OK, first things first. A new winning bet for the Bayern Munich game, so good news there.
Seperate report will folow for Castle Village, suffice to say TOP OF THE LEAGUE!
But, most important of all - we can all laugh at Lewes (again!).
Not just because a 2-0 defeat goes a long way to leaving them adrift at the foot of the table; no, that is a given with The Mighty Rooks. We can laugh at them thanks to their midget hero ex-manager.
Story: Steve (Hood Ornament) King is the pride and joy of Lewes. They worship the midget. Even though he has left them. The reason being he took Lewes from their natural place as the whipping boys of Sunday League football and a fan base of about six, up to the heights of non-league football enjoyed at Eastbourne. This was punching well above their weight, but Lewes fans started to think that they had a team worthy of the name, and went into denial over the fact that King only did it by paying massively above the going rate to attract players to Lewes who were of a standard that would normally not have pissed on the club if it was on fire. They also went into denial over King's abilities, mistaking an open cheque book and financial backing well beyond the means of any club they played against for actual talent. Well, at the end of last season the pigeons (or, in this case, the Rooks) came home to roost, Lewes admitted that they didn't have the money to pay anyone, that another season of these costs would bankrupt the club, so King stormed off and has left Lewes to wither on the vine.
Somehow, he talked his way into getting a job as manager of doomed (well, certainly doomed now) outfit Northwich Victoria. Yesterday, Northwich Victoria visited Priory Lane to play Eastbourne Borough.
How did the Mighty Midget fare? Quite badly. His re-vamped side, now, after several weeks with his stamp on them, were beaten 4-1 (plus a disallowed Borough fifth goal). Two players (both Northwich) received straight red cards. Well, King has never been able to maintain team discipline, being a prize mouthy idiot himself. Funniest of all, King did his normal trick of engaging mouth while brain was in neutral, and both himself and his assistant were also red-carded and escorted from the ground by the stewards!
Excellent. Lose four-one, and receive four red cards in one game! As Borough sang - 'you've got more red cards than goals!'
But the Mad Midget's idiocy did not end there! No sir, never one to rest on his laurels, Mad King Midget managed to get interviewed on local radio, and started wittering on about how Northwich had dominated the game when both sides had eleven men, and were comfortably on track to win. They were 2-1 down at the time of the first red card, and the red card was given for a violent elbow against a Borough player otherwise clear on goal. And it was 4-1 before the second player walked.
But good old Mad King Midget - everybody's favourite hood ornament. He helps us remember why we all laugh at Lewes. I only hope he doesn't destroy Northwich as he has The Rooks - they are much to good a side to deserve that.
Sunday, 7 December 2008
Friday, 5 December 2008
Notes for today
Top tip for the footy is Bayern Munich - TSG Hoffenheim, go for +2.5 goals. Should be able to get about 4/9.
Castle Village have bought a new player. We have been lacking fire-power up front, and been rather one-dimensional in attack style. Get away with that against bots, but not against decent teams. Well, CV have spent (hopefully very wisely) £50K on an elderly Italian with minimal games under his belt. Well, hardly any, really.
Not sure why he hasn't been playing, I assume he was either out of the pecking order in a good line-up or they were training strikers and didn't need an over-the-hill forward blocking places.
OK, his experience is poor, and his form in inad, and he is 30. But he has excellent scoring, solid stamina and solid SP, plus good secondaries (weak passing and passable winger). He is expected to be a fill-in for the next four seasons, by which time he will have had it, but an excellent forward with solid SP and stamina (and he is unpred, should go well with Donato 'Donny' Meza, who is tech with great passing skills, but only passable scoring), he should bring in a few goals as a result a few fans, also (with a large slice of luck) keep us in series VI next year (and so keep the money rolling in) and when he is facing retirement is when the trainees will be up for sale, so in four seasons time we should be able to make a killing on the transfer market, invest wisely in the players we need without scraping around for mono-skilled passable/solids, and start to make a real push for promotion to series V and the big bucks.
Of course, he may break his leg first game, but glass half-full and all that!
Castle Village have bought a new player. We have been lacking fire-power up front, and been rather one-dimensional in attack style. Get away with that against bots, but not against decent teams. Well, CV have spent (hopefully very wisely) £50K on an elderly Italian with minimal games under his belt. Well, hardly any, really.
Not sure why he hasn't been playing, I assume he was either out of the pecking order in a good line-up or they were training strikers and didn't need an over-the-hill forward blocking places.
OK, his experience is poor, and his form in inad, and he is 30. But he has excellent scoring, solid stamina and solid SP, plus good secondaries (weak passing and passable winger). He is expected to be a fill-in for the next four seasons, by which time he will have had it, but an excellent forward with solid SP and stamina (and he is unpred, should go well with Donato 'Donny' Meza, who is tech with great passing skills, but only passable scoring), he should bring in a few goals as a result a few fans, also (with a large slice of luck) keep us in series VI next year (and so keep the money rolling in) and when he is facing retirement is when the trainees will be up for sale, so in four seasons time we should be able to make a killing on the transfer market, invest wisely in the players we need without scraping around for mono-skilled passable/solids, and start to make a real push for promotion to series V and the big bucks.
Of course, he may break his leg first game, but glass half-full and all that!
Wednesday, 3 December 2008
Tuesday, second post
And a bit late, because it is now Wednesday.
Arsenal dumped out of the cup by Burnley? The Gambling Gods don't seem to like me at the moment! Suppose that is why they call it a gamble. I'll sacrifice a goat later and see if my luck changes.
Castle Village-Gubers ended 3-3, a fair result. Two late Gubers goals, taking advantage of a tiring and poorly-organised Village in the last 15 minutes, sealed the draw. A reasonable crowd, good performances all-round for the five 17 year-old trainees, no injuries, Old Glory added to the flag collection (now, how do I go about getting a proper Confederate one?), all-in-all, a good game and well worth the admission price! Also the first time that Castle Village have not been stuffed in a reserve game!
Good to see old Castle Village favourite Oscar Reid back at the ground, playing for Gubers, even if he did have a stinker of a game.
Arsenal dumped out of the cup by Burnley? The Gambling Gods don't seem to like me at the moment! Suppose that is why they call it a gamble. I'll sacrifice a goat later and see if my luck changes.
Castle Village-Gubers ended 3-3, a fair result. Two late Gubers goals, taking advantage of a tiring and poorly-organised Village in the last 15 minutes, sealed the draw. A reasonable crowd, good performances all-round for the five 17 year-old trainees, no injuries, Old Glory added to the flag collection (now, how do I go about getting a proper Confederate one?), all-in-all, a good game and well worth the admission price! Also the first time that Castle Village have not been stuffed in a reserve game!
Good to see old Castle Village favourite Oscar Reid back at the ground, playing for Gubers, even if he did have a stinker of a game.
Tuesday, 2 December 2008
Tuesday, first post
Just a quickie (oo, er, missus).
Castle Village play tonight, reserve team friendly. Hosting Gubers from the USA. Report to follow when it is all cut and dried.
Lost dosh yesterday, due to Bucheresti scoring deep into stoppage time, even though they only had ten men. Today's footie bet is Arsenal to win away at Burnley - unless they play the reserves, it should happen (I said that for Leeds at Histon as well, but I must be right sometimes, musn't I?). Great odds, Arsenal are 4/5 with Billy Hills, Joe Corals and Vic Chandler, amongst others.
Castle Village play tonight, reserve team friendly. Hosting Gubers from the USA. Report to follow when it is all cut and dried.
Lost dosh yesterday, due to Bucheresti scoring deep into stoppage time, even though they only had ten men. Today's footie bet is Arsenal to win away at Burnley - unless they play the reserves, it should happen (I said that for Leeds at Histon as well, but I must be right sometimes, musn't I?). Great odds, Arsenal are 4/5 with Billy Hills, Joe Corals and Vic Chandler, amongst others.
Monday, 1 December 2008
OK, job done
Some (but only a little) pride regained as Castle Village won 1-0 yesterday. My game predictor said it was a toss-up between 4-0 and 5-0, but that's the way it goes sometimes. I feel that a new striker is a priority - Donato meza was a bargain, lovely little man, but there is nobody to back him up up front. Problem is, I can't afford one!
The back line is ok, and the trainees all doing well, no problems with the keeper, pretty good on the wings and plenty of variety (and one real talent) in midfield, so it is only the forward line which concerns me, this season at least.
Seriously thinking of PIC to drop a few points and stay in series VII, but it goes against my nature, so I doubt if it will happen.
Just looking forward to a few seasons as a yo-yo!
The back line is ok, and the trainees all doing well, no problems with the keeper, pretty good on the wings and plenty of variety (and one real talent) in midfield, so it is only the forward line which concerns me, this season at least.
Seriously thinking of PIC to drop a few points and stay in series VII, but it goes against my nature, so I doubt if it will happen.
Just looking forward to a few seasons as a yo-yo!
Sunday, 30 November 2008
Bad day at the bookies...
OK so nothing today. Leeds losing to Histon? O come on! Then Genoa could only manage a 1-1 draw.
Not my best day at the bookies, but tomorrow is, as they say, another day.
An hour to kick off against Manx Mafia - maybe I can salvage some pride at least?
Not my best day at the bookies, but tomorrow is, as they say, another day.
An hour to kick off against Manx Mafia - maybe I can salvage some pride at least?
Today's the day
Big day for Castle Village FC, but will return to that later. First, football in the real world!
A luvverly double win yesterday, so another try to relieve the bookies of some of their excess cash today. I have backed Leeds to beat Histon in the FA Cup (4/6) and Genoa to beat Bologna in the Italian Series A (8/13), plus a small double on both teams to do the necessary. Hopefully will do something to help me through the credit crunch.
Speaking of which, what a bloody con! Their is only one winner, the big banking companies, who normally win. First, many years ago, they make money by lending money at interest (so get paid for providing a service, not producing anything); then, they start taking property when loans default - quite often defaulting due to financial changes caused by the banks themselves (so now they do own tangable assets, but still don't create anything); later, they get the rights to create money itself, by printing money and becomming the 'national' or 'central' bank in a country, so now they effectively control that nation's economy - and create inflation, boom and bust cycles and so on; now, today, in the credit crunch (which is simply the planet adjusting itself to the unsustainable infationary pressures of the banks insatiable lust for un-earnt profit) we are witnessing the governments of the world rushing to 'bail out' the banks with what they laughingly refer to as 'loans'. In practice what they are doing is giving the banks (the failed banks who created the crisis in the first place!) the entire tax revenue of the nation for years to come! This means, in economic terms, that we have all been sold into slavery and are now owned by the banks! And, come the next crash - or certainly the one after - there is nothing left to bail the banks out with! Roll on that day, painful though it will be.
Anyway, rant over.
Important issues: today Castle Village play Manx Mafia, a big day. Why? Because Manx Mafia are the first human opponnent we have to face. Slaughtering bots is all well and good, fine and dandy and all that rot, but the game is what it is because real, flesh and blood people play it, with all their charms, quirks and genius. Test numero Uno for Castle Village, I have no doubt we will pass it, the result will be interesting (and pasted on here, of course), and, if things go well in the other games today (by which I mean if Dreamteam lose - a real possibility as they have just been taken over by that all-devouring internationalist, the evil robot called 'bot'), then by the end of the evening Castle Village could be proudly sitting on top of England's series VII.730 - nothing that will be more than a footnote in the history books, but their highest league position for many years!
A luvverly double win yesterday, so another try to relieve the bookies of some of their excess cash today. I have backed Leeds to beat Histon in the FA Cup (4/6) and Genoa to beat Bologna in the Italian Series A (8/13), plus a small double on both teams to do the necessary. Hopefully will do something to help me through the credit crunch.
Speaking of which, what a bloody con! Their is only one winner, the big banking companies, who normally win. First, many years ago, they make money by lending money at interest (so get paid for providing a service, not producing anything); then, they start taking property when loans default - quite often defaulting due to financial changes caused by the banks themselves (so now they do own tangable assets, but still don't create anything); later, they get the rights to create money itself, by printing money and becomming the 'national' or 'central' bank in a country, so now they effectively control that nation's economy - and create inflation, boom and bust cycles and so on; now, today, in the credit crunch (which is simply the planet adjusting itself to the unsustainable infationary pressures of the banks insatiable lust for un-earnt profit) we are witnessing the governments of the world rushing to 'bail out' the banks with what they laughingly refer to as 'loans'. In practice what they are doing is giving the banks (the failed banks who created the crisis in the first place!) the entire tax revenue of the nation for years to come! This means, in economic terms, that we have all been sold into slavery and are now owned by the banks! And, come the next crash - or certainly the one after - there is nothing left to bail the banks out with! Roll on that day, painful though it will be.
Anyway, rant over.
Important issues: today Castle Village play Manx Mafia, a big day. Why? Because Manx Mafia are the first human opponnent we have to face. Slaughtering bots is all well and good, fine and dandy and all that rot, but the game is what it is because real, flesh and blood people play it, with all their charms, quirks and genius. Test numero Uno for Castle Village, I have no doubt we will pass it, the result will be interesting (and pasted on here, of course), and, if things go well in the other games today (by which I mean if Dreamteam lose - a real possibility as they have just been taken over by that all-devouring internationalist, the evil robot called 'bot'), then by the end of the evening Castle Village could be proudly sitting on top of England's series VII.730 - nothing that will be more than a footnote in the history books, but their highest league position for many years!
Saturday, 29 November 2008
Final update
Sorry, one edit. Millwall won 3-0 (I left the PC just before FT, missed the third goal).
And Sochaux-Bordeaux ended 0-0, so my +0.5 Bordeaux is also a winner. Good day all round.
Shame about Eastbourne, though.
And Sochaux-Bordeaux ended 0-0, so my +0.5 Bordeaux is also a winner. Good day all round.
Shame about Eastbourne, though.
Can't laugh at Lewes today, but...
...only because they didn't play (game postponed).
Quick real-life round up.
Eastbourne Borough lost 2-0 away to league-leaders Burton Albion (no surprises there, apart from a very peculiar starting line-up ythat ignored our best players).
Millwall progress to the FA Cup round 3 with a 2- win at home to Aldershot (no surprise, but good news in my book).
Wigan came from behind to beat The Baggies - hip hip hooray! I had a wager that they would win.
Waiting on tonight's evening ko between Souchaux and Bordeaux - I have a small bet on Bordeaux winning in the Asian handicaps at +0.5. Just started, still 0-0, so I'm ahead at the moment!
No game for Castle Village today, we play Manx Mafia at home Sunday.
TTFN
Quick real-life round up.
Eastbourne Borough lost 2-0 away to league-leaders Burton Albion (no surprises there, apart from a very peculiar starting line-up ythat ignored our best players).
Millwall progress to the FA Cup round 3 with a 2- win at home to Aldershot (no surprise, but good news in my book).
Wigan came from behind to beat The Baggies - hip hip hooray! I had a wager that they would win.
Waiting on tonight's evening ko between Souchaux and Bordeaux - I have a small bet on Bordeaux winning in the Asian handicaps at +0.5. Just started, still 0-0, so I'm ahead at the moment!
No game for Castle Village today, we play Manx Mafia at home Sunday.
TTFN
Friday, 28 November 2008
Castle Green - the new United Nations?
Castle Green will be hosting its second international friendly match in as many weeks, with the arrival of Florida-based outfit Gubers.
Who knows, our long-sufferring fans may see our first non-competative win! So close last week, going ahead on 45 minutes before losing 4-2 to our much better organised visitors from Finland, Teon Tunarit.
Who knows, our long-sufferring fans may see our first non-competative win! So close last week, going ahead on 45 minutes before losing 4-2 to our much better organised visitors from Finland, Teon Tunarit.
Thursday, 27 November 2008
Flag chasing in the lower divisions
OK, time for some of my thoughts. Flag chasers. Weird, strangle, sad bunch imho. Can't see the point in getting all worked up and sweaty about getting a little picture of the flag of Albania stuck on one of your HT pages. Even stranger are those who go looking at other peoples' HT pages to see who has got what flag. Strangest of all are those who build their HT strategy around these little bits of virtual coloured cloth.
Biggest problem with flag chasing in the depths of the English series VII is the cost. Four grand down the swanee each time you collect one, and there are hundreds of the buggers!
A solution, happy for all concerned. You get the same virtual bit of coloured cloth whether you play the Mongolian league leaders at home or away - albeit in a different section of the page. You also get more bums on seats for internationals than games against clubs from Margate (if you happen to have blessed by God and play in the English leagues, that is).
So, my solution (and, I am sure, far from original) is to invite all and sundry from around the world to your very own grotty little stadium, collect their flags as 'visitors to', pocket the extra revenue, and don't even think of travelling abroad until your coffers' can take the strain - which is worth it, as your players get lots of bonus experience, as well as the mid-week straining slots.
This is what I am doing. Not chasing flags, honest guv'nor, but I did get a nice blue and white Finnish one last week and expect to get the stars and stripes this.
Maybe I'll become a flag chaser after all; the bug may bite yet!
Biggest problem with flag chasing in the depths of the English series VII is the cost. Four grand down the swanee each time you collect one, and there are hundreds of the buggers!
A solution, happy for all concerned. You get the same virtual bit of coloured cloth whether you play the Mongolian league leaders at home or away - albeit in a different section of the page. You also get more bums on seats for internationals than games against clubs from Margate (if you happen to have blessed by God and play in the English leagues, that is).
So, my solution (and, I am sure, far from original) is to invite all and sundry from around the world to your very own grotty little stadium, collect their flags as 'visitors to', pocket the extra revenue, and don't even think of travelling abroad until your coffers' can take the strain - which is worth it, as your players get lots of bonus experience, as well as the mid-week straining slots.
This is what I am doing. Not chasing flags, honest guv'nor, but I did get a nice blue and white Finnish one last week and expect to get the stars and stripes this.
Maybe I'll become a flag chaser after all; the bug may bite yet!
Sunday, 23 November 2008
Hattrick - my tips for getting started
OK, first things first: these are MY tips, others may vehemently disagree with them; in fact, I know some do. But this is what I have found out in my first few weeks, plus asking about. In truth, it is nearer to a list of mistakes I made at first that cost me money. OK, so, knowing that these tips will be personal and quirky, and that I take no responsibility for bankruptcy's or 11-0 drubbings caused by folowing them, here goes:
1) Read the rules first. And the manual. Boring, I know (which is why I didn't do it), but it does give an excellent overview and you kow where you are starting from. Also read Hattrick Wiki. Do all this BEFORE subscribing. I know subscriptions are free, but do this first, then you can start knowing what you are doing and not making a complete arse of yourself.
2) Get your manager's licence ASAP. It will take a few days, shouldn't be more than two weeks tops if you are serious about it, but it will walk you slowly through very nearly everything you need to know. Several vital things for the game can only be done once you have completed the relevant part of the manager's licence. You also get paid, and paid very handsomely for the beginner level, for passing each part. Adds up to a couple of hundred thousand pounds for your club. And you also get a scroll to display on your club page. Do not do anything other than play a game with your given (and pretty much useless) squad until you have finished the licence. By then you'll have the funds to improve your squad and, hopefully, an idea of what you are doing.
3) First real decision to make. Answer the folowing question: why am I here? People play for various reasons, all of them valid so long as they don't involve cheating or trying to annoy other people (too much). Hattrick are strict about this; they won't tolerate abusive or insulting messages, not even about the French, which is a step too far in my opinion! Anyway, why are you playing? To create a strong team by training them up, or to make money by either trading on the transfer market or by training mono-skilled players to sell at a profit, or do you want to win a cup, get a player into the national squad, or what? When you know you can really start playing! While doing your licence you should visit lots of forums, ask questions, read articles, and then you are ready to start.
4) You now have some (not much) money, and a feel for the game. First thing to do is buy a coach and sack your current one. I don't care who he is, the coach you are given is not worth the very small salary he receives; he is a dead weight for your club. You need to replace him REGARDLESS of what you want out of the game, unless you want to lose and be a laughing stock for a long, long time. Sack him and go to the training page, select 'change coach' and buy a solid/poor coach. It will cost you almost all of what you earnt doing the manager's licence (which is why you have waited) but this is, without a shadow of a doubt, the most important single thing you will ever do, and the most vital for your team. Decide if you want an attacking, defending or neutral coach. Which you go for is really a personal choice, and every player has a different opinion about this. Mine is neutral. If you want a lot of goals (both for and against) go attacking; if you want a better defence, go defence.
5) Now you can really start to play. Log on for some CHPP programs (they are listed under 'community'). There are loads of them, mostly not really of any use. The ones you need to get are team selector and team analyses ones. They will give you impartial advice about who to play and where, and also which positions need replacements, as a mater of urgency. HT Organiser is probably the best known and most popular, but I can't get on with it. I like HT Dog and a few others, but have a look. They are all free (I think - for the basic versions anyway, which is all that is needed). You need to know what type of team you are after (defensive, attacking, counter-attacking, whatever) and your chosen formation (4-4-2, 3-4-3, 5-4-1, 3-5-2, whatever) and then you can start to form your perfect squad.
6) Build up your back-room boys. You need certain things. You need some coaching assistants, and I would recommend 1 GK Coach and 9 Coaching Assistants straight away, plus, probably, 1 spokesperson and 1 (at least) physio. If you have a crucial player injured, also get 1 (at least) doctor. Steer well clear of accountants and psychologists, they are, for the time being, a waste of resources. Same goes for large numbers of doctors and spokespeople. As soon as you have any money spare, probably after your first home league game, you also should invest in your youth. Read the rules, ask on the forums, and decide between having a Youth Squad (very easy to run, no time or effort involved, you can change investment each week, you can start getting young players from week one, but they are very poor quality. Very much a lottery, but, in general, a lot cheaper than buying players on the open market) or else a Youth Academy (a lot more effort, but you get individual players, who play matches, so more fun. Also, in general, a better quality of trainee, but you have to train them for a season before you can promote them, so slower. Still very much a lottery).
7) DO NOT TOUCH YOUR ARENA. Or ground. I've never been to a football arena in my life. But this was my biggest, and most expensive, mistake. Expanding your ground costs shed-loads of money, also costs more to maintain every week, and it is money down the drain. Never expand your arena unless you have to. If you get maximum crowds twice in a season, and you don't expect to start losing fans (relegation, or crowds were only there for an exceptional cup run) then increase your ground. The close season is the best time to do it. Use one of the "arena optimiser" tools in the CHPP programs page to decide how much to increase it by. And remember, crowds increase by about 10% on promotion, and decrease on relegation.
8) Now sort out your team. Get a training program running. You have the coach, you have his happy little helpers, you should know what you want to train (keepers, defenders, wingers, whatever - look in the manual, ask on the forums if not sure). Get a training regime and play accordingly. No point in training forwards if you always play a 5-4-1 formation. Training = better players, for your team and to sell for real amounts of money. Done properly, in two or three seasons' time you should be making a few million in transfer profits. How? You buy, or already have, or promote from the youths, a teenager with, say, solid defending skills. You train him in defending, defending, defending, with your solid coach and his merry band. He gets better ('pops'). Things vary on what you, and he, are doing, but he should 'pop' at least once per season you have him. In three seasons he is now 'brilliant' defender. If you got him through your Youth Squad, he cost you £1 333 (plus wages). If he has some half-decent secondaries, like wing or passing, reasonable stamina and experience, you will be selling him for, most likely, in excess of one million pounds. And you can train up to ten defenders at one go! And he has played for your team as well. Some prefer multi-skilled players, so may change between defending, passing, play-making, and get players with a lower main skill (excellent instead of brilliant, maybe) but secondaries that are almost as good (passinf, set pieces and wing all passable/excellent, instead of poor/weak). Such players are worth less on the transfer market, but much more in a team, and are much more flexible. How you go is your choice - are you trying to build up a squad that will be able to compete at higher levels - in which case you need a lot of multi-skilled players suitable for your tactical formation, buying only a few for other positions - or are you trying to 'skill train' as many players as possible for as much profit as possible, and, once you sell them, buy in players to make up your squad?
9) Use the transfer market from the start, and sack dross. This goes against most advice, for beginners anyway, but I have found it to be very useful, profitable and fun. Work out your first team from what you have (using HT Dog or similar CHPP program), use a CHPP program like HT Organiser to find out your weak spots, then buy in better players for those spots. At the start-up level, these players won't be expensive, and still won't be that great. Two or three elderly (30+) players, in your weak positions (ones that you are not training, preferably) can be bought, with excellent skills (much better than you will have) and much better stamina, experience and form than your original squad. You can, with luck, get what you need for under £20 000 the lot. And they will improve your squad by at least 100%. Next, see who no longer features in your preferred first eleven. If they are over 25, or don't have any skills at all (some won't) then put them up for sale or sack them. Check them against the 'transfer compare' button. If players with their skills normally go for £667 (the minimum bid allowed) or no more than £1 333, then sack them. It costs £667 to list them for transfer, plus you pay a fee at the end to the agent, so if they are not likely to go for over £1 333 it is cheaper to sack them. Use any money gained to buy more players, as young as possible, with as good skills as possible in whatever you have decided to train, and play them as your reserves in friendly matches until they are good enough for you first team, or until you sell them. These will be your cash cows in years to come, and as you sell these, buy better trainees. 17 year old kids with good skills can go for several hundred thousand pounds, even a million plus, so you won't be buying these yet. But a kid with brilliant or supernatural scoring at 17 can be trained to Divine/Utopian and sold for ridiculous money - and, due to his wages being so high, will probably be sold several times, with you netting a % of the sale fee each time. So buying them young is also expensive, but worth the effort when you have the resources to do it. Not everyone, by any means, skill trades. I don't intend to. But I do play different formation for my reserves, to maximise training with a view to sales, than I do for my first team.
10) Play friendlies, every week. These bring in revenue, ensure that your entire squad gets the benefit of stamina training, and maximises the number of players who get training that week. My advice is to join the friendlies pool, and play home matches against international opponnents. It will maximise revenue and minimise costs. After a season or two, play internationals away. It will cost more, but well worth it as you get a lot of additional experience boosts. And it isd more fun, but I don't feel that the extra costs (£4 000 per game) can be justified in the first two or three seasons.
11) Finally, go and join Hattrick Supporter (£20.74 a year). Lots of tools that make training and team selection easier, but mostly, it is fun! Ever wanted to follow a team that wore pink and yellow hooped jerseys? With HT Supporter you can! Design your arena as peculiarly as you like - all 30 000 seats behind one goal if you wish! Send out press statements like there is no tomorrow - thar's what I do!
Anyway, end of rant, the above is what I do. So far, it has worked, on the field and in the coffers.
1) Read the rules first. And the manual. Boring, I know (which is why I didn't do it), but it does give an excellent overview and you kow where you are starting from. Also read Hattrick Wiki. Do all this BEFORE subscribing. I know subscriptions are free, but do this first, then you can start knowing what you are doing and not making a complete arse of yourself.
2) Get your manager's licence ASAP. It will take a few days, shouldn't be more than two weeks tops if you are serious about it, but it will walk you slowly through very nearly everything you need to know. Several vital things for the game can only be done once you have completed the relevant part of the manager's licence. You also get paid, and paid very handsomely for the beginner level, for passing each part. Adds up to a couple of hundred thousand pounds for your club. And you also get a scroll to display on your club page. Do not do anything other than play a game with your given (and pretty much useless) squad until you have finished the licence. By then you'll have the funds to improve your squad and, hopefully, an idea of what you are doing.
3) First real decision to make. Answer the folowing question: why am I here? People play for various reasons, all of them valid so long as they don't involve cheating or trying to annoy other people (too much). Hattrick are strict about this; they won't tolerate abusive or insulting messages, not even about the French, which is a step too far in my opinion! Anyway, why are you playing? To create a strong team by training them up, or to make money by either trading on the transfer market or by training mono-skilled players to sell at a profit, or do you want to win a cup, get a player into the national squad, or what? When you know you can really start playing! While doing your licence you should visit lots of forums, ask questions, read articles, and then you are ready to start.
4) You now have some (not much) money, and a feel for the game. First thing to do is buy a coach and sack your current one. I don't care who he is, the coach you are given is not worth the very small salary he receives; he is a dead weight for your club. You need to replace him REGARDLESS of what you want out of the game, unless you want to lose and be a laughing stock for a long, long time. Sack him and go to the training page, select 'change coach' and buy a solid/poor coach. It will cost you almost all of what you earnt doing the manager's licence (which is why you have waited) but this is, without a shadow of a doubt, the most important single thing you will ever do, and the most vital for your team. Decide if you want an attacking, defending or neutral coach. Which you go for is really a personal choice, and every player has a different opinion about this. Mine is neutral. If you want a lot of goals (both for and against) go attacking; if you want a better defence, go defence.
5) Now you can really start to play. Log on for some CHPP programs (they are listed under 'community'). There are loads of them, mostly not really of any use. The ones you need to get are team selector and team analyses ones. They will give you impartial advice about who to play and where, and also which positions need replacements, as a mater of urgency. HT Organiser is probably the best known and most popular, but I can't get on with it. I like HT Dog and a few others, but have a look. They are all free (I think - for the basic versions anyway, which is all that is needed). You need to know what type of team you are after (defensive, attacking, counter-attacking, whatever) and your chosen formation (4-4-2, 3-4-3, 5-4-1, 3-5-2, whatever) and then you can start to form your perfect squad.
6) Build up your back-room boys. You need certain things. You need some coaching assistants, and I would recommend 1 GK Coach and 9 Coaching Assistants straight away, plus, probably, 1 spokesperson and 1 (at least) physio. If you have a crucial player injured, also get 1 (at least) doctor. Steer well clear of accountants and psychologists, they are, for the time being, a waste of resources. Same goes for large numbers of doctors and spokespeople. As soon as you have any money spare, probably after your first home league game, you also should invest in your youth. Read the rules, ask on the forums, and decide between having a Youth Squad (very easy to run, no time or effort involved, you can change investment each week, you can start getting young players from week one, but they are very poor quality. Very much a lottery, but, in general, a lot cheaper than buying players on the open market) or else a Youth Academy (a lot more effort, but you get individual players, who play matches, so more fun. Also, in general, a better quality of trainee, but you have to train them for a season before you can promote them, so slower. Still very much a lottery).
7) DO NOT TOUCH YOUR ARENA. Or ground. I've never been to a football arena in my life. But this was my biggest, and most expensive, mistake. Expanding your ground costs shed-loads of money, also costs more to maintain every week, and it is money down the drain. Never expand your arena unless you have to. If you get maximum crowds twice in a season, and you don't expect to start losing fans (relegation, or crowds were only there for an exceptional cup run) then increase your ground. The close season is the best time to do it. Use one of the "arena optimiser" tools in the CHPP programs page to decide how much to increase it by. And remember, crowds increase by about 10% on promotion, and decrease on relegation.
8) Now sort out your team. Get a training program running. You have the coach, you have his happy little helpers, you should know what you want to train (keepers, defenders, wingers, whatever - look in the manual, ask on the forums if not sure). Get a training regime and play accordingly. No point in training forwards if you always play a 5-4-1 formation. Training = better players, for your team and to sell for real amounts of money. Done properly, in two or three seasons' time you should be making a few million in transfer profits. How? You buy, or already have, or promote from the youths, a teenager with, say, solid defending skills. You train him in defending, defending, defending, with your solid coach and his merry band. He gets better ('pops'). Things vary on what you, and he, are doing, but he should 'pop' at least once per season you have him. In three seasons he is now 'brilliant' defender. If you got him through your Youth Squad, he cost you £1 333 (plus wages). If he has some half-decent secondaries, like wing or passing, reasonable stamina and experience, you will be selling him for, most likely, in excess of one million pounds. And you can train up to ten defenders at one go! And he has played for your team as well. Some prefer multi-skilled players, so may change between defending, passing, play-making, and get players with a lower main skill (excellent instead of brilliant, maybe) but secondaries that are almost as good (passinf, set pieces and wing all passable/excellent, instead of poor/weak). Such players are worth less on the transfer market, but much more in a team, and are much more flexible. How you go is your choice - are you trying to build up a squad that will be able to compete at higher levels - in which case you need a lot of multi-skilled players suitable for your tactical formation, buying only a few for other positions - or are you trying to 'skill train' as many players as possible for as much profit as possible, and, once you sell them, buy in players to make up your squad?
9) Use the transfer market from the start, and sack dross. This goes against most advice, for beginners anyway, but I have found it to be very useful, profitable and fun. Work out your first team from what you have (using HT Dog or similar CHPP program), use a CHPP program like HT Organiser to find out your weak spots, then buy in better players for those spots. At the start-up level, these players won't be expensive, and still won't be that great. Two or three elderly (30+) players, in your weak positions (ones that you are not training, preferably) can be bought, with excellent skills (much better than you will have) and much better stamina, experience and form than your original squad. You can, with luck, get what you need for under £20 000 the lot. And they will improve your squad by at least 100%. Next, see who no longer features in your preferred first eleven. If they are over 25, or don't have any skills at all (some won't) then put them up for sale or sack them. Check them against the 'transfer compare' button. If players with their skills normally go for £667 (the minimum bid allowed) or no more than £1 333, then sack them. It costs £667 to list them for transfer, plus you pay a fee at the end to the agent, so if they are not likely to go for over £1 333 it is cheaper to sack them. Use any money gained to buy more players, as young as possible, with as good skills as possible in whatever you have decided to train, and play them as your reserves in friendly matches until they are good enough for you first team, or until you sell them. These will be your cash cows in years to come, and as you sell these, buy better trainees. 17 year old kids with good skills can go for several hundred thousand pounds, even a million plus, so you won't be buying these yet. But a kid with brilliant or supernatural scoring at 17 can be trained to Divine/Utopian and sold for ridiculous money - and, due to his wages being so high, will probably be sold several times, with you netting a % of the sale fee each time. So buying them young is also expensive, but worth the effort when you have the resources to do it. Not everyone, by any means, skill trades. I don't intend to. But I do play different formation for my reserves, to maximise training with a view to sales, than I do for my first team.
10) Play friendlies, every week. These bring in revenue, ensure that your entire squad gets the benefit of stamina training, and maximises the number of players who get training that week. My advice is to join the friendlies pool, and play home matches against international opponnents. It will maximise revenue and minimise costs. After a season or two, play internationals away. It will cost more, but well worth it as you get a lot of additional experience boosts. And it isd more fun, but I don't feel that the extra costs (£4 000 per game) can be justified in the first two or three seasons.
11) Finally, go and join Hattrick Supporter (£20.74 a year). Lots of tools that make training and team selection easier, but mostly, it is fun! Ever wanted to follow a team that wore pink and yellow hooped jerseys? With HT Supporter you can! Design your arena as peculiarly as you like - all 30 000 seats behind one goal if you wish! Send out press statements like there is no tomorrow - thar's what I do!
Anyway, end of rant, the above is what I do. So far, it has worked, on the field and in the coffers.
Bad day - hoping for better
Yesterday was a bad day - Lewes won (boo! 2-0 against Grays, who also seem doomed to relegation); Eastbourne lost (also 2-0, away to Rushden & Diamonds, pretty much the expected result); I got bored and only did half my Russian lesson (will repeat it today); and it rained. And my bets all went haywire. My horse lost, my dogs gave me a small profit (only a third of what I lost on the horse), and my money on Arsenal and Burnley went with the wind. Stockport gave me a decent return, but still only got back about half my outlay on the day.
Today should (?) be better. Castle Vilage play today and a shed-load of goals are expected. Fingers crossed, they may even be top of the table come this evening!
But it is still raining, and I've run out of food. Well, frozen veg and frozen potatoes in the freezer, nothing to go with them, and I like my meat, at least three times a day, plenty of it. So, do I sit here like a twat, in front of a PC and with a rumbling stomach, or do I go and get something to eat and get wet - again, as after walking the dog I am already soggy, just starting to feel my toes again.
Getting food sounds like a good idea, then I will return and spend an hour or so whitterring on about how to get ahead in Hattrick. Or something.
Today should (?) be better. Castle Vilage play today and a shed-load of goals are expected. Fingers crossed, they may even be top of the table come this evening!
But it is still raining, and I've run out of food. Well, frozen veg and frozen potatoes in the freezer, nothing to go with them, and I like my meat, at least three times a day, plenty of it. So, do I sit here like a twat, in front of a PC and with a rumbling stomach, or do I go and get something to eat and get wet - again, as after walking the dog I am already soggy, just starting to feel my toes again.
Getting food sounds like a good idea, then I will return and spend an hour or so whitterring on about how to get ahead in Hattrick. Or something.
Saturday, 22 November 2008
First post - quick overview of Castle Village FC
Just a few disjointed thoughts and rather chaotic potted history of the one-month-old club.
Castle Village (so-named as I live in Hastings which has the remains of a once-important English castle in it, and which I can see from my house) play in the Hattrick English series VII.730 (briefly, one of, I think 1,100 divisions of eight teams, all at level VII, the lowest level in England; I did mention the club has only been in existence four weeks, didn't I?). Currently, they are in second place, having inherited them as a mid-table set of nobodies controled by an evil computer called "bot". Since those dark days they are unbeaten in competitive matches, although the reserves have yet to win, and now proudly sit in second place, only missing out on the top spot by goal difference.
They play in an orange and white home kit, and a yellow and red away one, devised by yours truly (if any real-life teams have the same kit, please let me know, and I'll contact them and apologise profusely before their lawyers find out and drag me through the courts for damaging their sides reputation).
Later this week they play their first international match, against a team from Finland.
And their fan club is called 'The Village Idiots'.
The club motto is "Tantum A Ortus Pars", which I bare-facedly stole from Eastbourne Borough, and have steadfastly refused to pay any royalties for it. It is Latin (duh!) and translates freely as 'Only A Park Team' or thereabouts. A tongue-in-cheek motto for Eastbourne, as, many years ago when the club first asked to play in an amateur league (the world famous Eastbourne & District League) they had to get permission from the FA to join. Although they got permission, one FA chappie gave a dissenting opinion that Eastbourne always had been, and always would be, a park side, and were not capable of living up to the noble traditions of the Eastbourne & District league. Eastbourne now play in the highest non-league division (Blue Square Premier, a national division, along with Wrexham, Mansfield, Oxford, Torquay and others); have made the first round of the FA Cup three times in the last four seasons; and have had international non-league football played on their ground. After Brighton & Hove and Crawley, they are now the third highest ranked team in Sussex. Not bad for a park team!
Back to Castle Village.
Castle Village play a unique style of Hattrick football, which consists predominantly of reading every article giving advice on tactics, how to build a successul club, downloading every Manager Assistant and statistical analysis tool going, and then saying 'sod this, let's do it our way', ignoring all the advice, and simply doing what is a) the thing they intended to do in the first place, or b) what will be most fun!
So far, unbeaten, in an automatic promotion spot, a (slightly) re-developed ground, a top-notch coach brought in from the outside (very important in this game), an almost entirely rebuilt team, almost the maximum number of back-room assistants allowed, and three times the money in the bank compared to start-up (in four weeks) it seems that this weird footballing science is actually working! The crash is bound to come at some stage, but the Castle Village view is "bugger 'em! Make hay while the sun shines and deal with the problems when they become problems; and if all else fails, throw bricks at 'em until they say sorry and go away!".
Enough gibberish for one post, I now have a dog to walk and a Russian lesson to attend.
TTFN!
Castle Village (so-named as I live in Hastings which has the remains of a once-important English castle in it, and which I can see from my house) play in the Hattrick English series VII.730 (briefly, one of, I think 1,100 divisions of eight teams, all at level VII, the lowest level in England; I did mention the club has only been in existence four weeks, didn't I?). Currently, they are in second place, having inherited them as a mid-table set of nobodies controled by an evil computer called "bot". Since those dark days they are unbeaten in competitive matches, although the reserves have yet to win, and now proudly sit in second place, only missing out on the top spot by goal difference.
They play in an orange and white home kit, and a yellow and red away one, devised by yours truly (if any real-life teams have the same kit, please let me know, and I'll contact them and apologise profusely before their lawyers find out and drag me through the courts for damaging their sides reputation).
Later this week they play their first international match, against a team from Finland.
And their fan club is called 'The Village Idiots'.
The club motto is "Tantum A Ortus Pars", which I bare-facedly stole from Eastbourne Borough, and have steadfastly refused to pay any royalties for it. It is Latin (duh!) and translates freely as 'Only A Park Team' or thereabouts. A tongue-in-cheek motto for Eastbourne, as, many years ago when the club first asked to play in an amateur league (the world famous Eastbourne & District League) they had to get permission from the FA to join. Although they got permission, one FA chappie gave a dissenting opinion that Eastbourne always had been, and always would be, a park side, and were not capable of living up to the noble traditions of the Eastbourne & District league. Eastbourne now play in the highest non-league division (Blue Square Premier, a national division, along with Wrexham, Mansfield, Oxford, Torquay and others); have made the first round of the FA Cup three times in the last four seasons; and have had international non-league football played on their ground. After Brighton & Hove and Crawley, they are now the third highest ranked team in Sussex. Not bad for a park team!
Back to Castle Village.
Castle Village play a unique style of Hattrick football, which consists predominantly of reading every article giving advice on tactics, how to build a successul club, downloading every Manager Assistant and statistical analysis tool going, and then saying 'sod this, let's do it our way', ignoring all the advice, and simply doing what is a) the thing they intended to do in the first place, or b) what will be most fun!
So far, unbeaten, in an automatic promotion spot, a (slightly) re-developed ground, a top-notch coach brought in from the outside (very important in this game), an almost entirely rebuilt team, almost the maximum number of back-room assistants allowed, and three times the money in the bank compared to start-up (in four weeks) it seems that this weird footballing science is actually working! The crash is bound to come at some stage, but the Castle Village view is "bugger 'em! Make hay while the sun shines and deal with the problems when they become problems; and if all else fails, throw bricks at 'em until they say sorry and go away!".
Enough gibberish for one post, I now have a dog to walk and a Russian lesson to attend.
TTFN!
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