSI last week, while we PIC'd to a 43. I'll be PIC'ing again, in preparation for my relegation match, but I think I have a shot to win this one anyways. I'll be back tomorrow night with an economic update, an awesome youth pull, and starting lineups.

[larrymcg421]

Purple Pirates at Wisconsin Legend

Formation: 3-5-2

Keeper: Sui-Woo Sok

Right Wingback: Donnie Gillet
Central Defender: Oyvind Bergli
Left Wingback: Paul Mahon

Right Winger: James Whitehead (Defensive)
Inner Midfield: Felix Anaya
Inner Midfield: Enrico Buendia
Inner Midfield: Preston Anderson
Left Winger: Leland Olvera

Forward: Hyman Baker
Forward: Daryl Breeden

Team Attitude: Play It Cool

Arena: Wisconsin Legend Arena
Crowd: 7000

The 7000 spectators at Wisconsin Legend Arena were in for an afternoon of sunshine. Wisconsin tactics involved an interesting 3-5-2 combination. The following players had been chosen: Bolden - Dumas, Zuniga, Mena - Posey, Applegate, Dean, Kilpatrick, Aguilera Vaqués - Javier, Soto.

Pirates had chosen a strategic 3-5-2 formation. The following players had been chosen: Woo-Sok - Gillett, Bergli, Mahon - Whitehead, Anderson, Anaya, Buendia, Olvera - Breeden, Baker.

Pirates took the lead in the games 4:th minute with 0 - 1 after some elegant plays down the middle. Hyman Baker was the scorer. Clemence Posey enjoyed the sunshine and demonstrated his stunning technique over and over again. An uncontested case of handball in the penalty area gave the home team a penalty in the 22nd minute, and Reg Soto was able to score the 1 - 1 goal. Wisconsin made a bid to take the lead as a ball coming in from the right hand side left Evan Applegate completely alone with keeper Sui Woo-Sok, who made a spectacular block. After a fine move down the middle Reg Soto nearly gave the home side one up in the 27:th minute. The finishing shot went just wide, though. 1 - 1 was the half-time score. Wisconsin held the ball, with a clear 58 percent possession rate.

Wisconsin were very close to putting themselves one up in the 49:th minute as Bertran Dumas got through, but failing in concentration, he shot the ball wide. John Zuniga gave his Wisconsin the lead with 2 - 1, as he successfully challenged both the guests central defenders, then placed the ball unreachably at the goaltenders right post. Wisconsin put themselves up 3 - 1 when Bertran Dumas broke through on the right, leaving the entire defensive box behind him. Fernando Mena of Wisconsin received a yellow card in the 77:th minute for unsportsmanlike behaviour. Pirates, bringing the final ball possession rate to 52 percent, dominated the battle.

Wisconsin´s best player was Dan Bolden. However, Geoffrey Dean made a disastrous appearance. Pirates´s best player was Paul Mahon. Enrico Buendia on the other hand, had a terrible day. The match ends 3 - 1.

Team Rating

Midfield: wretched
Right Side Defence: solid
Central Defence: passable
Left Side Defence: passable
Right Side Attack: weak
Central Attack: passable
Left Side Attack: solid

Individual Rating

**1/2: Leland Olvera, Donnie Gillett, Paul Mahon
**: Daryl Breeden, Hyman Baker, Preston Anderson, Felix Anaya, Sui Woo-Sok
*1/2: James Whitehead, Enrico Buendia, Oyvind Bergli

I kinda screwed up the lineup this week, as my wingback James Whitehead didn't do too good as a Winger and Oyvind Bergli's weak form hurt him at Central Defender. If I had played Gillett at Central Defender and Whitehead at Wingback, I might havehad a chance to win. Still, there were some positivbes from this game. First, it was a PIC against the #3 team and I still was in the game most of the way. I even won possession in the 2nd half. Also, I got three players with **1/2 ratings, including Winger Olvera's first **1/2 while played offensively.

However, the biggest positive can be found in this week's standings...

1. kpuck 13 43 - 1 37

2. OhBuddha 13 50 - 6 34
3. Wisconsin Legend 13 49 - 13 30
4. Virginia Beach Sun 13 20 - 33 17

5. Lockwood United 13 26 - 36 14
6. Purple Pirates 13 16 - 32 10

7. réal 13 7 - 53 6
8. Montg. Utd 13 7 - 44 4

With one week to go, I have a 4 pt lead on 7th place, meaning I have clinched 6th place and avoided auto demotion.

Next week's matches...

Virginia Beach at Purple Pirates
Montg. United at Lockwood United
wisconsin Legend at Oh Buddha
real at kpuck

My match will be of some consequence next week as Virginia Beach will be trying to clinch 4th place. A draw or win against me and they do that. A loss and they most likely fall to 5th as Lockwood has a better goal differential and plays Montg. United. To Lockwood's dismay, I will PIC this match, but there is still a possibility I can win anyways.

I will be back with a report on this week's friendly, against saintsfc.

[larrymcg421]

Friendly Report

Purple Pirates at Saintsfc

I played a 5-4-1 as usual for defensive training purposes. Maybe one of these days, I'll do a home friendly.

Lineup

Keeper: Sui Woo-Sok

Right Wingback: Tommy Joe Weeks (Defensive)
Central Defender: Samuil Yanev
Central Defender: Stuart Charles
Central Defender: Clifton Robbins
Left Wingback: Michael Burbidge (Defensive)

Right Winger: Brandon Turagabea
Inner Midfielder: Enrico Buendia (Offensive)
Inner Midfielder: Rupert Biggs
Left Winger: Jordi Zalabrado

Forward: Tyree Sharp

Set Pieces: Enrico Buendia
Captain: Rupert Biggs

Arena: saintsfc Arena
Crowd: 949


A scorching day at saintsfc Arena, where 949 spectators were in place for today´s match. saintsfc had chosen a strategic 4-4-2 formation. The following players had been chosen: Alonso - Almunia, Zhe, Denny, Valenzuela - Gama, Anderson, Lester, Rico - Lewskog, Fisher.

Pirates had chosen a strategic 5-4-1 formation. The following players had been chosen: Woo-Sok - Weeks, Yanev, Charles, Robbins, Burbidge - Turagabea, Biggs, Buendia, Zalabardo - Sharp.

Pirates had several good opportunities to take the lead, especially in the 9:th minute when Jordi Zalabardo came up alone against Tyrell Alonso who managed a block. In the 12th minute saintsfcs Richard Lewskog received a yellow card for going into a challenge studs first. Pirates appeared unsure on how to play. saintsfc could have put themselves ahead in the 21st minute as Kevin Anderson missed a volley shot on a ball coming in from the right. Pirates had a good opportunity to score the lead goal but the home team goaltender Tyrell Alonso saved Brandon Turagabea´s shot headed for the top corner. Pirates had obvious problems in finding their positions. Richard Lewskog gave his saintsfc the lead with 1 - 0, as he successfully challenged both the guests central defenders, then placed the ball unreachably at the goaltenders right post. A couple of quick and successful challenges, followed by a shot from just outside the penalty area after 35 minutes might have resulted in another goal for saintsfc. However, Sui Woo-Sok made a spectacular save. Halftime score was 1 - 0. saintsfc held the ball, with a clear 53 percent possession rate.

The Pirates players spent the half-time break getting a rerun of the teams tactical organization. saintsfc put their lead ahead another goal as John Fisher struck home the 2 - 0 goal, after an attack from the left setting him up unmarked with the keeper. The referee showed saintsfcs Frederick Denny the yellow card after a particularly nasty challenge. The visitors got a chance of pulling one back in the 70:th minute, due to a defensive blunder leaving Clifton Robbins completely unmarked. His strike was pathetic though, easy prey for the home side´s keeper. The referee showed saintsfcs Mauro Rico the yellow card after a particularly nasty challenge. It wasn´t a good day at all for Samuil Yanev. His powerful style of play didn´t fit the bill this warm day. Things were going to get worse for the visitors. John Fisher squirmed himself through the central defense line in the 86:th minute, asserting the lead to 3 - 0. By now saintsfc were drawing the troops back in order to defend their lead. Pirates had obvious problems in finding their positions. saintsfc held the ball, with a clear 61 percent possession rate.

Most important saintsfc player was Mauro Rico. However, Kevin Anderson made a disastrous appearance. Pirates´s best player was Sui Woo-Sok. Enrico Buendia on the other hand, had a terrible day. The match ends 3 - 0.

Midfield: wretched
Right Side Defence: passable
Central Defence: solid
Left Side Defence: excellent
Right Side Attack: poor
Central Attack: wretched
Left Side Attack: weak

Individual Ratings

**: Brandon Turagabea, Jordi Zalabardo, Tommy Joe Weeks, Stuart Charles, Michael Burbidge, Sui Woo-Sok
*1/2: Tyree Sharp, Enrico Buendia, Rupert Biggs, Clifton Robbins, Samuil Yanev

Despite the loss, some good things to take away from this. My two new Wingers both got **'s so I'm now fully stocked at the position in case of injury. My youth pull also was able to manage ** and Charles got his first ** rating. Maybe that's a sign that theyre close to popping. We'll see.

I'll be back tonight with training and form updates. Hopefully someone will pop!

[larrymcg421]

TRAINING UPDATE

No one popped, but I had another bad week at Form. Three of my midfielders Biggs, Buendia, and Anaya are all in weak or poor form. Also down is my defensive trainee Samuil Yanev who has dropped to poor. The best news is my Forwards Baker and Breeden remained passable for the third week in a row.

YOUTH PULL

For the second week in a roow, I got a decent youth pull.

William Welch (13507779)
17 years, passable form, healthy

A sympathetic guy who is fiery and dishonest.
Has disastrous experience and weak leadership abilities.

Nationality: USA
Assessed value: 123 000 US$
Wage: 1 080 US$/week
Owner: Purple Pirates
Warnings: 0


Stamina: poor Goaltending: inadequate
Playmaking: disastrous Passing: disastrous
Winger: disastrous Defending: disastrous
Scoring: disastrous Set Pieces: weak

He is already up for sale with a minimum price of $20,000 and someone has bid on him.

Match Report: Virginia Beach Sun Kings at Purple Pirates

This week I take on the Virginia Beach Sun Kings, a team desperately trying to hold on to 4th place. They need a win or a tie to stay in 4th place, because the 5th place team, Lockwood United, has an easy match and an advantage in goal differential. Fortunately for Virginia, I am PIC'ing for the 3rd week in a row since I have already clinched 6th place.

Starting Lineup

I fiddled with my lineup some to work against Virginia's weak left side, by putting my normal Wingback on the right side and playing my Right Winger offensively again. To help out with possession, I played my left winger towards the middle.

Keeper: Sui Woo-Sok
Right Wingback: James Whitehead
Central Defender: Donnie Gillett
Left Wingback (Defensively): Paul Mahon

Right Winger (Offensively): Leland Olvera
Inner Midfielder: Preston Anderson
Inner Midfielder: Felix Anaya
Inner Midfielder: Rupert Biggs
Left Winger (Towards Middle): Brandon Turagabea

Forward: Daryl Breeden
Forward: Hyman Baker

Set Pieces: Daryl Breeden

Arena: Purple Pirates Arena
Crowd: 11194


Weather conditions were fairly good for football, and Purple Pirates Arena saw a crowd turnout of 11194. Pirates started off with a 3-5-2 lineup. They fielded: Woo-Sok - Whitehead, Gillett, Mahon - Olvera, Biggs, Anderson, Anaya, Turagabea - Breeden, Baker.

Virginia had chosen a strategic 4-3-3 formation. The following players had been chosen: Libby - Ruth, Mooney, Grimm, Miller - Willard, Cosby, Kuykendall - Adalid, Davidson, Giordano.

Pirates broke through to the left in the 8:th minute, Paul Mahon firing at an acute angle giving the home side a 1 - 0 lead. In the games 23rd minute Pirates´s Hyman Baker fell dramatically just outside the penalty area. However, the referee booked Hyman Baker for taking a dive. A bit later, a magnificent combination in the middle resulted in Pirates´s Felix Anaya putting the lead up to 2 - 0. Things were going to get worse for the visitors. Hyman Baker squirmed himself through the central defense line in the 35:th minute, asserting the lead to 3 - 0. By now Pirates were drawing the troops back in order to defend their lead. 3 - 0 was the half-time score. The fortyfive minutes were dominated by Pirates, with an impressive 69 percent possession of the ball.

Daryl Breeden increased Piratess lead to 4 - 0 by putting a header away on a hooked ball from the right. Pirates held the ball, with a clear 56 percent possession rate.

The most dominating Pirates player was without a doubt Paul Mahon. However, Rupert Biggs made a disastrous appearance. Most important Virginia player was Matthew Giordano. Henry Kuykendall was a disappointment, however. The match ends 4 - 0.

Team Ratings

Midfield: poor
Right Side Defence: passable
Central Defence: solid
Left Side Defence: passable
Right Side Attack: solid
Central Attack: passable
Left Side Attack: inadequate

Individual Ratings

**1/2: Baker, Olvera, Gillett, Mahon
**: Breeden, Anderson, Whitehead, Woo-Sok
*1/2: Anaya, Turagabea, Biggs

Total *'s: 22.5

Comments: I'm very pleased with this win. We PIC'd and achieved our highest NSI and total * rating yet. A first ever solid in attack and my left side was inadequate despite playing a defensive wingback and winger towards the middle. I also had 4 players get **1/2, three of them under 20 years old. Virginia blamed this loss on their coach, but I think it was their screwy 4-3-3 lineup. Lockwood won as expected and Virginia will have to play a relegation match.

Final Standings for V.16

1. kpuck 14 48 - 1 40

2. OhBuddha 14 51 - 8 34
3. Wisconsin Legend 14 51 - 14 33
4. Lockwood United 14 29 - 37 17

5. Virginia Beach Sun 14 20 - 37 17
6. Purple Pirates 14 20 - 32 13

7. réal 14 7 - 58 6
8. Montg. Utd 14 8 - 47 4

Next match: The Purple Pirates and their satisfied Team Spirit will host a relegation match with the Texas Babylonians, a bot team with an NSI of 27.

[larrymcg421]

Friendly Report

Purple Pirates at Red Wales

I decided to go ahead and travel for my first international friendly. We will be going to Wales to play a Division III team there. Again, I am running a 5-4-1 for defensive training purposes.

Lineup

Keeper: Sui Woo-Sok

Right Wingback: Oyvind Bergli (Defensive)
Central Defender: Clifton Robbins
Central Defender: Michael Burbidge
Central Defender: Stuart Charles
Left Wingback: Tommy Joe Weeks (Defensive)

Right Winger (Offensive): Jordi Zalabardo
Inner Midfielder: Anthony Griffin
Inner Midfielder: Enrico Buendia
Left Winger (Offensive): Brandon Turagabea

Forward: Tyree Sharp

Set Pieces: Tyree Sharp

Match Report:

At Red Wales Arena, 3273 punters turned up, and despite threatening clouds at the horizon, no rain came. Wales started off with a 3-5-2 lineup. The following players had been chosen: Probyn - Atkinson, Fortune, Sloan - Raichura, Bonsall, Fitzmaurice, King, Wild - Marlin, Singleton.

Pirates had chosen a strategic 5-4-1 formation. The following players had been chosen: Woo-Sok - Bergli, Charles, Burbidge, Robbins, Weeks - Zalabardo, Buendia, Griffin, Turagabea - Sharp.

The referee showed Waless Shaun Fitzmaurice the yellow card after a particularly nasty challenge. After 24 minutes Piratess Tyree Sharp made his way through the middle, putting the visitors up 0 - 1. The teams went for a half-time break at 0 - 1. Pirates, bringing the final ball possession rate to 61 percent, dominated the battle.

Tommy Joe Weeks was, after 48 minutes, almost able to extend the visitors lead with a well placed diving header but home side keeper John Probyn saved. Brandon Turagabea was dominating his wing and kept sending fine balls into the enemy box - Tyree Sharp managed to kick one of them into 0 - 2 in the 54:th minute. The structure of the game started to change as Pirates decided to pull back and meet their opponents in the defensive zone. Michael Burbidge came close to extending the visitors lead as he, completely unmarked in front of the goal, lifted a ball over John Probyn, hitting the bar. Brandon Turagabea increased the visitors lead by putting a volley shot away on a pass from the right. 0 - 3. In the 65:th minute Pirates put themselves up 0 - 4 after an attack from the right, caused by a defensive blunder. Scorer was Øyvind Bergli. After 75 minutes a combination in the middle resulted in a through ball for Enrico Buendia who increased Pirates´s lead to 0 - 5. The fortyfive minutes were dominated by Pirates, with an impressive 73 percent possession of the ball.

Most important Wales player was John Probyn. Ben Fortune on the other hand, had a terrible day. The most dominating Pirates player was without a doubt Jordi Zalabardo. However, Enrico Buendia made a disastrous appearance. The match ends 0 - 5.

Team Rating

Midfield: wretched
Right Side Defence: passable
Central Defence: excellent
Left Side Defence: solid
Right Side Attack: inadequate
Central Attack: poor
Left Side Attack: weak

Individual Ratings

**1/2: Zalabardo
**: Burbidge, Turagabea, Bergli, Charles, Weeks, Woo-Sok
*1/2: Sharp, Griffin, Buendia, Robbins

Well, it's nice we won 5-0 but there are more important and positive things to look at. The attendance of 3,273 set a Pirates record for a friendly, and allowed us to profit even after international costs. Also, my recent purchase of Jordi Zalabardo paid off with a **1/2 rating and barring a major dropoff in form, will start in the relegation match.

Next: Training and Form Updates.

[larrymcg421]

I've had lots of transactions lately, so I thought I'd give you guys another look at my roster.

Starters:

Keeper

Sui Woo-Sok
147 000 US$, 19 years, passable form
Has disastrous experience and weak leadership abilities [Head]


Stamina: weak Keeper: inadequate
Playmaking: wretched Passing: disastrous
Winger: disastrous Defending: disastrous
Scoring: disastrous Set Pieces: inadequate

Wingbacks

James Whitehead
20 000 US$, 26 years, solid form
Has weak experience and weak leadership abilities


Stamina: solid Keeper: disastrous
Playmaking: wretched Passing: poor
Winger: inadequate Defending: inadequate
Scoring: weak Set Pieces: disastrous

Note: This is my only true wingback. In league matches I play one wingback defensively. In friendly's, I play both defensively.

Paul Mahon
35 000 US$, 18 years, solid form
Has disastrous experience and passable leadership abilities [Unpredictable]


Stamina: weak Keeper: disastrous
Playmaking: poor Passing: weak
Winger: wretched Defending: passable
Scoring: weak Set Pieces: wretched

Central Defender

Donnie Gillett
36 000 US$, 17 years, passable form
Has disastrous experience and poor leadership abilities


Stamina: weak Keeper: disastrous
Playmaking: weak Passing: poor
Winger: wretched Defending: passable
Scoring: inadequate Set Pieces: inadequate

Inner Midfielders

Preston Anderson
232 000 US$, 22 years, passable form
Has wretched experience and poor leadership abilities [Powerful]

Stamina: inadequate Keeper: disastrous
Playmaking: solid Passing: weak
Winger: inadequate Defending: inadequate
Scoring: passable Set Pieces: disastrous

Felix Anaya
59 000 US$, 25 years, weak form
Has poor experience and weak leadership abilities


Stamina: inadequate Keeper: wretched
[b]Playmaking: passable Passing: inadequate
Winger: poor Defending: inadequate
Scoring: wretched Set Pieces: wretched

Rupert Biggs
28 000 US$, 29 years, weak form
Has weak experience and weak leadership abilities [Powerful]


Stamina: excellent Keeper: disastrous
Playmaking: inadequate Passing: inadequate
Winger: poor Defending: inadequate
Scoring: wretched Set Pieces: wretched

Wingers

Leland Olvera
97 000 US$, 22 years, passable form
Has wretched experience and poor leadership abilities


Stamina: inadequate Keeper: wretched
Playmaking: passable Passing: wretched
Winger: passable Defending: inadequate
Scoring: weak Set Pieces: wretched

Jordi Zalabardo
40 000 US$, 26 years, passable form
Has wretched experience and inadequate leadership abilities


Stamina: inadequate Keeper: disastrous
Playmaking: weak Passing: poor
Winger: passable Defending: weak
Scoring: poor Set Pieces: inadequate

Forwards

Hyman Baker
37 000 US$, 19 years, passable form
Has disastrous experience and passable leadership abilities [Unpredictable]


Stamina: inadequate Keeper: disastrous
Playmaking: poor Passing: weak
Winger: poor Defending: wretched
Scoring: passable Set Pieces: poor

Daryl Breeden
36 000 US$, 21 years, passable form
Has wretched experience and weak leadership abilities


Stamina: poor Keeper: disastrous
Playmaking: inadequate Passing: weak
Winger: poor Defending: wretched
Scoring: passable Set Pieces: inadequate

Defensive Trainees

Øyvind Bergli
31 000 US$, 19 years, weak form
Has disastrous experience and inadequate leadership abilities [Quick]


Stamina: weak Keeper: disastrous
Playmaking: wretched Passing: wretched
Winger: wretched Defending: passable
Scoring: inadequate Set Pieces: poor

Michael Burbidge
37 000 US$, 18 years, solid form
Has disastrous experience and inadequate leadership abilities


Stamina: inadequate Keeper: disastrous
Playmaking: wretched Passing: inadequate
Winger: weak Defending: inadequate
Scoring: poor Set Pieces: weak

Clifton Robbins
35 000 US$, 17 years, passable form
Has disastrous experience and poor leadership abilities [Unpredictable]


Stamina: disastrous Keeper: disastrous
Playmaking: weak Passing: passable
Winger: poor Defending: inadequate
Scoring: weak Set Pieces: poor

Tommy Joe Weeks
23 000 US$, 17 years, passable form
Has disastrous experience and wretched leadership abilities


Stamina: weak Keeper: disastrous
Playmaking: weak Passing: weak
Winger: weak Defending: inadequate
Scoring: wretched Set Pieces: wretched

Stuart Charles
14 000 US$, 17 years, passable form
Has disastrous experience and wretched leadership abilities


Stamina: passable Keeper: disastrous
Playmaking: poor Passing: poor
Winger: poor Defending: inadequate
Scoring: weak Set Pieces: inadequate

Backups

Enrico Buendia
22 000 US$, 25 years, poor form
Has poor experience and poor leadership abilities


Stamina: solid Keeper: wretched
Playmaking: passable Passing: poor
Winger: disastrous Defending: poor
Scoring: weak Set Pieces: solid

Brandon Turagabea
45 000 US$, 19 years, passable form
Has disastrous experience and inadequate leadership abilities [Technical]


Stamina: weak Keeper: disastrous
[b]Playmaking: inadequate Passing: poor
Winger: inadequate Defending: inadequate
Scoring: poor Set Pieces: poor

Joe Dodson
34 000 US$, 21 years, weak form
Has disastrous experience and inadequate leadership abilities


Stamina: inadequate Keeper: disastrous
Playmaking: disastrous Passing: passable
Winger: inadequate Defending: inadequate
Scoring: wretched Set Pieces: disastrous

Tyree Sharp
28 000 US$, 21 years, inadequate form
Has disastrous experience and weak leadership abilities


Stamina: weak Keeper: disastrous
Playmaking: poor Passing: inadequate
Winger: poor Defending: weak
Scoring: inadequate Set Pieces: solid

JC Henderson
8 000 US$, 27 years, weak form
Has weak experience and weak leadership abilities


Stamina: passable Keeper: disastrous
Playmaking: wretched Passing: weak
Winger: wretched Defending: disastrous
Scoring: inadequate Set Pieces: wretched

[larrymcg421]

Here are the results of all matches played since I got my team. NSI is included following each score in brackets.

League Matches

19.07 - kpuck 2, Purple Pirates 0 (39)
19.08 - kpuck 3, Purple Pirates 0 (35)
19.09 - Purple Pirates 4, real 1 (40)
19.10 - OhBuddha 2, Purple Pirates 1 (40)
19.11 - Purple Pirates 4, Lockwood United 3 (41)
19.12 - Purple Pirates 4, Montg. United 0 (43)
19.13 - Wisconsin Legend 3, Purple Pirates 1 (42)
19.14 - Purple Pirates 4, Virginia Beach Sun Kings 0 (46)

Friendlies

05/15 - Fairfax Fizz 3, Purple Pirates 0 (31)
05/29 - Purple Pirates 8, goonz 2 (40)
06/05 - Purple Pirates Purple Pirates 3, Philadelphia Freedom 2 (31)
06/12 - Purple Pirates 3, Kansas City Hornets 3 (34)
06/19 - Purple Pirates 4, LibertarianPride 0 (34)
06/26 - Yuma Bulldogs 1, Purple Pirates 0 (35)
07/03 - saintsfc 3, Purple Pirates 0 (36)
07/08 - Purple Pirates 5, Red Wales 0 (39)

[Alf]

Thanks for the friendly with my "Alf Trickers". I am preparing the stands to welcome the Purple Pirates.

[larrymcg421]

Thanks Alf. Should be a fun match. Your friendly NSI is a few points higher than mine, so you'll likely win. But it will be fun for a nice relaxing match a few days after my relegation match. Looking forward to getting the extra training as well.

[larrymcg421]

With the relegation match coming up, no one popped but we have some good news with regards to form.

Preston Anderson dropped from passable to inadequate.
Felix Anaya jumped from weak to passable.
Donnie Gillett jumped from passable to solid.
Clifton Robbins jumped from passable to solid.
Paul Mahon dropped from solid to passable.
Tyree Sharp jumped from inad to passable.
Rupert Biggs dropped from weak to poor.
Enrico Buendia jumped from poor to weak.

Biggs will be benched in favor of Buendia or new purchase Anthony Griffin. The best news is the two level jump for my talented #2 MF Felix Anaya.

[Alf]

Actually, since I don't play this Saturday, I plan on playing my A-team. But don't worry, since my Team Spirit is "furious", my midfield won't be as good as usual !

[larrymcg421]

Great attendance for last week's match plus extra production from my youth squad has helped me out. The last few weeks I have been able to hold my ground. I have a relegation match that should get me some nice money and some of my trainees should be popping anytime now.

Cash funds: -106 034 US$ (-141 175) US$
Sponsors: satisfied
Supporter Club: 651 members
Supporters: delirious

Revenue Expenses
Crowd 64 082 Arena 10 565
Sponsors 30 450 Wages 17 928
Financial 1 000 Interest 5 264
Temporary 38 980 Temporary 53 000
Staff 28 500
Youth squad 20 000
Total revenue 134 512 Total expenses 135 257
Last week´s income/loss -74

Here is my youth pull:

Seth Harvey (14228756)
18 years, passable form, healthy

A popular guy who is calm and dishonest.
Has disastrous experience and weak leadership abilities.


Speciality: Head

Nationality: USA
Assessed value: 16 000 US$
Wage: 580 US$/week
Owner: Purple Pirates
Warnings: 0

Stamina: wretched Goaltending: disastrous
Playmaking: disastrous Passing: inadequate
Winger: wretched Defending: poor
Scoring: inadequate Set Pieces: wretched

I don't need another forward so I put him on the transfer market with a starting price of $20 000.

I also placed a bid on a weak Goalie. Who in their right mind would do that? Well, I have a relegation match coming up and I only have one goalie. I didn't want to take the chance of having him injured in the middle of the match. I'm playing a bot team, so I don't need a decent goalie, just someone whpo can stand in front of the net and stay awake.

[larrymcg421]

Well here we are at qualification week. We take on the Texas Babylonians, a Div VI bot team. There's no reason we should lose this game, but anything can happen I guess. We are playing our standard 3-5-2 lineup. It's likely we will replace Whitehead with a defensive wingback next season.

Keeper: Sui Woo-Sok

Right Wingback: James Whitehead
Central Defender: Donnie Gillett
Left Wingback (Defensive): Paul Mahon

Right Winger (Offensive): Leland Olvera
Inner Midfielder: Preston Anderson
Inner Midfielder: Rupert Biggs
Inner Midfielder: Felix Anaya
Left Winger (Offensive): Jordi Zalabardo

Forward: Daryl Breeden
Forward: Hyman Baker

Set Pieces: Daryl Breeden

Match Report:

At Purple Pirates Arena, 11224 punters turned up, and despite threatening clouds at the horizon, no rain came. Pirates had chosen a strategic 3-5-2 formation. Lineup: Woo-Sok - Whitehead, Gillett, Mahon - Olvera, Biggs, Anderson, Anaya, Zalabardo - Breeden, Baker.

Babylonians had chosen a strategic 4-4-2 formation. The following players had been chosen: Stanfield - Arcos, Cohen, Aguilar, Cornwell - Langston, Reynoso, Herron, Rutherford - Abel, Crespo.

In the 25:th minute cheers broke out as Hyman Baker found his way through the guests central defense line, clipping the 1 - 0 goal in for Pirates. A speedy charge from the left side of the field put Pirates lead up with 2 - 0. Jordi Zalabardo finished that one off competently, firing from an acute angle. As Rupert Biggs had, completely unprovoked, swept the legs out from under an opponent in front of a linesman, the referee gave the Pirates player a red card without batting an eye. Pirates put themselves up 3 - 0 when Hyman Baker broke through on the right, leaving the entire defensive box behind him. After this Pirates lowered the tempo in order to concentrate on their defensive efforts. Lawrence Herron of Babylonians received a yellow card in the 40:th minute for unsportsmanlike behaviour. After 40 minutes Daryl Breeden put Pirates ahead 4 - 0 as he rose to head in a hooked ball, the result of an effort from the right side. 4 - 0 was the half-time score. Pirates held the ball, with a clear 71 percent possession rate.

Pirates put themselves up 5 - 0 when Felix Anaya broke through on the right, leaving the entire defensive box behind him. Piratess Hyman Baker got himself booked after a foul. After 80 minutes Donnie Gillett put Pirates ahead 6 - 0 as he rose to head in a hooked ball, the result of an effort from the right side. 80 minutes into the game Jermaine Langston had to leave the pitch due to a knee injury. In came Peter Kuhn. In the game's 81st minute Babylonians´s Jake Reynoso limped slightly after a late challenge, but he was able to continue. A speedy charge from the left side of the field put Pirates lead up with 7 - 0. Hyman Baker finished that one off competently, firing from an acute angle. By then Hyman Baker was a three time scorer - a hat trick! Pirates held the ball, with a clear 71 percent possession rate.

Most important Pirates player was Donnie Gillett. James Whitehead was a disappointment, however. The most dominating Babylonians player was without a doubt Ty Abel. However, Lawrence Herron made a disastrous appearance. The match ends 7 - 0.

Team Rating

Midfield: poor
Right Side Defence: passable
Central Defence: passable
Left Side Defence: passable
Right Side Attack: solid
Central Attack: passable
Left Side Attack: solid

Individual Ratings

**1/2: Baker, Olvera, Gillett, Mahon
**: Breeden, Anderson, Anaya, Zalabardo, Whitehead, Woo-Sok

A very good match for us. I knew all along I would win although seeing that early red card made me a bit nervous. Considering we played the match a man short, our record 47 NSI and 22 *'s were very impressive. results. Hyman Baker, who some recall I bought for $19,000 a few weeks ago managed the first ever Pirates hat trick in an official game. Daryl Breeden had a hat trick in an 8-2 friendly win over goonz on 05/29.

We look forward to competing in V.16 next season. Coming into our series from Div. IV is a walkover team. Coming up from VI are two bot teams. These three teams will likely be replaced but will still be at a disadvantage as new teams. The teams returning do not scare us at all. Oh Buddha, who doesn't even play friendlies, averages an NSI of 48.7 NSI. Wisconsin Legend averages a 48.3. Playing a man short, we managed a 47 this week and should get even better next year. The rest of the teams in our series are in the low 40's. It should be very interesting.

Thanks to all who have been reading this so far.

[larrymcg421]

Team MVP Voting

We would liketo give our fans a chance to vote and select the MVP for the Pirates this season. Here are the candidates:

Forward Hyman Baker: 3 League Goals in 4 Matches. Winning Goal in crucial 4-3 victory over Lockwood United. Hat trick in relegation match.

Forward Daryl Breeden: 5 goals in 7 League Matches. Two goals in crucial 4-3 victory over Lockwood United. One goal in relegation match.

Midfielder Preston Anderson: All-purpose player started all 8 matches for the Pirates and played Winger, Forward, and Inner Midfielder. Anchored midfield that won possession in five of its last six matches.

Midfielder Felix Anaya: Also part of midfield that won possession in five of its last six matches. Two Goals in six league matches. Goal in relegation match.

Defensive Wingback Paul Mahon: 2.5 *'s in last three league matches and relegation match. One goal in four league matches.

Keeper Sui Woo-Sok: Two shutouts in last three league matches. Shutout in relegation match. Shut down Lockwood United in 2nd half of a 4-3 comeback victory.

Please submit your ballot by voting for three candidates in order of preference..

1st:
2nd:
3rd:

[larrymcg421]

Anyone here? Come on guys! Let's hear some votes!

[Havok]

1 - Preston Anderson
2 - Sui Woo-Sok
3 - Daryl Breeden

Had to pick the utility man!

[larrymcg421]

Thanks for the vote Havok. I'm keeping voting open until July 23rd so we can present the award right before our first cup match. I'll even do an official press announcement for it. Everyone please vote!

This week we decided to go overseas again and will probably be doing that for all non-cup friendlies from now on. Since I had a qualification match, I don't have to lose a week of training and I've got my B-team defense playing on my 5-4-1. I decided to play starters at the other positions in hopes that we wouldn't get embarassed.

Lineup

Keeper: Sui Woo-Sok

Right Wingback (Defensive): Oyvind Bergli
Central Defender: Stuart Charles
Central Defender: Michael Burbidge
Central Defender: Clifton Robbins
Left Wingback (Defensive): Tommy Joe Weeks

Right Wing (Offensive): Leland Olvera
Inner Midfielder: Preston Anderson
Inner Midfielder: Felix Anaya
Left Wing (Offensive): Jordi Zalabardo

Forward: Hyman Baker

Set Pieces: Jordi Zalabardo

Purple Pirates at Alf Trickers

1864 spectators arrived at Alf Trickers Arena, where weather conditions were pretty good for football. Trickers had chosen a strategic 3-5-2 formation. The following players had been chosen: Lemoine - Berthu, Tati, Berroir - Pütlich, Lasalle, Martinsson, Ivarsson, Lemaresquier - Severs, Manjón.

Pirates started off with a 5-4-1 lineup. They fielded: Woo-Sok - Bergli, Charles, Burbidge, Robbins, Weeks - Olvera, Anderson, Anaya, Zalabardo - Baker.

After a fine move down the middle Luís Manjón nearly gave the home side one up in the 19:th minute. The finishing shot went just wide, though. Trickers created a good opportunity to score in the games 28:th minute when Frans Martinsson`s hooked ball created a scuffle in front of the goal, and the visitors defenders had a hard time clearing the ball. The teams went for a half-time break at 0 - 0. Trickers, bringing the final ball possession rate to 70 percent, dominated the battle.

In the 55:th minute the home side were awarded a penalty. The visitors protested wildly but the referee was adamant. Johann Severs easily put the 1 - 0 goal away for Trickers. A couple of quick and successful challenges, followed by a shot from just outside the penalty area after 60 minutes might have resulted in another goal for Trickers. However, Sui Woo-Sok made a spectacular save. The home sides Johann Severs twisted a free kick home in the 73rd minute, putting Trickers ahead 2 - 0. The structure of the game started to change as Trickers decided to pull back and meet their opponents in the defensive zone. Trickers put themselves up 3 - 0 when Hector Lemaresquier broke through on the right, leaving the entire defensive box behind him. With 74 minutes played Frans Martinsson could have brought this one home for Trickers, had his hooked ball gone in, but it went just a bit too high. Trickers held the ball, with a clear 82 percent possession rate.

Trickers´s best player was Delporte Lasalle. Hector Lemaresquier was a disappointment, however. Pirates´s best player was Leland Olvera. Øyvind Bergli on the other hand, had a terrible day. The match ends 3 - 0.

Team Ratings

Midfield: wretched
Right Side Defence: excellent
Central Defence: excellent
Left Side Defence: solid
Right Side Attack: inadequate
Central Attack: weak
Left Side Attack: passable

Individual

**1/2: Baker, Olvera, Anderson, Zalabardo, Woo-Sok
**: Burbidge, Anaya, Bergli, Charles, Robbins, Weeks

Comments: Despite the loss, the team looked good. All of the trainees were at least **. Sui Woo-Sok and Preston Anderson posted their first ever **1/2 ratings. The 44 NSI was also a record for a Pirates friendly.

Next: Training/Form Updates

[Alf]

Alf Trickers pleased with international friendly vs Purple Pirates

Despite playing 9 starters (out of our usual 11) and a furious Team Spirit, Alf Trickers displayed their best football game ever by putting a team high 60 NSI & 29 stars... It was also the first penalty kick awarded to us ever !

Alf Trickers

Midfield: inadequate (5)
Right Side Defence: solid (7)
Central Defence: brilliant (11)
Left Side Defence: outstanding (10)
Right Side Attack: passable (6)
Central Attack: passable (6)
Left Side Attack: inadequate (5)

It is also our best brilliant rating ever. And no, we don't train defense, we train middies. But my biggest buy (an excellent middie with passable defense) really does wonders for our defensive ratings ! He put up our best stars rating with 4 stars, our 18yo pulled solid keeper scored 3 stars as well as our solid forward.

I now feel more confident in our chances to finish in the qualification game (5-6) rather than relegation position (7-8) in our new Div III.4 home (in France).

And the good point : no one got hurt !