Front Office Football Central - View Single Post - Rescuing the Beautiful Game(FTG, Interactive)

Brian Swartz · 09-07-2018, 02:06 AM

It won't always be this heavy, but 16 of our 21 players are currently training a skill. It is the first for all of them.

The local rain has not abated as we set to take the field for what will once again be our most important match of the year. We're going all-out for the win here, as that would give us a better chance of closing it out in the return leg and getting a couple more matches in the next round.

8.21 Stuttgarter Kickers vs. Kickers Offenbach
Prestige Cup Qualifying Round

I hemmed and hawed about one starting position. Initially I was going to go with the usual 6-2-2, but I I realized that we might not need to do that. It looks like we have a hole on the left side of the defense, but I think it only looks like it. Jurgens would have to dribble in there, and if he did, Schwarz, the CD and 'up-arrow' in the middle of the line will have a good chance of making the tackle and taking possession away. Jurgens isn't a CF so he won't automatically penetrate the line. So I think they'll have a pretty hard time taking advantage of this. By sitting Scepanik, who at 32 is getting a bit long in the tooth(that's why he's out, not Jager) I can get young Fetscher in for some prime midfield experience.

I'm going to feel really stupid if this backfires, but neither of their forwards have enough dribbling(control) ability that I am worried about them just taking it through us with Schwarz there in the middle. From his position he'll tackle anyone who tries coming into the box.

On the offensive end, they are playing six back there but I still think Pfeiffer has a decent chance of scoring for us. On that our chances of victory hang. We do have a few players who are a bit tired, so we may need to make some subs later.

The opening kickoff results in this. Hirsch to Pfeiffer, who angles past their line, and the question is whether he can get it by their reacting defenders. If so, he's got a fairly good chance of beating the keeper Endres. Couldn't get it through here. They play very cautiously, like they are going for a draw; holding possession in midfield, than a bit further forward in midfield. Zeitz misses a near-even chance at a tackle, and they maneuver to their top forward Vetter, who shoots through the line ... but Doringer is there to deflect the attempt away. Hirsch holds it at midfield, they try to tackle twice and fail, but no fouls either. The first half ends scoreless.

Muller D comes in for Hirsch; I think the others can finish the match but he was severely winded. They start by trying to dribble by Abruscia but he makes the play; we hold it with Pfeiffer on the attack, who survives one tackle attempt but not the second.

Zeitz plays a critical role, coming forward to contest for possession in midfield and basically the ball is traded back and forth for the rest of the second half. Then this, on the final turn with time at 86 minutes. We have good odds here, he's got the Aggressive Tackle on since he just had the ball taken away. If he makes the play he can try to pass to Pfeiffer and we might get a last-second chance to win. If he fails it's almost certainly a red-card suspension. The odds are good enough that I decide to go for it. He makes the play but they're in too good a position to get the ball forward for a decent shot, and the game ends.

This is the first game where I've seen someone play defensively against us. I think they might have been trying to provoke a foul, and with as many tackle attempts as there were in this game I'm actually kind of surprised neither side was called for one. Either way it was a very even match, and if anything we had the better of it. Bottom line is that it all comes down to the away leg now.

Levels - Komolong(11), Doringer(11), Zeitz(10), Pfeiffer(10), Ortag(9), Muller D(5), Fetscher(4), Jedin(4). Fetscher and Jedin actually gain more than a level from this match; i.e. they are closer to level 5 now than there were to level 4 before it started.

*** Zeitz
** Doringer
* Hirsch

Pfeiffer becomes our first Universal Forward(FW), jumping to Level 12. He may not be with us long but that will help his sale price. And it might help him have a better chance of scoring in the rematch ... Fetscher is now an amateur midfielder(M).

** Balance: 428(+255) -- 225 is from the 3x normal ticket prices.
** Glory: 9(+4) -- same bonus as last time.

4 more Glory and 110 more sponsor bonus would have been ours if we'd managed to get a goal here. *sigh*

Halvese beat Wattenscheid 4-1 in the first leg of the other matchup, so you can pretty much mark that one down as over.

larrymcg421, who presently has a monopoly on our youth pulls(all two of them), is up to make this decision.

09-07-2018, 02:06 AM	#100
Brian Swartz Grizzled Veteran Join Date: May 2006	It won't always be this heavy, but 16 of our 21 players are currently training a skill. It is the first for all of them. The local rain has not abated as we set to take the field for what will once again be our most important match of the year. We're going all-out for the win here, as that would give us a better chance of closing it out in the return leg and getting a couple more matches in the next round. 8.21 Stuttgarter Kickers vs. Kickers Offenbach Prestige Cup Qualifying Round I hemmed and hawed about one starting position. Initially I was going to go with the usual 6-2-2, but I I realized that we might not need to do that. It looks like we have a hole on the left side of the defense, but I think it only looks like it. Jurgens would have to dribble in there, and if he did, Schwarz, the CD and 'up-arrow' in the middle of the line will have a good chance of making the tackle and taking possession away. Jurgens isn't a CF so he won't automatically penetrate the line. So I think they'll have a pretty hard time taking advantage of this. By sitting Scepanik, who at 32 is getting a bit long in the tooth(that's why he's out, not Jager) I can get young Fetscher in for some prime midfield experience. I'm going to feel really stupid if this backfires, but neither of their forwards have enough dribbling(control) ability that I am worried about them just taking it through us with Schwarz there in the middle. From his position he'll tackle anyone who tries coming into the box. On the offensive end, they are playing six back there but I still think Pfeiffer has a decent chance of scoring for us. On that our chances of victory hang. We do have a few players who are a bit tired, so we may need to make some subs later. The opening kickoff results in this. Hirsch to Pfeiffer, who angles past their line, and the question is whether he can get it by their reacting defenders. If so, he's got a fairly good chance of beating the keeper Endres. Couldn't get it through here. They play very cautiously, like they are going for a draw; holding possession in midfield, than a bit further forward in midfield. Zeitz misses a near-even chance at a tackle, and they maneuver to their top forward Vetter, who shoots through the line ... but Doringer is there to deflect the attempt away. Hirsch holds it at midfield, they try to tackle twice and fail, but no fouls either. The first half ends scoreless. Muller D comes in for Hirsch; I think the others can finish the match but he was severely winded. They start by trying to dribble by Abruscia but he makes the play; we hold it with Pfeiffer on the attack, who survives one tackle attempt but not the second. Zeitz plays a critical role, coming forward to contest for possession in midfield and basically the ball is traded back and forth for the rest of the second half. Then this, on the final turn with time at 86 minutes. We have good odds here, he's got the Aggressive Tackle on since he just had the ball taken away. If he makes the play he can try to pass to Pfeiffer and we might get a last-second chance to win. If he fails it's almost certainly a red-card suspension. The odds are good enough that I decide to go for it. He makes the play but they're in too good a position to get the ball forward for a decent shot, and the game ends. This is the first game where I've seen someone play defensively against us. I think they might have been trying to provoke a foul, and with as many tackle attempts as there were in this game I'm actually kind of surprised neither side was called for one. Either way it was a very even match, and if anything we had the better of it. Bottom line is that it all comes down to the away leg now. Levels - Komolong(11), Doringer(11), Zeitz(10), Pfeiffer(10), Ortag(9), Muller D(5), Fetscher(4), Jedin(4). Fetscher and Jedin actually gain more than a level from this match; i.e. they are closer to level 5 now than there were to level 4 before it started. * Zeitz Doringer * Hirsch Pfeiffer becomes our first Universal Forward(FW), jumping to Level 12. He may not be with us long but that will help his sale price. And it might help him have a better chance of scoring in the rematch ... Fetscher is now an amateur midfielder(M). Balance: 428(+255) -- 225 is from the 3x normal ticket prices. Glory: 9(+4) -- same bonus as last time. 4 more Glory and 110 more sponsor bonus would have been ours if we'd managed to get a goal here. sigh Halvese beat Wattenscheid 4-1 in the first leg of the other matchup, so you can pretty much mark that one down as over. larrymcg421, who presently has a monopoly on our youth pulls(all two of them), is up to make this decision. Last edited by Brian Swartz : 09-07-2018 at 05:13 AM.