Hattrick

[Craig P]

Originally posted by AvidSinger
Do players in top-tier divisions accept friendlies from bottom-of-the-barrel clubs like mine? I dunno... if I were up there, I'd probably have enough supporters to support international friendlies once I crashed out of the cup (which would tend to be several rounds later than those of us in V and VI), and I'd see if I could set those up.

[Elwood]

Originally posted by Craig P
I dunno... if I were up there, I'd probably have enough supporters to support international friendlies once I crashed out of the cup (which would tend to be several rounds later than those of us in V and VI), and I'd see if I could set those up.

As a Major League team, I only accept challenges from low-level foreign teams (barring Glasgow Athletic from Scotland who's a guy I got addicted to Hattrick). XP is ever so slightly more, and I've only twice not drawn a crowd to cover the travel costs.

Don't know how everyone else does it, though. Oh, and I get about 50 challenges a week, too :)

[ArsenalTexan3]

Originally posted by AvidSinger
Do players in top-tier divisions accept friendlies from bottom-of-the-barrel clubs like mine?

In case you want a friendly, I can do one after the 14th. Dallas Red Knights (71899), your place or mine.

[Dan Loney]

I think good D4 teams can justify the expense of international friendlies - especially if you can get the return match at your home park.

If you really feel like it, you can do the research and check the attendances of the other team's friendlies over a period of time. If their supporters are morons and show up for meaningless friendlies, then it's worth the trip. If they have standards, you'll probably have to settle for your scrubs getting marginally more experienced.

I know for a fact that teams that paid to travel to my stadium ended up making a lot more than if I had paid to play them. But my supporters are brainwashed pinheads, and that's not going to be true of every team you play.

Successful teams in tiny countries, though? Pots of gold. I heartily recommend a trip to Wales, Israel, Taiwan - those clubs draw like Juventus, and why shouldn't they? They win all the time! Their supporters are thrilled! But no one thinks to challenge them! Go ahead! Invite yourselves over! Bask in their money!

EDIT - my computer supporters are numbskulls, I mean, not my human ones. But that should be obvious. I hope. Heh. Sorry, Lonestar, if I inadvertently gave offense. (NEVER piss off ML teams...you never know what a Cup draw will give you....)

[Lone Star]

Huh? What? did someone say my name?

Well since I'm awake I may as well crow about getting auto-promoted to the Major League. Yep, after going 11-0-3 for the season, I was able to edge out Cyclones for the last spot. Cyclones now has to play Indy Racing Athletic in a playoff match for the 2nd straight season.

:-)

Looking at my final league match of the season, a 3-1 victory over The Smokin' Joes, I'll admit I was lucky. His ratings were far superior, but even though we both MOTS'd I'll have to assume my spirit/confidence was higher and I had luck on my side. Besides, the little bugger upset me 3-2 in Week 1 so we're even now.

So it took me 7 full seasons (5 in III.1, 2 in II.1), tons of beatings, even more luck, and 4 league titles to finally make it to the top. I wonder if that's some kind of record? There aren't a whole lot of us oldbies left who started back in Spring 2001 or before who haven't already made it to the Major League or quit.

The sad thing is that I know I'll pull a 'Dan Loney' and get demoted after one season. Any league that Indy Racing Athletic can't finish higher then 5th place in is way too tough for me.

As for playing friendly matches, the past few seasons my strategy has been to accept matches abroad against clubs at least a division lower then mine (preferably 2-3 lower) with stadiums that seat at least 20-25k. I find that more often then not around 7,000 fans show up, which gives me a decent amount of money after the $6k travel expense. My match tomorrow is against a D3 club from Portugal with a 45,000 stadium.

Panther City FC
Major League
(Stop laughing, I'm serious)

[AvidSinger]

Originally posted by ArsenalTexan3
In case you want a friendly, I can do one after the 14th. Dallas Red Knights (71899), your place or mine. Okay, great! Thanks!

I'll travel to your stadium -- My team hasn't played in a large stadium before. You can invite me after this week.

Air Force FC

[ArsenalTexan3]

Originally posted by AvidSinger
Okay, great! Thanks!

I'll travel to your stadium -- My team hasn't played in a large stadium before. You can invite me after this week.

Air Force FC

What is your id number so I can find you?

[AvidSinger]

Originally posted by ArsenalTexan3
What is your id number so I can find you? 71082

Thanks again!

[ArsenalTexan3]

Originally posted by AvidSinger
71082

Thanks again! Just challenged you.

[AvidSinger]

Originally posted by ArsenalTexan3
Just challenged you. Ah, looks like somebody else beat me to you...

[ArsenalTexan3]

Originally posted by AvidSinger
Ah, looks like somebody else beat me to you...

yeah sorry about that. A team from Isreal challenged me and I usually issue several challenges. 1st one who repsonds gets it.

[AvidSinger]

Originally posted by ArsenalTexan3
yeah sorry about that. A team from Isreal challenged me and I usually issue several challenges. 1st one who repsonds gets it. Not a problem at all. I sent a whole bunch of challenges out, so hopefully one will bite.

[Darr]

According to Hatstats I'm going to be promoted to kopiteinkc's old series IV.39... Hope I don't get walked over... :(

[kopiteinkc]

Originally posted by Darr
According to Hatstats I'm going to be promoted to kopiteinkc's old series IV.39... Hope I don't get walked over... :(

Looks like it's a little weaker than when I got relegated, three computer teams, of course they all may get relegated. Two certainly do.

[ArsenalTexan3]

Won my qualifying game 5-2. 2 of my 3 forwards scored 3 goals with one of them almost getting a hat trick.

Midfield still needs work. Pplan on working on playmaking this week and maybe the next 2 weeks.

I'm still in debt so hopefully I can get out of debt soon. Planning on selling a few players.

[kopiteinkc]

Well hatstats was right I am headed to iv.28, ouch.

This looks like it is gonna be tough. The number one team lost it's qualifier 4-3 and is way better than me, as is the rest of the leagure as far as I can tell.

May have to spend some of that promotion money soon.

[Elwood]

Woo hoo!

I survived a 2nd qual match vs Cyclones in 2 seasons, winning 2-0!

So I get a 3rd season in ML.

Of the 2 new ML teams, Lonestar's Panther City FC and also Tombstone Titans, I've beaten each in the Cup, once, but lost both series matchs vs Titans way back in late 2001 in III.16. Wow, that's a long time ago.

I gotta say, it feels good to beat a GM's team, especially in a crucial one-off match :)

Good luck in the new season everyone, except maybe you, Lonestar :P

[kopiteinkc]

Well done on staying up.

Two bigsoccer posters in the Major League. That will be very interesting to watch in the new season.

I see that the Cup winner (Knights ...) failed to go up losing a close one in his promotion battle.

[Elwood]

Yeah, talking with apoc (Knight's owner) in IRC last night, he was pretty sure that due to injuries and low TS (he went all out for the Cup), he wasn't gonna beat billay (Shaolin's owner, another IRC regular).

George was also there (Cyclones) and he was...not happy...with his team's performance. His offense showed up exactly zero times in the match report :) Not even a reported miss!

I know in the case of my game vs George, form played a huge role. I trained General for the first time since prior to my Qual vs George last season, and had THIRTEEN form rises. George stuck with scoring and had 7 starters drop, including the the new inner he purchased.

Anyways, on gamedays, #ht-intradio is a decent spot on IRC to hang out (think it's undernet...at work now, and HT is down, but they've got a fed with the details). At all other times, there's usually some people in #hattrickint, though most seem to be perpetually away except during matches :)

[champmanager]

I asked this before, and I think CraigP answered it, but now I need to know for sure.
I'm in divIV in England. I took 2nd, the first place team being autopromoted. The demoted divIII team is a bot who forfieted the last half of last season. But I looked at his players, and if I PIC my match against him (the first match of the season of course), and the computer manager puts 11 guys on the field, he'll beat me. Can I be absolutely, positively, 101% sure it will be a walkover? Man, it would be great to be able to start and end the season by Playing it Cool, since I'm confident of winning my league and the improved team spirit would help my chances greatly in a promotion playoff.
Also, to people who train scoring (especially Elwood). What specialties are useful to strikers, and how much would they add to his value? When I first started playing I think the rules said Specialties "don't have any effect right now, but they will in the future". So I've never really paid attention to them. This weekend I transfer listed a veteran striker with Specialty: Head and he went for about double what I was expecting to get for him.
Thanks.