IV.19 Season 25 Dynasty (RH Left Us!)

[Darr]

Originally Posted by hhiipp

It is rather discouraging to know that we are still fighting to stick around even though we both improved 30~ in hatstats ratings average over last season. I do think this is the season that AAC finally stops overachieving and gets dropped down to V. He's been able to stick around way too long with no real training program and a bunch of fluke wins.

Have been measuring things up and figure I need at least 3 wins to secure a top 5 position, now the question is where those wins come from.

Edit: I was really hoping to win the second half of the Noct double header, but him having his middie back and buying that new winger pretty much shot that idea.

Yeah I like my new winger, but in the process of selling two players, and buying 1 winger I had 2 TS drops... So I was a little worried what my ratings would come out to....

[Darr]

Damn near dead around here... :P

[hhiipp]

*crickets*

*shrug* I don't have a lot to say, very happy with my position in the series and with 1 more win will secure a position in the top 4 even though I may not be deserving of it, but it's still a nice change of pace.

In other news, Soul has scored in 3 consecutive weeks so I'm thinking he's due to win and it just so happens he plays you Noct.

[Darr]

Originally Posted by hhiipp

In other news, Soul has scored in 3 consecutive weeks so I'm thinking he's due to win and it just so happens he plays you Noct.

lol... He almost beat me last time... 0-1 was the score... Nah, I'm pulling for him to beat Pythons next week for his first win...

[hhiipp]

Only 1 correct prediction. Weak!

Originally Posted by Creeper

If you don't know me, I'm the owner of Dead Balls, Hobbes suggested I post here so I'm posting. Predictions!!!!

1st: Fockers: They're just really good. A great all around team, winning over Pythons last game of the season pretty much convinced me (although I can't remember if the league championship was still a possibility for either, I'm pretty sure they were at least playing for second). Also gave me my worst beating of the season at 7-0, so nice job on that.

2nd: Pythons: Their attack is insane, but other than that they're not particularly impressive, although when he plays a winger towards middle he can at least compete with any midfield. Gave me my second worst beating of the season, at 6-1, although in a remarkable show of consistancy, they beat me 6-1 in both matches we played. Way to go.

3rd: Riddle: It is seriously totally not fair that we get them as one of our auto-promotees and I am considering lodging a complaint with the Hattrick devs about this injustice. A little bit light on the attack, but good midfield and defense. Didn't play them last season due to them, you know, not being in this division, but they would have beat me, oh, 3-1 and 4-0, lets say.

4th: Nocturnal United: It feels kind of weird predicting 4th for a former III team, but I think any of the top 3 could hang in III (maybe not Riddle, but I've never been in III so what do I know). They're definitely a good team, though, and it wouldn't shock me in the least to see them finish anywhere from third through first though. Would've beaten me 6-0 and 4-2.

5th: Gryndal: Hey, now we're getting to the teams I actually think I might have a shot at beating! But won't! Gryndal's solid all around, maybe a teeny bit lacking offensively, but not bad. Drew against them once and then he beat me 4-2 in our epic "We're Not Trying Because We Have Qualifiers Next Week" classic to end the season.

6th: Arsenal AC: I really don't get them. They honestly don't seem that good, aside from a pretty solid defense, but they beat both Fockers and Pythons last season, which is pretty impressive. Still, I can't in good conscience rank the only non-Suffering Bastards/Aiden's Aces team that I beat last season better than 6th.

7th: Dead Balls: Oh, woe is me. Woe, woe, woe unto the Dead Balls. While I'm definitely better than I was at the start of last season (new coach, new forward), my midfield is gonna take a hit as it's time to sell Byron "I'm no Jimmy Gibson" Byrne. We've had a hell of a ride together, Byron. I remember when I stupidly bought you, a 17 year old with weak pm (!!!!!) for $1000, not even covering what it cost to pull you and transfer list you. And now you're on sale for $7,000,000. Not that I'm gonna get that, but who knows, the point is that he's leaving for some large sum of money and some other players are coming in. Hopefully they'll make me a better team. Probably not. If I had played myself, I would have probably found some way to lose. Don't ask me how, but I would have found a way.

8th: Souleaters: You promoted into the wrong division, pal. Kinda sucks. Try and make a cup run or something, it'll be fun. If I had played him, I would've won 3-1 and 2-0.

[hhiipp]

5 correct, pretty darn impressive considering it was kind of a crap shoot. Correct predictions were Pythons, Nocturnal, Riddle, Dead Balls and Souleaters.

Originally Posted by Hobbes-

Its that time of the season again when we get to post predictions. This season will be especially hard because of the caliber of the new teams entering the division.

So.. here they are.

1. Brx's Pythons - Although my team is favored because I won both matchups vs the Pythons last season. I think this team will come into the season with something to prove. Currently sitting on a little cash that could fund a nice late season run could win it all for this team. Winning out will most likely be the deciding factor in the series much like last season. I can see this team doing no worse than top 3 positions in the series.

2. Darr's Nocturnal Utd. - I look at this team and say "With a coach, this team is gonna be rough to beat". Now if he doesn't get a coach, I could see this team going as low as 5th in the series. With a coach, top 4. Not too much of a difference but I think this team will be pretty solid in the season to come. I could see this team winning the series with a few lucky outcomes in key matches. This teams major strength is it's midfield. One should have to wonder however, if this team gets a coach, that isn't really helping the O and D support it needs. Perhaps this will be the teams flaw this season.

3. Hobbes' Fockers - No upgrades have been made other than training from last season. Although I have a fairly well rounded team that matches up well against most teams, I tend to lose matches I should win. This could be my downfall again this season as I couldn't seem to win a match in the last few weeks if my life depended on it. If Alberto is sold mid season, watch out for my team could take a late run. His future is not yet determined however. I could see me getting anywhere in the top 3. I don't see myself getting any worse, but who knows.

4. Riddle of V - This team could also use a new coach. The more I look at the team the, the better it looks like he will be. This team put up some really good ratings last season and should do so as well this season. This team has one of the top midfields in the series. The attack however seems to be the weakness of this team. I could see this team doing as well as 3rd or as bad as 6th. Sometimes a first seasons in IV can take you by the horns. Something of note, as of week 14 last season this team had the highest overall value in the series.

5. Arsenal - I dunno how this team continues to do so well in this series. So I hafta give him this ranking because of his past success. I wasn't too sure about the transfer buys this team made recently but I'm sure they were for a good reason. I don't see this team doing any better than 4th this season and could possibly get 7th. Still hasn't fixed his training situation as he's training a soon to be 25 year old. But I suppose if it works, it works. This team has a strong O and a strong D but is severly lacking in the midfield department. If teams play against this team properly they could beat them fairly easily. I must say, I have had trouble beating this team in past season as I haven't been able to win twice in a season yet vs this team.

6. Balls - I gotta believe the balls will improve from last season and win vs a few other teams. This team is losing it's #2 midfielder, but I suppose we will all hafta wait and see where that money is thrown back into the team. Without any upgrade however, this team might as well just take 7th place right now as it won't be able to compete. I could see this team doing as well as 5th place, but no better this season. The team value on this team is the same as my team so this could potentially be a team that threatens the upper teams. This team must manage it's TS very well and make sure it chooses which matches it wanted to give a fight in or else it'll be a very long season.

7. Gryndal of Ohio - His midfield trainees are getting old and the replacements aren't ready to step in. What will this team do this season? He could bag it and revamp his training or he could make a few changes and get it going again. This team also could get as high as 5th place, but I'm not sure any higher than that. With the addition of Riddle, one team will have to bump down to 7th place. It should be a pretty good fight for every position in the series this season. It's crazy that 7 of the 8 teams in the series have a team value over 20mil. The battle to stay above the auto demotion line will be a good one as I think it will take more than just 4 wins to stay in the series.

8. Souleaters of Boston - This team got a bad break this season. Every team in the series has at least double if not tripple the team value of this team. I could see the team racking up 5 or 6 points but that's about it. Best idea would be to make sure training is effective and try to steal a win here and there to catch people off guard and get ready for next season. It's always hard to try to give a team hope when there is very little at all, but I guess thats the breaks.


As always good luck to all this season. My predictions are never personal. I hope everyone puts up some predictions as they are quite fun to read.

-Hobbes

[hhiipp]

Captwaz knows how to pick bottom dwellers! 2 correct predictions, AAC and himself.

Originally Posted by Captwaz

OK, I'm gonna try some "off-the-cuff" predictions. Let's see where this takes us:

1. Fockers - I've been tossing up between Fockers and Pythons when trying to decide who might take the title. These teams are very close but I have to give the edge in this matchup to Fockers, despite the strong attack of Pythons. However, it's close enough that a simple injury to either squad could swing the series.

2. Pythons - These top two teams are clearly the class of the series, despite other teams being more than close enough to pull off an upset any given week. Pythons are well-managed and have a strong enough mid to keep the possession close and to capitalize on their scoring chances with a powerful, spread-out attack.

3. Nocturnal United - This team may be ranked a little high here by me. I'm not impressed with their ratings, considering they came from III, but perhaps they will get better as the season rolls on. I'll give a nod to coaching skill in this regard, because they managed to promote from division IV in the past. Also, I'm not one to be talking about ratings

4. Dead Balls - I'm surprised I'm putting these guys up so high but this is the season I'll think they'll shine and surprise everyone. There's nothing like trial by fire to teach a few lessons in how to survive/have a modicum of success, and Balls have been getting slammed against the wall for a bit now. I look for Balls to drop some teams when it's least expected.

5. Riddle - I'm giving Riddle this rating merely on the overal strength of the team. Looks like this guy stayed in V for a while and built up strong...some people could learn from this strategy (captwaz, I'm looking your way...). However, his coaching mettle is yet unproven, in my opinion, and I think some less impressive teams, on paper, will surprise him as the season rolls on. However, he will easily obtain a qualifier spot.

6. Gryndal - Despite aging middies (22 is old?), Gryndal has a quality team and experience to boot. They will post strong games and be a deadly foe to face when your team is on the road. I'll be shocked if they finish lower than 6th.

7. Arsenal A.C. - I can't figure this team out on paper. While the coaching skill may be there, one cannot make lemonade from coconuts forever. Unless they get some seriously lucky breaks this season, the only team they'll romp against will be mine.

8. Souleaters - Last but not least. Oh yeah, I am least, I forgot This looks to be another long season in a quality division in IV for Souleaters. Fans of the club may remember that we spent a season in IV.14 a couple season back, getting pasted in a quality series. This series ranks even higher in Hatstats, and we are but marginally better. I'll try to have a good cup run and take each game as it comes, but I have low expectations. My main goal is to hopefully demote into an active V series.


Again, none of these predictions is personal of course. Let's all have fun out there!

[hhiipp]

Raven Hawk throws out a decent 3 predictions, Pythons, AAC, and Souleaters. Not too bad for someone who was on his way out and didn't care about us anymore. :P

Originally Posted by Raven Hawk

Alright, I did a little homework and have come up with some predictions.

1. Pythons - This is a hard call to make, but I have to go with Pythons due to them getting the benefit of the friendly schedule. Fockers has Pythons number thus far and I think that Fockers will continue to hurt the Pythons, but I also think that it's nice to play the harder games at home, come the second half of the season. Fockers and Pythons duke it out, but Pythons wins by the narrowest of margins. Pythons are the complete package.

2. Fockers - Has a great team and should benefit from the Gargoyles moving on out of the Series. With the Garg roadblock removed, the Fockers should be able to win the series, but the third place schedule is a bitch (having played it many times before, I can attest to this). It will be rough facing Nocturnal and Pythons on the road in the second half of the season.

3. Nocturnal United - Nocturnal looks to make a go at the title as well. He has the team to do it and looks to be upgrading the keeper position in the offseason. He'll face a tough finale on the road against Pythons and that will be the difference. Nocturnal finishes within 4 points of the title, but still comes in third.

4. Dead Balls - I've only seen Dead Balls play one season, but I can say that they had me scared enough to Normal them on the road with high TS last season. They're selling off a titanic middie and will upgrade at some needed positions. A good team, that will use good tactics, will finish low 20's in points, good enough for fourth.

5. Riddle - Riddle has a serious problem at coach. He has a good enough team to contend, but it sounds as though he'll be sitting back for a season to get a coaching candidate a little more xp. Openly admitting to not wanting 4th, I say that Riddle tanks a game or two at the end of the season to grab a qualifier. This team looks good, but needs a better attack.

6. Gryndal - Gryndal is also selling off a middie in the offseason and upgrading. His upgrades won't be as significant as Dead Balls, which puts him fighting AAC for the last qualifier spot. Gryndal is the master of the upset and will look to shatter some dreams in the home stretch as he fights for his own survival.

7. Arsenal AC - I absolutely hate picking Arsenal this low, because he'll probably finish fourth. The reason I do pick him this low is because he's doing a minor overhaul on his team. I personally hate overhaul's as you pretty much lose 10% of your team's skill to the agents. Arsenal is a great tactician, however, and will win quite a few games that he's expected to lose. He'll probably be able to grab 13-15 points, but it won't be enough as Gryndal snags 16.

8. Souleaters - What can I say, sorry bud. The team just isn't the same calliber as the rest of the teams in this series. Hold on tight and try to grab as much cash as you can with a long cup run. Make sure you maximize your training and get your starters some good xp. Get ready to kick some booty in 5 next season and come back to IV with a much stronger team.

Good luck to all! I'll be watching!

[hhiipp]

Pretty poor showing by me, 3 correct predictions and even my side predicition at the end was way off. Pythons, Balls, Soul were my correct ones.

Originally Posted by hhiipp

Well, I guess it's my turn.

1. Pythons - After finishing 2nd last season I don't think he will be stopped this season. He's an all around powerhouse and will look to continue the trend.

2. Riddle - The first auto-promotee in my 3 seasons here that looks like he could jump right in and dominate. I'd be suprised if he's not in the top 4, unless he decides to go for a relegation match.

3. Fockers - Hobbes can never seem to win important games when the going gets tough.

4. Nocturnal - Coming down from III and like others have pointed out, has a crappy coach. Just don't think he is as good as RH would have been if he hadn't promoted.

5. AAC - Always seems to win games that noone thinks he should, if that streak doesn't continue he could fall as low as 7th.

6. Dead Balls - Has a high team worth but doesn't always seem to know what to do with it. Could go up higher if AAC doesn't pull some real "wtf?" type matches.

7. Gryndal - My team sucks and is stagnant, just don't see myself being competitve this season.

8. Souleaters - Got screwed by the autopromotion and being thrown to the lions. Looks like it will be a long season for him.

Just a side prediction, I predict that the point difference between 4-7th will be under 6.

[hhiipp]

Brx comes in with 3 correct ones as well, himself, AAC and Soul. Seems AAC finishing in 7th wasn't really a suprise to most of us.

Originally Posted by brxnivy

No schedule breaks for anyone this year. Everyone is going to have a tough stretch of games at some point. Whoever can sneak in the most PIC wins and/or long cup run is going to get a big advantage.

1. Pythons - I know I have yet to beat the Fockers, but I think that having Nocturnal and Fockers at home in the last 3 weeks will be the difference. No way that I auto-promote, though. The series is just too even.

2. Fockers - Has just about that same team that I do Will fight the entire season for 1st, but a tough finish to the schedule will doom him. If he does sell his NT IM during the season, he could jump into 1st with the right purchases.

3. Nocturnal United - A third team with a legimate chance at the title, now that they have upgraded their coach and bought a new keeper, they will be tough. I'm not sure what it is, but I don't think they win the whole series. They should stay in the upper half of the series the entire season and finish comfortably in 3rd, and with a few breaks could be at the top.

4. Dead Balls - Sold off a Titanic IM, but bought two new wings, so he will have a slightly different look this year. It always seemed like he should post better ratings than he did. I see him easily making the jump up 2 spots to a 4th place finish.

5. Riddle - Riddle fixed his coach problem and has a scary looking team coming out of V. With his statement that he does not want 4th, I see him dropping a few and finishing the season in 5th, but with no real chance of losing a qualifier, especially if he can lock up the spot a few weeks in advance and PIC the last few weeks of the season.

6. Gryndal - Gryndal will have to pick and choose his fights to finish with enough points for a qualifier. Look for him to be very tough at home as he is capable of stealing points from anyone in the series. 7th is a possibility, but I think he can just barely finish ahead of AAC.

7. Arsenal AC - The toughest choice to make was where to put AAC, who could finish anywhere between 4th and 7th. I think they got a couple of fortunate results last year, and with their re-tooling, there performance may drop some this year. Will steal a few wins, but I don't think it will be enough.

8. Souleaters - Sorry, but this is going to be a long year. With a NT keeper on the roster, they will be tough to score on, but they just don't have the team around the keeper to be able to compete. He is better than both of last year's promoted teams, but unfortunately for him, he is still the #8 team in the series.


Good luck to everyone, it looks to be a great season!

[hhiipp]

Darr gets 2 1/2 for his 2nd/3rd place guess, should get extra credit for predicting I might upset some teams and steal a spot. Riddle and Soul were the correct guesses.

Originally Posted by Darr

1st - Fockers- Strong team and will benefit from the fact me and Pythons play each other the last week of the season... Even with that if results go his way he could win it outright...

2nd-3rd Nocturnal/Pythons- I think me and Pythons will probably be tied on points with GD being the deciding factor of who goes 2nd... The way I see it, one of us will be 3pts ahead going to the last match and whoever that is will lose. Even if one of us finishes first they better be playing a weak III team or a walkover because they won't be going in to a quali with a PIC...

4th - Riddle- Strongest V team I've ever seen, like Fockers could also move up if we're all bunched up during the last week...

5th - Gryndal- Curious to see how they do, could upset alot of teams and steal a spot...

6th - Arsenal A.C.- Should finish within 1-2 pts of Gryndal...

7th - Dead Balls- In a perfect world could finish as high as 5th, but that would take alot of teams getting screwed...

8th - Souleaters- Came into the wrong IV division at the wrong time... Stronger then alot of IV teams I've played with but this div is on par with my III division...

[Raven Hawk]

Originally Posted by hhiipp

Raven Hawk throws out a decent 3 predictions, Pythons, AAC, and Souleaters. Not too bad for someone who was on his way out and didn't care about us anymore. :P

Who says that I don't care. In my mind, I'll always be in IV.19. Congrats to the Pythons on a great season!

[Creeper]

Originally Posted by hhiipp

Only 1 correct prediction. Weak!

My early season difficulties prevented me from expertly manipulating the series to finish in a way that would vindicate my predictions. I solemnly pledge next season to be the puppet master, working behind the scenes to influence the future of IV.19.

[brxnivy]

Anyone know what happened tonight? I didn't get a chance to log in until now.

[Creeper]

Originally Posted by brxnivy

Anyone know what happened tonight? I didn't get a chance to log in until now.

Seriously?!?! You lost on penalty kicks, had two guys injured and another bruised but playing while the other guy had two guys sent off and you couldn't score off him. It was pretty wacky; it's a shame, you're team was much better but all those injuries and stuff were too much to overcome, I guess.

In other news, Fockers and I both won, Fockers in slightly more convincing fashion.

[brxnivy]

Yeah, that game sucked Without the injuries I think I would have held enough possesion to win the game. Now 3 of my top 4 IM's have at least a +3 injury, hopefully they can heal quickly in the off-season before I play Noct in week 1

Good luck to everyone next season. It looks like it will be another battle.