Screamin' Seamen FC - 3rd Season

[daedalus]

I think Frogger does that, too.

[DataKing]

Originally posted by sterlingice
Realize that training wingers at IM is a really slow process... I wouldn't spend too much at that. You gain maybe 1 level of PM per year and I haven't even seen that.

SI

I believe that wingers receive 50% the training that inner midfielders do, but the other skills necessary for a decent winger (winger, passing, possibly defending) means that these players will be more expensive than your standard midfielder trainee, so the amount spent should be roughly the same.

Bear in mind, if I have 2.5 million to spend on trainees, I probably won't budget myself strictly $250,000 per trainee. I'll spend more on some (17 year old future-starters) and a little less on others (18-19 year old immediate starters). There is also the possibility of going after a future U-20 team possibility, as the start of season 21 will be the next time future U-20 players are pulled from youth squads.

Dacman brings up an interesting point, playing your wingers as inner midfielders in friendly matches so they receive full training. I can actually come up with good arguments for doing that, as well as having a full load of 10 trainees. You can have 8 trainees, 6 of which receive 100% training, or 10 trainees, 6 of which receive 100% training. The advantage to Dacman's approach is that all five of your midfield starters are receiving full training. An interesting decision, and one I will have to think about over the course of the next season.

[DataKing]

Season 3 – Week 12 – International Friendly

Screamin’ Seamen vs. Big lizards X1

Date: June 25th, 2003
Venue: The Docks (Chicago, IL)
Attendance: 2,030 (30,000)
Weather: Partly Cloudy

Now that our run through the FOFC Cup has come to an end, it’s time to arrange a few international friendly matches before the end of the season. Our opponents this week are Big lizards X1, a 4th Division side from Sussex, England. The lizards run a very balanced 3-5-2 formation in their friendly matches, and should present us with a healthy challenge today. We do have two advantages in the match. First, we have two starters available due to suspensions this past weekend, and second, the match is here in Chicago, at The Docks.

Formation: 4-4-2

Starters

Keeper: #13 Darryl Read

Right Wingback: #24 Christian Kvam
Central Defender: #20 Keith Stubbs
Central Defender: #21 Zarpas Lerma
Left Wingback: #5 Arlen Lucas

Right Winger: #9 Valentin Rubio
Inner Midfielder: #7 Lucian Tere
Inner Midfielder: #8 Niklas Ivarsson
Left Winger: #10 Olav Mauffret

Forward: #11 Johannes Henriksson
Forward: #25 Paul Peralta

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

Substitutes
-Keeper: #1 Cornelius “Corny” Jernigan
-Defender: #17 Mattias Leier
-Midfielder: #6 Charlie Bautista
-Forward: #15 Forrest “Gump” Tobias
-Winger: #3 Ben McMahon

Due to our running of a 4-4-2 formation on Sunday, we only have four defenders that need to play today, so we will run a box-standard 4-4-2 formation against the lizards. Arlen Lucas was suspended from Sunday’s match, so he will play at the left wingback position today. We’re going to try a bit of an experiment with Arlen today, as he will be playing in a much more offensive stance than he is used to. We want to see how much this affects our offensive and defensive capabilities on the left side of the pitch.

We’ve done a lot of shuffling with the midfield and forward positions today. Valentin Rubio was also suspended from Sunday’s match, and so will take the left winger position today. In the middle, we’re forced to play Lucian Tere and Niklas Ivarsson, both of which also played on Sunday. Pete “The Old Goat” Tomlin and Jerry Smith are both still dinged up from the injuries they’ve sustained recently, so they will sit this one out. We don’t want to risk further injury to either of them in a training match.

Up front, Paul Peralta will join Johannes Henriksson as our second striker today. Paul is one of those guys who can play nearly any position on the pitch with at least a small degree of ability, so he will get a rare opportunity to be one of our primary goal scorers.

Now it’s time for the spokesladies and I to head to The Docks.

Match Report

PRE-GAME

2030 spectators arrived at The Docks, where weather conditions were pretty good for football.

Screamin' started off with a 4-4-2 lineup. The following players had been chosen: Read - Kvam , Lerma, Stubbs, Lucas - Rubio, Ivarsson, Tere, Mauffret - Henriksson, Peralta.

lizards had chosen a strategic 3-5-2 formation. The following players had been chosen: Bowman - Heafield, Roelofs, Espinoza - Wallace, Beneitez, Brosjö, Harper, Kumar - Sisson, Mouthaan.

FIRST HALF

Many thought Paul Peralta ought to have been awarded a penalty shot in the 5:th minute, as he went down trying to circle the visitors keeper Paul Bowman.

8 minutes into the game Jim Sisson was a hair´s breadth away from giving lizards the lead. A prompt block by Darryl Read saved the home team that time.

Keith Stubbs received some harsh words from his coach after he acted foolishly, probably out of lack of experience, in the 9:th minute and almost caused an opponent to score.

Ad Roelofs came close to putting the visiting team one up in the 13th minute, following a solo raid down the middle, but Darryl Read managed to tip the ball to a corner.

In the game's 17:th minute lizards´s Lars Brosjö limped slightly after a late challenge, but he was able to continue.

0 - 0 was the half-time score. Screamin' held the ball, with a clear 53 percent possession rate.

SECOND HALF

lizards took the lead in the games 77:th minute with 0 - 1 after some elegant plays down the middle. Lars Brosjö was the scorer.

Due to some great work on the right wing Screamin':s Olav Mauffret was able to even the score in the 81st minute to 1 - 1.

Valentín Rubio was dominating his wing and kept sending fine balls into the enemy box - Paul Peralta managed to kick one of them into 2 - 1 in the 83rd minute.

The fortyfive minutes were dominated by Screamin', with an impressive 61 percent possession of the ball.

POST-GAME

Screamin'´s best player was Arlen Lucas. Johannes Henriksson on the other hand, had a terrible day.

The most dominating lizards player was without a doubt Ad Roelofs. Andrew Wallace on the other hand, had a terrible day.

Final Score: Screamin’ Seamen 2, Big lizards X1 1

Goals

Mauffret – 1
Peralta – 1 (assisted by Rubio)

Cards

None

Player Ratings

Read: **~

Kvam: **~
Stubbs: ***
Lerma: ***
Lucas: ***~

Rubio: ***
Tere: **~
Ivarsson: **~
Mauffret: **

Henriksson: **
Peralta: **

Team Ratings

Screamin’ Seamen
-Midfield: Weak (4)
-Right Defense: Excellent (8)
-Central Defense: Formidable (9)
-Left Defense: Excellent (8)
-Right Attack: Solid (7)
-Central Attack: Inadequate (5)
-Left Attack: Passable (6)
-NSI: 55

Big lizards X1
-Midfield: Weak (4)
-Right Defense: Formidable (9)
-Central Defense: Solid (7)
-Left Defense: Passable (6)
-Right Attack: Poor (3)
-Central Attack: Inadequate (5)
-Left Attack: Inadequate (5)
-NSI: 47

Comments

Today’s match was a rather odd one. We saw a flurry of activity in the first seventeen minutes of the match, but no goals were scored, due in no small part to two excellent saves by keeper Darryl Read. After that, there was a long stretch in the middle of the match where neither team could muster up any serious scoring chances. That is, until the last thirteen minutes or so, which saw all three of the match’s goals. Rather odd, indeed.

Paul Peralta did pretty well for us at striker today, including tallying the game winner thanks to a terrific pass from winger Valentin Rubio. Arlen Lucas’ rating wasn’t what we’re used to seeing from him, but he is rather unaccustomed to playing with such an offense attitude. The experiment was a valuable one, though, as we now have a pretty good idea of what those sort of orders will do to our offensive and defensive ratings.

Up Next: The team’s training update for week 12. Stay tuned

[DataKing]

Week 12 Training Results

We saw no drastic improvements in our defenders this week, but as I mentioned in the last installment, we’re expecting to see better play from three of our defensive trainees very soon. Central defender Cameron McDonald and wingback Mattias Leier have each received eight weeks of training since their last “bump,” and wingback Christian Kvam has received seven weeks.

Form Changes

Five players improved in form this week, including two starters:
-Forward Johannes Henriksson: inadequate (5)
-Midfielder Niklas Ivarsson: passable (6)

Fourteen players saw their form remain the same this week.

Three players dropped in form this week, including two starters:
-Keeper Cornelius “Corny” Jernigan: weak (4)
-Forward Guido Metman: passable (6)

In The Zone

All four of our previous “in the zone” members remain in excellent (8) form this week: wingback Arlen Lucas, wingback Tyler Willard, winger Valentin Rubio, and reserve midfielder Lucian Tere. This week they are joined by another of our reserves, super-sub Paul Peralta.

Form Dogs

The good news is that both of our Swedes, forward Johannes Henriksson and midfielder Niklas Ivarsson, have improved. Johannes is definitely on his way out of his slump, and has risen to inadequate (5) form. Niklas Ivarsson’s drop was just a one-week event, and he regained the two levels of form he had lost last week, returning to passable (6) form.

The bad news is that this week’s “form dog” is none other than starting keeper, Cornelius “Corny” Jernigan. “Corny” has been slipping a bit the last couple of weeks, and has dropped to weak (4) form. We’re unsure yet as to whether or not he will play against the Big Reds on Sunday.

Player Values

Average Player Value: $168,955 (+$5,091)
Total Player Value (22 players): $3,717,000 (+$112,000)

Assessed Value Milestones

We had a slew of these this week.

$100,000+
-Wingback Christian Kvam ($100,000)
-Central Defender Keith Stubbs ($112,000)

$200,000+
-Central Defender Cameron McDonald ($218,000)

$400,000+
-Wingback Arlen Lucas ($408,000)

Up Next: Our weekly youth pull (a goalkeeper this time) and the weekly financial update. Stay tuned!

[DataKing]

Week 12 Youth Pull

We decided to change things up this week, and see what sort of goalkeeper our youth squad could produce. The results, however, were no better than anything else we have seen recently. Shannon Romo would be worth more to us if he were dismembered and his organs were sold on the black market.

Weekly Financial Update

Previous Balance: $131,366

Revenue

Crowd (league match vs. Croats in Miami) - $159,000
Crowd (friendly match vs. Big lizards X1) - $5,402
Sponsors - $72,600
Temporary (8 new supporters) - $240

Total Revenue: $237,242

Expenses

Arena Upkeep - $19,500
Player Wages - $32,912
Temporary (youth squad promotion of Juan Berman) - $2,000
Staff & Specialists - $45,000
Youth Squad Support - $20,000

Total Expenses: $119,412

Net Income/Loss: +$117,830

New Balance: $249,196

Team Information

Team Spirit: Calm (no change)
Team Confidence: Strong (no change)

Sponsor Attitude: High on Life (no change)
Supporter Attitude: Satisfied (no change)
Supporter Club: 1,506 (up 8 from last week)

Up Next: We’re back on the road, travelling to Ithaca, New York for a match against the Big Reds. Stay tuned!

[dacman]

Originally posted by DataKing
... Dacman brings up an interesting point, playing your wingers as inner midfielders in friendly matches so they receive full training. ...

I only do that now with 1 (one) of my wingers because the other is too old (27) to bother with -- however that will be changing next season as my week 12 youth pull (solid wing/passable passing/ inad play) will be replacing the older guy.

[DataKing]

Season 3 – League Match #13

Big Reds vs. Screamin’ Seamen

Date: June 29th, 2003
Venue: Big Reds Arena (Ithaca, NY)
Attendance: 24,008 (24,750)
Weather: Overcast

It’s getting down to crunch time, and we have a considerable task ahead of ourselves today. We’re on the road this week, certainly not our strong suit, in New York state to take on the Big Reds. The Reds are a struggling team, just like us, and are winless in their last six matches. Particularly painful was the 6-nil thrashing they sustained at the hands of the Ramblers last weekend in Detroit. In short, the Reds are a desperate team. And a desperate team is a dangerous team.

The Reds are a solid defensive team, and the key member of their defense is net-minder Martin Morgansson (3.5*, $416,000). They also boast a pretty good midfield, with Theo Juarez (4*, $599,000), Gareth Williams (4*, $601,000), and Mikey Streeter (4*, $762,000) all pretty good. We have our work cut out for us.

Previous Meetings

4/13/2003 – Screamin’ Seamen 0, Big Reds 0

The only prior meeting between these two clubs was a scoreless draw, back in week two of the season.

Formation: 3-5-2

Starters

Keeper: #1 Cornelius “Corny” Jernigan

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

Right Winger: #25 Paul Peralta
Inner Midfielder: #8 Niklas Ivarsson
Inner Midfielder: #4 Pete “The Old Goat” Tomlin
Inner Midfielder: #6 Charlie Bautista
Left Winger: #9 Valentin Rubio

Forward: #12 Guido Metman
Forward: #11 Johannes Henriksson

Team Captain: #12 Guido Metman
Set Pieces: #11 Johannes Henriksson

Substitutes
-Keeper: #13 Darryl Read
-Defender: #21 Zarpas Lerma
-Midfielder: #7 Lucian Tere
-Forward: #15 Forrest “Gump” Tobias
-Winger: #3 Ben McMahon

We’re returning to our usual 3-5-2 formation, but with a couple of changes. The most obvious change is that Johannes Henriksson has returned to the starting lineup, at least for this week. “Gump” Tobias has been rather cold as of late, and Johannes has been coming out of his slump, slowly but steadily, for the past month or so. We’ve decided to go with Johannes in today’s lineup, as we could use his set pieces expertise to set up headers in the goal box.

The other change this week is super-sub Paul Peralta starting on the wing in place of Ben McMahon. We’ve been less than pleased with Ben’s performance this season, and Paul has been playing quite well with our reserve squad as of late. Like Ben, Paul has more aptitude as a defensive winger, so we’re going to try something a little different with him. Tyler Willard, the wingback on the same side, will be making numerous runs up that side of the field, and Paul will be there to cover that defensive side when Tyler is playing up the field. We’re hoping that this will give us more offensive push up the right side, without sacrificing much in the way of defense.

Match Report

PRE-GAME

24008 spectators had come to Big Reds Arena this cloudy day.

Reds had chosen a strategic 3-5-2 formation. They fielded: Morgansson - Sifres Belenguer, Lievonen, Conde - bin Saleh, Williams, Streeter, Juarez, Freixes - Rolfsson, Roth.

Screamin' had chosen a strategic 3-5-2 formation. The following players had been chosen: Jernigan - Willard, Scales, Lucas - Peralta, Ivarsson, Bautista, Tomlin, Rubio - Metman, Henriksson.

FIRST HALF

The home side put themselves ahead 1 - 0 in the 3rd by a breakthrough from Gareth Williams, who unaided came in out of the right wing hooking the ball over the visitors keeper.

The referee showed Redss Willibald Roth the yellow card after a particularly nasty challenge.

Due to a severely mistimed tackle,Guido Metman spent some on the grass writhing in agony before he could get up and continue the game.

1 - 0 was the half-time score. The fortyfive minutes were dominated by Reds, with an impressive 58 percent possession of the ball.

SECOND HALF

Screamin' were close to putting the equaliser away in the 47:th minute as the opposing defence lost control of the ball in a scuffle in front of the goal, but in the end the ball was cleared over the sideline.

In the 57:th minute Screamin's Johannes Henriksson received a yellow card for going into a challenge studs first.

Reds´s Magnus Rolfsson had an excellent opportunity in the 62nd minute, shooting on a through ball, but he missed the goal by miles!

A bit later, a magnificent combination in the middle resulted in Reds´s Magnus Rolfsson putting the lead up to 2 - 0.

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

Chuck Scales made several blunders at the end of the game, causing a good deal of unrest in the defensive line.

Reds held the ball, with a clear 58 percent possession rate.

POST-GAME

Reds´s best player was Mikey Streeter. However, Armas Lievonen made a disastrous appearance.

Most important Screamin' player was Chuck Scales. However, Johannes Henriksson made a disastrous appearance.

Final Score: Big Reds 2, Screamin’ Seamen 0

Goals

None

Cards

Henriksson – yellow (1)

Player Ratings

Jernigan: **~

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

Peralta: **~
Ivarsson: ***
Tomlin: **~
Bautista: ***~
Rubio: ***

Metman: **~
Henriksson: **

Team Match MVP: #2 Chuck Scales

Team Ratings

Screamin’ Seamen
-Midfield: Passable (6)
-Right Defense: Outstanding (10)
-Central Defense: Formidable (9)
-Left Defense: Formidable (9)
-Right Attack: Passable (6)
-Central Attack: Passable (6)
-Left Attack: Excellent (8)
-Experience: Poor (3)
-NSI: 76

Big Reds
-Midfield: Formidable (9)
-Right Defense: Outstanding (10)
-Central Defense: Outstanding (10)
-Left Defense: Outstanding (10)
-Right Attack: Passable (6)
-Central Attack: Passable (6)
-Left Attack: Solid (7)
-Experience: Wretched (2)
-NSI: 76

Comments

Sigh. Another week, and once again our opposition puts up one of their best performances of the season against us. This is getting very old, very quick, as we are once again f*cked over by the schedule. Big Reds get to finish the season next week against the Syracuse Supers, and so had no reason to be concerned over their team spirit. In fact, the way the schedule was arranged for this season, we were doubly screwed. During the first half of the season, we chased the Supers through the fixture orders, therefore facing teams fresh off a PIC victory. The second half of the season, we’ve been followed by the Supers, meaning that a team can MOTS against us with relative impunity. Foul, I say…a schedule most foul.

This match was frustration incarnate, as we were only able to muster one decent attacking opportunity, and squandered it. Johannes Henriksson received his first ever booking during a competitive match. He had never been booked in sixty-three matches prior.

Also, playing Tyler Willard offensively was apparently a mistake, as it appeared to make little difference, and if anything only weakened our defense on the right side. I doubt we’ll be trying that again any time soon.

These are the sorts of matches that make me wonder why I even bother. Just downright depressing.

Series Scores and Standings

-Sweden Heights fought hard, and managed a draw against red-hot Neon Genesis Evangelion, 1-1.
-Croats in Miami had their way with the Syracuse Supers, 8-nil.
-Ramblers had a little early trouble with SoccerWussies, but were victorious at home, 4-2.

No.	Team					Played	        Goals		Pts.	NSI

1.	Croats in Miami			        13		45-15		32	68

2.	Neon Genesis Evangelion		        13		33-23		22	66

3.	Ramblers				13		32-22		22	71

4.	Big Reds				13		21-18		21	76

5.	Sweden Heights			        13		25-23		19	69

6.	Screamin’ Seamen*			13		22-18		17	66

7.	SoccerWussies			        13		18-32		16	74

8.	Syracuse Supers			        13		4-49		0	44

It sickens me to see that SSFC, with a goal differential of +4, has one more point than the SoccerWussies, who have a goal differential of –14. (OK DK, that’s enough. No more feeling sorry for yourself. ).

While 2nd through 5th place are still up for grabs, our situation has become much more simple. If we win next week against the Ramblers, we will have a relegation match to stay in series IV.49. If we lose to the Ramblers, then the SoccerWussies can grab the #6 spot from us with a victory over Sweden Heights. The SoccerWussies’ match will be at home, and we expect to see Sweden Heights PIC in order to prepare for their (most likely) relegation match.

Win next week, and we get a shot at staying in Division IV. Lose, and odds are we’re headed back down to obscurity. That’s about as simple as it gets, folks.

Week 14 Matchups

Screamin’ Seamen vs. Ramblers
Syracuse Supers vs. Big Reds
SoccerWussies vs. Sweden Heights
Neon Genesis Evangelion vs. Croats in Miami

Up Next: We’ve arranged for a friendly match with Coffee Warlord’s Avengers at The Docks on Wednesday. Stay tuned!

[DukeRulesMAB]

Keep the faith, DK! Whatever happens next week, we all know that long term, the Seamen are set.

[Coffee Warlord]

BTW DK, just for shits and giggles, Galesburg will be wielding the dreaded 2-5-3 vs the Seamen for this match. Be afraid. Be very afraid.

[DataKing]

Originally posted by Coffee Warlord
BTW DK, just for shits and giggles, Galesburg will be wielding the dreaded 2-5-3 vs the Seamen for this match. Be afraid. Be very afraid.

The match doesn't matter the tiniest little bit, so the Seamen will be unveiling their 5-4-1 "Buccaneer" formation. It should be interesting.

[Coffee Warlord]

*laughs*

This should be entertaining, at the very least. 2 weirdo formations pitted against each other.

Of course, I could go *really* weird and run a 4-5-1, just to scare you.

[sterlingice]

Originally posted by Coffee Warlord
*laughs*

This should be entertaining, at the very least. 2 weirdo formations pitted against each other.

Of course, I could go *really* weird and run a 4-5-1, just to scare you.

Who are you and what have you done with CW?!?

SI

[Coffee Warlord]

Hey, if it was a legal formation, I'd bust out the 1-5-4

[DataKing]

News and Notes from Screamin’ Seamen-Land

Headcase

Nicknames are a common occurrence among professional athletes, and the players for SSFC are no exception. There are currently a number of colorful monikers attached to players on the team, like Pete “The Old Goat” Tomlin, Cornelius “Corny” Jernigan, and Forrest “Gump” Tobias. But one player who has been mysteriously lacking a nickname is the club’s star wingback, Arlen Lucas. That is, until now.

Mark Giangreco, a Chicago-area TV sportscaster, recently showed a small segment on his program which highlighted soccer players from the area. The segment was done to the song “Headstrong,” by Trapped, and mostly featured some of the bigger-name talent from the Chicago area, such as Stephen Cullen (striker for Streamwood United FC), Andre Bengtsson (midfielder for CrazyCoCo), and Noble Dejesus (defender for Green Man). However, one small section did show Lucas heading in a goal against SoccerWussies earlier this season.

Lucas’ teammates jumped at the opportunity, and began to call the tall wingback Arlen “Headstrong” Lucas. However, it was not long before the nickname had evolved (or some would say devolved) to “Headcase” Lucas, a reference to Arlen’s penchant for losing his temper with opposing players and referees alike. Indeed, “Headcase” Lucas is the most highly-penalized member of the club. But at least he has a cool nickname now.


Stay of Execution?

Rumors have been flying for many weeks now, regarding head coach Ken Brown and his future with the Screamin’ Seamen Football Club. The club has had what can only be described as a disappointing season, and will need to fight hard this Sunday if they are to avoid the possibility of relegation back to Division Five. Throughout all of the turmoil, one thing has remained constant; rumors that Coach Brown would be fired any week now.

With the season rapidly drawing to a close, and the Seamen in a dangerous 6th position in the standings, many thought that Brown’s time was drawing near. After the club lost this past weekend, a 2-nil defeat at the hands of the Big Reds, most were certain that the axe would fall on Brown come Monday morning. However, the front office has remained very quiet. It is now Wednesday, and Coach Brown is still with the club.

Silence from the team’s management has only served to fuel the fires of the rumor mill, and team owner Data King has also remained mute on the subject. Fans can only wonder exactly what is going on with their beloved Seamen, and what the future holds.

[DataKing]

Season 3 – Week 13 – Training Match

Screamin’ Seamen vs. Galesburg Avengers

Date: July 2nd, 2003
Venue: The Docks (Chicago, IL)
Attendance: 874 (30,000)
Weather: Overcast

We’ve arranged for a training match this week with Coffee Warlord’s Galesburg Avengers. Our original attention was to have a training match during the off-season, when we could pit our starters against one another and not worry about losing training. An offensive vs. defensive showdown, if you will. Unfortunately, it does not look as though this is a possibility. The Avengers will most likely be looking at a qualification match for Division IV, and we most likely will have a relegation match coming up as well. So we’ve decided to have a regular training match instead, with no real bragging rights at stake.

Previous Meetings

1/1/2003 – Screamin’ Seamen 2, Galesburg Avengers 1

We played host to the Avengers back on New Years Day, and we were the first ever training match for the Avengers. It was a 2-1 decision back then, but the Avengers have come a long way since then.

Formation: 5-4-1 “Buccaneer”

Starters

Keeper: #13 Darryl Read

Right Wingback: #24 Christian Kvam
Central Defender: #20 Keith Stubbs
Central Defender: #18 Cameron McDonald
Central Defender: #21 Zarpas Lerma
Left Wingback: #17 Mattias Leier

Right Winger: #10 Olav Mauffret
Inner Midfielder: #7 Lucian Tere
Inner Midfielder: #19 Jerry Smith
Left Winger: #3 Ben McMahon

Forward: #15 Forrest “Gump” Tobias

Team Captain: #7 Lucian Tere
Set Pieces: #3 Ben McMahon

Substitutes
-Keeper: #1 Cornelius “Corny” Jernigan
-Defender: #22 Tyler Willard
-Midfielder: #4 Pete “The Old Goat” Tomlin
-Forward: #11 Johannes Henriksson
-Winger: #25 Paul Peralta

We’ve made a couple more changes to our standard 5-4-1 lineup today, as a result of the players we used this past Sunday. Paul Peralta took Ben McMahon’s usual spot on the wing against the Big Reds, so Ben will play the wing for us today, as well as handle the team’s set piece duties. Also, we went with Johannes Henriksson at striker on Sunday, which in turn has bumped “Gump” Tobias to b-team duties for this week.

We’re trying something a little different again this week, something I call the 5-4-1 “Buccaneer.” It is named after the NFL Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with their point-scoring defense. Basically, the 5-4-1 Buccaneer is a standard 5-4-1 formation, with everyone possible playing with an “offensive” mentality. This means that four of our five defenders, as well as all four midfielders, will be playing offensively. I’m curious to see what sort of results this formation will bring.

Time to find out…

Match Report

PRE-GAME

874 spectators had come to The Docks this cloudy day.

Screamin' had chosen a strategic 5-4-1 formation. They fielded: Read - Kvam , Lerma, Stubbs, Mcdonald, Leier - Mauffret , Tere, Smith, Mcmahon - Tobias.

Galesburg had chosen a strategic 2-5-3 formation. The following players had been chosen: Tirado - Andres Alvaro, Perales - Quiroz, Poulin, Farrell, Dommer-Toft, Shaffer - Mosley, Street, Boone.

FIRST HALF

After a fine move down the middle Forrest Tobias nearly gave the home side one up in the 6:th minute. The finishing shot went just wide, though.

Vladimiro Perales of Galesburg received a yellow card in the 8:th minute for unsportsmanlike behavior.

Ken Shaffer was dominating his wing and kept sending fine balls into the enemy box - Daryl Mosley managed to kick one of them into 0 - 1 in the 9:th minute.

In the 18:th minute Christian Kvam went down in a suspected penalty situation after a challenge from the visitors right guard, but the referee, having a good line of sight, signaled to keep on playing.

18 minutes into the game Mattias Leier was really close to evening the score out with a dangerous long range shot, but the ball went just wide of the bar.

0 - 1 was the half-time score. This part of the game had been a standoff between the teams.

SECOND HALF

Forrest Tobias was just a finger´s breadth away from an equalizer for Screamin', but Arden Tirado managed to ward the closing shot off for a corner.

After a fatal mistake from the away teams right side defense in the 63rd minute, an alert Mattias Leier bagged the ball, evening the score to 1 - 1.

As David Dommer-Toft had, completely unprovoked, swept the legs out from under an opponent in front of a linesman, the referee gave the Galesburg player a red card without batting an eye.

Screamin' took the lead in the 70:th minute after a magnificent free kick. Ben Mcmahon adjusted the score to 2 - 1.

Tommy Joe Poulin of Galesburg received a yellow card in the 73rd minute for unsportsmanlike behavior.

Lucian Tere was the first to reach the corner kick, but his header was saved by the keeper. However, Screamin'´s Christian Kvam managed to get hold of the rebound and scored the 3-1 goal.

Screamin' held the ball, with a clear 61 percent possession rate.

POST-GAME

Most important Screamin' player was Cameron Mcdonald. However, Jerry Smith made a disastrous appearance.

The most dominating Galesburg player was without a doubt Arden Tirado. Emerson Farrell on the other hand, had a terrible day.

Final Score: Screamin’ Seamen 3, Galesburg Avengers 1

Goals

Leier – 1
McMahon – 1 (GWG)
Kvam – 1

Cards

None

Player Ratings

Read: **~

Kvam: **~
Stubbs: **~
McDonald: ***~
Lerma: **~
Leier: ***

Mauffret: **
Tere: **~
Smith: **
McMahon: **

Tobias: **

Team Ratings

Screamin’ Seamen
-Midfield: Poor (3)
-Right Defense: Formidable (9)
-Central Defense: Excellent (8)
-Left Defense: Passable (6)
-Right Attack: Inadequate (5)
-Central Attack: Poor (3)
-Left Attack: Inadequate (5)
-Experience: Wretched (2)
-NSI: 45

Galesburg Avengers
-Midfield: Poor (3)
-Right Defense: Inadequate (5)
-Central Defense: Passable (6)
-Left Defense: Inadequate (5)
-Right Attack: Solid (7)
-Central Attack: Solid (7)
-Left Attack: Solid (7)
-Experience: Wretched (2)
-NSI: 46

Comments

We were pleasantly surprised with the 3-1 tally in this one, and were expecting a much closer score, but we certainly had a number of advantages that played a factor. For starters, we obviously had a stamina advantage which played a large part in the second half, when we scored all three of our goals. It also certainly helped when Avengers’ David Dommer-Toft got tossed from the match halfway through the second half. The two goals that gave us the victory came after he was removed from the pitch. Our team spirit was horrible coming into the match as well, but I figure that home-field advantage helped to counteract that. Let’s hope that it helps just as much this Sunday.

We’re excited with the play of central defender and highly-touted prospect Cameron McDonald. Cameron put up the first ***~ performance of his career today. He was, one should note, the only defender who did not play in an offensive stance today. That certainly harmed the performance ratings of the rest of our defenders. I am also pleased with Estonian wingback Mattias Leier, who still managed a *** performance despite the offensive orientation.

I have mixed feelings regarding the 5-4-1 Buccaneer formation. While we certainly saw better attack ratings than we typically see with the 5-4-1, particularly along the wings, we were fortunate that this played against the disadvantage of the Avengers’ 2-5-3 formation (they pulled both wingbacks, and used two central defenders). Also, I am at a loss to explain the passable defensive rating on the left-hand side, where Mattias Leier was stationed directly behind Ben McMahon (who is a solid defender in his own right). It’s a quandary, but I certainly cannot argue with the results. We will have to consider the Buccaneer formation in next season’s FOFC Cup.

Up Next: Training results on Thursday evening, and then some big news. Stay tuned!

[GoldenEagle]

Big News??? Anyone want to speculate?

I am going to have to go with the removal of the coach at SSFC.

[The Afoci]

I think he is planning to take the world over with an army of some sort of animal that has been altered to be much meaner than the original one. That would be cool.

[Doug5984]

I think it is going to be a new head coach also, but maybe DK could be selling 'old' Chuck Scales?

[Coffee Warlord]

Ooh oooh! I know! I know!

Not telling though. Nyah ha.

[sterlingice]

Originally posted by Coffee Warlord
Ooh oooh! I know! I know!

Not telling though. Nyah ha.

Ah, so apparently the big news is that after losing his game, CW also lost a bet and now has to clean the entirety of the Docks before DK's next fixture

SI

[Coffee Warlord]

Actually, the Docks are going to be host to a massive Crawfish boil. I didn't wanna tell Afoci though.

[DataKing]

Hush! You're going to ruin the surprise!

[The Afoci]

Originally posted by Coffee Warlord
Actually, the Docks are going to be host to a massive Crawfish boil. I didn't well tell Afoci though.

You will regret that statement when the Army of Crawfish with Laser Blasters instead of Claws is on the edge of Galesburg! MUHHHAAAHAHAHAHAHHHAHHAA!!!

[Coffee Warlord]

Mmm. Sounds good. I'm getting hungry anyway.

Can you tell those crawfish to hurry up? The water's boiling and I'm ready to eat!

[sterlingice]

Originally posted by Coffee Warlord
Mmm. Sounds good. I'm getting hungry anyway.

Can you tell those crawfish to hurry up? The water's boiling and I'm ready to eat!

Mmm... I'll help. I have a giant pot of gumbo just waiting for some meat.

SI

[GoldenEagle]

I am not a big crawfish fan. I did like them but when I started playing Hattrick, I stopped. I just think one of them is going to jump at me with a laser beam and blow me up.

[The Afoci]

Everybodies a funny man until someone loses their eyes to laser blasts. You have been warned!

[sterlingice]

Originally posted by The Afoci
Everybodies a funny man until someone loses their eyes to laser blasts. You have been warned!

/me sets up a large mirror array so the crawfish cook themselves.

SI

[DataKing]

Week 13 Training Results

Two of the three trainees that we are expecting improvements from soon have “popped” this week, wingback Mattias Leier and central defender Cameron McDonald.

Mattias Leier

Position: Wingback
Jersey: #17

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

A popular guy who is calm and honest.
Has disastrous (1) experience and weak (4) leadership abilities.

Nationality: Estonian
Assessed Value: $172,000
Wage: $1,104 per week

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

Cameron McDonald

Position: Central Defender
Jersey: #18

18 years old, inadequate (5) form, healthy.

A pleasant guy who is temperamental and honest.
Has disastrous (1) experience and wretched (2) leadership abilities.

Specialty: Head

Nationality: American
Assessed Value: $211,000
Wage: $1,000 per week

Stamina: Weak (4)
Playmaking: Weak (4)
Winger: Poor (3)
Scoring: Weak (4)
Goaltending: Disastrous (1)
Passing: Weak (4)
Defending: Formidable (9)
Set Pieces: Poor (3)

Form Changes

Four players improved in form this week, including two starters:
-Midfielder Charlie Bautista: excellent (8)
-Forward Johannes Henriksson: passable (6)

14 players saw their form remain the same this week.

Four players dropped in form this week, including one starter:
-Forward Guido Metman: inadequate (5)

The good news is that Johannes Henriksson has officially recovered from his slump. The bad news is that Guido Metman continues to be a form yo-yo, dropping right before the most important match of the season. Still, we expect these two to play for us up front on Sunday against the Ramblers.

In The Zone

We have four different starters at excellent (8) form this week, which is certainly good news. Wingbacks Arlen “Headcase” Lucas and Tyler Willard remain in excellent form, as does winger Valentin Rubio. This week they are joined by midfielder Charlie Bautista. Reserve midfielder Lucian Tere remains in excellent form as well.

Form Dogs

Cornelius “Corny” Jernigan remains this week’s “form dog,” which is a reason for concern. All the same, Corny will still probably start in net for us on Sunday, as reserve keeper Darryl Read isn’t much better off.

Player Values

Average Player Value: $171,909 (+$2,954)
Total Player Value (22 players): $3,782,000 (+$65,000)

Assessed Value Milestones

$300,000+
-Defender Chuck Scales ($302,000)

Up Next: Some big news from the front office. Stay tuned!

[DukeRulesMAB]

Wow, 18-YO formidable, that is *nice*. Will he be sold after next year (presumably being your most valuable sell), or will he at his young age be sticking around as a Seaman virtual lifer?

[DataKing]

Originally posted by DukeRulesMAB
Wow, 18-YO formidable, that is *nice*. Will he be sold after next year (presumably being your most valuable sell), or will he at his young age be sticking around as a Seaman virtual lifer?

Whether or not he sticks around depends on what happens with his form over the course of next season. He has been a bit of a "form dog" up to this point, but if he shows consistent and decent form, he may very well replace Chuck Scales as our starting central defender. He should be roughly equal to Scales in skill level by the end of next season.

As much as I like Chuck, I really do hope that Cameron pulls his form around. The idea of having two head specialist defenders on the back line (along with Arlen Lucas) makes me *drool.*

[DataKing]

Say Goodnight, Mister Brown

(AP – Chicago) For some, the announcement was long overdue. For those living in caves, it is a complete surprise. But for most, it was expected, and the timing is just about right.

Early Friday morning, Data King, team owner and general manager of the Screamin’ Seamen Football Club, announced that the team’s head coach, Ken Brown, had been released, and that the remainder of his contract had been bought out by the organization.

“It is with a heavy heart that I make this announcement,” stated King to various members of the sports press. “Ken [Brown] has been our coach since the very beginning, and has been an integral part of the Screamin’ Seamen family. Unfortunately, things have not worked out as well as we all would have liked. Coach Brown and I have spoken on numerous occasions over the past weeks regarding this, and we both agree that it is the right thing to do at this juncture.”

King also announced that former assistant coach Jack Stein would act as interim manager for the time being. Stein has been an assistant with SSFC since the club’s inception, and has been primarily responsible for the team’s strikers and their development.

“We have full confidence in Jack [Stein] and his ability to focus the club for the last couple weeks of the season,” stated King as he introduced Stein to the press. “He has a difficult task ahead of him, but we are quite confident that Coach Stein is up to the task.”

Stein answered a few questions from the press, and implied that fans would see a much more aggressive game plan on Sunday than they were used to seeing.

Ken Brown is reportedly “in seclusion” for the time being, and was unavailable for comment.

Ivan Phillip Freely is an Associated Press reporter for the Chicago Soccer Enquirer.


Jack Stein

Age: 40

A poor (3) coach who is fond of attacking.
A pleasant guy who is temperamental and honest.
Has solid (7) experience and inadequate (5) leadership abilities.

Truth be told, Jack doesn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell of becoming our permanent coach. He is strictly temporary, and will be fired at the end of next week, so as to reset our team spirit once again. We actually paid $20,000 for Jack, as our first coach pull was disastrous, and I had no intention of losing that much from our training this week.

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

[DataKing]

Week 13 Youth Pull

This week’s pull was so bad, it is almost funny. Tony Kidd is supposedly an 18 year old goalkeeper prospect. I will not disgrace this dynasty report by actually listing his attributes. Let’s just say that stamina was his best ability, and that was wretched (2). You do the math.

Weekly Financial Update

Previous Balance: $249,196

Revenue

Crowd (friendly match vs. Galesburg Avengers) - $2,337
Sponsors - $72,900

Total Revenue: $75,237

Expenses

Arena Upkeep - $19,500
Player Wages - $32,372
Temporary (youth squad promotion of Shannon Romo) - $2,000
Temporary (coaching change) - $20,000
Staff & Specialists - $45,000
Youth Squad Support - $20,000

Total Expenses: $138,872

Net Income/Loss: -$63,635

New Balance: $185,561

Team Information

Team Spirit: Calm (no change)
Team Confidence: Strong (no change)

Sponsor Attitude: High on Life (no change)
Supporter Attitude: Content (down one level)
Supporter Club: 1,506 (no change)

Up Next: A potential make-or-break match, as we host the Ramblers to finish off the season. Stay tuned!

[dacman]

A quick peek at the new IV.49 teams for season 20.

4 Tortioses SC V.120 1 94 10 84 42 replaces SoccerWussies IV.49 7 19 34 -15 16

Hmm...a mid-60's ratings team replaced by a low-40's ratings team.

111 JP8 V.254 1 53 8 45 39 replaces Syracuse Supers IV.49 8 4 55 -51 0

A high 40's ratings team replaces another high 40's ratings team.

Looks like your replacing a decent team and a bad team with TWO bad teams. What I want to know is how the hell can Tortioses be the #4 promotee out of D5 with such awful ratings (relatively speaking).

DK, you are a lucky bastard.

[DataKing]

Originally posted by dacman

DK, you are a lucky bastard.

I think I've earned a little karmic pay-back this season.

[DataKing]

Season 3 – League Match #14

Screamin’ Seamen vs. Ramblers

Date: July 6th, 2003
Venue: The Docks (Chicago, IL)
Attendance: 30,000 (30,000)
Weather: Overcast

It all comes down to this, boys and girls. Today we play host to the Ramblers, with potential automatic relegation to the 5th Division on the line. The situation is pretty simple. If we win today, we guarantee ourselves a relegation match next weekend. If we draw or lose, then our fate will be decided by the results of the match between the 5th place Sweden Heights and 7th place SoccerWussies. A victory by Sweden Heights would guarantee us a relegation match as well, even if we lose.

The Ramblers have a number of good players, but their real star is 30 year old winger Phillip Gallo. He is valued at over $1,000,000, and is capable of putting up ***** performances. Arlen “Headcase” Lucas and Ben McMahon will be stuck to him like glue today (we hope).

Previous Meetings

1/5/2003 – Screamin’ Seamen 2, Ramblers 2
2/23/2003 – Ramblers 1, Screamin’ Seamen 2
4/6/2003 – Ramblers 4, Screamin’ Seamen 0

We’ve played the Ramblers three times previously, and the series is all tied up at 1-1-1. We got the better of them last season, but they spanked us in Detroit back in week 1, 4-nil (which I still suspect was an ill-advised MOTS on their part). Today we hope to take some measure of revenge for the embarrassment back in April.

Formation: 3-5-2

Starters (# start w/ SSFC, *s last time out)

Keeper: #1 Cornelius “Corny” Jernigan (22nd start, **~)

Right Wingback: #5 Arlen “Headcase” Lucas (42nd start, ****)
Central Defender: #2 Chuck Scales (43rd start, ****)
Left Wingback: #22 Tyler Willard (22nd start, ***~)

Right Winger: #3 Ben McMahon (40th start, **)
Inner Midfielder: #4 Pete “The Old Goat” Tomlin (40th start, **~)
Inner Midfielder: #8 Niklas Ivarsson (15th start, ***)
Inner Midfielder: #6 Charlie Bautista (44th start, ***~)
Left Winger: #9 Valentin Rubio (14th start, ***)

Forward: #11 Johannes Henriksson (39th start, **)
Forward: #12 Guido Metman (8th start, **~)

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

Substitutes
-Keeper: #13 Darryl Read (25 career starts)
-Defender: #17 Mattias Leier (3 career starts)
-Midfielder: #7 Lucian Tere (31 career starts)
-Forward: #15 Forrest “Gump” Tobias (32 career starts)
-Winger: #25 Paul Peralta (15 career starts)

If the Ramblers are one thing, they are predictable. They always rely heavily on Phillip Gallo and a strong left-side attack, so we will be stacking the right side of our defense against them. Arlen Lucas and Ben McMahon will both play defensively along the right side, and should receive some help from Chuck Scales and The Old Goat (our best two-way midfielder).

The real weakness of the Ramblers is that they play an asymmetrical 3-5-2, and never use a wingback on their right side. Obviously, we’ll be attacking heavily on the left, with winger Valentin Rubio and midfielder Charlie Bautista pushing the ball up the pitch at every opportunity.

We have two real advantages today, which give me hope. First off, we are at The Docks, and the players are plenty ticked off about their first ever league-match loss at home two weeks ago to the Croats. I expect a healthy home field advantage today. Our other advantage is height. The Ramblers don’t have any starters that are good header-players, while we have serious height with both Arlen Lucas and Valentin Rubio on the pitch. For this reason, I have decided that Johannes Henriksson will play for us today. He seems to have recovered from his horrible slump, and is the most skilled player we have at corner kicks.

We’re also returning the captain’s armband to Johannes. I’m hoping that will give an additional psychological edge to our players.

Time to put up or shut up.

Match Report

PRE-GAME

Overcast weather free of rain made for a crowd turnout of 30000 at The Docks today.

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

Ramblers had chosen a strategic 3-5-2 formation. The following players had been chosen: Chugg - Arredondo, Powell, Campos - Sanden, Whittington, Maddox, Holmes, Gallo - Hansson, Barik.

FIRST HALF

Ramblerss Gerhard Sanden got himself booked after a foul.

Ramblers took the lead in the games 13th minute with 0 - 1 after some elegant plays down the middle. Bhima Barik was the scorer.

In the 23rd minute Screamin's Pete Tomlin received a yellow card for going into a challenge studs first.

In the 25:th minute the visitors put themselves ahead 0 - 2 as Kurt Arredondo finished off an attack from the left with a spectacular scissors kick.

In the 26:th minute Ramblerss Stefan Hansson received a yellow card for going into a challenge studs first. Niklas Ivarsson the unlucky victim, couldn´t continue the game.

0 - 2 was the half-time score. Ramblers held the ball, with a clear 53 percent possession rate.

SECOND HALF

In the 68:th minute Ramblers put themselves up 0 - 3 after an attack from the right, caused by a defensive blunder. Scorer was Gus Whittington.

After 70 minutes a combination in the middle resulted in a through ball for Eric Holmes who increased Ramblers´s lead to 0 - 4.

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

The fortyfive minutes were dominated by Screamin', with an impressive 51 percent possession of the ball.

POST-GAME

The most dominating Screamin' player was without a doubt Arlen Lucas. Johannes Henriksson was a disappointment, however.

Most important Ramblers player was Philip Gallo. Kurt Arredondo on the other hand, had a terrible day.

Final Score: Ramblers 4, Screamin’ Seamen 0

Goals

None

Cards

Tomlin – yellow (1)

Player Ratings

Jernigan: **~

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

McMahon: **
Tomlin: **~
Ivarsson: ** (injured)
Tere: **~ (replaced Ivarsson)
Bautista: ***~
Rubio: ***

Henriksson: **
Metman: **~

Team Match MVP: #5 Arlen Lucas

Team Ratings

Screamin’ Seamen
-Midfield: Solid (7)
-Right Defense: World Class (13)
-Central Defense: Formidable (9)
-Left Defense: Solid (7)
-Right Attack: Inadequate (5)
-Central Attack: Solid (7)
-Left Attack: Outstanding (10)
-Experience: Poor (3)
-NSI: 72

Ramblers
-Midfield: Solid (7)
-Right Defense: Passable (6)
-Central Defense: Formidable (9)
-Left Defense: Outstanding (10)
-Right Attack: Passable (6)
-Central Attack: Excellent (8)
-Left Attack: Outstanding (10)
-Experience: Poor (3)
-NSI: 70

Comments

The perfect finish to a perfectly crappy and frustrating season. All of the advantages belonged to us (head specialty, home field advantage, formation matchups), but the ball and the referees seem to have their own ideas about how the match should go. Looking at the match ratings, I cannot for the life of me understand how we got shelled, 4-nil. Their best attack (outstanding) was lined up against our WORLD CLASS right defense. Our best attack (outstanding left attack) was pitted against their passable right defense, and we didn't have a single good scoring opportunity, despite possession that was practically even. I just don’t get it, and I don’t want to think about it any more. Time to move on.

(grumble) (grumble) (grumble)

To add injury to insult, the injury to Niklas Ivarsson is a considerable one. He has a severe ankle sprain, thanks to a careless tackle by Ramblers’ striker Stefan Hansson, and will almost certainly miss our qualification match next week.

(grumble) (grumble) (grumble)

Series Scores and Final Standings

-Luck was on our side today, as Sweden Heights did us a huge favor and defeated the SoccerWussies, 2-1.
-Big Reds finished off the season with a bang, crushing the Syracuse Supers, 6-nil.
-Neon Genesis Evangelion played spoiler today, drawing with the Croats in Miami, 2-2, and ruining any hopes the Croats had of automatic promotion.

No.	Team					W-D-L		Goals		Pts.	NSI

1.	Croats in Miami			        10-3-1		47-17		33	61

2.	Ramblers				8-1-5		36-22		25	70

3.	Big Reds				7-3-4		27-18		24	69

4.	Neon Genesis Evangelion		        7-2-5		35-25		23	68

5.	Sweden Heights			        6-4-4		27-24		22	67

6.	Screamin’ Seamen*			5-2-7		22-22		17	72

7.	SoccerWussies			        5-1-8		19-34		16	77

8.	Syracuse Supers			        0-0-14		4-55		0	46

Ramblers, Big Reds, and Neon Genesis Evangelion all shuffled around a bit in the final week, but otherwise the standings remained the same. We owe Sweden Heights a big, wet, sloppy kiss for beating SoccerWussies, allowing us to play a qualification match even though we lost today.

Qualification Week Matchups

Screamin’ Seamen vs. Jedi Mind Tricks (Series V.63)
Sweden Heights vs. Izzy’s Diaper Bombers (V.169)
Miami Redskins SC (Series III.13) vs. Croats in Miami

Neither Sweden Heights nor our club should have much difficulty with next weekend’s qualification matches. Both of our opponents seem to be a little weak, as far as Division V clubs go, and neither has ever put up an NSI rating of 60 or better.

The match between Croats in Miami and Miami Redskins SC should be a good one, as the teams look to be pretty evenly matched. The Croats are capable of putting up the better midfield, but the Redskins have a much better supporting cast, particularly on the defensive side of the ball. Both clubs are capable of putting up an 80 NSI rating. This should be one to watch on Sunday.

Up Next: Malvineros F.C., an Argentinean 4th Division side, has agreed to come to The Docks for an international training match on Wednesday. Stay tuned!

[DukeRulesMAB]

Man, that had to have sucked.

On the other hand, I don't know if you noticed, but SoccerWussies *clearly* outplayed Sweden Heights at home getting a better NSI and a better midfield, and still lost. So at least your bad luck got spread around to the team you needed to have it.

Kick some ass this week!

[sterlingice]

Well, either you spent a past life on the "Urinate on Every God's Altar, Every Disciple's Grave, and on Every Place of Worship's Front Steps World Tour", or your due for some karmic payback next year.

SI

[DataKing]

Originally posted by sterlingice
Well, either you spent a past life on the "Urinate on Every God's Altar, Every Disciple's Grave, and on Every Place of Worship's Front Steps World Tour", or your due for some karmic payback next year.

SI

All right, who snitched?

[Desnudo]

Edit: Sorry, wrong post. Nice recap though btw.

[sterlingice]

Originally posted by Desnudo
Edit: Sorry, wrong post. Nice recap though btw.

Been there, done that- happens to the best of FOFC (and the rest of us, too).

SI

[DataKing]

Season 3 – Week 14 – International Training Match

Screamin’ Seamen vs. Malvineros F.C.

Date: July 9th, 2003
Venue: The Docks (Chicago, IL)
Attendance: (30,000)
Weather: Partly Cloudy

Malvineros F.C., an Argentinean 4th Division side has agreed to come to Chicago this week for an international training match. There’s absolutely nothing at stake here today, except perhaps a little bit of pride for the club. We would very much like to get a win, even a meaningless one, if for no other reason than to remove some of the sting from Sunday’s loss to the Ramblers.

Formation: 5-4-1 “Buccaneer”

Starters

Keeper: #13 Darryl Read

Right Wingback: #24 Christian Kvam
Central Defender: #20 Keith Stubbs
Central Defender: #21 Zarpas Lerma
Central Defender: #18 Cameron McDonald
Left Wingback: #17 Mattias Leier

Right Winger: #25 Paul Peralta
Inner Midfielder: #19 Jerry Smith
Inner Midfielder: #7 Lucian Tere
Left Winger: #10 Olav Mauffret

Forward: #15 Forrest “Gump” Tobias

Team Captain: #7 Lucian Tere
Set Pieces: #13 Darryl Read

Substitutes
-Keeper: #1 Cornelius “Corny” Jernigan
-Defender: #22 Tyler Willard
-Midfielder: #4 Pete “The Old Goat” Tomlin
-Forward: #11 Johannes Henriksson
-Winger: #3 Ben McMahon

We’ve decided to run the Buccaneer formation again today, just for grins. I’m a little curious to see what sort of ratings it gives us with an offensive coach (Jack Stein) at the helm. Other than that, it’s pretty much business as usual for us today.

The one odd thing is that keeper Darryl Read will be taking the set pieces for us today. I know it seems weird, but Darryl is actually the best set piece player we will have on the pitch today.

Match Report

PRE-GAME

Weather conditions were fairly good for football, and The Docks saw a crowd turnout of 1480.

Screamin' had chosen a strategic 5-4-1 formation. The following players had been chosen: Read - Kvam , Lerma, Stubbs, Mcdonald, Leier - Peralta, Tere, Smith, Mauffret - Tobias.

Malvineros tactics involved an interesting 3-5-2 combination. Lineup: Serrano - Reinders, Caro, Fisscher - Coulon, Camara Villar, Kurkawa, Koompakan, Hess - Gillery, Jadudova.

FIRST HALF

A well placed corner kick from Jan Fisscher was followed by Kasem Koompakan´s hard but accurate header. The nice combination meant 0-1 for Malvineros.

Masakazu Kurkawa could have put his team up another one in the 12th minute, after a rush down the left, but his closing shot hit the post.

13 minutes into the game Forrest Tobias was really close to evening the score out with a dangerous long range shot, but the ball went just wide of the bar.

0 - 1 was the half-time score. Malvineros, bringing the final ball possession rate to 60 percent, dominated the battle.

SECOND HALF

Malvineros´s Masakazu Kurkawa made it through the home teams defence in the 51st minute, and had only to place the ball in an unguarded goal when the home side´s defender sprang up from the left, clearing the ball on the line.

The game had been on for 53 minutes when Kasem Koompakan broke through to the right, upping the score to the home crowd´s dismay. Malvineros´s were up 0 - 2.

Malvineros´s Jan Fisscher received a play slashing through the home side´s defense in the 55:th minute, chipping it past the keeper scoring 0 - 3. The home crowd was not pleased with that one.

After this Malvineros lowered the tempo in order to concentrate on their defensive efforts.

After the ball got lifted in from the left Laurent Gillery was on his own in the home side´s penalty area 56 minutes into the game, and should have scored, but missed, probably due to lack of concentration.

Malvineros, bringing the final ball possession rate to 59 percent, dominated the battle.

POST-GAME

Screamin'´s best player was Zarpas Lerma. Jerry Smith on the other hand, had a terrible day.

The most dominating Malvineros player was without a doubt Hugo Serrano. Marcos Caro was a disappointment, however.

Final Score: Malvineros F.C. 3, Screamin’ Seamen 0

Goals

None

Cards

None

Player Ratings

Read: **~

Kvam (off): ***
Stubbs (off): **~
Lerma: ***
McDonald (off): **~
Leier (off): ***

Peralta (off): **
Smith (off): *~
Tere (off): **~
Mauffret (off): **

Tobias (off): **

Team Ratings

Screamin’ Seamen
-Midfield: Poor (3)
-Right Defense: Solid (7)
-Central Defense: Passable (6)
-Left Defense: Inadequate (5)
-Right Attack: Inadequate (5)
-Central Attack: Poor (3)
-Left Attack: Passable (6)
-Experience: Wretched (2)
-NSI: 41

Malvineros F.C.
-Midfield: Inadequate (5)
-Right Defense: Solid (7)
-Central Defense: Passable (6)
-Left Defense: Solid (7)
-Right Attack: Solid (7)
-Central Attack: Excellent (8)
-Left Attack: Solid (7)
-Experience: Wretched (2)
-NSI: 57

Comments

We were manhandled pretty badly today, not that it really matters much. Our ratings were a good deal lower than we are used to, but there are a couple of easy reasons for this to identify. First of all, our offensive coach has skewed the ratings some, but even more obvious is that, after the difficulties we’ve had at the end of the season and the recent MOTS against Ramblers, our team spirit is in the crapper.

Not much else to say today, really. I cared very little about this match. All of my thoughts are bent on Sunday, and making sure that we remain in Division IV.

Up Next: Weekly training results. Stay tuned!

[DataKing]

Week 14 Training Results

None of our defensive trainees showed any dramatic improvement this week, though we’re certain that Norwegian wingback Christian Kvam and Spanish defender Zarpas Lerma are relatively close. There were, however, a number of other significant changes this week.

Form Changes

2 players improved in form this week, including one starter:
-Goalkeeper Cornelius “Corny” Jernigan: Inadequate (5)

16 players saw their form remain the same this week.

4 players dropped in form this week, including two starters:
-Midfielder Charlie Bautista: Solid (7)
-Central Defender Chuck Scales: Passable (6)

Bautista and Scales don’t concern me much, as both are still in pretty good shape. The real good news here is that Corny appears to be coming out of his slump, which I am very glad to see. I did not relish the idea of benching him this weekend for our qualification match.

Experience

Two of our players improved in experience this week. Wingback Tyler Willard improved to wretched (2) experience. Also, injured midfielder Niklas Ivarsson improved to inadequate (5) experience. Unfortunately, Niklas is nursing a severe ankle sprain, and will not be available to play on Sunday.

Old-Timers

Father time seems to be catching up with some of our older players. Pete “The Old Goat” Tomlin dropped to solid (7) stamina this week. More painful is winger Valentin Rubio’s loss of a level of passing skill, to inadequate (5).

In The Zone

We’ll have four players in excellent (8) form on the pitch this Sunday. Wingbacks Arlen Lucas and Tyler Willard, along with winger Valentin Rubio, all remain in excellent form. Also in excellent form is reserve midfielder Lucian Tere, which is great timing, since he will be playing in place of the injured Niklas Ivarsson.

Form Dogs

Reserve midfielder Jerry Smith is this week’s form dog, as he is in weak (4) form for the second week in a row (I believe I forgot to mention Jerry in this section last week).

Player Values

Average Player Value: $173,182 (+$1,273)
Total Player Value (22 players): $3,810,000 (+$28,000)

Assessed Value Milestones

Not a true milestone this week, but worthy of mention nonetheless is wingback Arlen Lucas. This week, Arlen becomes the most highly valued member of the entire club, with an assessed value of $445,000, (keeper “Corny” Jernigan is presently valued at $431,000).

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

[DataKing]

Week 14 Youth Pull

For the first time in quite a while, our youth squad has turned out a quality promotee. Tracy Cheatham should make a fine two-way midfielder or winger someday. Midfield and winger trainees take note.

Tracy Cheatham

Listed As: Winger
Asking Price: $90,000
Deadline: 7/16/2003 @ 20:13 HT-Time

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

A pleasant guy who is fiery and dishonest.
Has disastrous (1) experience and weak (4) leadership abilities.

Specialty: Powerful

Nationality: American
Assessed Value: $98,000
Wage: $960 per week

Stamina: Inadequate (5)
Playmaking: Inadequate (5)
Winger: Inadequate (5)
Scoring: Wretched (2)
Goaltending: Disastrous (1)
Passing: Passable (6)
Defending: Inadequate (5)
Set Pieces: Poor

Weekly Financial Update

Previous Balance: $185,561

Revenue

Crowd (league match vs. Ramblers) - $159,000
Crowd (friendly match vs. Malvineros F.C.) - $3,909
Sponsors - $72,900

Total Revenue: $235,809

Expenses

Arena Upkeep - $19,500
Player Wages - $32,372
Temporary (youth squad promotion of Tony Kidd) - $2,000
Temporary (coaching change) - $10,000
Staff & Specialists - $45,000
Youth Squad Support - $20,000

Total Expenses: $128,872

Net Income/Loss: +$106,937

New Balance: $292,498

Team Information

Team Spirit: Calm (no change)
Team Confidence: Strong (no change)

Sponsor Attitude: High on Life (no change)
Supporter Attitude: Content (no change)
Supporter Club: 1,492 (down 14 from last week)

Our supporters were none too pleased with the 4-nil drubbing we took in the last week of the regular season, and fourteen of them left the supporter club. Hopefully we’ll be able to get them back this week after winning our relegation match on Sunday.

Up Next: It’s do-or-die (figuratively speaking), as we host Jedi Mind Tricks to see who earns the right to play in the Series Of The Beast [tm] next season. Stay tuned!

[DataKing]

Season 3 – Relegation Match

Screamin’ Seamen vs. Jedi Mind Tricks

Date: July 13th, 2003
Venue: The Docks (Chicago, IL)
Attendance: (30,000)
Weather: Sunny

This is it, ladies and gentlemen. The moment you’ve all been waiting for, but were hoping would never come. Today we have our relegation match against the Jedi Mind Tricks. The winner earns the right to play in the Series Of The Beast [tm] next season, while the loser is stuck in Division V for at least one season.

Talent-wise, he have a definite edge over the Jedi Mind Tricks. They do have a few quality players, but also have some gaping holes in their lineup that we will hope to take advantage of. Here is a small preview of three of the key players for Jedi Mind Tricks:

Cody Brothers (Goalkeeper): Cody is a solid keeper, who has been playing quite well as of late. He has pitched shut-outs in his last two matches, but the amount of support he will receive from the back three of the Jedi Mind Tricks is suspect. (Value: $467,000, ***~ last time out).

Gilbert Skelton (Inner Midfielder): At only 19 years old, Gilbert is a fine attacking midfielder who has a knack for finding the net. He has tallied numerous scores this season, and does a good job of contributing to possession as well. (Value: $460,000, ***~ last time out).

John Hammond (Forward): Hammond is an experienced and dangerous striker, who excels at pulling away from slower defenders. He has scored an impressive 15 goals this season in league play. Unfortunately for John, it is a scorching summer day here in Chicago, so he will have to conserve his energy or have problems in the second half. (Value: $214,000, *** last time out).

Formation: 3-5-2

Starters (# start w/SSFC, *s last time out)

Keeper: #1 Cornelius “Corny” Jernigan (23rd start, **~)

Right Wingback: #5 Arlen “Headcase” Lucas (43rd start, ****~)
Central Defender: #2 Chuck Scales (44th start, ****)
Left Wingback: #22 Tyler Willard (23rd start, ****)

Right Winger: #3 Ben McMahon (41st start, **)
Inner Midfielder: #4 Pete “The Old Goat” Tomlin (41st start, **~)
Inner Midfielder: #7 Lucian Tere (33rd start, **~)
Inner Midfielder: #6 Charlie Bautista (45th, start, ***~)
Left Winger: #9 Valentin Rubio (15th start, ***)

Forward: #12 Guido Metman (9th start, **~)
Forward: #11 Johannes Henriksson (40th start, **)

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

Substitutes
-Keeper: #13 Darryl Read (25 career starts)
-Defender: #17 Mattias Leier (3 career starts)
-Midfielder: #25 Paul Peralta (15 career starts)
-Forward: #15 Forrest “Gump” Tobias (32 career starts)
-Winger: #10 Olav Mauffret (31 career starts)

Absent from the lineup is one of our usual inner midfielder, Niklas Ivarsson. Niklas is nursing a severe ankle sprain sustained in last week’s match against the Ramblers, and will be replaced by veteran back-up Lucian Tere. We’re fortunate that Lucian has been playing extremely well as of late (excellent form), and should fill in nicely. He may have some trouble though, as we’ve got scorching weather today, which is a deficit to the big man. But “The Old Goat” Tomlin and Charlie Bautista should both more than make up for this, as they thrive on days like this (both are technical specialists).

Jedi Mind Tricks have a respectable attack, but we should have a significant edge over them on possession, so we should be able to keep the ball away from them, and especially John Hammond. Defensively, the Mind Tricks are suspect, particularly on the right side of their defense. As a result, we’re tilting the offense towards the left, with both midfielder Charlie Bautista and winger Valentin Rubio pushing the ball up the left side of the pitch at every opportunity.

One other change this week is in our substitutions. Reserve midfielder Jerry Smith would normally be our reserve midfielder in a situation like this, but he has been playing horribly as of late. As a result, super-sub Paul Peralta will be our substitute midfielder, while Finn Olav Mauffret will take Paul’s usual spot as out reserve winger for the day.

Time to head for The Docks and get ready. But first, I think I need a drink to calm my nerves…

Match Report

PRE-GAME

A scorching day at The Docks, where 29990 spectators were in place for today’s match.

Screamin' had chosen a strategic 3-5-2 formation. The following players had been chosen: Jernigan - Lucas, Scales, Willard - Mcmahon, Tere, Bautista, Tomlin, Rubio - Metman, Henriksson.

Jedi had chosen a strategic 3-5-2 formation. Lineup: Brothers - Mcdonald, Marx, Brown - Everett, Garcia, Skelton, Sacristán, Barandiarán Pied - Hammond, Tolbert.

FIRST HALF

The crowd was amused as Jason Tolbert of Jedi used a few interesting tricks and dribbles to get into the penalty box. The finish wasn’t very amusing, though.

Pete Tomlin 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.

After an industrious effort down the middle Guido Metman could have closed the game off in the 9:th minute, but his finishing shot hit the post.

1 - 0 was the half-time score. The forty-five minutes were dominated by Screamin', with an impressive 60 percent possession of the ball.

SECOND HALF

Pete Tomlin should probably have put his team up another goal in the 61st minute, but some great goaltending by Cody Brothers kept the visitors in the game.

Neal Brown of Jedi received a yellow card in the 69:th minute for unsportsmanlike behavior.

Johannes Henriksson almost managed to score another goal for Screamin', but his header was tipped to a corner by the visitors goalie.

Unsportsmanlike behavior by Neal Brown rendered him his second booking of the match, and Jedi had to finish the game with a reduced squad.

Screamin' held the ball, with a clear 70 percent possession rate.

POST-GAME

Most important Screamin' player was Arlen Lucas. However, Johannes Henriksson made a disastrous appearance.

The most dominating Jedi player was without a doubt Gilbert Skelton. Cole Everett on the other hand, had a terrible day.

Final Score: Screamin’ Seamen 1, Jedi Mind Tricks 0

Goals

Tomlin – 1(1, GWG)

Cards

None

Player Ratings

Jernigan: ***

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

McMahon: **
Tomlin: **~
Tere: **~
Bautista: ***
Rubio: ***

Metman: **~
Henriksson: **

Team Match MVP: #5 Arlen Lucas

Team Ratings

Screamin’ Seamen
-Midfield: Passable (6)
-Right Defense: Outstanding (10)
-Central Defense: Formidable (9)
-Left Defense: Formidable (9)
-Right Attack: Solid (7)
-Central Attack: Solid (7)
-Left Attack: Formidable (9)
-Experience: Poor (3)
-NSI: 69

Jedi Mind Tricks
-Midfield: Weak (4)
-Right Defense: Inadequate (5)
-Central Defense: Passable (6)
-Left Defense: Excellent (8)
-Right Attack: Weak (4)
-Central Attack: Solid (7)
-Left Attack: Excellent (8)
-Experience: Poor (3)
-NSI: 50

Comments

Success! By the way the teams played on the pitch, the score should have been rather lop-sided, I can honestly say that I don’t give a damn. We won today, and that’s all that matters. We’ve earned the right to play in The Series Of The Beast [tm] for at least one more season, and that suits me and the rest of the team just fine.

Although Arlen Lucas was the official Team Match MVP, Pete “The Old Goat” Tomlin was the Man Of The Match as far as I am concerned. His early goal stood up as the only tally of the game, and he came very close to giving us a 2-nil lead early on in the second half. Mad props have to be given to Cody Brothers, the goalkeeper for the Jedi, however. He played a fantastic game, stopping two great scoring chances in the second half, in order to keep things close. Unfortunately for him, he got no goal support from the rest of his club, as the attackers of the Jedi just did not have an answer to Arlen Lucas, Chuck Scales, and Tyler Willard.

Elsewhere in Series IV.49

-In the other relegation match from the series, Sweden Heights absolutely demolished Izzy’s Diaper Bombers (interesting name), 8-nil. It was a completely lop-sided affair, as the Bombers appeared to make no effort to even make the match competitive. Sweden Heights remain in the series.

-In the qualification match, Croats in Miami fell to Miami Redskins S.C., 3-1, and will remain in series IV.49 as well. The match was actually proof that midfield isn’t everything. Croats had the midfield advantage (54% possession to 46%), but were out-played on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. All the possession in the world won’t do you any good if you can’t do anything with it. (NSI ratings were 85 for Miami Redskins S.C. and 78 for Croats in Miami).

So, aside from two auto-promotees (who will be summarily dismissed at the end of next season, barring a miracle), the clubs comprising The Series Of The Beast [tm] will remain the same for at least one more season.

Up Next: A friendly match with vexroid’s N.E. Oklahoma Sidekicks. Stay tuned!

[DataKing]

Season 3 – Qualification Week – Training Match

NE Oklahoma Sidekicks vs. Screamin’ Seamen

Date: July 16th, 2003
Venue: Sidekick Stadium (Oklahoma)
Attendance: 947 (31,000)
Weather: Overcast

We’ve arranged for a friendly match with vexroid’s NE Oklahoma Sidekicks for this week, and have agreed to travel to Oklahoma for the match. Our supporters have been none too pleased with us as of late (although winning our qualification match on Sunday helped), so we thought it best to get out of Chi-Town for a couple of days.

Frankly, we expect to get smoked today. The Sidekicks had no qualification match on Sunday, so we should be facing their starters today. This match is for training purposes only, as far as I am concerned, and there is nothing at stake whatsoever.

Formation: 5-4-1

Starters

Keeper: #13 Darryl Read

Right Wingback: #24 Christian Kvam
Central Defender: #20 Keith Stubbs
Central Defender: #21 Zarpas Lerma
Central Defender: #18 Cameron McDonald
Left Wingback: #17 Mattias Leier

Right Winger: #10 Olav Mauffret
Inner Midfielder: #19 Jerry Smith
Inner Midfielder: #7 Lucian Tere
Left Winger: #25 Paul Peralta

Forward: #15 Forrest “Gump” Tobias

Team Captain: #7 Lucian Tere
Set Pieces: #13 Darryl Read

Substitutes
-Keeper: #1 Cornelius “Corny” Jernigan
-Defender: #22 Tyler Willard
-Midfielder: #4 Pete “The Old Goat” Tomlin
-Forward: #11 Johannes Henriksson
-Winger: #3 Ben McMahon

We’ve got our typical reserves on the pitch today, but will be reverting back to a box-standard 5-4-1 formation. The reason for this is two-fold. First off, we want to get an idea of how our players will perform with the new rules in place. We want to use today’s match as a base-line, particularly to help determine whether Keith Stubbs or Cameron McDonald will be our new starting sweeper (more on that in a later post).

The second reason is that this is the first match for our new head coach (more on him later as well). He is the new “neither attack nor defense minded” coach, so I want to see what sort of ratings we can expect with him at the helm.

Match Report

PRE-GAME

947 spectators had come to Sidekick Stadium this cloudy day. Sidekicks had chosen a strategic 3-5-2 formation.

The following players had been chosen: Podboj - Johnson, Alonso, Thompson - Needham, Andersson, Stensson, Anduaga, Issjö - Tuvin, Perez.

Screamin' started off with a 5-4-1 lineup. The following players had been chosen: Read - Kvam , Lerma, Stubbs, Mcdonald, Leier - Mauffret , Tere, Smith, Peralta - Tobias.

FIRST HALF

After a fine move down the middle Patrik Tuvin nearly gave the home side one up in the 2nd minute. The finishing shot went just wide, though.

Göran Andersson received some harsh words from his coach after he acted foolishly, probably out of lack of experience, in the 3rd minute and almost caused an opponent to score.

After a fine move down the middle Keith Perez nearly gave the home side one up in the 20:th minute. The finishing shot went just wide, though.

After 33 minutes of play, the free-spirited Ola Issjö decided to aim straight for the goal as he struck a free kick from the corner of the pitch. The ball deflected off a defender and went out of bounds.

After 35 minutes Sidekicks´s Admir Podboj contracted a slight foot injury, but could finish the game.

Sidekicks had a good opportunity to take the lead as Patrik Tuvin came up the left side, but he struck the ball weakly and it went straight into the arms of Darryl Read.

39 minutes into the game Olav Mauffret had to leave the pitch due to a knee injury. In came Ben Mcmahon.

In the games 41st minute Screamin'´s Cameron Mcdonald fell dramatically just outside the penalty area. However, the referee booked Cameron Mcdonald for taking a dive.

The teams went for a half-time break at 0 - 0. Sidekicks held the ball, with a clear 78 percent possession rate.

SECOND HALF

Sidekickss Alanzo Anduaga gave, after 60 minutes, the home team a 1 - 0 lead after an attack coming in from the right.

In the 64:th minute of the match the visitors central line of defence had to look on as Byron Johnson dashed through, knocking home 2 - 0 for Sidekicks.

Cameron Mcdonald made several blunders at the end of the game, causing a good deal of unrest in the defensive line4.

Sidekicks, bringing the final ball possession rate to 78 percent, dominated the battle.

POST-GAME

The most dominating Sidekicks player was without a doubt Göran Andersson. Ola Issjö on the other hand, had a terrible day.

Screamin'´s best player was Keith Stubbs. Jerry Smith on the other hand, had a terrible day.

Final Score: NE Oklahoma Sidekicks 2, Screamin’ Seamen 0

Goals

None

Cards

McDonald – yellow

Player Ratings

Read: **~

Kvam: ***
Stubbs: ***~
Lerma: ***
McDonald: ***
Leier: ***~

Mauffret: *~ (injured)
McMahon: **~ (replaced Olav Mauffret)
Smith: *~
Tere: **~
Peralta: **~

Tobias: **~

Team Ratings

Screamin’ Seamen
-Midfield: Poor (3)
-Right Defense: World-Class (13)
-Central Defense: Supernatural (14)
-Left Defense: Brilliant (11)
-Right Attack: Weak (4)
-Central Attack: Poor (3)
-Left Attack: Weak (4)
-Experience: Wretched (2)
-NSI: 58

NE Oklahoma Sidekicks
-Midfield: Excellent (8)
-Right Defense: Inadequate (5)
-Central Defense: Inadequate (5)
-Left Defense: Passable (6)
-Right Attack: Formidable (9)
-Central Attack: Excellent (8)
-Left Attack: Inadequate (5)
-Experience: Wretched (2)
-NSI: 62

Comments

Our defense did a good job of keeping the Sidekicks off the board in the first half, but it was only a matter of time before they found their way through, especially with the massive possession advantage that they enjoyed. I look forward to trying out the “counter-attack” tactic once it comes out with the 5-4-1 formation, as well as perhaps the “play destruction” tactic.

Our defensive ratings were impressive, to say the least. To be honest, I always felt that the defensive ratings provided by the 5-4-1 formation were rather “cheap,” for lack of a better term, but it appears that it has been tweaked some. Five defenders plus a keeper should form a considerably defensive wall, and that is certainly what we enjoyed today.

We have solved our dilemma regarding Keith Stubbs and Cameron McDonald, at least for the time being. It is obvious from today’s match that Keith is better-prepared to step in for Chuck Scales than Cameron McDonald is. After the match, we announced to the club that Keith would be our new starting sweeper, until I say otherwise.

Up Next: Results from this week’s training. Stay tuned!

[DataKing]

News and Notes from Screamin’ Seamen-Land

Seamen Hire Permanent Coach, Stein Given The Boot

Data King, team owner and general manager of the Screamin’ Seamen Football Club, held a press conference on Tuesday to announce that SSFC had found its new head coach. He announced that thirty-four year old Ioan Fluieras, native of Ploesti, Romania, had been hired as the new head coach for the Seamen.

“We are very pleased to announce Mr. Fluieras as the new head coach for the Screamin’ Seamen,” announced King to various members of the press. “Ioan [Fluieras] brings with him a great deal of experience, both as a former player and as a coach, moreso than one would expect of a man of relatively tender years.”

Fluieras has a relatively colorful history within the soccer world. He spent seven years as a midfielder for Fremen Spirit, one of the premier 2nd Division sides in his native Romania. Unfortunately, his playing career was cut short when he was diagnosed with a rare type of bone cancer. After two years of treatment, Fluieras beat the odds and his cancer went into remission. Unfortunately, his playing days were over at that point.

After a failed attempt to regain his lost skills, Fluieras instead turned to coaching. He initially landed a position as an assistant coach with Motaneii, a Romanian 4th Division club. It was there that he first met Lucian Tere, currently a reserve midfielder for the Screamin’ Seamen. Tere claims that a great deal of his skill as a midfielder came from his training under Motaneii.

Tere, who also attended Tuesday’s press conference, commented to the press. “Ioan [Fluieras] quickly earned my respect when I was playing for Motaneii, and he taught me a great deal. I always felt that he would make an excellent head coach someday, and when Mr. King announced that he was looking for a new head man, I recommended that he take a look at my old friend.” The rest, as they say, is history.

By all accounts, Fluieras is a solid trainer, and does quite well at developing young talent. However, the one criticism of the man is that he does not have a strong sideline presence, and is really more of a practice-field coach than a game-day leader. “This was definitely taken into account during our interviews with Ioan,” stated King regarding this issue. “We feel that we have plenty of on-field experience and leadership as it is, with veterans like Pete [Tomlin], Niklas [Ivarsson] and Guido [Metman] on the pitch.

Financial terms were undisclosed, but it is believed that Fluieras carried a price tag in excess of $250,000.

Ioan Fluieras

Age: 34

A solid coach who is neither attack nor defense minded.
A controversial person who is balanced and dishonest.
Has formidable experience and poor leadership abilities.


Fluieras Makes His Move, Sweeper Scales Sent to Sweden

Ioan Fluieras, the new head coach of the Screamin’ Seamen Football Club, wasted no time in making alterations to the club’s roster. On Friday morning, Fluieras and team owner Data King announced that Chuck Scales, the Seamens’ starting sweeper for the past three seasons, had been sold to the Lunden Loafers, a Swedish 4th Division side. The price tag was a considerable $1.1 million, by far the largest transfer the club has ever been involved in.

“We’re sorry to see Chuck [Scales] go,” stated King at Friday’s press conference, “but we also know that it is the best thing for the club in the long run. We have some good young talent that we feel is ready to fill Scales’ considerable shoes. Both Keith [Stubbs] and Cameron [McDonald] have shown a great deal of promise thus far at the sweeper position, and we’re positive that one of them will really step up and take over.”

King and Fluieras were unwilling to name either Stubbs or McDonald as the official replacement for Scales in the starting rotation. However, reliable sources have indicated that 20-year-old Keith Stubbs will start at the centerback position at the open of next season’s U.S. Open Cup.

King stated that he had opened up practically all of the money earned in the Scales transfer to Fluieras, who in turn stated that he was looking to shore up the club’s midfield and striker positions. No specific details were given, however.

[DataKing]

Qualification Week Training Results

Both of our remaining solid defensive trainees improved to excellent defense this week. Excellent news.

Christian Kvam

Position: Wingback
Jersey #24

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

A pleasant guy who is balanced and honest.
Has disastrous (1) experience and weak (4) leadership abilities.

Specialty: Head

Nationality: Norwegian
Assessed Value: $116,000
Wage: $924 per week

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


Zarpas Lerma

Position: Central Defender
Jersey #21

19 years old, solid (7) form, healthy.

A pleasant guy who is balanced and upright.
Has disastrous (1) experience and passable (6) leadership abilities.

Specialty: Head

Nationality: Spanish
Assessed Value: $129,000
Wage: $888 per week

Stamina: Inadequate (5)
Playmaking: Weak (4)
Winger: Inadequate (5)
Scoring: Poor (3)
Goaltending: Disastrous (1)
Passing: Disastrous (1)
Defending: Excellent (8)
Set Pieces: Wretched (2)

Also this week, starting keeper “Corny” Jernigan improved to weak (4) experience. This is more good news, with the increased importance of experience now in the Hattrick engine.

Form Changes

1 player improved in form this week, a starter:
-Goalkeeper Cornelius “Corny” Jernigan: passable (6)

14 players saw their form remain the same this week.

6 players dropped in form this week, including 4 starters:
-Midfielder Charlie Bautista: passable (6)
-Injured midfielder Niklas Ivarsson: inadequate (5)
-Wingback Arlen Lucas: solid (7)
-Wingback Tyler Willard: passable (6) (down 2 levels)

I guess we have to take the good with the bad this week. We had nice improvement skill-wise this week, with the improvements by Kvam and Lerma, as well as the improved experience and form for Corny. However, the average form for our starters got hammered, and our starting wingbacks have finally come back down to earth, after spending a lot of time at excellent (8) form.

In The Zone

Only one player on the roster remains in excellent form this week, Argentinean winger Valentin Rubio.

Form Dogs

Reserve midfielder Jerry Smith continues to be a disappointment, and remains in weak (4) form. Another disappointment is Cameron McDonald, who after a couple of weeks with respectable form, has dropped back down to weak (4) as well. That is unfortunate for Cameron, as it makes Keith Stubbs the likely replacement for Chuck Scales in the middle.

Player Values

Average Player Value: $171,714 (-$1,468)
Total Player Value (21 players): $3,615,000 (-$195,000)

Note that the sale of Chuck Scales means that these numbers are heavily deflated, compared to last week’s values.

Assessed Value Milestones

$200,000+
-Wingback Mattias Leier ($204,000)

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

[DataKing]

Qualification Week Youth Pull

This week’s youth pull is about as useful on the pitch as the Sesame Street character with the same first name. Elmo Walton has been summarily fired, and will be seeking employment in the children’s television industry.

Weekly Financial Update

Previous Balance: $292,498

Revenue

Crowd (relegation match vs. Jedi Mind Tricks) - $79,400
Crowd (friendly match vs. NE Oklahoma Sidekicks) - $2,529
Sponsors - $72,450
Temporary (annual supporter dues) - $44,760
Temporary (14 new supporters) - $420
Temporary (sale of Chuck Scales) - $1,012,000

Total Revenue: $1,211,559

Expenses

Arena Upkeep - $19,500
Player Wages - $32,372
Temporary (youth squad promotion of Tracy Cheatham) - $2,000
Temporary (transfer listing of Chuck Scales) - $1,000
Temporary (2 transfer listings for Tracy Cheatham) - $2,000
Temporary (hiring of head coach Ioan Fluieras) - $268,700
Staff & Specialists - $45,000
Youth Squad Support - $20,000

Total Expenses: $390,572

Net Income/Loss: +$820,987

New Balance: $1,113,485

With over $1 million in the bank, we’re obviously looking at a very busy off-season on the transfer market. Fans can expect to see some improvements in the midfield as well as a new striker wearing SSFC black and red next season.

Team Information

Team Spirit: Irritated (down 2 levels)
Team Confidence: Wonderful (up 1 level)

Sponsor Attitude: High on Life (no change)
Supporter Attitude: Delirious (up 2 levels)
Supporter Club: 1,506 (up 14 from last week)

Not that any of this really matters, as these factors will be reset soon during the off-season. I would like to point out, however, that the fourteen supporters who left last week came crawling back, $30 in hand, begging our forgiveness.

Up Next: More off-season news and team awards, as well as the first ever voter-decided Team MVP award. Stay tuned!

[sterlingice]

Originally posted by DataKing
Qualification Week Youth Pull

This week’s youth pull is about as useful on the pitch as the Sesame Street character with the same first name. Elmo Walton has been summarily fired, and will be seeking employment in the children’s television industry.

Does he have a high pitched voice?

SI