Screamin' Seamen FC - A Hattrick Dynasty

[DataKing]

Two new teams announced their official support for the Screamin' Seamen today. They are:

Louisiana Cyclones (Owned by Doug5984)
Bull Dogs (Owned by Eilim)

Thank you both for your support of SSFC. Two members of the team's starting eleven are on their way to your clubhouses, to deliver your VIP tickets in person.

I have also procured VIP tickets for all of our supporters for our Week 14 match against Croats in Miami, the match that will likely decide the series title. I understand if you all are too busy with your own matches to make it, but the tickets are on the way nonetheless.

We now have the official support of 15 teams, tying us for 6th in the United States (and moving us one ahead of Ardent. ).

I'm feelin' the love.

[vex]

Once the election starts to get near, I'll probably add you as well, for looks

[DataKing]

I've noticed you're working on my name recognition in the conference boards vex. Thanks.

[Poli]

Originally posted by DataKing
Two new teams announced their official support for the Screamin' Seamen today. They are:

Louisiana Cyclones (Owned by Doug5984)
Bull Dogs (Owned by Eilim)

Thank you both for your support of SSFC. Two members of the team's starting eleven are on their way to your clubhouses, to deliver your VIP tickets in person.

I have also procured VIP tickets for all of our supporters for our Week 14 match against Croats in Miami, the match that will likely decide the series title. I understand if you all are too busy with your own matches to make it, but the tickets are on the way nonetheless.

We now have the official support of 15 teams, tying us for 6th in the United States (and moving us one ahead of Ardent. ).

I'm feelin' the love.

Hmmph!

[daedalus]

Wimp!

A few questions . . .

1) How do you achieve your 3-5-2, instruction-wise?

2) What level form would you consider as the lowest acceptable?

Thanks.

[vex]

Originally posted by DataKing
I've noticed you're working on my name recognition in the conference boards vex. Thanks.

Yeah, I figure adding the bold effect makes it stand out more

[DataKing]

Originally posted by daedalus
Wimp!

A few questions . . .

1) How do you achieve your 3-5-2, instruction-wise?

2) What level form would you consider as the lowest acceptable?

Thanks.

Yep, I'm a wimp. A 1st place wimp, that is.

1. I switch out one of my central defenders for an extra inner midfielder. The side that I remove the central defender from is the same side as the stronger of my two wingbacks, generally.

2. I generally do not play starters if their form drops to weak or worse. At that point, I usually have a backup who would actually perform better, assuming their form is decent at the time. Exceptions are made, but rarely.

I hope this helps, and let me know if any of you have other questions. I'm always willing to help (unless I have a match scheduled against you, that is. ).

[DataKing]

Weekly Financial Update

Youth Pull

We’ve received another youth pull that doesn’t appear to have a future with the Screamin’ Seamen, but should certainly find a home somewhere. Unfortunately Porter Callaway is 19 years old, and it is late in the season, otherwise we might be able to fetch more for him. He does have good potential as an offensive midfielder, with a decent amount of midfielder and stamina training. However, I am training neither currently. Porter has been listed on the transfer market for $1,000.

Porter Callaway

19 years old, passable form, healthy.

A pleasant guy who is calm and honest.
Has disastrous (1) experience and inadequate (5) leadership abilities.

Nationality: U.S.A.
Assessed Value: $86,000
Wage: $960/week

Stamina: Poor (3)
Playmaking: Inadequate (5)
Winger: Wretched (2)
Scoring: Wretched (2)
Goaltending: Disastrous (1)
Passing: Solid (7)
Defending: Weak (4)
Set Pieces: Poor (3)


Weekly Balance Sheet

Previous Balance: $478,219

Income

Crowd (friendly match vs. High Tops) - $1,911
Sponsors - $59,250
Temporary (22 new supporters) - $660
Temporary (sale of youth pull Rafael Ubierna) - $28,520

Total Revenue: $90,341

Expenses

Arena Upkeep - $11,271
Player Wages - $24,828
Temporary (youth squad promotion of Rafael Ubierna) - $2,000
Temporary (transfer listing for Rafael Ubierna) - $1,000
Staff & Specialists - $33,000
Youth Squad Support - $20,000

Total Expenses: $92,099

Net Income/Loss: -$1,758

New Balance: $476, 461

The sale of youth pull Rafael Ubierna allowed us to nearly break even this week, despite not having a home league match.

State of the Team

Team Spirit: Composed (down 3 levels from last week)
Team Confidence: Strong (down 1 level from last week)

Sponsor Attitude: High on Life (no change)
Supporter Attitude: Delirious (down 1 level from last week)
Supporters: 1,259 (up 22 from last week)

The damage to team spirit was a result of MOTSing the league match against Ramblers, but the 2-1 victory and claiming first place was certainly worth it.

I think our supporters are getting spoiled, though. We continue to win, but their attitude and the rate at which they are signing up seems to be dropping off. We may hire another spokesperson if this trend continues.

Speaking of which, here is our current staff:

Goaltending Coaches: 2
Assistant Coaches: 7
Sports Psychologists: 2
Spokespersons: 4
Economists: 0
Physiotherapists: 7
Doctors: 0

We plan to move to a full complement of 8 assistant coaches and 10 physiotherapists during the off-season. Then our training program will really be rolling, and we will train at 100% intensity.

Up Next: We’re in New York City this weekend, to take on Gazzaly FC. Stay tuned!

[daedalus]

Curse not having money. I'd love to pick up that kid. He'd be a darn solid middie in about a half a season to a season.

[DataKing]

SSFC Owner Collapses After Match

(New York, NY) Data King, general manager and owner of the Screamin’ Seamen Football Club, collapsed earlier this evening at the conclusion of the team’s match against Gazzaly FC.

It is reported that King flew into a tirade near the end of the match, when Gazzaly FC was awarded a potentially game-tying penalty kick with only seconds remaining. King had to be restrained by club officials, anonymous sources say.

Seconds after the penalty kick flew wide, King collapsed. Emergency personnel were on the scene in moments, and quickly took King to a local hospital. Although club officials have yet to release any details, hospital staff members have indicated that King is in good condition, and is being kept overnight for supervision.

Model Francine Dee, one of King’s guests at the match, spoke briefly with reporters at the hospital.

“It was scary,” Dee stated. “One second DK was screaming, the next second he was cheering like a lunatic, and a second later he just collapsed. I sure hope he’ll be OK.”

King’s club, SSFC won the match in dramatic come-from-behind fashion, 4-3.

[DataKing]

Season 2 – League Match #12

Gazzaly FC vs. Screamin’ Seamen

Date: March 2nd, 2003
Venue: Valentula (New York, NY)
Attendance: 5,358 (7,000)
Weather: Overcast

We’re on the road for the second week in a row, in The Big Apple to take on sixth-place Gazzaly FC. We expect this to be a pretty easy three points for us, as well as an opportunity to repair the damage we did to our team spirit last week against Ramblers.

It will be Standard Operating Procedure today against Gazzaly FC. They’ve made some improvements since we crushed them 6-nil back in week three, but they just don’t have the horses to run with us, even if they are at home.

Formation: 3-5-2

Starters

Keeper: #13 Cornelius “Corny” Jernigan

Right Wingback: #22 Tyler Willard
Central Defender: #2 Chuck Scales
Left Wingback: #5 Arlen Lucas

Right Winger: #10 Olav Mauffret
Inner Midfielder: #4 Pete “The Old Goat” Tomlin
Inner Midfielder: #7 Lucian Tere
Inner Midfielder: #6 Charlie Bautista
Left Winger: #3 Ben McMahon

Forward: #15 Forrest “Gump” Tobias
Forward: #11 Johannes Henriksson

Set Pieces: #11 Johannes Henriksson
Team Captain: #11 Johannes Henriksson

Substitutes
-Keeper: #1 Darryl Read
-Defender: #24 Christian Kvam
-Midfielder: #19 Jerry Smith
-Forward: #9 Ruben Stewart
-Winger: #25 Paul Peralta

We have no changes to the starting line-up this week.

Match Report

Overcast weather free of rain made for a crowd turnout of 5358 at Valentula today. Gazzaly started off with a 3-5-2 lineup. The following players had been chosen: Huber - Griggs, Rouse, Andrade - Marcus, Song, Dumas, Vargas, Queen - Marrero, Mcintyre.

Screamin' tactics involved an interesting 3-5-2 combination. The following players had been chosen: Jernigan - Willard, Scales, Lucas - Mauffret , Tere, Bautista, Tomlin, Mcmahon - Henriksson, Tobias.

The referee showed Screamin's Charlie Bautista the yellow card after a particularly nasty challenge. Gazzaly were forced to a substitution as Zeb Queen couldn´t continue playing due to the rough treatment. Some beautiful plays on the left side of the field resulted in a 20:th minute goal by Bryan Vargas for Gazzaly, putting them ahead 1 - 0. In the 26:th minute Gazzaly put themselves up 2 - 0. The visitors defenders lost the ball to Roland Mcintyre 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 Gazzaly decided to pull back and meet their opponents in the defensive zone. The teams went for a half-time break at 2 - 0. The fortyfive minutes were dominated by Gazzaly, with an impressive 52 percent possession of the ball.

Screamin' showed some good morale and were, in the 79:th minute, able to reduce the score to 2 - 1 as Johannes Henriksson got past the home sides full backs straight in front of the goal. Richard Song was the first to reach the corner kick, but his header was saved by the keeper. However, Gazzaly´s Kirby Marcus managed to get hold of the rebound and scored the 3-1 goal. In the games 83rd minute Screamin' replied, reducing the lead to 3 - 2. Charlie Bautista scored on a marvellous cross pass coming in from the left. The visitors didn´t give in and after 85 minutes Forrest Tobias got through the home sides central line of defense, rolling in the levelling goal to make it 3 - 3 After 89 minutes Screamin's Forrest Tobias made his way through the middle, putting the visitors up 3 - 4. In the 89:th minute Screamin's Lucian Tere received a yellow card for going into a challenge studs first. Gazzaly were forced to a substitution as Bryan Vargas couldn´t continue playing due to the rough treatment. The home crowd were tearing their hair as Roland Mcintyre missed a penalty shot by miles in the 90:th minute. Screamin', bringing the final ball possession rate to 51 percent, dominated the battle.

Gazzaly´s best player was Richard Song. However, Merrill Griggs made a disastrous appearance. The most dominating Screamin' player was without a doubt Cornelius Jernigan. Lucian Tere was a disappointment, however. The match ends 3 - 4.

Final Score: Screamin’ Seamen 4, Gazzaly FC 3

Goals
Henriksson – 1 (13)
Bautista – 1 (4)
Tobias – 2 (11,12)

Cards
Bautista (yellow)
Tere (yellow)

Player Ratings

Jernigan: ***~

Willard: ***
Scales: **~
Lucas: ***

Mauffret: **~
Tomlin: **~
Tere: **
Bautista: **~
McMahon: **~

Tobias: **~
Henriksson: **

Man of the Match: #13 Cornelius “Corny” Jernigan

Team Ratings

Screamin’ Seamen
-Midfield: Poor (3)
-Right Defense: Outstanding (10)
-Central Defense: Formidable (9)
-Left Defense: Outstanding (10)
-Right Attack: Passable (6)
-Central Attack: Passable (6)
-Left Attack: Inadequate (5)

Gazzaly FC
-Midfield: Weak (4)
-Right Defense: Inadequate (5)
-Central Defense: Inadequate (5)
-Left Defense: Weak (4)
-Right Attack: Passable (6)
-Central Attack: Solid (7)
-Left Attack: Passable (6)

Comments

Holy crap! I don’t even know where to begin!

I guess I should start by saying that this was big “trap game” for us, and I didn’t recognize it as such. I told my guys to take it easy, figuring that we would have an easy time with Gazzaly FC, and looking to repair some of the damage we did last week. I was not expecting this kind of match at all.

Down 3-1 with less than ten minutes to go, I thought we were sunk. But Charlie Bautista had other ideas, knocking home the goal that brought us within one. That really seemed to get the rest of the team going, especially Forrest Tobias. “Gump” went absolutely berserk on the pitch, scoring two incredible goals in only four minutes, and we had the lead!

I damn near charged onto the field and throttled the referee when he gave Gazzaly FC a penalty kick with only seconds remaining in the game. But fortune smiled upon us once again, and Gazzaly striker Roland McIntyre missed the net completely. When I saw that kick go wide, I cheered, then started to feel light headed. The next thing I knew, I was in a hospital bed…but I guess there’s been plenty of about that in the papers.

Author’s Note: No, I didn’t actually pass out or anything at the end of the match. But it sure was exciting!

Series Scores and Standings

Farmer of Fire has folded, and a new charter has been granted to a team from New Jersey named Inquisition.

I’m not sure what the deal is with The Cheats, but it appears as though they have fired all of their players. All they have on their roster is a coach.

-Inquisition lost their inaugural match to Cariocas, 3-2.
-Ramblers remained hot on our heels, defeating Neon Genesis Evangelion, 3-1.
- Croats in Miami were awarded a 5-nil walkover win against The Cheats.

No.	Team				Played		Goals		Pts.

1.	Screamin’ Seamen		        12		49-14		32

2.	Ramblers			12		60-8		31

3.	Croats in Miami		        12		41-15		30

4.	Neon Genesis Evangelion	        12		32-15		18

5.	Inquisition			12		17-23		14

6.	Cariocas			12		15-45		8

7.	Gazzaly FC			12		15-49		7

8.	The Cheats			12		4-64		0

If the season ended today, we would be the very last of the 32 teams awarded auto-promotion. Our goal differential is six below the next team with 32 points. Talk about cutting things close!

Our remaining schedule:

3/9 – vs. Neon Genesis Evangelion
3/16 - @ Croats in Miami

We were definitely looking past this week’s match, but we will not make the same mistake next week. Neon Genesis Evangelion is a quality club, but this time we will have the advantage of playing at home.

Also of interest, Ramblers play host to Croats in Miami next week. The best possible outcome for us is a draw between those two. Assuming that occurred, and we defeated Neon Genesis Evangelion, a draw is all we would need against Croats in Miami on the 16th to secure the series title.

Other News

Please help we welcome the newest part of the Screamin’ Seamen Football Club, Danish striker Jesper Gravesen.

Jesper Gravesen

27 years old, solid form, healthy.

A sympathetic guy who is balanced and upright.
Has poor (3) experience and inadequate (5) leadership abilities.

Specialty: Technical

Nationality: Denmark
Assessed Value: $36,000
Wage: $816/week

Stamina: Solid (7)
Playmaking: Poor (3)
Winger: Weak (4)
Scoring: Passable (6)
Goaltending: Wretched (2)
Passing: Weak (4)
Defending: Poor (3)
Set Pieces: Solid (7)

We purchased Jesper for $19,000 earlier today, from Aalbork BK, a club from Denmark’s 4th Division. Jesper has been used primarily as a backup during his career, but has made the most of his opportunities, scoring twelve goals in only seven competitive matches, including two hattricks.

Jesper is exactly what we were looking for as a replacement for Ruben Stewart. He has some experience, and can function as team captain when needed. He is also good on set pieces, which is a weakness of ours. Until now, Johannes Henriksson has been the only player on the team rated at solid (7) in set pieces.

Up Next: The club is flying straight from New York to London, for our international friendly against Crazy Docs FC on Wednesday. I’ll be catching up with them as soon as I can. Stay tuned!

[Blade6119]

Ill go for porter, with the recent youth pulls grabbing me 300k...talented goalies keep coming from my inadequte youth squad....im really lucky....

[Blade6119]

dola...real quick question...my last youth pull goalie is inadaquate, but serves as a great team clown with solid leadership and popular...i will play him in my friendlies, but without training goalkeeper, will his stats go up?

[DataKing]

When you do general training, your keepers that played will receive a small amount of goaltending training. Otherwise, his goaltending ability will not increase without specific goalkeeper training.

[Blade6119]

thnx for the response....with my team securly in 4th for the year, as my final 2 games are against #1/2 in the league, im going to train keeper to raise the stats.

Go Screamin Seamen

[Blade6119]

wait....what am i doing taking up your time with silly questions...there are still japs to kill!!! go get em data!!!

[Aesyrqwe]

White Sox Pride (71519) (owner - Aesyrqwe)
# 8 in V.167

[daedalus]

Out of curiosity, since you alternate between 3-5-2 and 5-4-1 between league and friendly games, at what level does your formation experience usually stay at/around?

[daedalus]

Ooh. I just noticed your team being on that Q-game edge. Keep up the good work!

[DataKing]

Originally posted by daedalus
Out of curiosity, since you alternate between 3-5-2 and 5-4-1 between league and friendly games, at what level does your formation experience usually stay at/around?

My formation experience for these two formations is always either solid or excellent. Whichever one was played most recently is excellent, while the other one is solid. Basically, this means that I'm always running a formation in a match which I am 'solid' at. I have yet to suffer any sort of confusion in match from this.

[DataKing]

We have listed Ruben Stewart on the transfer market, now that we have secured a replacement for him in Jesper Gravesen. Ruben's form appears to be a problem, but perhaps a change of scenery will help him out? Who knows.

Ruben Stewart

Listed As: Forward
Asking Price: $15,000
Bidding Ends: March 7th @ 1:14pm central

21 years old, poor form, healthy

A pleasant guy who is calm and dishonest.
Has disastrous experience and inadequate leadership abilities.

Specialty: Quick

Nationality: U.S.A.
Assessed Value: $40,000
Wage: $790/week
Warnings: 0

Stamina: Excellent
Playmaking: Weak
Winger: Weak
Scoring: Passable
Goaltending: Disastrous
Passing: Poor
Defending: Inadequate
Set Pieces: Passable

[DataKing]

Season 2 – Week 12 – International Friendly Match

Crazy Docs FC vs. Screamin’ Seamen

Date: March 4th, 2003
Venue: Crazy Docs FC Arena (London, England)
Attendance: 2,345 (18,000)
Weather: Overcast

We’re in jolly old England this week, for an international friendly against Crazy Docs FC, a club from England’s Fifth Division. We’ve been looking forward to this trip for a couple of different reasons.

First off, we’ve made this trip a little longer than most visits to opposing stadiums. I figure that the best thing for our lads right now is a little bit of R&R. The players need to unwind a little bit, after our harrowing visit to New York, and with two vital league matches rapidly approaching.

Second, and this may seem odd, but it’s nice to have a match that means absolutely nothing. Between the U.S.A. Cup, the Windy City Cup, and the FOFC Cup, open dates are extremely rare for our club. And scheduling is only going to get more difficult, with the rapid growth of the FOFC and the prospect of a higher seed in next season’s U.S.A. Cup (where we should advance beyond round three). More than likely, we will not be participating in the Windy City Cup next season, with the prospect of alternating between the FOFC and Windy City Cups in future seasons. But no official decision has been made just yet.

As far as today’s match goes, Crazy Docs FC run a 3-5-2 formation, with a decent balance of offense and defense. We have a small edge in talent, it appears, but with the strength of the 3-5-2 over the comparative weakness of the 5-4-1, I expect a pretty even contest.

Formation: 5-4-1

Starters

Keeper: #1 Darryl Read

Right Wingback: #17 Mattias Leier
Central Defender: #21 Zarpas Lerma
Central Defender: #20 Keith Stubbs
Central Defender: #23 William Brown
Left Wingback: #24 Christian Kvam

Right Winger: #25 Paul Peralta
Inner Midfielder: #19 Jerry Smith
Inner Midfielder: #12 Brooks Brannon
Left Winger: #16 Otis Johnson

Forward: #14 Jesper Gravesen

Team Captain: #14 Jesper Gravesen
Set Pieces: #14 Jesper Gravesen

Substitutes
-Keeper: #13 Cornelius “Corny” Jernigan
-Defender: #22 Tyler Willard
-Midfielder: #7 Lucian Tere
-Forward: #15 Forrest “Gump” Tobias
-Winger: #10 Olav Mauffret

Jesper Gravesen makes his debut as a Screamin’ Seaman today, and will wear the captain’s armband for us as well. I know he’s brand new to the club, but I think the youngsters can learn a thing or two from Jesper. Fortunately for us, his English is at least marginally understandable.

We’ve also made a small change on the back line. Christian Kvam, our 18 year old Norwegian defender, has been showing good form lately, and so we will play him at left wingback. William Brown will slide over to central defender to make room for Christian on the wing.

Match Report

2345 spectators had come to Crazy Docs FC Arena this cloudy day. Crazy tactics involved an interesting 3-5-2 combination. They fielded: Dias - Falcon, Wilmot, Redwine - Conigliaro, Sohda, Parker, Peyrani, Paul - De Gabiola, Ekber.

Screamin' started off with a 5-4-1 lineup. The following players had been chosen: Read - Leier, Brown, Lerma, Stubbs, Kvam - Peralta, Brannon, Smith, Johnson - Gravesen.

Otis Johnson came close to putting the visiting team one up in the 17:th minute, following a solo raid down the middle, but Francisco Dias managed to tip the ball to a corner. 17 minutes into the game Lee Redwine had to leave the pitch due to a knee injury. In came Lorne Cafferkey. Jerry Smith came close to putting the visiting team one up in the 31st minute, following a solo raid down the middle, but Francisco Dias managed to tip the ball to a corner. In the 37:th minute Crazys Eric Peyrani received a yellow card for going into a challenge studs first. Halftime score was 0 - 0. Screamin', bringing the final ball possession rate to 56 percent, dominated the battle.

After a fine move down the middle Eric Peyrani nearly gave the home side one up in the 48:th minute. The finishing shot went just wide, though. Misao Sohda 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. Keith Stubbs came close to putting the visiting team one up in the 66:th minute, following a solo raid down the middle, but Francisco Dias managed to tip the ball to a corner. Screamin' held the ball, with a clear 67 percent possession rate.

OVERTIME

After the regular 90 minutes, the agonizing of overtime followed. Keith Stubbs had a good try in the 107:th minute, coming in on a fine move from the left, but the ball went wide. Refet Ekber of Crazy received a yellow card in the 109:th minute for unsportsmanlike behaviour. 109 minutes into the game Lorne Cafferkey had to leave the pitch due to a knee injury. In came Edmund Schrattenecker. Screamin' had a good opportunity to score the lead goal but the home team goaltender Francisco Dias saved Mattias Leier´s shot headed for the top corner. There was still no winner after 30 minutes of extra time so the teams had to select a lineup for a penalty contest to settle the result.

PENALTY KICKS

Crazy´s Rufino De Gabiola made no mistake. Darryl Read didn´t have a chance. 1 - 0.

A badly laid penalty by Screamin'´s Jesper Gravesen was surrendered by Francisco Dias, taking an equally bad dive, making the score 1 - 1.

Crazy´s Refet Ekber looked insecure all the way from laying the ball down to clipping the ball miles wide of the crossbar. No goal.

Screamin'´s Brooks Brannon cooly put the ball past Francisco Dias. 1 - 2.

A badly laid penalty by Crazy´s Mervyn Parker was surrendered by Darryl Read, taking an equally bad dive, making the score 2 - 2.

Screamin'´s Darryl Read didn´t hesitate but Francisco Dias managed the save, resulting in an unchanged 2 - 2 score.

Crazy´s Thomas Paul looked insecure all the way from laying the ball down to clipping the ball miles wide of the crossbar. No goal.

A badly laid penalty by Screamin'´s Paul Peralta was surrendered by Francisco Dias, taking an equally bad dive, making the score 2 - 3.

Crazy´s Misao Sohda looked insecure all the way from laying the ball down to clipping the ball miles wide of the crossbar. No goal.

Screamin'´s Jerry Smith, obviously having last minute doubt´s, produced a loose ball to the right post. Unfortunately Francisco Dias made a premature move to the left and didn´t make it back. New score 2 - 4.

The most dominating Crazy player was without a doubt Francisco Dias. Jon Conigliaro was a disappointment, however. Most important Screamin' player was Darryl Read. Brooks Brannon on the other hand, had a terrible day. The match ends 2 - 4. The match ends 2 - 4.

Final Score: Screamin’ Seamen 0, Crazy Docs FC 0 (PK: Screamin’ Seamen 4, Crazy Docs FC 2)

Goals
None

Penalty Kick Goals
Gravesen
Brannon
Peralta
Smith

Cards
None

Player Ratings

Read: **~

Leier: **
Lerma: **
Stubbs: **~
Brown: **~
Kvam: **~

Peralta: **
Smith: **
Brannon: *~
Johnson: **

Gravesen: **

Team Ratings

Screamin’ Seamen
-Midfield: Poor (3)
-Right Defense: Outstanding (10)
-Central Defense: Outstanding (10)
-Left Defense: Formidable (9)
-Right Attack: Poor (3)
-Central Attack: Poor (3)
-Left Attack: Poor (3)

Crazy Docs FC
-Midfield: Wretched (2)
-Right Defense: Passable (6)
-Central Defense: Passable (6)
-Left Defense: Excellent (8)
-Right Attack: Poor (3)
-Central Attack: Inadequate (5)
-Left Attack: Inadequate (5)

Comments

Just when you think you’ve got a nice, relaxed friendly match set up, the “Cardiac Kids” strike again! We had good opportunities throughout the match, and you could tell that the addition of Jesper Gravesen has helped the offense. But Crazy Docs’ keeper Francisco Dias just put up a force field in front of the net, saving three different goal attempts in regulation.

For the first time in history, we played more than 90 minutes in a match. After another 30 minutes (and Dias’ fourth goal save), we lined up for penalty kicks, and it appears that Crazy Docs’ relative inexperience finally got the better of them. 4-2 on penalty kicks, and we went out to hit the London pub scene as winners.

Up Next: Weekly training results Thursday evening. Stay tuned!

[DataKing]

A nice little bidding war developed as the deadline approached for youth pull Porter Callaway. AX Surf, a club from Switzerland's Fifth Division, were the eventual winners, with a winning bid of $37,000. $34,040 of that found its way into the club's coffers.

[DataKing]

Week 12 Training Results

Behold the power of a good training program! We’ve received more good news this week on the training front, as wingback William Brown has improved to solid defending.

William Brown

20 years old, passable (6) form, healthy.

A pleasant guy who is fiery and dishonest. (He’s a good guy, unless you piss him off.)
Has disastrous (1) experience and weak (4) leadership abilities.

Specialty: Quick

Nationality: U.S.A.
Assessed Value: $59,000
Wage: $670/week

Stamina: Inadequate (5)
Playmaking: Poor (3)
Winger: Inadequate (5)
Scoring: Poor (3)
Goaltending: Disastrous (1)
Passing: Poor (3)
Defending: Solid (7)
Set Pieces: Poor (3)

William was purchased way back in August, when we first formed Screamin’ Seamen FC, for a paltry $5,000. His assessed value at the time was $13,000, and has more than quadrupled in the past two seasons.


Form Changes

5 players saw their form increase from last week.
15 players had their form remain the same.
3 players saw their form drop from last week.

Ruben Stewart must love the idea of playing for someone else. Now that he is on the transfer market, his form jumped two levels this week, up to inadequate (5). His assessed value jumped by $7,000 as well. It figures. Bidding for Ruben currently sits at $17,000.

In The Zone

Goalkeeper Darryl Read remains “in the zone” with excellent (8) form, and is joined this week by two of our defensive trainees; Norwegian Christian Kvam and Spaniard Zarpas Lerma. While the two 18-year-olds are certainly playing good soccer at the moment, they simply are not skilled enough to start for us, barring injury or suspension to one of our starters.

I don’t know that the term “form dog” really applies any longer, because the lowest form on the team currently is inadequate (5). Four of our players are at this level right now, and all of our other players are in passable (6) or better form.


Value

Average Player Value: $102,043 (-$1,548)
Total Player Value (excluding Ruben Stewart): $2,300,000 (+$21,000)

Up Next: The weekly financial update and youth pull. On Sunday, we play host to Neon Genesis Evangelion, who we narrowly defeated 3-2 back in week two. It looks like it will be a good matchup. Stay tuned!

[DataKing]

Ruben Stewart Sold

Back-up striker Ruben Stewart finally got his wish granted, as he was sold earlier today for $30,000. The winner of the bidding was fellow FOFC team and SSFC supporter, Eilim's Bull Dogs. It's always nice to see players stay within the FOFC family.

$27,000 of that money found its way into the Screamin' Seamen club coffers.

International News

The American U-20 team kept their hopes for a U-20 World Cup title alive this afternoon, defeating the U-20 Finland team, 3-1. This sets up an interesting match next week against rival Mexico. U.S.A. will need a win against Mexico if they hope to advance to second round group play.

If you guys are interested in seeing some Hattrick drool-material, take a gander at Jude Sutherland (ID# 2471384). At 20 years old, Jude is already the single best American-born goalkeeper on the planet, and put up an incredible 8.5 stars ( ) against Finland in today's U-20 match. He already has 17 caps for the U-20 team and 11 caps for the national team.

Jude's assessed value is $10,147,000, and his weekly salary is $34,180 (greater than my entire team put together). He plays for the Yuma Bulldogs, the #1 team in series III.11. On an entertaining side note, the Bulldogs have given up 6 league goals this entire season!

Sutherland is one of those guys that I have kept half an eye on since I started playing the game. One of my long-term goals is to have Jude on my team someday (a long, long time from now, no doubt). Just something I thought you guys might find entertaining.

[sterlingice]

If you guys are interested in seeing some Hattrick drool-material, take a gander at Jude Sutherland (ID# 2471384). At 20 years old, Jude is already the single best American-born goalkeeper on the planet, and put up an incredible 8.5 stars ( ) against Finland in today's U-20 match. He already has 17 caps for the U-20 team and 11 caps for the national team.

I think it's because he looks like Jesus. Any coincidence?

If you has been quicker: (Transfer History)
2/5/2002 Aguilas Yuma Bulldogs 453 000 US$ (169 000 US$)
Then again, were you even playing a full year ago?

SI

[Eilim]

Jude, I know him well. I like to check around and look at the higher teams and see what they have for talent. I usually also try to catch a couple premiere/series I games from around the world, they can be eye opening.

I watched a cup match the other day between the number one and three teams in the Svierge Series I. Besides drooling over the 92,000 fans going to a match. I nearly fainted seeing the lowest line rating was "brilliant", and the rest were Supernatural and extra-terrestrial, divine.

Some day, someday hattrick newbies will be watching my matches and drooling like that.

[sterlingice]

I watched a cup match the other day between the number one and three teams in the Svierge Series I. Besides drooling over the 92,000 fans going to a match. I nearly fainted seeing the lowest line rating was "brilliant", and the rest were Supernatural and extra-terrestrial, divine.

Some day, someday hattrick newbies will be watching my matches and drooling like that.

Speaking of drooling- check out those divine midfields in the Smackers United - IFK Livergården cup matchup this past week: a pair of devines. Hell, IFK Livergården's midfield got the same as my best star count ever for my entire team (22.5).

SI

[DataKing]

Originally posted by sterlingice
I think it's because he looks like Jesus. Any coincidence?

If you has been quicker: (Transfer History)
2/5/2002 Aguilas Yuma Bulldogs 453 000 US$ (169 000 US$)
Then again, were you even playing a full year ago?

SI

Naah, I started playing in August. August 5th, to be exact.

[DataKing]

Weekly Financial Update

Youth Pull

This week’s youth pull, Millard Meadows, was very close to finding a spot on the Screamin’ Seamen B-team, but fell just short of making the grade. He is the first 17 year old we’ve pulled that is really worth a damn, but our training group is already filled with passable defenders. Had we pulled Millard a few weeks from now, he would be worth a lot more than he is now (he will turn 18 in only a few weeks). He has been listed on the transfer market with a starting price of $5,000.

Millard Meadows

17 years old, passable form, healthy.

A pleasant guy who is balanced and upright.
Has disastrous (1) experience and inadequate (5) leadership abilities.

Nationality: U.S.A.
Assessed Value: $19,000
Wage: $580/week

Stamina: Weak (4)
Playmaking: Wretched (2)
Winger: Weak (4)
Scoring: Wretched (2)
Goaltending: Disastrous (1)
Passing: Poor (3)
Defending: Passable (6)
Set Pieces: Weak (4)


Weekly Balance Sheet

Previous Balance: $476,461

Income

Crowd (international friendly vs. Crazy Docs FC) - $6,125
Sponsors - $60,300
Temporary (24 new supporters) - $720
Temporary (sale of youth pull Porter Callaway) - $34,040
Temporary (sale of Ruben Stewart) - $27,000

Total Revenue: $128,185

Expenses

Arena Upkeep - $11,271
Player Wages - $24,828
Temporary (youth squad promotion of Porter Callaway) - $2,000
Temporary (transfer listing for Porter Callaway) - $1,000
Temporary (transfer listing for Ruben Stewart) - $1,000
Temporary (purchase of Jesper Gravesen) - $19,000
Temporary (travel expenses for international friendly) - $6,000
Staff & Specialists - $33,000
Youth Squad Support - $20,000

Total Expenses: $118,099

Net Income/Loss: $10,086

New Balance: $486,547

Despite not having a home league match again this week, we were able to turn a small profit. This was mostly due to the sale of Ruben Stewart and youth pull Porter Callaway. We’re looking forward to turning a nice profit in the coming week, as we have our last home match of the season, and expect another sellout.


State of the Team

Team Spirit: Calm (up 1 level from last week)
Team Confidence: Strong (no change)

Sponsor Attitude: High on Life (no change)
Supporter Attitude: High on Life (up 1 level from last week)
Supporters: 1,283 (up 24 from last week)

Playing it cool against Gazzaly FC this week nearly cost us first place, but fortunately we were able to escape from New York with a win. Now we have to hope that our current team spirit and confidence will carry us through, because we do not have the opportunity to help it along any more.


Other News

For those of you who play Hattrick that may not have noticed, a cool new feature has been added. The game will now tell you the best performance a player has ever given. This may lead to a new feature in this dynasty report, and will certainly help when scouring the transfer market (just how many stars can this guy put up, anyway?).

Up Next: A very important league match this evening, as we play host to the fourth place Neon Genesis Evangelion club. Stay tuned!

[DataKing]

Season 2 – League Match #13

Screamin’ Seamen vs. Neon Genesis Evangelion

Date: March 9th, 2003
Venue: The Docks (Chicago, IL)
Attendance: 17,350 (17,350)
Weather: Overcast

If you’ve been following this dynasty report, then you know how important the last two matches of this season will be for us. We care currently in first place in the standings, but second-place Ramblers and third-place Croats in Miami are only one and two points behind us in the standings, respectively. To make things even more interesting, those two clubs play each other today. Needless to say, this is a pivotal week for the entire series.

Our task for today is to defeat fourth-place Neon Genesis Evangelion. We narrowly defeated Evangelion at their place way back in week two, due to a goal in the 76th minute by the most unlikely of heroes, central defender Chuck Scales. NGE’s midfield play seems to have improved quite a bit over the course of the season, and the talent level between our two teams looks to be very even.

Formation: 3-5-2

Starters

Keeper: #13 Cornelius “Corny” Jernigan

Right Wingback: #22 Tyler Willard
Central Defender: #2 Chuck Scales
Left Wingback: #5 Arlen Lucas

Right Winger: #10 Olav Mauffret
Inner Midfielder: #6 Charlie Bautista
Inner Midfielder: #19 Jerry Smith
Inner Midfielder: #4 Pete “The Old Goat” Tomlin
Left Winger: #3 Ben McMahon

Forward: #15 Forrest “Gump” Tobias
Forward: #11 Johannes Henriksson

Team Captain: #11 Johannes Henriksson
Set Pieces: #11 Johannes Henriksson

Substitutes
-Keeper: #1 Darryl Read
-Defender: #24 Christian Kvam
-Midfielder: #7 Lucian Tere
-Forward: #14 Jesper Gravesen
-Winger: #16 Otis Johnson

Possession of the ball is going to be the key factor in today’s matchup. NGE’s offense is slightly better than ours, while we have a slight defensive advantage. I am sure that we will have our opportunities on offense, given that we are at home. Therefore, we will concentrate on keeping the ball away from NGE, to cut down on the number of opportunities they get against us.

The big change this week is 19 year old Jerry Smith starting at midfield in place of Lucian Tere. This is a calculated risk. Jerry is more of a possession-type midfielder than Lucian is, but isn’t in as good of shape. Still, we’re looking for anything that will help give us the advantage in the midfield today.

Because of that, Ben McMahon will play “up” from his usual defensive winger position. Ben is little threat to score, and won’t help the offense much, but he should be able to help our middle three control the flow of the game. Olav Mauffret, on the other side, will join the rush when the opportunity presents itself.

On to the game…

(Author’s Note: I’m going to alter the format of the match reports from now on, to make them a little more readable.)

Match Report

At The Docks, 17350 punters turned up, and despite threatening clouds at the horizon, no rain came. Screamin' had chosen a strategic 3-5-2 formation. They fielded: Jernigan - Willard, Scales, Lucas - Mauffret , Bautista, Tomlin, Smith, Mcmahon - Henriksson, Tobias.

EVA tactics involved an interesting 3-5-2 combination. The following players had been chosen: Åkesson - Calloway, Smiley, Waldrop - Ayres, Ødegård, Taylor, Fortune, Villiard - Lachance, Davenport.

FIRST HALF

Johannes Henriksson gave his Screamin' the lead with 1 - 0, as he successfully challenged both the guests central defenders, then placed the ball unreachably at the goaltenders right post.

Ben Mcmahon was dominating his wing and kept sending fine balls into the enemy box - Johannes Henriksson managed to kick one of them into 2 - 0 in the 23rd minute.

The home side´s Forrest Tobias came close to extending the lead in the 35:th minute. His shot came in off the right hand side but Erik Åkesson managed saving with a fingernail.

The referee showed EVAs Théo Villiard the yellow card after a particularly nasty challenge.

Halftime score was 2 - 0. Screamin', bringing the final ball possession rate to 62 percent, dominated the battle.

SECOND HALF

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 Screamin'. However, Erik Åkesson made a spectacular save.

A couple of quick and successful challenges, followed by a shot from just outside the penalty area after 88 minutes might have resulted in another goal for Screamin'. However, Erik Åkesson made a spectacular save.

Frederick Ayres sailed high, high above the opponents as he headed the 2-1 in after a corner kick after 88 minutes of play.

A speedy charge from the left side of the field put Screamin' lead up with 3 - 1. Pete Tomlin finished that one off competently, firing from an acute angle.

The structure of the game started to change as Screamin' decided to pull back and meet their opponents in the defensive zone.

After an industrious effort down the middle Charlie Bautista could have closed the game off in the 88:th minute, but his finishing shot hit the post.

The fortyfive minutes were dominated by Screamin', with an impressive 68 percent possession of the ball.

POST-GAME

The most dominating Screamin' player was without a doubt Arlen Lucas. However, Jerry Smith made a disastrous appearance.

The most dominating EVA player was without a doubt Geir Ødegård. However, Théo Villiard made a disastrous appearance.

The match ends 3 - 1.

Final Score: Screamin’ Seamen 3, Neon Genesis Evangelion 1

Goals
Henriksson – 2 (14, 15 – 2nd goal assisted by McMahon)
Tomlin – 1 (5)

Cards
None

Player Ratings

Jernigan: ***

Willard: ***
Scales: ***
Lucas: ***~

Mauffret: **~
Bautista: **~
Smith: **
Tomlin: **~
McMahon: **~

Tobias: **~
Henriksson: **

Team Match MVP: #5 Arlen Lucas

Team Ratings

Screamin’ Seamen
-Midfield: Inadequate (5)
-Right Defense: Brilliant (11)
-Central Defense: Brilliant (11)
-Left Defense: Brilliant (11)
-Right Attack: Passable (6)
-Central Attack: Passable (6)
-Left Attack: Inadequate (5)

Neon Genesis Evangelion
-Midfield: Poor (3)
-Right Defense: Formidable (9)
-Central Defense: Excellent (8)
-Left Defense: Excellent (8)
-Right Attack: Excellent (8)
-Central Attack: Solid (7)
-Left Attack: Solid (7)

Comments

With a 2-0 lead thanks to the industrious efforts of Johannes Henriksson and Ben McMahon, we pretty much played keep-away for a large portion of the second half. It was hardly scintillating soccer, but it was effective. We did see a flurry of activity late in the match, and were a little concerned when Frederick Ayres made the score 2-1. But Pete Tomlin wasted no time replying with a 3-1 goal to secure the victory.

More good news was announced over the loudspeaker at the conclusion of the match. Croats in Miami scored two goals in the last ten minutes of their match against Ramblers, forcing a 2-2 draw. Perfect! We could not have asked for a better result, as you’ll see below in the series standings.

Series Scores and Standings

-As I just mentioned, Ramblers and Croats in Miami fought to a 2-2 draw.
-Gazzaly FC and Cariocas also fought to a draw, this one 4-4.
-Inquisition was awarded a 5-nil walkover win over The Cheats.

No.	Team				Played		Goals		Pts.

1.	Screamin’ Seamen		        13		52-15		35

2.	Ramblers			13		62-10		32

3.	Croats in Miami		        13		43-17		31

4.	Neon Genesis Evangelion	        13		33-18		18

5.	Inquisition			13		22-23		17

6.	Cariocas			13		19-49		9

7.	Gazzaly FC			13		19-53		8

8.	The Cheats			13		4-69		0

As you can see, our win combined with the draw between Ramblers and Croats in Miami was the perfect development for us. Now, all we need is a draw next week when we visit Croats in Miami. I am certain that Croats will be looking to play the spoiler, however. Ramblers are certain to defeat Inquisition next week, which means that a loss to Croats in Miami would give the series title to Ramblers, based on goal differential.

We’re also in an interesting situation regarding automatic promotion. If we win next week against Croats, then we’re guaranteed automatic promotion to Division Three. However, A draw against the Croats would likely mean a qualification match to earn the right to promotion. There is also a $120,000 difference in prize money between auto-promotion and having to play a qualification match. Obviously, we haven’t won anything just yet, and next week’s match will be critical.

Up Next: The FOFC Cup is back in action this week. We play host to the_herd’s Ruskies in the quarterfinals. Stay tuned!

[hazzardhotrod]

Great job Dataking, please finish up the rest of the season. Hilarious stuff.

[sterlingice]

You going to MotS it next week just to be sure?

SI

[DataKing]

Originally posted by sterlingice
You going to MotS it next week just to be sure?

SI

Yes, we're almost certain to MOTS the match next week. The first priority is to win the series title. A qualification match for Division III, if necessary, is secondary. There is a lot of money at stake here. For Division IV, here are the payouts:

1st Place: $120,000
2nd Place: $75,000
3rd Place: $60,000
4th Place: $30,000

The series winner also receives a bonus, based on whether or not that team auto-promotes.

Auto-Promotion: $170,000
Qualification Match: $50,000

The best-case scenario for us is $290,000 (series title plus auto-promotion), while the worst-case is only $75,000 for second place. Basically, next week's match is worth $215,000.

Yeah, I think we'll MOTS it.

[vex]

Everyone should MOTs the last week anyways.

[DataKing]

Originally posted by vexroid
Everyone should MOTs the last week anyways.

Unless you're absolutely locked into a qualification/relegation match, that is.

[vex]

Yeah, which I definitely am not

[daedalus]

-Right Defense: Brilliant (11)
-Central Defense: Brilliant (11)
-Left Defense: Brilliant (11)

F'n WOW and a half. (Er, is that WOW~?) I was feeling pretty darn smug with my team's sometimes passables and occasional solids.

I need a drink now. Hope I have some mountain dew left.

[daedalus]

Oh. And glad I read this 'cuz I would've definitely forget to MotS this upcoming game. Duh me.

[DataKing]

You're looking at the benefits of almost two full seasons of defensive training. When your "back three" are all excellent in defense, and you have a solid keeper, this is the kind of defense you can put up.

Call me greedy, but I really wanted the clean sheet on Sunday. Oh well.

[DataKing]

New Supporter

We are pleased to announce that a new supporter has been added to the Screamin' Seamen family.

High Tops (Currently #3 in series V.28, owned by Professot58).

This ties us for 5th in the United States at 16 supporting teams. The other teams with 16 supporters are Slashers FC (Major League) and Bob Hemp (now retired).

Welcome to the club, Professor. Your VIP tickets are on the way.

[robbgmaier]

quick question, does anyone know if training playmaking applies to the wingers as well as the inner midfielders? (I now return you to your originally scheduled thread)

[DataKing]

Originally posted by robbgmaier
quick question, does anyone know if training playmaking applies to the wingers as well as the inner midfielders? (I now return you to your originally scheduled thread)

Wingers receive partial benefits from playmaking training, but I could not tell you what percentage "partial" equates to. Perhaps someone who has conducted playmaking training for a while can hazard a guess?

[DataKing]

Season 2 – FOFC Cup – Quarterfinal Match

Screamin’ Seamen vs. Ruskies

Date: March 12th, 2003
Venue: The Docks (Chicago, IL)
Attendance: 842 (17,350)
Weather: Rain

At long last, the FOFC Cup is back in action this week. We’ve drawn the_herd’s Ruskies team, and it looks to be an interesting match-up. We seem to have a small edge in talent with our second team, but the forecast for today is calling for rain. We aren’t a good wet-weather team, as players like midfielder Brooks Brannon and defender William Brown sometimes have trouble performing on a wet pitch.

Still, the fact that we are playing at home should give our players a boost. Hopefully that will be enough of a boost to move onto the semifinals next week.

Formation: 5-4-1

Starters

Keeper: #1 Darryl Read

Right Wingback: #17 Mattias Leier
Central Defender: #20 Keith Stubbs
Central Defender: #23 William Brown
Central Defender: #21 Zarpas Lerma
Left Wingback: #24 Christian Kvam

Right Winger: #16 Otis Johnson
Inner Midfielder: #7 Lucian Tere
Inner Midfielder: #12 Brooks Brannon
Left Winger: #25 Paul Peralta

Forward: #14 Jesper Gravesen

Team Captain: #14 Jesper Gravesen
Set Pieces: #14 Jesper Gravesen

Substitutes
-Keeper: #13 Cornelius “Corny” Jernigan
-Defender: #22 Tyler Willard
-Midfielder: #19 Jerry Smith
-Forward: #15 Forrest “Gump” Tobias
-Winger: #10 Olav Mauffret

Because he started for us in Sunday’s 3-1 victory over Neon Genesis Evangelion, Jerry Smith will only be acting as a back-up for us today. Starting in his place will be Romanian midfielder Lucian Tere. Lucian is the one player on the club that seems to thrive in wet-weather situations, so we’re fortunate that we chose not to use him on Sunday.

Match Report

The crowd of 842 turning up at The Docks today were greeted by some nasty showers of rain. Screamin' tactics involved an interesting 5-4-1 combination. The following players had been chosen: Read - Leier, Brown, Lerma, Stubbs, Kvam - Johnson, Tere, Brannon, Peralta - Gravesen.

Ruskies had chosen a strategic 4-5-1 formation. The following players had been chosen: Sanderson - Swenson, Sharp, Hirsch, Khaira - Kapur, Payne, Holmes, Hinton, Randolph - Daugherty.

FIRST HALF

In the 6:th minute the visitors broke through on the right after some poor defending and Stacy Hirsch put the ball away for 0 - 1.

The teams went for a half-time break at 0 - 1. Ruskies held the ball, with a clear 53 percent possession rate.

SECOND HALF

Ruskies, bringing the final ball possession rate to 54 percent, dominated the battle.

POST GAME
The most dominating Screamin' player was without a doubt Darryl Read. Paul Peralta was a disappointment, however. The most dominating Ruskies player was without a doubt Roy Payne. Paul Holmes was a disappointment, however. The match ends 0 - 1.

(Author’s Note: No, I did not delete anything from this match report. It really was that boring!)

Final Score: Ruskies 1, Screamin’ Seamen 0

Goals
None

Cards
None

Signs Of Life From Our B-Team
None

Player Ratings

Read: **~

Leier: **
Stubbs: **~
Brown: **~
Lerma: **
Kvam: **~

Johnson: **
Tere: **
Brannon: **
Peralta: *~

Gravesen: **

Team Ratings

Screamin’ Seamen
-Midfield: Poor (3)
-Right Defense: Excellent (8)
-Central Defense: Outstanding (10)
-Left Defense: Brilliant (11)
-Right Attack: Weak (4)
-Central Attack: Poor (3)
-Left Attack: Poor (3)

Ruskies
-Midfield: Weak (4)
-Right Defense: Solid (7)
-Central Defense: Formidable (9)
-Left Defense: Excellent (8)
-Right Attack: Weak (4)
-Central Attack: Poor (3)
-Left Attack: Poor (3)

Comments

I feel sorry for the 842 poor saps that actually paid to see this match. We lost, a large majority of them got very wet, but the worst thing is that they watched what was perhaps the most uneventful match in the history of Hattrick! If I could give them their money back, I would.

Congratulations to Ruskies, though. They fought hard and earned a win. We wish them the best of luck in the semi-finals.

Other News

Youth pull defender Millard Meadows was sold earlier today for $23,000 to Los Pibes del Pecio, a club from Spain’s 5th Division. $21,160 of that money found its way into the SSFC coffers.

We would also like to welcome a new supporter to the Screamin’ Seamen family. Gasmasters (currently #1 in series V.222) are owned and operated by Flatulon. Welcome Gasmasters!

We are now in lone possession of 5th place in the United States as far as supporting teams, with 17.

Up Next: Weekly training updates tomorrow evening. Stay tuned!

[daedalus]

Originally posted by DataKing
(Author’s Note: No, I did not delete anything from this match report. It really was that boring!)

Durn defensive teams . . .

[The_herd]

I am willing to return my portion of todays profits so you can offer refunds to the poor fans that showed up to watch this ugly, ugly match.

[DataKing]

We are pleased to announce that another FOFC club has been gracious enough to lend their support to the Screamin' Seamen:

The Rochester Roosters are owned and operated by dacman, and have clinched the title in series V.220. Congratulations Roosters, and thank you for your support!

[DataKing]

Week 13 Training Results

For what seems like the first time in a while, none of our defenders showed significant improvement this week. However, veteran wingback-turned-winger Ben McMahon did improve from wretched (2) to poor (3) experience this week.

Ben McMahon

Jersey #: 3

27 years old, inadequate form, healthy.

A pleasant guy who is balanced and honest. (Much like the misunderstood Erik Williams).
Has poor (3) experience and weak (4) leadership abilities.

Nationality: U.S.A.
Assessed Value: $190,000
Wage: $1,680/week
Warnings: 1

Stamina: Excellent (8)
Playmaking: Weak (4)
Winger: Solid (7)
Scoring: Poor (3)
Goaltending: Disastrous (1)
Passing: Wretched (2)
Defending: Solid (7)
Set Pieces: Passable (6)

Ben was one of our original players, and remains a valuable member of the club. Earlier this season, the arrival of youth-squad promotee Tyler Willard cost Ben his spot as one of our starting wingbacks. We wanted to keep Ben in our starting rotation, though, and asked him to make the transition upfield to winger. He has made the transition quite well, and has become an important part of our midfield. It’s also nice to know that he can shift back to wingback should Tyler Willard or Arlen Lucas be injured or suspended.


Form Changes

2 players saw their form increase from last week (including central defender Chuck Scales).
14 players had their form remain the same.
6 players saw their form drop a level from last week (including 5 starters! ).

This was not a good week for our starters, as five of them dropped in form. And just before the biggest match of the season too! I just hope they’ve got enough left in the tank for one more match.


In The Zone

Backup keeper Darryl Read’s run of excellent (8) form has come to an end after three weeks, but defensive trainees Christian Kvam and Zarpas Lerma remain “in the zone.”

We don’t really have anyone that qualifies as a “form dog,” as five different players are in inadequate (5) form


Value

Average Player Value: $105,636 (+$3,593)
Total Player Value: $2,324,000 (+$24,000)

Up Next: Our youth pull and weekly financial update. Stay tuned!

[DataKing]

Weekly Financial Update

Youth Pull

For the first time in recent memory, the Screamin’ Seamen youth squad failed to produce. The SSFC management has taken pity on 19-year-old Vinnie Agee, though, and has given him a job as towel-boy and cup-cleaner for the team. (Vinnie’s assessed value was a whopping $4,000).


Weekly Balance Sheet

Previous Balance: $486,547

Income

Crowd (league match vs. Neon Genesis Evangelion) - $91,900
Crowd (FOFC Cup match vs. Ruskies) - $2,313
Sponsors - $61,350
Temporary (24 new supporters) - $720
Temporary (sale of youth pull Millard Meadows) - $21,160

Total Revenue: $177,443

Expenses

Arena Upkeep - $11,271
Player Wages - $24,854
Temporary (youth squad promotion of Millard Meadows) - $2,000
Temporary (transfer listing for Millard Meadows) - $1,000
Staff and Specialists - $33,000
Youth Squad Support - $20,000

Total Expenses: $92,125

Net Income/Loss: $85,318

New Balance: $571,865

A good week, to say the least. We had another sell-out in our last home league match of the season, and the sale of youth pull Millard Meadows pretty much paid for the youth squad this week. We’ve breached the half-a-million mark for the first time in club history.


State of the Team

Team Spirit: Composed (down 1 level from last week)
Team Confidence: Wonderful (up 1 level from last week)

Sponsor Attitude: High on Life (no change)
Supporter Attitude: High on Life (no change)
Supporters: 1,307 (up 24 from last week)

Given the number of supporters we have currently, we will be looking at considerable stadium improvements in the off-season.

Up Next: We’re in Miami this weekend, preparing to take on the Croats. In case you’ve been living in a Hattrick-cave, you should know that this match is HUGE! The series title and possible promotion to Division III are on the line. You don’t want to miss this one!

[DataKing]

Season 2 – League Match #14

Croats in Miami vs. Screamin’ Seamen

Date: March 16th, 2003
Venue: Croats in Miami Arena (Miami, FL)
Attendance: 33,000 (33,000)
Weather: Partly cloudy

This is it. The match we’ve been fighting all season for. The formula is very simple. If we’re able to beat Croats in Miami today, then we will have won the series title and should receive automatic promotion to Division III. If we draw, then we will still get the series title, but will most likely have to play a qualification match. If we lose, then Ramblers will win the series and we will have to settle for second place.

For those of you with long memories, you will recall that we pounded Croats In Miami back in week one, 5-1. They were running an asymmetrical 3-5-2 defense back then, and we took advantage of that. But they will certainly not make the same mistake twice, and their team has improved considerably since the beginning of the season. This looks to be a very even matchup.

This match is so important that I actually considered “leasing” a player or two for it. That is, buy a good player or two, play them in this one match, and then re-list them on the transfer market. But I decided against that. If we don’t win the series on our own merits, then we don’t deserve the opportunity to move to Division III. It’s that simple.

Formation: 3-5-2

Starters

Keeper: #13 Cornelius “Corny” Jernigan

Right Wingback: #22 Tyler Willard
Central Defender: #2 Chuck Scales
Left Wingback: #5 Arlen Lucas

Right Winger: #10 Olav Mauffret
Inner Midfielder: #4 Pete “The Old Goat” Tomlin
Inner Midfielder: #7 Lucian Tere
Inner Midfielder: #6 Charlie Bautista
Left Winger: #3 Ben McMahon

Forward: #11 Johannes Henriksson
Forward: #15 Forrest “Gump” Tobias

Team Captain: #11 Johannes Henriksson
Set Pieces: #11 Johannes Henriksson

Substitutes
-Keeper: #1 Darryl Read
-Defender: #23 William Brown
-Midfielder: #19 Jerry Smith
-Forward: #14 Jesper Gravesen
-Winger: #25 Paul Peralta

We’re going pretty much with our standard line-up this week. Croats in Miami have a better midfield than we do, so we’re going to “pinch” winger Olav Mauffret to try to make up the difference. By “pinch,” I mean Olav will play towards the middle. It will hurt our wing attack on that side, as well as Olav’s star rating, but should help our midfield.

Deep breath…and away we go. A season hangs in the balance…

Match Report

PRE-GAME

Weather conditions were fairly good for football, and Croats in Miami Arena saw a crowd turnout of 33000. Croats had chosen a strategic 3-5-2 formation. They fielded: Evering - Tze-Kei, Göransson, Howe - Schofield, Allen, Blackwell, Rönnerberg, Parish - Patrick, Broderick.

Screamin' started off with a 3-5-2 lineup. The following players had been chosen: Jernigan - Willard, Scales, Lucas - Mauffret , Tere, Bautista, Tomlin, Mcmahon - Henriksson, Tobias.

FIRST HALF

Croats could have put themselves ahead in the 6:th minute as Michael Patrick missed a volley shot on a ball coming in from the right.

In the 14:th minute Screamin's Chuck Scales received a yellow card for going into a challenge studs first. Croats were forced to a substitution as Joe Howe couldn´t continue playing due to the rough treatment.

Clint Russell gave his Croats the lead with 1 - 0, as he successfully challenged both the guests central defenders, then placed the ball unreachably at the goaltenders right post.

In the games 30:th minute Croats´s Clint Russell head butted an opponent nastily and so the referee sent him off immediately.

Tyler Willard of Screamin' received a yellow card in the 33rd minute for unsportsmanlike behaviour.

The teams went for a half-time break at 1 - 0. Croats, bringing the final ball possession rate to 65 percent, dominated the battle.

SECOND HALF

Croats made a substitution in the 48:th minute. Alexander Parish limped off the field and was replaced by Örjan Tranwald.

After an industrious effort down the middle Michael Patrick could have closed the game off in the 57:th minute, but his finishing shot hit the post.

After an industrious effort down the middle Michael Patrick could have closed the game off in the 63rd minute, but his finishing shot hit the post.

Croats held the ball, with a clear 56 percent possession rate.

POST-GAME

Most important Croats player was Donald Blackwell. Örjan Tranwald was a disappointment, however.

The most dominating Screamin' player was without a doubt Arlen Lucas. Olav Mauffret on the other hand, had a terrible day.

The match ends 1 - 0.

Final Score: Croats in Miami 1, Screamin’ Seamen 0

Goals
None

Cards
Scales (yellow)
Willard (yellow)

Player Ratings

Jernigan: ***

Willard: ***
Scales: ***
Lucas: ***~

Mauffret: *~ (pinch)
Tomlin: **~
Tere: **
Bautista: **~
McMahon: **

Henriksson: **
Tobias: **~

Team Match MVP: #5 Arlen Lucas

Team Ratings

Author’s Note: I will now start including the ‘DKI’ Ratings (named by sterlingice) for my matches, in order to try to gauge the ratings’ effectiveness. The rating is generated simply by adding up all of the team ratings, counting midfield as double.

Screamin’ Seamen
-DKI Rating: 59
-Midfield: Inadequate (5)
-Right Defense: Magnificent (12)
-Central Defense: Brilliant (11)
-Left Defense: Brilliant (11)
-Right Attack: Weak (4)
-Central Attack: Passable (6)
-Left Attack: Inadequate (5)

Croats in Miami
-DKI Rating: 55
-Midfield: Excellent (8)
-Right Defense: Inadequate (5)
-Central Defense: Passable (6)
-Left Defense: Passable (6)
-Right Attack: Excellent (8)
-Central Attack: Formidable (9)
-Left Attack: Inadequate (5)

Comments

Damn. Damn-damn-damn-damn-damn.

So close. One goal away from a series title and a qualification match.

The ejection of Clint Russell really opened up the Croats’ defense, but we just could not take advantage. Superior conditioning on our end helped to close the gap in possession in the second half, but our guys were never able to break free. The Croats’ midfield, combined with home-pitch advantage, was just too much for us to overcome, especially considering the form hits that our starters took this week.

I’m disappointed, for sure, but not as much as you might think. At the beginning of every season I set what I feel is a reasonable goal for my club. This season, I expected a top-four finish, therefore earning some prize money and securing our place in Division IV. The fact that we were one goal away from the series title was an unexpected bonus.

Our players have nothing at all to be ashamed of. In the immortal words of Bears and Cubs fans around the world, “there’s always next year!”

Series Scores and Final Standings

-As expected, Ramblers routed Inquisition, 8-nil.
-Neon Genesis Evangelion doomed Gazzaly FC to the lands of the auto-demoted, with a 6-1 drubbing.
-Cariocas received a 5-nil walkover win over The Cheats.

No.	Team				Played		Goals		Pts.

1.	Ramblers			14		70-10		35

2.	Screamin’ Seamen		        14		52-16		35

3.	Croats in Miami		        14		44-17		34

4.	Neon Genesis Evangelion	        14		39-19		21

5.	Inquisition			14		22-31		17

6.	Cariocas			14		24-49		12

7.	Gazzaly FC			14		20-59		8

8.	The Cheats			14		4-74		0

Looking at the final standings, I could actually raise hairs about Ramblers winning the series title. I understand that goal differential is the first tie-breaker, but if head-to-head matches were considered like they are in many sports, then we would still have won the title (having drawn with Ramblers in our first meeting and defeated them in the second). But that is not the case. So be it.

Looking at the bottom half of the table, I fully expect to see four new teams in our series next season. Gazzaly FC and The Cheats are automatic demotes. Inquisition inherited the position of Farmer of Fire, but have made no efforts at all to improve their team, and the Cariocas ownership have been inactive for a number of weeks now.

Don’t be surprised to see a lot of new faces in series IV.49 next season.

Other News

A word of warning to everyone; Keep your default line-up up to date! The trouble that the Hattrick site was experiencing this weekend could have cost me dearly. I had not yet submitted my line-up when the trouble began, and my default line-up is a very old one. Fortunately the site came back up a couple of hours before match time. Not that it ended up mattering any.

Johannes Henriksson ended up tied for 3rd for the series scoring title with 15 league goals, and Forrest Tobias claimed 5th place with 12 scored. Ramblers’ Steffan Hansson took home the honors with an impressive 22 league goals.

Up Next: We’ve arranged for a friendly this Wednesday against Eilim’s Bull Dogs. Stay tuned!