Rescuing the Beautiful Game(FTG, Interactive)

[larrymcg421]

Originally Posted by thehitcat

Right forgot to say that in my training bit about the defenders. Keep training their specialization the way we are now. When Jager and Schwarz are ready to choose make them both CDs, and Scepanik should be a DF. I'll hold off on Weibenfels until he becomes at least a D (or in case of an injury to Komolong a G) and then gets a Skill started and we'll wait on Doringer to hear if DavidCorperial and larrymcg421 want to play with a sweeper, if yes he becomes and SW if no he becomes a DF like Scepanik. None of these things should hold us up until we have to choose for Doringer.

I've usually played a flat back 5 without a Sweeper because it limits AI movement and makes it harder to get a one on one with the Keeper. But I've also had issues stopping Cannon Shot, which the Sweeper is very effective against. Since your the defensive coach, I'm fine with whatever you think is best.

[Brian Swartz]

I started off working on a Sweeper because if we get a decent one it makes teams work a little harder than 'just shoot through the whole defense'. Even if our line gets disrupted, a shot has to get through both sweeper and keeper to score. Also Cannon Shot as mentioned. Once we get to the point where that's not regularly happening anymore though, I definitely think it's a case where as larry mentioned, it's all up to what you want to make yourself vulnerable to. Nothing's perfect. People recommend all kinds of weird things like just stacking 6 CDs in the box so nobody can use nutmeg, rainbow feint, or headers. Even then though, it only leaves four players for midfield/forwards and high-accuracy forwards or penalties from wing forwards breaking in.

So yeah, definitely whatever our defensive coach wants there.

[thehitcat]

I like the sweeper for low levels for the reasons Brian and larrymcg421 lay out above. One more man to get in front of the shot. By the time we're getting in youth that are all RD/LD Doringer will most likely have aged out and we can have a discussion about wingbacks vs. depth in defense vs. high line etc. So let's keep training him on the way back line as an SW.

[Brian Swartz]

I'll keep this open for a couple more days unless we're all set before then; let's call it Thursday night. What's left:

** Position training for Hirsch
** Position training for DavidCorperial's subs
** Any other changes people might wish to make, it looks like we're set on the transactions and team PT approach.

[DavidCorperial]

Tiel as a FW, Blank as a WM either side is fine, Preiss as a AM, and Tunjic as a MF

[larrymcg421]

MF for Hirsch.

[Brian Swartz]

Ok then we're set! Thanks everybody. We'll streamline the process as we go, and it's also one of those things where it'll get easier as we get the roster formed up more and more. There'll be pretty frequent 'interruptions' right now for picking skills and whatnot. I also wanted to say that I'm excited about where this goes, as the lot of you have made some decisions already that are definitely not what I would have done. Of course, that's a big part of the fun.

Transactions

** 3-year extension for F Mengele; 896
** 2-year extension for D Ortag: 528
** 1-year extension for Preiss: 15
** D Landeka is sold for 1190, to Wattenscheid. That's not a surprise; they buy players based on need and they're the club is most need of our drek. I'm going to measure the careers of players in two dimensions: profitability and achievement. We spent nothing on Landeka and he played in all 11 matches, with 1 tackle. He was one of the defenders who played more a positioning, supporting role than doing things to get himself in the stats. But he is the first to leave the club. Anytime someone does, they deserve to be honored with this:







Looks kinda sad, but he always looks that way. I'll try to keep up with our former charges from time to time and see how they're getting on with their new clubs. But the Stuttgarter Kickers are moving on from this guy.

** ? Maslanka signed for 157
** ? Zietz signed for 1040

That leaves a balance of 321 euros. DavidCorperial, I could use a position for Maslanka when you're ready. I'll make him an amateur mid for now since it seems obvious to put him somewhere in that area. Zeitz is going for DM as everyone discussed. The new transfer list:




Both players were replaced with guys we can't afford(unless we wanted to sell someone else of course). We had 18 players to start the year; now we have 20, with 3 in and 1 out. Here's the latest team photo as we start the second half of the 2018/19 season:

[DavidCorperial]

Maslanka looks like an AM to be, unless someone sees something different.

[thehitcat]

Works for me! Ready to get the new season started with our Sky Blues

[Brian Swartz]

New Alignment

Per the voting, we're going with a rotation approach to develop the entire roster including the bench, until the backups get an amateur position so they can train up a skill, or until the end of the year, whichever comes first. In order to do this, I had to shift to 'only' running 5 defenders. We don't have a backup keeper so Komolong is always going to be playing, and only one reserve defender. Even by keeping an extra one out, they'll still get more playing time than the positions further upfield.

We'll end up with a 5-3-2 sometimes, and a 5-4-1 at others, to spread things out.

2.3.2019 Stuttgarter Kickers(0-1-6, 8th) vs. Kickers Offenbach(1-1-5, 6th)

The schedule is the exact opposite of the first half of the year, so we'll begin with consecutive home matches against the weakest competition. If we're going to get any results at all, it's probably going to be now.

G Komolong
D Ortag/Scepanik/Schwarz/Jager/Weibenfels
M Blank/Tunjic/Muller D/Zeitz
F Mengele

Mengele could make no progress against their 5-across defensive line. Offenbach deployed three forwards, two of whom actually deserved the name. Most of the first-half action was in midfield, and they got off one shot which Schwarz deflected away. His awareness came in handy at the second-half kickoff, when raw Weibenfels was beaten by one of their attackers -- another blocked shot to the credit of the man handling the center of our line resulted. Then Muller D successfully held the ball for quite some while, and they were unable to extract it.

We were outshot 2-0, 52-48 in possession although we did better in the second half. Tackles were even at 3-all. Fans would leave wondering when the actual match was going to start, since they spent an hour and a half watching almost nothing happen ... but any non-loss is tantamount to a victory for us.

Stuttgarter Kickers 0, Kickers Offenbach 0

*** Muller D.
** Zeitz
* Schwarz

Levels to Ortag(8), Schwarz(8), Blank(5), Muller D(3), and Tunjic(2)

Balance: 419(+107)
Glory: 4(--)
Fans: 15(--)


2.10.2019 Stuttgarter Kickers(0-2-6, 8th) vs. SG Wattenscheid 09(1-1-6, 7th)

The only team we've beaten(Prestige Cup), and they're actually worse than us in goal differential, but they are still ahead in the league to due a lucky 1-0 win early in the year against(I think) Offenbach ... the only league goal either of us has scored. As before, the chances are high that those numbers don't increase.

G Komolong
D Abruscia/Doringer/Schwarz/Jager/Weibenfels
M Preiss/Hirsch/Fetscher
F Tiel/Pfeiffer

We tried to attack the recently-departed Landeka, weak link in their defense, but he quickly dispossessed Pfeiffer. Then a failed tackle by Hirsch required Schwarz to make yet another interception of a shot attempt. He's having quite a stretch here! Then at the end of the first half, Tiel is fouled by their defense and we get a free kick attempt by Pfeiffer:




It's hard to defend all possibilities from this distance, so they are spread out which makes this nearly a coin-flip proposition. It was close, but he puts the kick past everyone and under the crossbar(the keeper wasn't quite good enough to get there). Our second goal, both by the same player against the same team, and first tally in the Amateur league! Maslanka comes on for Hirsch, who has been kept very busy in midfield, at the half.

Doringer isn't a full sweeper yet but he blocks a shot early in the second half. Then Jager gets in on the act later. Their attackers are just as inept as ours, and lack my brilliant managing leadership. After that, a whole lot of nothing happens.




I know we beat these guys not long ago already, but it's still our first league victory and worth remembering for that reason. That foul late in the first half giving us the opening is the reason why. They beat us on everything ... except the scoreboard itself.

*** Pfeiffer
** Hirsch
* Schwarz

Level-ups for Pfeiffer(9), Doringer(8), Jager(8), Weibenfels(3), Tiel(3), Maslanka(3), Fetscher(2), and Preiss(2).

Balance: 580(+152) -- We get the extra 45 for the win again from the sponsors.
Glory: 5(+1)
Fans: 15(--)

We're out of last place now, but the last five matches of the year will once again be against decidedly superior opposition.

[thehitcat]

WOOT!! WINNING !!

[Brian Swartz]

2.17.19 1. FC Saarbrucken(7-1-1, 2nd) vs. Stuttgarter Kickers(1-2-6, 7th)

Saarbrucken is the stingiest team in the amateur ranks with only four goals surrendered. Only RWE has scored more than they have. And they flattened us 3-0 on our rented patch of grass in the first meeting, the start of a four-match stretch in which we would lose by at least two goals each time out, 12-0 overall. A reasonable goal here then is merely to make things closer.

G Komolong
D Ortag/Abruscia/Doringer/Scepanik/Weibenfels
M Tunjic/Maslanska/Hirsch/Fetscher
F Wachter

Obviously not going to score with this lineup, but that would be the case no matter who we ran out there. They waltzed right into our defense after the opening kickoff, and FW Schmidt, their best, blasted a shot past Doringer and Komolong. Barely, but still a bit depressing. Loss guaranteed before we touch the ball. It did get better though, as Scepanik blocked a second attempt on which they didn't have time to get into closer range. Two tries from distance in the second half were intercepted as well.

1. FC Saarbrucken 1, Stuttgarter Kickers 0

That is better. Not good, but better. Outshot 4-0 and tackled 6-1.

Levels for Komolong(8) and Wachter(2) -- he saw a lot of action as the only guy up front.

*** Tunjic
** Doringer
* Scepanik

Balance: 612(+32)
Glory: 5(--)
Fans: 15(--)

Also, Offenbach beat Wattenscheid 2-1, getting revenge for the earlier defeat. That basically means it's very likely we end the season 7th, unless we manage to steal another win somewhere and I'm not holding my breath for that.

2.24.2019 Stuttgarter Kickers(1-2-7, 7th) vs. TSV Halvese(4-1-5, 4th)

This is one we just might have a small chance of scoring in, but the only guy who can really do it is Pfeiffer. Halvese has a slightly negative goal differential, but they have a fairly threatening attack to us on paper, deploying three forwards with accuracy in the 30s for this encounter. 2-0 was the score last time.




Here's a simple but important pre-match tactic opportunity. Startsev is their best defender, and they're playing a fairly aggressive 4-3-3. Combining those two facts, I position Pfeiffer on the other side so he can flank their line and get a shot from decent range where only their weaker defenders and unimpressive keeper can intercept it.




As you can see here, the odds are still quite low; they have three guys moving to intercept and they pool their abilities. It's at -40%(precision shot is 20%, having to move to intercept another 20%) but with a trio of them it's still probably more than enough. But there's a chance ...

They easily make the play, and then Zeitz misses a tossup tackle in midfield, with Komolong throwing in an utter crap effort on a shot he should have stopped shortly afterwards. On the ensuing kickoff though, Pfeiffer gets just as lucky if not moreso; he rolls a 16, defenders and keeper each get a 15, and we tie it up! First match we've had with both teams scoring. Unfortunately they march back down and score again. Scepanik blocks a longer-range attempt before the half, but their forwards just shoot too well for our defense right now.

Doringer blocks a weaker try to start the second, then against all odds Muller D retains possession in midfield. We still need another lucky strike to get even again though, and that doesn't happen for us.




Even though we lost, this was definitely the most interesting match we've had so far for my money. There was basically a 'puncher's chance' here; no question their superior finishing made them the better team(their slide-tackling midfielder was also a pain), but there were things we could try to give ourselves an opportunity for fortune to smile down on us. Didn't work out, but it's still a heck of a lot better than the usual 'how many goals will we lose by' deal.

Levels for Abruscia(8) and Preiss(3).

*** Muller D
** Pfeiffer
* Zeitz(did have a successful tackle later in the match)

Balance: 719(+107)
Glory: 5(--)
Fans: 15(--)

The transfer window closed a few days after this match. Nobody's gone on sale and nobody's bought any of those players to make new ones pop up, we don't have any contracts to extend so there was nothing to do here.




Nobody else made any changes. We're either tilting at windmills, throwing euros around in a foohardy attempt to gain traction -- or else we're the visionary brainchild in the early stages of building a powerhouse that will eventually escape this lowly rec league.

[Brian Swartz]

3.3.2019 Rot-Weiss Essen(9-1-1, 1st) vs. Stuttgarter Kickers(1-2-8, 7th)

RWE as I'm calling them for short is the best team in the league and headed for promotion and probably the title. Their players aren't as high-level as Saarbrucken's are, but they make up for it with more skills. As a result, they lead the Amateur ranks in goals scored and it isn't close; better than two per match. We're going to lose, and we're not going to enjoy it. 4-0 last time.

G Komolong
D Ortag/Abruscia/Doringer/Scepanik/Weibenfels
M Blank/Maslanka/Hirsch
F Tiel/Mengele

Komolong got us off to a good start by saving their first attempt. He's been overdue, and nearly let it in. Doringer made a tackle on their wing forward shortly afterwards, so he took it back and lofted a cross that was headed easily in for the score past Komolong. Only so much we can do. At the end of the half, another save on a long-range power shot, and as they usually do this one went out for a corner kick -- our first look at those.




They've moved two forwards into the box to try and receive the pass. This is the most basic, typical setup although they can do other things as well. This is one of those places where control is crucial. We have three actions to counter this, usually by having defenders contest them for those spaces.




The closest guy is the most important usually, because even if I don't get the other one out of the way(highly likely here), if I can get rid of the closer one than it gives me another player to try and intercept the pass. Now the fight for position ensues(each defender rolls seperately),




We fail completely, as expected. The defender closest to the guy taking the corner for RWE is Scepanik; I positioned him there in case of this eventuality. The pass now has to go through him ... which it does. But hey, I tried. Nothing has gone right and they're almost certain to score ... but the attempt is very poorly struck(14 on a max of 40, so the minimum was 13 ... hideously bad roll) and another save for Komolong. That was sheer dumb luck and nothing else.

To start the second half, they take it the entire length of the pitch, aided by their Long Pass SW, and blast one through from long range. I suppose we deserved that. That means more practice for Tiel in bouncing power shots off their defenders. They don't execute as well after that, with Hirsch making a midfield tackle and Mengele intercepting a pass attempt. He even gets off a shot that technically had a chance to score ... if everything literally went perfectly. Naturally it didn't, but they don't threaten again.

Rot-Weiss Essen 2, Stuttgarter Kickers 0

Half of what they scored last time.

Levels for Hirsch(9) and Mengele(8)

*** Mengele
** Hirsch
* Komolong

Komolong reaches his next SL: he's the first to get to Level 2, and is now a full GK! That means a 50% boost to control and defence while in goal, up from 10% before. He actually knows what the heck he is doing out there on the pitch, and can make the most of his technical abilities. Wonders never cease.




This thing happens whenever you fully specialize a player in their position(SL 2). It's called a group bonus, which gives some extra xp to level up; he skips 9 entirely and is now at 10!




It's also time to take a closer look at this, and decide what he's going for next. With specialists there is also a Utility section to crosstrain to an other position, but universalists including keepers don't get that option. He will never gain specialization xp in anything other than GK now. Options here:

** Talent -- The next tree to the right is Talent, and the top one there will allow him to train his first skill up to Level 3(right now it's capped at 1). The other three upgrades in the Talent section can't be accessed yet, you have to follow the path indicated by the connecting lines.
Further options here include a second skill and reducing the time to learn them.

** Dedication -- The tree on the right. We can choose to get 30% more XP from each match; this is particularly good for young players or those we want to keep around for a while in general as they'll improve faster. Alternatively, there is the choice for 2 Attribute Points in Focus. With that, only one point will be assigned according to fate at each level-up; right now it's 1 determined by focus and 2 by fate so this gives a lot more control over how a player develops.

** Fan Favorite -- This tree, below Specialist, is for those times when perhaps we might consider it to be more important for a player to be marketable than it is to make them better on the field. We can select 0.5% fan increase after each match they play in(regardless of the score), or a 5% increase in sponsor payouts, which only takes effect at the start of a new season. Further options increase the player's sale value.

? Blank also gets a SL upgrade; he's now an amateur midfielder(M).

** Balance: 751(+32)
** Glory: 5(--)
** Fans: 15(--)

There are only two matches left in the season, but we must pause here for at least one decision to be made.

[Brian Swartz]

Coach DavidCorperial, consider yourself pinged.

You are hereby informed that a player in your charge, M Blank, is now eligible for skill training. His options:




** Throwing In is generally considered the least useful skill. It has it's value though; increasing the distance you can throw in from the touchline. The ball will go out of play there once in a while, although it's not super-common, as wing play for counterattacks and whatnot increases, which it will in coming years. A player with Throwing In adds tactical flexibility in these circumstances.

** Rainbow Feint allows you to lob the ball over a player's head and catch it 'behind them' -- actually right where they are, but you get by them and they switch places with you. This is most often useful for penetrating the defensive line as a forward, or scoring against a keeper. It is countered by the Reaction skill which can render it useless but it might be the single most powerful scoring ability for low-level teams.

** Olympic Kick is used only on corners, but allows OP ability to score directly from them instead of passing to another player. It's countered by Playing Out, a keeper skill, or defenders properly positioned with Head Play. If an opponent doesn't have those though, it can make corners devastating.

If you get a second skill in the future for Blank, it will be chosen whatever one you don't choose here.

DavidCorperial, you are now on the clock and Stuttgarter awaits your decision on your player's training. thehitcat, you can hold forth on the next SL for Komolong whenever you like -- anytime between now and the end of the next transfer window is fine as it'll take him quite some while to reach it.

[DavidCorperial]

Let's go with Rainbow Feint

[thehitcat]

Komolong will train in Talent when we get to that point

[Brian Swartz]

3.10.2019 Stuttgarter Kickers(1-2-9, 8th) vs. Alemannia Aachen(4-2-6, 5th)

Based on our 4-0 loss in the first meeting, equaling our worst of the year, you'd think we'd want to park the bus here. However, they're in a 4-3-3 and it's similar to the Talvese match -- we could potentially have a small chance of scoring. The finale will be against Schweinfurt, who has a much better keeper, so this is the one to go for a result in.

G Komolong
D Ortag/Absruscia/Scepanik/Schwarz/Jager
M Tunjic/Fetscher
F Pfeiffer/Wachter/Tiel

Their sweeper, Pluntke was actually a bigger threat than their keeper. He blocked Pfeiffer's first attempt, shortly after the opening kickoff. One of their midfielders used the Nutmeg skill to poke the ball through our legs, then tried a long-range shot that had no chance. At the end the half, a long-range shot went through three defenders, and Komolong could only knock it out for a corner. We got one of their forwards out of the box ... but they passed it through us to the other one, Mickel. None of them are as accurate as the RWE guys though, and Komolong made the save.

Doringer got in the way of their first shot in the second half, and we were looking good for a possible draw. Another try a while later nearly got by Komolong, and then Doringer had to stop their final desperate try from long distance.

Stuttgarter Kickers 0, Alemannia Aachen 0

This is a huge improvement from the rout in the first meeting, and the best team we've yet managed to keep from scoring.

Levels -- Scepanik(8), Tunjic(3), Fetscher(3)

*** Komolong -- Three saves here. He's starting to rack them up.
** Tunjic
* Doringer

Balance: 858(+107)
Glory: 9(+4) -- all from the 'Strong Opponent's bonus', for which we have to at least draw. The more highly-rated the opponent is, the better we do here; AA is at 0.5 stars.
Fans: 15(--)

3.17.2019 1. FC Schweinfurt 05(9-3-1, 3rd) vs Stuttgarter Kickers(1-3-9, 8th)

Saarbrucken hasn't done as well lately; Schweinfurt now leads the Amateur ranks with only five concessions all year. We're last in scoring. You do the math. They've long since clinched promotion so they're just playing to get 2nd and the additional rewards that go with that(money, glory). We're going to finish last unless we win(hahaha). So I'm looking for another draw if we can get it, keep it close if we can't.

G Komolong
D Ortag/Abruscia/Doringer/Schwarz/Jager
M Preiss/Muller D/Zeitz/Hirsch
F Mengele

It was rainy for this one, which in general should favor us. Who knows, maybe we can them to foul us but it'll at least make it a bit tougher for them to advance the ball. Doringer got an interception right off the bat as we shifted the defense away from the weakest of their three forwards, and they took the bait. Then their top scorer Bodenheimer, who scored the lone tally in our earlier meeting, beat Abruscia on the right wing to set up a cannon shot. Thankfully he misfired on the attempt. They just kept after it though. A second similar try was out for a corner, but Abruscia did something intelligent, intercepting a weak pass into the box to thwart that threat. Jager got into the act with a deflection to end a very busy half. Bodenheimer was gassed by this point, and I hoped we'd been careful enough to weather the storm.

Maslanka came on for Hirsch just to equalize playing time between the two. Mengele tried a pipe-dream of an angled shot that was easily gobbeld up by their keeper, and the defensive efforts continued. Muller D pressed them into inactivity for a while on the right midfield wing, and then they missed another, fatigued cannon shot. One final attempt went no better for them, merely adding to Komolong's save count which is rising dramatically.

1. FC Schweinfurt 05 0, Stuttgarter Kickers 0

Another impressive draw. The fans won't think so, but it really was a job well done given the talent gap. They had us under pressure for most of the game but we didn't crack. 6-1 in shots, 25-75 in possession.

Nobody leveled up

*** Komolong - obvious choice is obvious.
** Doringer - A couple blocks and passes in the box.
* Abruscia - main contribution was failing to defend Bodenheimer's dribbles repeatedly, but there was that one key interception

Doringer is now a full sweeper! He'll move with the ball(getting free specialization points every time he does) and make getting those cannon shots and long-range power shots through a lot more difficult. He's up to level 10 now.

Muller D is now an amateur midfielder! That means I'll need a skill pick for him before ending the season.

Balance: 890(+32)
Glory: 13(+4) - strong opponent bonus just as before. Starting to punch above our weight now.
Fans: 15(--)

Next up, we'll traverse the spring in silence aside from gleaning whatever rewards we've earned this year(heh), and get set for a new year. In other words, it's time for all of you to earn your positions and non-pay while I go to the corner and mumble to myself.

[Brian Swartz]

larrymcg421, this one's for you! As soon as you pick a skill here, I'll start working on the end-of-season stuff.

[thehitcat]

2 pts in our last two games is a good total considering our team full of plumbers and dentists. Nice job navigating the end of the season.

[Brian Swartz]

Thanks! Here's hoping it carries over into next year.

[larrymcg421]

Rainbow Feint

[Brian Swartz]

A harsh but accurate assessment.




We get a bit of glory here for players ranking in the Top 10 in the league in key statistics. Not much of it, as you can see. Tackles, Goals, and Assists tend to go to the better teams, Saves to the worst ones as the good teams tend not to give up a lot of shots that reach the goal. Over half of Komolong's saves came in those final two matches.




Then we need to select a sponsor. I can't put this up to a vote, because there's no way to save from this screen. If I exit out of the game, when I come back in there will just be a different random selection. So you can all yell at me if you don't like what I pick, and I'll try to keep the thoughts in mind for the next year.

Here I'm going with Captain Willy. A bit of guaranteed money -- I don't see us making many of the other objectives. As you might imagine, sponsor money increases drastically as you move up the pyramid. This deal is very similar to what we had last year(32 per match, 45 per victory). Unless we think we can score a lot or win the league(let me have some of what you're smoking, if you think so) this will be the best deal for us.

[Brian Swartz]

By the way, I forgot to take a shot of the final standings but we did much better in the second half as noted. 0-1-6, 0 scored and 16 allowed compared to 1-3-3, 2 scored and 5 allowed. Our 4 draws tied for the most in the Amateur ranks. So Stuttgarter sucked … but we certainly improved as the year progressed.

[Brian Swartz]

2019/20 Offseason

Competition Report

Stuttgarter

Valuation - 27.4k(+8.7k)
Star Ranking - 0(--)
Classes - 45(+7)
Levels - 7(+1)
Skills - 0(--)

We don't have any skills yet, though by winter break some of our current players will finally get there. The financial value of our roster continues to rise though we have no facility improvements yet, and and the general ineptitude is steadily being addressed though again progress was slower in the second half of the year for sure. No Cup matches, and the fact that the more you gain, the longer it takes to make further improvements are the main culprits there.

Amateur League

Star Ranking - 0.43(-0.07)
Classes - 64(+19)
Levels - 12(-1)
Skills - 7(+2)

Some of the clubs lost some star ranking over the end-season flip. Not sure what that's about ... I'm not totally firm on how that's calculated. In any case, almost half of our opponents are new ones as three promote to and three relegate from Third League.

A mixed bag overall but in general the level of competition continues to improve, and we definitely have not caught up with it yet.

Third League

Star Ranking - 1.13(+.17)
Classes - 86(+21)
Levels - 19(--)
Skills - 11(+3)

Fairly similar progression has been seen here. Almost all the teams nearly have a full roster of class-specialized players. Skills run the gamut on the other hand, with some teams having very few and others having multiple players with two or even three levels in one of them. Looking at the teams that promoted, I think Schweinfurt goes right back down, while Rot-Weiss Essen should stay up. By most measures they are actually above-average even for the Third League, but they are weak at keeper and defense so they could give up some cheap goals. Saarbrucken could go either way really.




Top three are the new competition for us. Do try to curb your shock that we are still slated last.




We didn't get to see how things ended up last year, since the Amateur season was so short. Still had a couple of German teams going in the EFA, the secondary continental cup. And Bayern had bounced back from a bad start and was third in the PL, so they seemed to have figured things out. Leipzig is ranked above them right now though, which comports with them doing the best of any German side in international competition. Spain was clearly the deepest nation last year, while Germany tied for 8th with France in terms of results. Wasn't enough to drop us in the European rankings yet, but clearly we're hoping that's not a sign of things to come.

Club Resources

** Balance - 890(-286)
** Glory - 16(+12)
** Fans - 15(--)
** Stadium Capacity - 100(--)

[Brian Swartz]

Roster Details







Jedin is our new youth. Due to his accuracy he's assigned to larrymcg421 for some manner of future forward duty, unless the coaching staff would prefer something else be done.

Player Assignments

DavidCorperial(Wingers)

D Ortag
Interest: High
Attribute Focus: Defense
Training: Long Pass(2m 12d, 24)
SL: LD(44/120), LD?
Playing Time: Starter

D Abruscia
Interest: High
Attribute Focus: Defense
Training: Layoff Pass(2m 25d, 29)
SL: RD(69/120), RD?
Playing Time: Starter

M Blank
Interest: Low
Attribute Focus: Passing
Training: Rainbow Feint(1y 7m 3d, 191)
SL: None, WM(either side)
Playing Time: Regular Backup

? Tiel
Interest: Low
Attribute Focus: Accuracy
Training: None
SL: F(64/70), FW
Playing Time: Regular Backup

? Tunjic
Interest: Low
Attribute Focus: Passing
Training: None
SL: M(47/70), MF
Playing Time: Regular Backup

? Preiss
Interest: Low
Attribute Focus: Control
Training: None
SL: M(29/70), AM
Playing Time: Regular Backup

? Maslanka
Interest: Low
Attribute Focus: Passing
Training: None
SL: M(41/70), AM
Playing Time: Regular Backup


larrymcg421(Central Forwards & Midfielders)

M Hirsch
Interest: High
Attribute Focus: Passing
Training: Long Pass(1y 10m 4d, 222)
SL: CM(117/120), DM(16/120), MF
Playing Time: Starter

F Pfeiffer
Interest: High
Attribute Focus: Accuracy
Training: Cannon Shot(6m 25d, 69)
SL: CF(99/120), FW
Playing Time: Starter

F Mengele
Interest: High
Attribute Focus: Accuracy
Training: Slide Tackle(6m 11d, 64)
SL: CF(114/120), CF
Playing Time: Starter

? Wachter
Interest: Low
Attribute Focus: Accuracy
Training: None
SL: F(41/70), FW
Playing Time: Regular Backup?

? Fetscher
Interest: Low
Attribute Focus: Passing
Training: None
SL: M(50/70), MF
Playing Time: Prospect

M Muller D.
Interest: Average
Attribute Focus: Passing
Training: None
SL: None, MF
Playing Time: Regular Backup

? Zeitz
Interest: Low
Attribute Focus: Defense
Training: None
SL: M(63/70), DM
Playing Time: Starter

? Jedin
Interest: Low
Attribute Focus: Accuracy
Training: None
SL: None, F, ??
Playing Time: Prospect


thehitcat(Central Defenders & Keepers)

G Komolong
Interest: High
Attribute Focus: Defense
Training: Reaction(6m 11d, 64)
SL: GK(68/170), Talent
Playing Time: Starter

SW Doringer
Interest: High
Attribute Focus: Defense
Training: Layoff Pass(3m 11d, 34)
SL: NA, ??
Playing Time: Starter

D Scepanik
Interest: High
Attribute Focus: Defense
Training: Layoff Pass(5m 9d, 54)
SL: CD(66/120), DF
Playing Time: Starter

D Schwarz
Interest: High
Attribute Focus: Defense
Training: Reaction(6m 21d, 68)
SL: CD(93/120), CD
Playing Time: Starter

D Jager
Interest: High
Attribute Focus: Control until it reaches 10, then Defense
Training: Head Play(3m 25d, 39)
SL: CD(54/120), CD
Playing Time: Starter

? Weibenfels
Interest: Low
Attribute Focus: Defense
Training: None
SL: D(34/70), D
Playing Time: Regular Backup

[Brian Swartz]

Don't know why I didn't do this before. Serves as a place though to point out the 'Utility Player' tree. Doringer can never be a universalist(i.e., DF), but he could be trained in another specialist role such as CD, LD, RD, or even a forward or whatever if you wanted to. There's three slots for such utility spots, or you can pick any of the others instead. So ihatenames, we'll need a selection here.

[Brian Swartz]

Transactions

This is going to get complicated and a bit troublesome now. We don't have a lot of cash, but we have a bunch of players eligible for extensions. Half of the current roster, in fact. Agreement between the coaching staff is going to be really necessary here. Two things I would remiss if I didn't mention again:

** We don't have to extend any of these players; we can punt on that choice for one more transfer window.

** A number of players are currently finishing up skill training. They'll be worth a lot more to sell when that's done ... but will also be a lot more expensive to extend.

Contract Extensions

Rather than posts screens for all of them, I'll list them and the price for extending 1, 2, or 3 years.

** GK Komolong - 338, 777, 1317
** SW Doringer - same as Komolong. Note that age doesn't affect the price of contracts, just what we'd get for selling them.
** D Scepanik - 266, 612, 1037
** D Schwarz - same as Scepanik
** D Jager - same also
** ? Zeitz - 302, 695, 1176
** M Hirsch - same as Zeitz
** F Pfeiffer - same also
** M Blank - 159, 366, 621
** ? Maslanka - 87, 201, 341
** ? Fetscher - same as Maslanka

That's ... a lot of contract decisions to make and juggle. But wait, there's more ...




We can buy any of these players if we want as well.




We have just enough glory(+1) to convince another coach or scout to join us, or we could save it for other purposes. Remember the price of all of these will go up if we purchase one, not just the selected category. The stadium/youth ones are not listed because even if we did a fire sale, we still couldn't afford them(the game won't let you sell players below the minimum 11 to field a team).

General Playing Time

Right now we're going with Rotation until players get their amateur class and can train a skill. It's undecided what we'll do after that, with Best XI for Cup matches. We can change this approach, or leave it be.

Stuttgarter Coaches, you must now discuss what to do with all of this heading into the new season. Don't forget to check the listed roles for your players and make any adjustments you deem appropriate. The financial decisions in particular that are made in the next year or two will shape the club for many seasons to come. What say you all?

[DavidCorperial]

At this point, I would say don't sell any players until they finish their skill, as no one expires prior to the winter window, no decisions are needed on player sales. We should absolutely buy a coach, either bench or defenders in my opinion. My players are still good for now.

[thehitcat]

I agree with DavidCorperial that we shouldn't sell anyone yet while we are building toward skills. I agree we should buy a coach and I agree with DC again that it doesn't matter to me if its Defense or Bench. I'll let larrymcg421 weigh in if he has an obvious preference or if not we'll rely on you oh fearless leader.

As for extensions I have a question for those of you who have spent more time studying this than I, do player extensions get more expensive once they have a skill? If so we should extend as many players as possible in this window (even sniping one or two right before the window closes if the money comes in from a a home match or even gasp a win or two.) I'll vote to extend Komolong for a season (no backup) and Doringer who is still relatively young and is probably along with D. Muller our most valuable field player at present. I'd also vote to extend last year's youth Fetscher for as long as possible. The youth pulls are the guys who will be worth something so long as we give them playing time and build talent.

I don't see anyone on the transfer list that I'm overly enamored of. I guess if we had alot of leftover cash, we don't, I'd see what I could make out of Schulte or Weidlich who are young enough to train into a more valuable asset but do we have the time to get them the work they need? I don't see it. We'll sell and buy a little more in December as we'll have some guys we don't extend who are worth a bit more than the damn all they are at present.

I like keeping the playing time with Rotational for league matches and Best XI for the cup to maximize our experience. That said I have one caveat that I'd like the other coaches to consider. Always play our youth pulls unless they are tired and need to get swapped out. Getting these guys trained up is important both to our bottom line when we decide to sell them and for our eventual progress. We aren't winning much anyway at this level so lets give them run outs all the time. Fetscher and Jedin should be in our XI until tired and we should rotate around them. What do the other coaches think?

Just for my guys I want them trained first in an additional talent, to get their value higher. Currently true for Komolong and should be for Doringer.

Whew that's enough for now .

[thehitcat]

One additional bit about extensions. We purchased Maslanka and Zeitz in the last window. I'd put them right behind Fetscher as players to extend for at least a season though we're probably waiting until December for them.

[Brian Swartz]

Originally Posted by thehitcat

do player extensions get more expensive once they have a skill?

Yes. Extension price is directly based on their value. It doesn't increase as fast as value(meaning the better a player is, the more profitable they are), but once skills come in the cost of extending players will be considerably higher.

[larrymcg421]

Definitely want to renew Zeitz when we get a chance. For Pfeiffer, will he learn his skill before his contract is up or will we still have the option of renewing without a skill in the next window?

[thehitcat]

Pfeiffer learns his skill in just under 7 months so yes he'll be skilled up before we have a decision to make but it'll probably happen during the winter breaks so if we decide to extend him at that point he'll cost more than now.

[Brian Swartz]

I think we'll just barely run out of time with Pfeiffer. 6 months 25 days left to train and it's 7 months(exactly) until the next transfer window.

[larrymcg421]

At Pfeiffer's age, I'm tempted to just sell him once he learns his skill and use the roster spot to build up Jedin for the future. The question is how much pain are we willing to endure for the possible long-term benefit.

[Brian Swartz]

Here's what I have right now:

** 1-year extension for Komolong if nobody objects(333)
** 1-year extension for Doringer if nobody objects(333)
** 3-year extension for Fetscher once the money comes in for it(341)

That would take care of what we can do with current funds.

** Defense coach upgrade, unless larrymcg421 changes his vote on those
** No new signings or player sales
** Input needed from larrymcg421 and DavidCorperial on whether we should give the youth pulls extra playing time at the expense of older players
** Generally continuing the Rotation approach to get everyone training a skill
** Renewing Zeitz, Maslanska is a priority but we're going to wait on it till Winter Break.

[DavidCorperial]

I would say, rookies should be in the rotation without going crazy blooding them.

[larrymcg421]

I definitely want Jedin in as much as possible (and all cup games) to be ready for when Pfeiffer leaves.

I like the defense upgrade. We can alternate between that and the bench coach, since they'll complement each other (the defense bonus will help defenders on the bench).

Agreed on everything else.

[Brian Swartz]

Looks like the plan is set then. Defense coach, Fetscher will be Just Another Guy in the rotation for now, and Jedin will play any time he's fresh. Pfeiffer will play only when he needs to in order to maintain High interest(for maximum winter sale pricing).

It's my turn again now. Onwards!

[Brian Swartz]

7.21 SG Wattenscheid 09 vs. Stuttgarter Kickers

Landeka is still here, and has become a CD. He's still the weak spot in their defense though, which really isn't much better than it was.

G Komolong
D Scepanik/Schwarz/Jager/Doringer
M Blank/Preiss/Maslanka/Fetscher
F Jedin/Tiel

This lineup is the most aggressive one we've yet played, in terms of only having four defenders. Wattenscheid has no forward with higher accuracy than 21, or control above 12. If they get any corners, we'll rely on Schwarz to get position in the box. They do have one with cannon shot, which is why Doringer is out there. I'll still need to go with five defenders most of the time until we get some more specializiations in, but this gives us the chance to get another player out there in other positions where playing time is more scarce. We don't really have much chance of scoring without Pfeiffer out there, so we're playing for a draw here.

Turns out the guy I thought had Cannon Shot actually had Rainbow Feint ... I misread the symbol. It didn't matter much though. If we'd had a full set of defenders out there it wouldn't have changed anything, because we'd need a CD(for the auto-tackling assistance) to aid in things. He used it twice on one possession to first get through our defense, and then score on Komolong. Without a CD or a player with the Reaction skill -- which Komolong will have by Winter Break -- there's not a whole lot you can do but shake their hand and say good job. And that was that. Late in the first half they scored; tried it again in the second half but Scepanik would have none of it. Doringer blocked their only other attempt, and we just didn't have the personnel out there to have any scoring threat.

SG Wattenscheid 09 1, Stuttgarter Kickers 0

Not the way I'd hoped to start the year.

Levels for Tiel(4) and Jedin(2).

*** Fetscher
** Preiss
* Maslanka

** Balance - 244(+30). Still need more for Fetscher's contract extension, but we'll get it.
** Glory - 1(--)
** Fans - 15(--)

Tiel is now an Amateur Forward(F). Skill choice:




We're going to see a lot of these decisions coming up as players become eligible for their first skill training. This one is for DavidCorperial. I don't think we've talked about the Nutmeg skill before, but it lets you dribble the ball through the opponents legs and get a square or two behind them. You can move further with it than Rainbow Feint(2-3 squares instead of just 1), but you can't score with Nutmeg. Beneficial for midfielders and forwards. I'm pretty sure we've covered the others, but feel free to ask questions as always.

[DavidCorperial]

Let's go with Head Play.

[Brian Swartz]

7.28 Stuttgarter Kickers(0-0-1, 7th) vs. Energie Cottbus(1-0-0, 3rd)

This is one of our new recently-relegated and not particularly happy about foes. Two of the three won their first match which is not at all surprising. EC is coming at us with a 5-2-3 ... and one of the back line isn't even an amateur defender yet. I'm not saying we're going to score because that almost certainly won't happen, but there is a weakness there. Keeper's too good for us to really have a real threat though. There three forwards are in the 30s for accuracy, one has cannon shot and another has nutmeg. So I think we can stop them, but we'll definitely want to deploy a full defense and even then it's not assured.

G Komolong
D Ortag/Abruscia/Scepanik/Schwarz/Jager/Weibenfels
M Muller D/Zeitz
F Jedin/Wachter

We'd be better off with Doringer in there, but that's always going to be the case -- everyone's gotta sit sometime.




On their first possession, they tried to take it up the left wing. Abruscia made a risky tackle attempt here. We didn't have time to get anyone there to press; if we don't tackle they'll probably get a decent shot, same as if we fail. In retrospect I might have been better having Muller D, the closest midfielder, come back and press … but it's one of those choices that could go badly either way. He failed(with what their player is named the jokes write themselves here), they passed it through our defense and scored on a cannon shot. The rest of the half went better, and they got a corner early in the second for another attempt right in front, but Komolong made the save on that one. A key tackle by Schwarz got possession back in time for us to clear it to midfield. Right now he's our best in that kind of situation at 22 defense.

And then a lob pass went over our defense, missed the target ... but went to another of their forwards, who scored on an angled shot that Komolong should have stopped, but didn't. Our luck at keeping the ball out of the goal is decidedly crap early on in this season.

Energie Cottbus 2, Stuttgarter Kickers 0

68% possession against, 3-1 tackles, the corner kick, 5-0 shots ... not a whole lot went our way. So pretty much I worked on getting activity to Jedin and Zeitz.

Levels for Schwarz(9), Muller D(4), and Wachter(3).

*** Muller D
** Schwarz
* Abruscia

Zeitz is now an Amateur Midfielder(M). So it's time for another choice. Coach larrymcg421, this one's for you ...

[Brian Swartz]

Forgot to mention, 105 euros from that match; 75 from ticket sales and the usual sponsor 30. That matters because it gave us enough to extend Fetscher's contract before he levels up and gets more expensive. Max 3-year deal, which concludes the requested activity on that front. And we have a whole 8 euros in the bank. We can afford to go to the movies … by ourselves … if we go to an early show and don't want any popcorn or soda.

[larrymcg421]

Definitely Slide Tackle.

[Brian Swartz]

8.4 TSV Halvese(1-0-1, 4th) vs. Stuttgarter Kickers(0-0-2, 8th)

Halvese has two forwards with Cannon Shot, and a third with enough control(21) to dribble through our defensive line potentially. They also look the most vulnerable to us scoring ...

G Komolong
D Ortag/Abruscia/Scepanik/Schwarz/Doringer/Weibenfels
M Tunjic/Hirsch
F Pfeiffer/Jedin

So there's a long-shot chance we might be able to get a tally out of Pfeiffer.

Schwarz and Doringer each blocked a shot in the first half as they quickly penetrated the center of our defensive line(Weibenfels) but never managed to get a shot through to the goal. It was scary as they were able to get a couple forwards quickly into the box, limiting Doringer's movement, but lacking any particularly good passers they couldn't take advantage.

In the second half we got Pfeiffer a shot but their defenders intercepted and that was that. One of their forwards dribbled through Weibenfels again, this time beating Doringer and a poor save effort by Komolong. He's really been stinking it up overall this year and it cost us a point today.

TSV Halvese 1, Stuttgarter Kickers 0

Level-up only for Weibenfels(4).

Hirsch is now a Universal Midfielder(MF), and Schwarz a Central Defender(CD). That's our first for both of those classes. Both players get a 2-level boost to Level 11 now.

Balance: 38(+30)


4.11 Stuttgarter Kickers(0-0-3, 7th) vs. Alemannia Aachen(1-0-2, 6th)

We're actually just below-average in terms of goals allowed, and frankly three of the four have been unfortunate concessions; at least one if not two of them should have been stopped. Our defense is ok, but we have a very small chance of scoring or none at all so there's just zero margin for error on the back line. AA has the worst keeper in the league but a decent sweeper, so it's unlikely that trend changes. Dribbling into the teeth of our defense like Halvese did is their main threat with three forwards once again, but they don't have quite as much accuracy. I can see them scoring against us, but we definitely have a chance to hold them out.

G Komolong
D Ortag/Abruscia/Scepanik/Jager/Doringer/Weibenfels
M Hirsch
F Jedin/Mengele/Tiel

Mengele sees his first action of the year, the last player to get out there.




This is what masquerades as a 'great chance' for this team. It's actually our best opportunity to score of the year. It's easily blocked by their sweeper, and later in the half they dribble past Absruscia, shooting through the rest of our defense and scoring. It's the third 17 Komolong has rolled, which is well below-average for him. I don't know what his problem is right now, and he only needed a 19 to stop that one. Doringer blocks a couple shots in the second half to keep it from getting any worse.

Alemannia Aachen 1, Stuttgarter Kickers 0

At least the second match we deserved to get a draw out of I think. 68% possession against, and we did well most of the time. But it only takes one lapse ...

Jedin(3) is the only level-up.

*** Doringer
** Hirsch
* Ortag

Mengele is our first Central Forward(CF), and moves up to Level 10.

** Balance: 143(+105)

[Brian Swartz]

8.18 Kickers Offenbach(0-0-4, 8th) vs. Stuttgarter Kickers(0-0-4, 7th)

You might think we'd want to play our best here to finally get a point at least. But you'd be wrong ... we have a Cup match in a few days, with the same opponent, at home. So here we just want to keep our best players as fresh as possible for that one.

G Komolong
D Abruscia/Schwarz/Jager/Doringer
M Blank/Maslanka/Tunjic/Muller D
F Jedin/Wachter

I'll probably make some subs later on to keep the important players fresh. That's why we're playing a minimal defensive line. Against three forwards that's probably trouble for this match ... Offenbach has scored a couple times this year and probably should have more, their main problem is they've given up nine goals, more than twice as many as we have.

Our first rain match of the year. They dribble past Abruscia on the wing but Doringer makes the play. So far he's been our best defensive option this year. Jager got a long shot blocked later, and a late lofted pass in desperation was off the mark. So far so good. Weibenfels on for Doringer at the half made us weaker for sure, but he was already fairly tired. Everyone else looked okish.

Midway through the second half, they got it in the box to Vetter who had nearly a coin-flip chance, but for once Komolong made a great effort and easily made the save.




Still outplayed, but we finally get a result. I tried to spread around the action to different players as much as I could to keep anyone from getting too worn out for the next match.

Levels; Jager(9), Abruscia(9), Tunjic(4), Maslanka(4).

*** Doringer
** Jager
* Komolong

** Balance: 173(+30)
** Glory: 5(+4) -- Another strong opponent bonus. When the last-place team gives you that, you know you suck.

Abruscia is now a Fullback(RD), our first of those, and reaches Level 11. Three levels from one match, not bad! Specialization upgrades also for Tunjic(M) and Jedin(F). We'll pause here for skill training decisions again;







DavidCorperial has the skill choice for Tunjic, larrymcg421 for Jedin. After that, it's on to the critical Cup match.

[larrymcg421]

Cannon Shot for Jedin.

[DavidCorperial]

I'll go with Nutmeg, sorry for the delay, power outage earlier today.

[Brian Swartz]

No problem. 7 hours is not a 'late response' by any stretch. And I was at work the whole time anyway.

[Brian Swartz]

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.