Welcome back @antohan heard many good things and you're posts have been used several times to beat me in these drafts.
I know you don't want to comment on the draft whilst it's still on going for fear of influencing others, but if you could take a look at my match and inbox me what you think that'd be quality as I still don't know how I lost it
I cant believe you saved a post for a year @antohan
You'll be heartened to see @antohan that many of the concerns raised in your rant there were shared and have attempted to be addressed. There were too many draws, so we introduced scorelines to make a draw practically impossible - although it had mixed results so we're back where we started. We've now got EAP's no-marquee reinforcement rule making it more important to draft well from the outset and ensuring that some of the less heralded players get their day in the sun. We've got Chester's no-changes-in-the-first-half rule to get away from teams starting on the wrong foot and having the team corrected by committee without any impact on the scoreline. Joga's Remake draft was an innovative spin on the normal concept introducing a new set of match dynamics. And we're trying to get to a position where we can translate the 24-voting-period into a proper match clock...
And I can't believe you haven't been on cafwolf for months! The one time I wanted to relay a message (something during the Copa Centenario) I went there and PMd you, Eboue, Aldo, Edgar... then sat there waiting for it to get posted some day.
Still waiting.
Well this was an interesting and informative match. I should have got involved in drafts earlier ; these olds seem intense and a little more epic.
Have to agree with diarm though, i think Nordahls confidence would be gone for this match leading to a poor performance
Welcome back! Went to 3 cities and saw all the group games and took the gf with me along the way (she had never been to a match before). It was well and truly a crazy experience. Icelandic people naturally tend to go all out whenever they participate in something and the support in France showed that. Bare in mind only 2-3 years ago you wouldn't hear songs in games in Iceland (unless you support my club) but 30k had no problem participating every game.Speaking of Ice Men... @Snow, there's someone I wanted to PM! Congrats mate! I hope you followed your boys around France and took it all in.
I was rooting for you guys and am still wondering how exactly it was that people assumed it was an easy game for England, or that they keep talking about how shameful a loss it was. Entirely predictable outcome, never had any doubt.
Welcome back! Went to 3 cities and saw all the group games and took the gf with me along the way (she had never been to a match before). It was well and truly a crazy experience. Icelandic people naturally tend to go all out whenever they participate in something and the support in France showed that. Bare in mind only 2-3 years ago you wouldn't hear songs in games in Iceland (unless you support my club) but 30k had no problem participating every game.
England was a good draw because their football is so predictable. Not only were they the bigger nation but they lost to the only team that played 4-4-2 in the tournament. There was such a massive difference in nerves as well. Our boys had massive confidence whilst the Englishmen, especially the Spurs lads, looked like they were pulled from the stands to play football in front of all these people. The reason why people thought it was an easy game is ignorance really. They see names like Aron Gunnarsson at Cardiff and Kári Árnason at Malmö (previously at Rotherham) and they can't believe their luck but don't know that football, like most sports, are first and foremost played mentally. The Caf especially should know that after watching United for the past 3 years.
I definitely felt the support from "neutrals". Had a bit of a Eurotrip after the group stage and was treated like royalty in every country I went. They especially loves us in Poland.
@crappycraperson @Pat_Mustard @Theon @Fergus' son @Marty1968
Massive rant on the way! It’s a characteristically long post I wrote last year as a farewell… only to find I had been banned when I tried post it It has been sitting in my laptop for a year and has a few updates along the way.
The good thing about being a football support in S-America is those two competitions, they're always guaranteed. We've gotten Aston Villa, Basel, Inter and Celtic here in the Europa league qualifers, a national game here and there and a French and German U21 team filled with talent in the past 7-8 years so the Euros was a godsend for us as fans. It has however had a negative impact on the domestic league this season which has been lackluster because of numerous breaks and fewer people in the stands because of Euro hangover on top of better summers due to global warming.I was baffled at how people on here reacted, the pundits less so (what can you expect from them?). You had supposedly got the short straw for scoring a last minute winner Best draw you could have: a predictable opponent, one that would really fire up your players, and one well known for hubris and not performing to their billing.
Piece of cake that. Good to hear you went along, as a kid/teenager I was a bit spoilt with Copa Americas and Libertadores and never fully appreciated how unique it all was so I'm making my best effort to enjoy and travel along with this Uruguay side. When will we have a Suarez, a Godin, or such team spirit again? Probably not in my lifetime.
Good thing you didn't, that's a smashing initial drafted side you put together. I have some reservations, but will keep them to myself since it's quite a remarkable effort for a non-native speaker (or are you one?).
While I agree he was no better than Rooney today, you are not seeing the whole story here.
Gunnar wasn't low on confidence on the back of previous comments from his manager, rather the opposite. We had a very open and hones 1-to-1 as soon as he arrived at Camp Anto. Of course I explained how it was all part of the mindgames but, most important, that I already had Altafini and Boninsegna in the squad so I clearly rated him to play him ahead of them.
He didn't find that particularly convincing as he was in no doubt he was the superior all-round player, so I gave him a sneak preview of my plans:
- I didn't need him in the chain, I could have gone straight for Nils Liedholm who was next in line. I picked him because I wanted him.
- The next two steps were Liedholm-Rivera and, if we got to the final Hamrin-Zoff
- By picking him I was extending my dependence on the relatively unknown Abbadie one more round (risky) and giving up on any number of Zoff combinations for an eventual final. I was picking him because he was part of the story, part of the concept, he belonged in that team and deserved to have a go at a final alongside Nils and Kurt after missing on the one in 1958.
I expected that last bit to fire him up no end, but instead he just looked shellshocked.
GN: "You mean you have given up on getting Zibi?"
AH: "Yups"
Not Platini, not Rossi or Tardelli, he was stunned I was trusting him and Hamrin to the point of ditching the red-moustached night beauty. He actually got all emotional and started sobbing. It was rather uncomfortable, as I had him down as some sort of Ice Man from the North, not this quivering emotional wreck out of some Oprah show.
No surprise that my granny would have had a better game. I should have benched him after that, my fault, 100%.
This is why I enjoy reading your posts, and this is what brought me to these drafts! You are really good at articulating your imagination!I expected that last bit to fire him up no end, but instead he just looked shellshocked.
GN: "You mean you have given up on getting Zibi?"
AH: "Yups"
Not Platini, not Rossi or Tardelli, he was stunned I was trusting him and Hamrin to the point of ditching the red-moustached night beauty. He actually got all emotional and started sobbing. It was rather uncomfortable, as I had him down as some sort of Ice Man from the North, not this quivering emotional wreck out of some Oprah show.
No surprise that my granny would have had a better game. I should have benched him after that, my fault, 100%.
@diarm where art thou?
We're going back a bit here, but I voted for your underdogs against Annah and Joga's Brazilian wonderteam in the first round even though their boys have been priced at 2/7 or so before that game. As for this tie, no idea why but sometimes real life gets in the way of getting a vote in before the final whistle blows as @DavidG found to his cost on Friday. Looking back at the two teams, I'm surprised at the outcome and I imagine a few votes were a karma retribution on the Nordahl u-turn.March ’16: I see both Gio and Theon, who didn’t vote, went on to win the 40s draft. Their first two picks? Figueroa and Cubillas. feck off
@diarm where art thou?
Well look at this! Good to see you back bud! We missed you!
What a rollercoaster of a match this was. I must say, stepping over into the dark side in an attempt to counter Anto's obviously superior team left me feeling a little bit dirty afterwards.
Between feeling a bit guilty at the fallout from this, and real life stuff I'm not sure if I've played in a draft since this one? . Will be looking forward to seeing what happens now the man is back in town!