The Hattrick season 63 thread

[Ashfordian]

This week I was at home against a team that plays 5-5-0 with wretched ratings in all 3 attack sectors. It is how a team lines up to play long shots except this team does not!

My problem was that I could not go toe-to-toe with them if I stick to PM training and PIC the game, even a PIN was not going to match their MF.

So I decided on another week of Defence training and put out a 5-3-2 PIC CA formation knowing that with their low attack ratings I should CA some of them. A CA rating of Mythical helps in this situation.

We go into half-time 0-1 down as they score after being awarded a penalty. We scored a head event after 55 minutes to level up the scores. It took until the 75 minute for the match engine to wake up and realise that there needed to be 10 normal chances in the game compared to the 3 so far. This is when it got nervous as the were getting the attacks. Fortunately we defended all their remaining chances and turned 2 of them into CA goals to run out 3-1 winners. Hatstats were 276 v 234

Did I win this game because of tactical genius or would I have won playing other formations? It's something I'll never know but I like that I have these options available.

In the other notable game, the team in first stumbled with a home 1-1 draw where they should have won which puts the top 3 teams all on 22pts with 10 goals between me 3rd and 1st.

Next week I play away to the team that got the fortunate draw with 1st this week. They are a strong defensive team but with little stamina so chances come towards the end of each half. The big games for me are week 11 when I've a derby game against 1st and week 12 when home against 2nd. These weeks are likely to mean Set Piece or passing training so I can maximise my ratings with weeks 13 & 14 being GD boosting games


p.s. Ian, in case you are worried, I'm not trying to get your U20 GK dropped but the current U20 looks a lost cause and I think focus should be moved onto the next generation.

[UncleIan]

p.s. Ian, in case you are worried, I'm not trying to get your U20 GK dropped but the current U20 looks a lost cause and I think focus should be moved onto the next generation.

I know, no offence taken. You've partly got a point, though easier to see if you aren't the manager at the sharp end, basically admitting failure, which is never nice. I know if I was U20 manager I'd be hanging on in there until it was incontrovertibly a lost cause, if maybe not quite mathematically.

Just shows how insane training U20 prospects is though, if your team is basically out halfway through the first round and your player gets binned off for a younger one. I think I trained him for a season or two in the youth team, then it's now 3.5 seasons of work on one/two players. For 2 or 3 U20 caps? It's been interesting though.

Presumably training NT prospects is even crazier, though they don't age out I guess, but presumably they only get a season or two, or you find, sey, for goalies, there's an absolute beast in front of yours, and that's that. Looks like the current two are 32, main one with 32 games for the NT, so maybe 10-12 seasons training? Actually, the current incumbent was a youth academy player pulled in Nov-2011. So five whole actual years training one player. Not sure that's for me.

[Donut102]

First post on the new fool.

Not much to report I'm afraid. The league is pretty much over. Two winnable games against humans, two against Bots, and one certain loss coming up. So potential to add 12 points to my existing 9 - will inevitably result in bottom half finish.

Roll on next season...

[UncleIan]

Week 10

Four weeks left of the season.

Not sure whether I went a bit crazy, or got ideas above my station, but I went for it this week. We were away to team in fourth, I had a careful look at the ratings, and decided I could go toe to toe with them and I'd have a chance. The following two weeks I'm at home to 2nd, and away to 1st, so I figured if I went for it, a MOTS, and won, we'd not only drag them into the relegation mire, being four points ahead of me before the match, but do ourselves a great bit favour, pull ourselves up to 5th, and be four points ahead of seventh. That was the plan, a standard 3-5-2 on a MOTS. I reckoned I'd shade midfield, and my defence would beat their attack.

I was right.

I had 52% possession. My defence better in all three sectors. My attack better in one.

We scored from a counter attack after 7 minutes, then we missed a chance, they missed two, then they equalised. Second half we missed another three chances, and scored none, while they missed one chance and scored one. Final score 2-1 to them. Chance distribution was 7-6. htev reckons I had a 58% chance of winning, while they had a 25% chance. Ho hum. A point would have been nice, though wouldn't have helped, but to get nothing was not good, not good at all.

We might have got something out of the game if I was playing my best keeper, but he picked up a +2 while on U20 England duty. If he's back in the saddle in two weeks, it might be too late, with England unlikely to qualify, and switching to players for the next U20 world cup.

Things are going well eh?

At least 7th place in the league didn't win, nor did 5th, so it's

5th Warminster 11 points
6th Albumen (your hero) 10 points
7th Munchers 9 points

Remaining fixtures:

Warminster

Whipping boy (Away)
3rd (Home)
Albumen (Away)
1st (Home)

Your heroes the Albumen

2nd (H)
1st (A)
Warminster (H)
Munchers (A)

Munchers

4th (H)
2nd (A)
Whipping boy (A)
Your hero (H)

Basically, I think if I win my last two matches, I should be okay, I'll probably be two points behind the Munchers by then, assuming they win this weekend. Even if they don't, I'll only be one point ahead. Then it's whether Warminster can get anything when they're at home to 3rd, which would make my match against them a dead rubber. I guess that would be a good thing, they can PIC our game in prep for a qualifier, I think I should have the beating of them, though the way this season has gone so far...

Interesting times!

[Eastheath]

We were always going to struggle in yesterdays game, they (2nd) at home to us (4th). They had beaten us 0-4 previously.
But I set out my stall with a PIC and CA 4-3-3 approach, to keep the score down and give us a chance of a goal too.
The first half ended 1-1, and I was happy with that, as they had 64% of midfield and we scored with a CA.
Second half didn't go to plan as they racked in another 4 to end with a 5-1 win. Hatstats 320 vs 289, 12 chances to 3.

The defeat leaves us in 4th with 16 pts, only 2 pts ahead of 5th. Top three are now 6+ pts ahead, and uncatchable.

Next week we are at home to 6th who are on 10 pts. I guess that is our first six pointer game this season.

After that we are away to 1st and 3rd (they will both be PICs) before the other six pointer, the final game against 5th.

Its wobbly legs time.

[Ashfordian]

This weeks game was a balance between winning and training. My opponents have very good players but they all average around poor stamina. My approach was to lose the MF until 35 minutes played and then the game switched to me at an increasing level of strength hoping to recover any lost ground.

They scored first via an indirect free kick however after 39 minutes we started our recovery and were 3-1 up by half time. They grabbed the first goal in the second half before we scored 3 more to run out 6-2 winners. We have a good win on a PIC and managed to balance in PM training.

The team previously in 2nd lost which now puts them on the periphery of the title race as they are now 3 points and need to win in games against the top 2 to come back into the race. 1st and 2nd (me) are on 25 points with 1st having a +9 GD difference to us.

That moves us nicely onto week 11 and what looks like to be the title decider between 1st & 2nd. Fortunately there is no away negative as it is a derby game. For this game I will switch to SP training to allow me to put out my best team and what should be PB ratings played on a PIN. Fortunately neither team can MOTS, well I don't expect them to, as we both have difficult games in week 12 with me being at home to the team in 3rd.

I'm hoping it will be a good news post on this vital game next week

[Darkish]

This season has been a struggle for me (thetinkerman from fool, team Pendon). Had a bot and one team that is either rebuilding or sort of given up though targeted me to beat (and failed first time). I have just been playing different formations every week to become unpredictable and keep training my players. My favourite is a young lad (just turned 18) Abel Durham who came through the youth system and is now an Outstanding scorer with passable playmaking with great technical ability.

Anyway, after many expected losses this season I was home to the team top of the league. Last week I played a 5-2-3 (PIC), but being at home I thought I could win midfield comfortable and see if there was a way to score a goal or two. Their central defence was magnificent (so no way through there). I thought I'd have to give up too much in midfield if I attacked both wings. So the plan was to play the trusted 2-5-3 with 1 OCB and 1 WTM and 1 defnsive forward and on one wing had an offensive full back, an attacking winger and a forward drifting towards the wing, and instructed the players to hit the wings (AOW) - hoping they would use a bit of common and hit the strong wing.

I won the midfield with Excellent (v. high) v Solid (v.low) to get 55/56% possession and my one decent attacking route was excellent (high) v solid (high). After 22 mins I was one down and thought the usual story would play out, but wait on 34 mins I equalised and was back on level terms, then in the second half a real shock as I went 2-1 up and somehow held on for the win.

I created 7 v 2 chances 3 of which went to my strong wing and 2 of these were converted. So a great day for the club in actually winning against a good side. I know I was lucky, but would like to think I put myself into a position where I had a chance of getting lucky.

Think I'm back to standard losses this week, but hope I have now secured a play-off spot.

[UncleIan]

Week 11

We were at home, but we were at home to the comfy second place. After the MOTS that went bad last week, no choice but to lick our wounds with a PIC. I thought long and hard and decided on a 4-4-2 CA. I was going to lose midfield anyway, so I thought I might as well play to my current strengths. Didn't really think I had any chance of anything, but hoping for a goal or two to keep confidence up, and hoping seventh slipped up at home to fourth.

I logged in with about 30 minutes to play, and it was 1-1. I'd scored from a CA, as planned, 1-0 at half time, and they'd had 66% of possession. Looked like he'd missed a few chances too. Somehow we managed to cling on, and get a lucky draw. Even better news, seventh should have won, but they only scraped a draw too, while 5th had the whipping boy.

It's all as you were. but now 5th is only three points ahead not four they would have been if I'd lost.

5th Warminster 14 points
6th Albumen 11 points
7th Munchers 10 points

Remaining fixtures:

Warminster

3rd (Home)
Albumen (Away)
1st (Home)

The mighty Albumen

1st (A)
Warminster (H)
Munchers (A)

Munchers

2nd (A)
Whipping boy (A)
Albumen (H)

If Warminster lose this weekend they're in deep doo-doo. I should be able to beat them the week after, though who knows with what the match engine is dishing out this season. It'll almost certainly come down to munchers v me in the last week, loser goes down. In a way, happy to be in this position, seeing as I lost the first five games and have been playing catch up ever since.

Ian

[Eastheath]

WEEK 11
Well, it was the one game I had to win, and I lost. In 4th, at home to 6th, went MOTS with my best team, and it looks like the oppo did the same. I thought there was no way I would lose midfield but 1st half was 50:50 and second half was 49:51, so that put me on the back foot. Our hatstats of 355 vs 311, our defence ratings better than his attack and our attack ratings better than his defence all meant diddly squat, as we lost 3-4 and are now staring at a qualifier again in order to stay up. The match engine sucks.

We are now in 5th, the next two games are away against 2nd and 1st before we end up with a home game against 4th, by which time 4th would probably be beyond our reach.
Hope you all had better weeks!

[Ashfordian]

That moves us nicely onto week 11 and what looks like to be the title decider between 1st & 2nd. Fortunately there is no away negative as it is a derby game. For this game I will switch to SP training to allow me to put out my best team and what should be PB ratings played on a PIN. Fortunately neither team can MOTS, well I don't expect them to, as we both have difficult games in week 12 with me being at home to the team in 3rd.

I'm hoping it will be a good news post on this vital game next week

I won! Only 1-0 but it was still a win and a very vital one.

Fortunately this game was a derby as I would not have matched their MF and even though they had the better share of the chances, we scored the the only goal. This puts us 3 points ahead of my beaten opponents and we swap positions with me now 1st. The only sacrifice was a week of SP training which was worth it in this scenario.

Next week I'm at home to 3rd who are also 3pts behind but with a worse goal difference. With almost certain wins in weeks 13 & 14 I could lose this and still win the series. However I need the win to keep the chance open of an autopromotion slot.

One more win!

[Ashfordian]

@Unclean

What are your training plans now the U20 reason has now finished? Are you going to sell the players?

[UncleIan]

What are your training plans now the U20 reason has now finished? Are you going to sell the players?

Well, they're both homegrown, both titanic GK and titanic SP, the one with the U20 caps has better defending, but nothing to write home about. You're right, I should think about what to do next, now what to do next is upon me. Selling one I think, but not sure which. No, I think I'm sure, I should keep the one that played for the U20 team, for sentimental reasons. No, maybe sell him, as someone might pick him up and take him on to the NT side. Or maybe not. I know I'm not going to. Mugs game.

Looks like Rosental is worth 3-3.5m, and Barratt 4-4.5.

I'll get some defending pops by week 13, so I might as well hang on defender training for a few more weeks.

No, no idea what to do next. Possibly SP training. Everything else just seems to mess up your team for too long, or maybe passing training, that was pretty flexible. Bored of getting a load of trainees in with no experience or loyalty, meaning the team underperforms for a while, and just as you're getting good, out the door they all go, and you're back to square one.

Of course, can't mess with the team right now, it might stuff up The Great Escape, and I quite like this league.

[UncleIan]

and also....

Mind you, I've probably got to have a wholesale rebuild anyway, all the lads I got in to do passing training with 7 or 8 seasons back, my midfield is all 28, wingers 27, strikers 26. If I went SP training or passing training they'd all have to go.

What I'd really like to do, after all this time, is figure it out and do better than dogging around at level IV with the occasional lapse into V, or the dizzy and temporary heights of III. I'd like to get to III and make it stick.

Maybe I should try and survive, and either way, sell up at the start of the season, and either be whipping boys, or survive, depending on whether I'm in IV or V, for a season, buying trainees for the next stage around week ten, if that's still the cheap point, and go from there.

[Ashfordian]

and also....

Mind you, I've probably got to have a wholesale rebuild anyway, all the lads I got in to do passing training with 7 or 8 seasons back, my midfield is all 28, wingers 27, strikers 26. If I went SP training or passing training they'd all have to go.

What I'd really like to do, after all this time, is figure it out and do better than dogging around at level IV with the occasional lapse into V, or the dizzy and temporary heights of III. I'd like to get to III and make it stick.

Maybe I should try and survive, and either way, sell up at the start of the season, and either be whipping boys, or survive, depending on whether I'm in IV or V, for a season, buying trainees for the next stage around week ten, if that's still the cheap point, and go from there.

Have you got any good potential trainees coming from your YA? If so, could they lead your training decision?

It does sound as if you need to do a rebuild. If you have nothing coming out of your YA, it looks like your midfield is a prime candidate for the rebuild. With rebuilds you do not have to go back to ful 17.0 trainees. Have you considered a split approach with some already half trained (e.g. 9-12 primary skill, and a 9-10 sedcondary) trainees

I've found that players with a HTMS potential of over 2000 command the highest fees no matter what age but if you look for trainees with a slightly lower potential they are more reasonably priced.

As you are planning for the great escape it seems like it is worthwhile to action the plans once you know which level you will be at. You should be able to target a great escape again by targetting the games, even if you stay at IV. It sounds like you will have the money from selling a GK and from the sales of your current players. It may be worth checking with the NT Manager/Scouts regarding if they are able to re-home your U20 keeper. If they cannot keep him and sell the other one. He will always benefit from any adhoc defending training weeks.

I like PM training as I can add an adhoc week of Passing or Defending training easily to the players if I want to use a different formation to achieve a win. That approach would be equally valid for Winger or Scoring training.

[UncleIan]

Thanks Ashfordian, food for thought. As it happens, I needed a new keeper for the youth team, called the scouts and got a 15 year old with passable keeper (max unknown), and have a few decent defenders/wingers, including one Kris Isaak, he had a wicked game on Friday. Sorry.

Week 12

Back to the league, and The Great Escape looks a possibility still, though a massive spanner was thrown into the works when second lost at home to 7th, htev gave that result a 14% chance. Harsh. More reasonably, I lost 5-0 at home to the league leaders (still unbeaten, just one draw blotting their copybook). 5th narrowly lost at home to 4th. Phew! All that gives us a table that looks like this...

5th Warminster 14 points
6th Munchers 13 points
7th Albumen 11 points

Remaining fixtures:

Warminster

Albumen (Away)
1st (Home)

The mighty Albumen

Warminster (H)
Munchers (A)

Munchers

Whipping boy (A)
Albumen (H)

All things being equal, and looking at the ratings, I should have the beating of Warminster next Sunday, but then again, it's a probably a MOTS for them, to try and stay up for the qualifier, with a game to recover in between. I have no such luxury. Assuming I win, I'll then either need something out of the last match, a draw would do, or at worse not lose by too much as there's that +7 goal diff that Warminster have over me (assuming they get thumped by 1st).

Interesting times!

Ian

[Eastheath]

In 5th, away to 2nd, the order of the day was "keep the score down, keep the score down".
So, Press PIC and Pray it was, and I guess it worked, we lost 2-0. Was never going to beat their colossal defence or midfield.

Unfortunately the team in 4th, who last week were a point ahead and theoretically catchable, got another draw and so are now two points ahead. We play them at home last game of the season. I don't think that will help, as next week they are at home to the leagues whipping boys, and we are away to the league leaders, so the gap will be 5pts with one game to go. Next week will be another PIC, with either Press or CA.

So I look below me in the table and see that even my 5th spot is in danger. 6th is 3 pts behind, and their last game is home to 7th. I'm 5 pts clear of 7th, and I think I will avoid relegation, but a qualifier is now pretty much a certainty. Again.

Have just bought a supernatural defender 24 yo to replace a 32 yo similar who has since moved on. Have some more oldies at the back that will need replacing for the coming season. Ditto midfield, come to think of it!

e

[Darkish]

I was home in a 6th v 7th, but with more than a 3 points advantage, meaning a shock defeat wouldn’t be the end of the world. I thought they would play 5-2-3 CA, but were also capable of pulling a surprise formation. With a rubbish coach, I went PIN and attacked with a 2-5-3 with 2 attacking full backs overlapping my two attacking wingers. I dropped my keeper to give one of my future coaches some experience.

I went 1-0 down quite early, but took control of the game and was scoring goals for fun to go 5-1 up before they scored two late consolation goals to finish 5-3. With 3 of the 4 parts of the stadium selling out, I’ve brought in some cowboy builders to complete an extension before Xmas.

I have completed my objective for the season of avoiding auto-relegation, now cold I really over-achieve and grab 5th? That dream is still possible.

[Ashfordian]

Next week I'm at home to 3rd who are also 3pts behind but with a worse goal difference. With almost certain wins in weeks 13 & 14 I could lose this and still win the series. However I need the win to keep the chance open of an autopromotion slot.

One more win!

What a frustrating game this is!

Hatstats of 332 v 286, possession of 56%, chances 10 v 2, Score 1-1

Grrr

The draw pretty much guarantees me the title with an easy team in W13 and a bot in W14 however I think it takes me out of any chance of autopromotion as I sit on 29 points which is 4 behind the autopromotion line. A playoff beckons...

The next 2 weeks will be getting TC and TS as high as possible.

[Ashfordian]

The draw pretty much guarantees me the title with an easy team in W13 and a bot in W14 however I think it takes me out of any chance of autopromotion as I sit on 29 points which is 4 behind the autopromotion line. A playoff beckons...

The next 2 weeks will be getting TC and TS as high as possible.

Won 4-0 but even with 57% possession the game gave the chance distribution 6-5 to them. Hatstats were 264 v 178

Another PIC next week at home against a bot in preparation for a play-off as I am 3pts and -23 GD behind the auto-promotion line and I cannot see it moving that much next week

[Eastheath]

We received a 5-0 thumping away to the league leaders, so much for 4-3-3 CA and PIC. We stay in 5th on 16 pts.
Now guaranteed a play off, as 7th only drew and cant catch us. We cant catch 4th, and 6th will likely overhaul us in the final game to leave us in 6th.
So its another PIC next week at home to 4th, who will play 5-4-1 or 5-3-2. I don't expect to win that one, just hoping the draw is kind to us in the playoffs.
e