Your series next season

VI.358

1. Bolsa - Newly demoted creampuff. He won his series in DVI two seasons ago with mid-80's HatStats because he was in an all-bot league. He was then roundly defeated in DV and sent our way.
2. Meteor AC - Three straight seasons finishing second...that's a streak I don't plan on continuing. I have more or less the best midfield in the series, but not by nearly enough to make me comfortable. I have maybe the third-best offense and third-best defense. Basically I just hold the ball, make a few goals, and pray I don't get shot at. 14 of the 17 goals I surrendered last season were in five games against three teams; poor TS management severely hurt me in that regard.
3. FC Tucson - Decent defense, best offense in the series, but his midfield really lets him down at times.
4. KOLOS - Good offense, but not as good as Tucson's. Mediocre defense. His midfield bails him out of a lot of trouble but it's still nothing great. He's also the only team to have spent more time in this series (52 games) than me and Tucson (42 games).
5. New York Daredevils - Younger team, improving, best defense in the series. Doesn't seem to have a training program installed. Doesn't have much of anything invested in his midfield. Has one older forward who can steal a goal or two off of anyone in the series.
6. Rojos FC - Has supporter, has a new training program for forwards, just sold a fat youth pull, but unless he drops it all in the midfield he's fighting for fourth. Actually, even if he drops it all in the midfield, he's still probably fighting for fourth.
7. kuchipooh - This is a puppet team set up to sell an overpriced trainee to some guy. He was reported and has been locked up. This account is waiting to be replaced.
8. Dupuis Team - Brand-spankin' new. Nothin' much to say.

It's a three horse race between myself, Tucson, and KOLOS. I don't think KOLOS has a real chance but he's close enough to me and Tucson to swipe points off of us and generally screw us up.

 

V.84

1. SDU Red Devils - bot!!! whew!
2. Ohio Rhinelanders - Scoring trainer who also has a really strong midfield.. pulls about 170s to 180s hatstats.
3. Argentina 86 - Should be the favorite to win the series next season. PM trainer with good players at every position. Low 200s hatstats weekly.
4. Creb - PM trainer with a good midfield.. 150s to 160s hatstats..
5. Kalamazoo Kingdom - Tactics guru I guess... pulled some wins right out of his butt last season. 130s to 140s hatstats..
6. SC Minden - still training wing.. I've got a 18yo Magnificent and a 19 yo brilliant that I will be starting the season with so my wing attack ratings next season should be good. I've got to do some major mf upgrading before I can think about getting to the top of the table but I'm trying to be patient and get there in due time. Goal for next season is 4th...
7. Penobscot Penguins - autopromotee from dVI... scoring trainer and he's been busy upgrading his mf.. he's an active manager and planning on being really competitive really fast..
8. Regents - Defense trainer.. looks like he promoted a season too soon.. I could be wrong though... we'll see.

 

1. Pantera - The guy who promoted constantly pulled solid/excellent midfields. This guy got mostly passable for his last few games, so hopefully that's what he gets normally and will be much easier than the last guy.

2-6 all same teams, Roxbury essentially replaced Bangalore.

This season:

2. Black Hawks F.C 14 49 - 13 34
3. Titan FC 14 49 - 25 30
4. Greeley Soro 14 24 - 14 22
5. Norge Vikings 14 27 - 31 16
6. Roxbury Crossing 14 30 - 40 16

Last season:

2. Norge Vikings 14 50 - 26 26
3. Bangalore Athletic 14 27 - 24 24
4. Titan FC 14 41 - 30 20
5. Greeley Soro 14 25 - 21 20
6. Black Hawks F.C 14 29 - 26 18

Two seasons ago:

2. Titan FC 14 30 - 15 27
3. Bangalore Athletic 14 40 - 21 26
4. Lusitania F.C. 14 46 - 38 22
5. Norge Vikings 14 23 - 24 18
6. Greeley Soro 14 20 - 39 13

7. KalevKEK - Doesn't look too tough, but not very weak either. Should be fairly competative.

8. ESAD - Pulls wretched midfields, cya.

Obviously anyone who was in the series could finish 2nd or 6th before, now it looks like 1st or 7th isn't out of the question either. ESAD has no chance.

 

I think this season will be my toughest. Actually stronger than last season. Hoping Naga will fall by the wayside and become the mediocre team they're destined to be. That'll allow deserving squads like Inferno and Blueballers to thrive.

1. Mongrel FC - moi
2. MARAtitans - my main competition and long time rival, a PM trainer. Always tough.
3. Team Naga - formerly of DivIV but falling slowly behind. No real training program that I can figure.
4. Indian Infernos - dangerous scoring trainer. Had bankruptcy issues last season.
5. A.C. Blueballers - developing PMer, able to upset anyone
6. Libres y Lokos - survived last season to stick around in Div V for another year.
7. Snapping Turtles FC - an older team that has been to Div V before. Could be a spoiler. I actually bought one of his forwards a season and a half ago.
8. Speedy Bullet - fresh meat. Auto relegation in future.

 

1. Ooh La La -- Newly demoted from IV play. Their last match racked up 57 stars. I can't break 40.

2. Love Haters -- Solid opponent, have split our last four matches. Always got to bring my best.

3. Team Kirk -- Another solid team. Have only managed one win in the last four matches. Great midfield and attackers means I'm getting blown out by 3+ goals.

4. Henderson United -- This is the first time I've managed to stay in Div.V for at least 3 seasons. The team will probably be selling a keeper this season, which should fuel some major purchases. Midfield and defense most likely.

5. dingilsipor -- Midrange team, have tied them once this season. Mixed-bag squad, low score fest. Usually the first to score wins.

6. the tumblers -- New ownership reset history. Defeated them during season.

7. F.C. Novi Pazar -- Fresh meat.

8. Heimys -- Fresh meat.

 

V.246

1. Gwinn United--finished 8th in their Div IV last year. Their average hattrick ratings over the past three years: 192, 195.6, 196.1. Has Supporter, logs in regularly, but has been very stagnant. Still, they're in the top tier of the league.
2. Las Vegas Wildfire--I had a tough time against them this season, losing 1-0 and 2-0 to them. In the past six meetings I've only managed one point against them. Averaged 194 hatstats last year.
3. Metairie United AFC--I feel like I'm in pretty good shape. I don't think this is "the year," but I'm getting much, much closer. I'm switching to PM training, and the first part of the season will be training through passes and buying trainees. If everything gets up to speed quickly, and I buy some good wingers to replace my lousy old ones, I'll be in much better shape. My hatstats average was 189.
4. Cardinals--184 average hatstats. Last season's demotee from IV, they never set themselves apart from the pack and couldn't bounce back up. I beat them twice, but both wins were by a goal. Our games will likely be tossups.
5. Nothingness--157 average hatstats. Possibly the best manager in the league, shocking V.246 by surviving after they were promoted; they'll be entering their third season in the series looking for a top-half finish.
6. sfif--133 average hatstats. Good team, but not capable of keeping up with the top 5. Should survive easily, and could challenge the top half in a few seasons.
7. Chelsea Blues United--101 average hatstats, should be dead meat.
8. Arizonia Indians--bot. 'Nuff said.

I think the bottom 4 is set in stone, but the top 4 is a crap shoot. If I had to guess, I'd say Las Vegas, me, Gwinn, Cardinals.

 

V.146, in schedule order (avg Hatstats in parens):

1. Brays Bayou FC (218.1) - yours truly. I think it's no stretch to say that Brays is a preseason favorite to win the series and autopromote, as we are a balanced club who averaged a higher rating than any other team in the series has ever managed in a single game.

2. LSD Chicago SC (167.6) - Formed one half of the second tier of the series last season, although they appear more dangerous of the two. Won't match Brays's ratings over the entire season, but are capable of doing enough in the right sectors to be a very dangerous matchup at home.

3. Waterton (158.1) - The other half of the second tier of the series, Waterton appears to be improving steadily, but they haven't shown the same single-game pop as LSD Chicago. LSD appears as though they should have the upper hand, but Waterton could make a push for 2nd place in the series if LSD doesn't put the right results together to chase a title.

4. Wichita Wild (138.3) - Barring a WTF, no more than a speed bump for Brays and not a whole lot more dangerous than that for LSD.

5. AC Prior (102.1) - Have yo-yo'd between V and VI the last couple of seasons, apparently sandbagging for the cup (sort of like a less capable version of StocksQuest, I guess). In any single game, they could be extremely dangerous to LSD and Waterton and a mild threat to Brays, so the question is, where will they focus their attention?

6. Benga FC (122.8) - See 4. Have basically not improved at all since promoting from VI a few seasons back. With one of the new entries from below being better than they are, Benga is in serious danger of autodemoting this season.

7. HC HANJI (130.0) - See 4. A relatively old club to be this lackluster. Like Prior, HANJI have been up and down over the past couple of seasons, but unlike Prior there doesn't seem to be any intent to it. Their ratings rose toward the end of last season, so expect to see this team stay up, if that's what they want... they should be able to edge Benga and Prior both (assuming the latter stays disinterested in the series).

8. Real Deuce (98.9) - See 4. Their team saw very slow improvement over the last three seasons in VI, and they don't appear to be ready for this series. It could be a long season for them.

Predictions:
Brays wins the series and autopromotes to IV.
Real Deuce and one of AC Prior (if he doesn't take the series seriously) or Benga FC (if he does) autodemote to VI.
LSD Chicago, Waterton, and Wichita Wild round out the money spots, in that order.

What to watch:
* The battle for second place
* Will anybody post a match rating capable of threatening Brays? (I know LSD Chicago, at least, is capable of it... and I expect them to try in their home game)
* Does Bjorn's anti-Brays flag stick for another season?
* The battle for 6th place (if AC Prior doesn't sandbag another season)

 

USA V.112

Will be starting my 4th season in V.112 and there are only 2 other teams left from Season 26.

1. Vice Presidentail Action Rangers - DIV demoted Bot. To Be Determined what will happen here. Not sure if they will be dropped to VI and replaced with an active team, or reset like a normal V bot and gets a new user. The latter is good, the former is unpredictable.

2. chizitos - Probably the most balanced team in our series and definitely talented. Really unlucky in not getting the win in RD 14 to auto-promote instead of the tie and watching the other promotion happen. Early favorite for the medal in 29.

3. Ticos - Demoted DIV team of this past season. Not very active anymore, but is still throwing out a 3 man backline that averages in the Outstanding-Brilliant range. They are suspectable to the road MF penalty (or Home advantage if you wish) and can be knocked down a peg if played the right way.

4. Wonderland F.C. - Arrived in V.112 one early season earlier than I did. Probably the closest competitor talentwise that I have. Seems to be bitten by the HTRF at the most in-oppotune times (who isn't?).

5. SC Bearkat - That would be me. With the make up of the series now, I would be disappointed with anything less than #4 next season. Not sure I have a real chance for the series this season, but will definitely be looking to finish at 2 or 3.

6. Nekropolis - New owner of about 5-6 weeks now. Fortunate they drew a bot in the Qualifier and are staying up. Depending on our bot situation (see #1 and #8) they may end up as a permanent fixture in V.112

7. CA golden bears - Early indications is that this is a fossil/stagnant team, but they do seem to have a bit of a bankroll based on their transfer history. Heavy MF with nothing else last season should keep them up with a favorable bot situation.

8. Velma 1860 - Promoted DVI bot. See #1.

As you can see, with 2 bots and another n00b team, V.112 is in a state of flux. Depending on what happens with our bots in the cleanup, I could have a bunch of PIC's or might find myself in a qualifier match again.

 

V.63


1. Daverules FC This is my team. I averaged just under 200 hatstats. The weakest part of my team was my attack which I just upgraded. There will also be a few other parts of my team that upgraded the next season so I could take first again with some luck.

2. Blackburn Olympic A very good team that trains PM. He was a div. IV demotee 2 seasons ago and he's been stuck here with us.

3. Da Fins Decent team but I can easily beat this guy with a normal. He gets about 150/170 hatstats. I guess he trains defense but he plays a 4-4-2 which I suppose is kind of odd.

4. Fall Creek Rovers Scoring trainer. I can take him but he can throw some curve balls at me. He maxes out at about 185 hatstats.

5. shoman FC A defensive trainer and his defense is awesome. Him and I always tie. He got the best average hatstats in the series this past season with about 215 but his attack and midfield aren't that hot.

6. Sparrows This was last season's division IV demotee. I totally forget what he trains but it's probably PM. I can take him!

7. North Shore United Auto-promotee from VI. He's got a pretty decent squad and his username is Razov. Maybe for Ante? I can take him easy though.

8. Gorillaz17 Dead squad. No contest.

 

V.106
(avg hatstats)

(1) Holy Hand Grenades of Antioch (186) - demoted after one season in IV, this team looks like they should take the series easily. interesting defense trainer/counterattacking team with defense/attack much better than the rest of the league.

(2) St. Louis Rams (127) - balanced team playing 3-5-2. defense/attack ratings aren't that great but strongest avg. midfield makes up for it, and he'll finish top half.

(3) The Naturals (131) - another defense trainer who sometimes plays the counter. Puts up high defense ratings but doesn't have too much in the way of attack or midfield. He'll probably finish again in the top half.

(4) Oak Lawn Spartans (107) - appears to be training aging strikers, with a passable coach after many seasons. plays the same formation 3-4-3 AIM all the time. appears he only finished this high because the series had a couple of abandoned teams, and i think he's headed for relegation next season.

(5) Goleadores (141) - another scoring trainer who's been playing for seasons and still has a passable coach. weakness in midfield. i think he'll finish with a qualifier.

(6) Orlando Hawks United (116) - yet another scoring trainer playing an interesting 4-3-3 AIM... he has a chance to stay up as this is iirc the 251st ranked div. v series.

(7) KCCNA (92) - autopromoted from a league with all bot opponents. he's been playing a little over a season and has an inadequate coach and a 20k seat stadium, and his record midfield seems to be a wretched very low... he's going right back down.

(8) real new york (131) my squad - i think i got lucky as i really shouldn't have any problem avoiding autorelegation, and i think i may even be able to avoid a qualifier. my goal is stay up and i think i can compete with everyone here except the holy hand grenades. i'll likely be selling off a couple trainees early/mid season to upgrade some of my aging mids/defenders.

 

V.20 in order of last season's finish.

1. Beerswillers (196.6) - very good CA team that demoted from IV before last season. They were unlucky to lose this past Sunday. I can't see anyone but them winning the series.

2. Robo Sapian (163.0) - Decent midfield and attack ratings but they suck for a team that will be going into their 10th season. I think he trains midfield but it's hard to tell because he's not doing a very good job at whatever it is he's training. Out of the 4 matches I've played against him I've won 3, including a 7-2 ass kicking in week 12 this past season. I predict a 4th place finish for them this season

3. AS Alcohol (145.4) - We would have finished 2nd last season (for the second season in a row) had we not dropped 4 points to the bottom 2 teams. My midfield trainees just keep getting better and I plan on improving that 145 hatstat average by quite a bit, put up a 182 last season and we're capable of beating any team in the division. I'm planning on buying a WC or Supernatural winger before midseason and I'll have a good coach (for the first time) so I plan on another top 3 finish. Prediction: 3rd.

4. Bennington Celtic FC (157.0) - Pretty boring team who don't make the most of their training (play a 3-5-2 and train defence). Decent defense but pathetic offence and a weak midfield. They'll finish 5th or 6th.

5. DCUnited (167.4) - Only finished 5th these past two seasons because the owner (fellow BSer JH6) wanted the training and extra cash. Very strong defence and the offence is getting better. I hold a slight edge in our all time series and games between us are always close. I think they could finish 2nd this season.

6. Duff Gardens (144.9) - Managed to stay in V after their first season without much difficulty. They get inadequate rankings across the board and should stay in V.20 for quite a while. 5th or 6th again.

7. Texas Moose (138.2) - Team on the way up but they're probably headed right back down. They have some strong wing attacks (formidable) and could beat a couple of the more defensive teams (Bennington) but the midfield and defence aren't enough for this division. 7th

8. Ogden Tigers (109.9) - Didn't play friendlies last season. They will autodemote.

This season will be the toughest in V.20 by far with the biggest battles fought for 2nd and 6th place.

 

Series VI.431, formed from bots over the course of the 2nd quarter of last season, looks to be highly competitive between 5 or 6 different players. For a bottom division, it will be highly competitive, as most of the managers seem to have a training program and working toward improvement, the essentials for competing at this level.

1. E.J.F.C. (75.1) - Not surprisingly lost their qualifier 8-0, but were the class of the series through the season, taking advantage of an early start to get the jump on the competition. A strong, balanced team who has the strongest individual claim to next season's crown.

2. hadera city (64.0) - Started early and strong, faded towards the end, but still managed to hold onto 2nd place. Has an average midfield and defense, but a very poor attack. Unless they can get the training to kick in fast and/or upgrade a little in the offseason, they may end up in the bottom half.

3. Roslindale FC (76.1) - Started near midseason and was the hottest team in the league until the last couple of weeks of the season, when teams started to settle down, training started to kick in, and players started getting the tactics down. Currently the best midfield in the series, with an average defense and offense. My biggest problem is stamina. Hopefully the offseason training cures some of those woes. I finaly have some real money for trainee/coach/non-trainee (in that order) upgrades, so expect to compete in the top 3 and be in the title hunt at the end.

4. Team FRD (73.2) - Not surprisingly, the series' defensive trainer has the runaway best defense. He's got a servicable midfield, but little scoring power. Will be highly competitive with any given opponent, but may drop a few points against lesser opponents. Owner has a good grasp of the game though, so I actually expect a good deal more improvement early next season. If someone is going to sneak the title away from EJFC or myself, it's FRD.

5. Graendogg (64.1) - Hasn't improved as much or quickly as other active teams and may languish around 5th again this year.

6. Rockford Rockers (67.2) A latecomer who looked to haved turned the team around by the last 3 weeks of the season, even taking a win off of the #2 team. Reasonable defense and attack, but needs improvement in possession to really compete. Could definitely be in the top half and will be competitive most weekends. Who they decide to play all out against could have an impact on the title race.

7. Blackfrosting (71.7) - Wasn't much to work with, but did well right out of the gate, then went downhill again at the end. Guessing they went on a spending spree, won a bit, then had to sell off when they realized they needed to train. A good team, especially for a #7, with some of the better overall ratings in the series. I consider them a real wildcard this season.

8. Moto v3 team (57.9) - The one team to have changed hands this season, the first coach did nothing to improve them. The new coach has had the team for only a couple of weeks. Due to the late start, they really have their work cut out for them.

Predictions: Difficult and still highly dependent on whether players stick around...

1. EJFC
2. Roslindale FC
3. Team FRD
4. Blackfrosting
5. Rockford Rockers
6. hadera city
7. Graendogg
8. Moto v3 team

I'm currently trying to decide how hard to try to win the league vs. improving my long term prospects. We'll see how good the transfer market is to me and go from there.

One major decision: Do I upgrade my passable coach after just 1/2 a season or wait awhile? Is the difference worth limited improvement in trainee quality over the first batch?

 

AC Prior is an odd one since he only won the qualy becuase of a divine defending ringer he promptly sold after the win, his team is otherwise terrible. He's got at least a couple mil in the bank, but he'll need another 3-5 mil on top of that to make a difference.

By the time I play you in the return match you'll have already autopromoted. Only competition left in this division is bragging rights for lasting longer in the cup.

 

The qually win isn't out of character for them, though -- if you look at their Hatstats history, they've got similar outlier ratings in cup matches, hence my comparison with StocksQuest. Unlike SQ, though, Prior has basically ignored league (rather than doing well and then attempting to sandbag to avoid promotion).

 

I got into another tough Division 5 again. Seriously man, going undefeated in Division 6 does nothing for you.

V.19​

This Series is full of PM trainers running a 3-5-2, like me. Except they are all further along in their training programs than i am so its going to be tough this year. At least this time there is an incumbent team that i might be able to overtake for 6th.

1. Htuifoda- IV. Demotte. 204.6 Hatstats, 50 Stars per game. Scoring trainer that runs a 3-4-3. Made it to Round 5 of the Cup last year. I have no chance to compete with this team and he is probably the favorite to promote.

2. Beckham Bendovers- 206.1 Hatstats, 52 Stars per game. PM trainer in a 3-5-2. Has the best midfield in the Division but his forwards are a cut below what the other teams have. Once again i have no chance against this club and he should challenge for the league.

3. DireWolves- 182 Hatstas, 47 Stars per game. They have been in this confrence for 8 season winning once and never finished below 3rd. Similar to Bendovers except not quite as strong defensivly. Another PM trainer. All 4 losses last year were to the top 2 teams...i wont touch these guys either i am afraid. Could win the league if he gets some luck.

4. Hot Tamales 156.5 Hatstats, 41 Stars per game. This is were the drop off starts in my new division. His midfeld is only a little better than mine. He likes to switch up his tactics from time to time using AIM and CA depending on his opponent. I should try to get a tie against him each game.

5. The German Mentality 153 Hatstas, 42 Stars per game. A defense trainer running a 5-3-2. I have him in the midfield by a bit but his defense is the best in the league. I will have real problems getting goals against him with my attack. A draw would be a good result for me.

6. Haymarket Hooligans 120 Hatstats, 32.5 Stars per game. A PM trainer that pulls similar midfield ratings to me. I have to win games here if i want to stay up as he is my chief compotition for #6. He loves to AIM but only pulls passable to solid ratings with that tactic. I should be able to adjust my formation and tactics to beat him. MOTS games will be against him most likely to get the edge in midfield.

7. HOBOKEN SC 119 Hatstats, 32.2 Stars per game. This is my club. The ratings are a rouse, i purposly went 4-4-2 and played trainies late last year to bring down my ratings hoping someone would look at it and take me lightly. At full strength i pull 135 Hatstats and upwards to 35-36 Stars. I just bought a formidable keeper to replace my passable one and have 2 PM's i will sell during the season for re-enforcements at forward.

8. Patels 129 Hatstats, 33.7 Stars per game. This guy is unique. Switched from 3-5-2 to 4-4-2 and always plays the CA tactic...and it works. he is always dominated in midfield but manages to get results on the CA. Not sure what he trains but i can't take him lightly. He didnt improve at all from the season before so that makes me wonder how active he really is.



So there you have it. There are 3 teams that are the class of the league, 2 teams that are stronger than me but i could get ties agaisnt if i play my cards right, and 2 teams i am fighting with to get to #6 and a qualification match.

 

VI.56

Alabama Knights - Recently relegated and a BOT. SUHWEET!
Dids FC - The bain of my existence they are the only thing standing between me and promotion finally after 4 seasons in this series
Livers FC - Me.
Florida Sharks - Bunker Ball people, if they learn how to score most of us in this series are screwed.
Philly United - If I beat these guys it's usually really close, but they never climb high on the table. At least not yet.
Fried Chicken - No idea. A newbie who bought out another team they should be able to contest the bot.
Atlantis United - a spring chicken with a chance to finish respectably.
Go For it! - Man these guys get no breaks, at least there is a bot and a newbie this season, almost a guarunteed 6th place finish.

 

FJC F.C. 181 avg hatstats: Has 4 d.v trophies, including 2 for this series. One of his players has twice as much tsi as my team. 'Nuff said.

Minnesota Lumber 159: I ground out a draw with them which to knock them out of 1st. Depending on the schedule I think I can get 3 points from them this time around.

Wingriders 165: I had two good games against them, although I lost both. A defensive meltdown stopped me from beating them 3-1 the second time.

Harder Fellers Score 189: Last season's demotee, they killed me both times.

SE Texas Elite 169: Smacked me around.

What Cheer FC 129: A team in transition, with grand plans for upgrades as my training program finally comes into it's own.

Grey Ghost, BJKartals : A bot and a newbie, 12 points.

 

One thing you have going for you -- these guys don't really have a good training program. They are a PM trainer but when I played against them in the Cup, played their 'A' midfielders while putting up over a 100 more hatstats than I did. Also not a great tactical manager.

 

man that sucks, I thought you'd be a lot better off after leaving our div. your slighty better off at best.

My league v.52 finished 2nd last season in overall HS. 1-6 are all back so that shouldnt change much even if 7 is weaker and 8 is a new side.

1) Chics for Kics - topped the league with 34 pts thanks to a couple of 1-goal wins over me and the #2. Very impressive all around rankings and his weakeness at IM are being trained up. Still a couple yrs from being a dominant team but is over 200 HS weekly. Lost his qually to the South Park Cows.

2) ME - It was over early for my RiverHawks after a couple draws, but finished 2nd on 28 pts. Going to take it to the champ rt away in wk1 and find out. I should also over 200 HS weekly and have an upgraded D and ready to sell/purchase another SN IM to get my midfield back on top.

3) Of Mexican Descent -- Sold off his keepers to get some all-around talent last yr. Put up league hi 246 HS on me one match, def a threat. The top 3 can finish in any order.

4) Hawaii Hill -- Not as good tactically, plans the same exact lineup all season. Training older players at IM so he doesnt improve as fast, still over 190 HS each time and takes pts off the top teams routinely.

5) Gamecocks -- defense trainer who also puts up big HS #s. Recently added to his attack so can challenge if all breaks right.

6-8) Considerable dropoff here, teams in the 140-150 HS range at best. Counting on several PICs vs this group.

 

Oops, had to redo this thanks to a substitution in the de-botification.

V.146, in schedule order (avg Hatstats in parens):

1. Brays Bayou FC (218.1) - yours truly. I think it's no stretch to say that Brays is a preseason favorite to win the series and autopromote, as we are a balanced club who averaged a higher rating than any other team in the series has ever managed in a single game.

2. LSD Chicago SC (167.6) - Formed one half of the second tier of the series last season, although they appear more dangerous of the two. Won't match Brays's ratings over the entire season, but are capable of doing enough in the right sectors to be a very dangerous matchup at home.

3. Waterton (158.1) - The other half of the second tier of the series, Waterton appears to be improving steadily, but they haven't shown the same single-game pop as LSD Chicago. LSD appears as though they should have the upper hand, but Waterton could make a push for 2nd place in the series if LSD doesn't put the right results together to chase a title.

4. Wichita Wild (138.3) - Barring a WTF, no more than a speed bump for Brays and not a whole lot more dangerous than that for LSD.

5. AC Prior (102.1) - Have yo-yo'd between V and VI the last couple of seasons, apparently sandbagging for the cup (sort of like a less capable version of StocksQuest, I guess). In any single game, they could be extremely dangerous to LSD and Waterton and a mild threat to Brays, so the question is, where will they focus their attention?

6. Benga FC (122.8) - See 4. Have basically not improved at all since promoting from VI a few seasons back. With one of the new entries from below being better than they are, Benga is in serious danger of autodemoting this season.

7. Journey FC (103.9) - See 4. Given the string of walkovers, plus handful of matches played without a full lineup, it looks like this team was abandoned but hasn't gone bot yet. Most likely, we'll see them replaced in the first half of the season, and the new owner will be looking it a fast ticket to VI.

8. Real Deuce (98.9) - See 4. Their team saw very slow improvement over the last three seasons in VI, and they don't appear to be ready for this series. It could be a long season for them.

Predictions:
Brays wins the series and autopromotes to IV.
Real Deuce and Journey FC autodemote to VI.
LSD Chicago, Waterton, and Wichita Wild round out the money spots, in that order.

What to watch:
* The battle for second place
* Will anybody post a match rating capable of threatening Brays? (I know LSD Chicago, at least, is capable of it... and I expect them to try in their home game)
* Does Bjorn's anti-Brays flag stick for another season?
* AC Prior's cup run -- how many ringers are involved?
* Does AC Prior sandbag their way to a demotion in place of Real Deuce? (I'm guessing not, as even sandbagging I think they're good enough to come in ahead of Deuce and Journey/Journey's replacement.)

 

To quote from Revenge of the Nerds, "it's gonna be a great year". Agree totally on KOLOS, he always ********s me up. As for you, save those MOTS's, you're going to need them.

 

I'm afraid of what you're going to do with that cash you got from Bife. That could seal it right there.

 

Don't worry. It's for a big stadium upgrade.

Though I do have another striker I'm thinking about selling. He'll be 21 next season and he just popped to outstanding. I think I'm gonna wait 'til his next pop, though. Then I'll get some midfield help. Too late?

As long as KOLOS doesn't screw us up, I think it's gonna be you and me to the wire.

P.S. What will be the capacity after your stadium upgrade?

 

Hm...I dunno what to tell ya about selling that striker...see what you want on the TL, see how much it costs, try to figure out when your biggest games'll be based on previous schedules...If, then, you think you can do well enough until he pops again, wait. If not, you'll need to know exactly what you can do with the cash concerning both new midfielders and whoever's gonna replace your striker.

KOLOS will be annoying at worst. I don't care if I have to give your players amphetamine injections and hamstring KOLOS' entire lineup; he ain't gettin' outta here before we do.

I'm just doing a minor upgrade, mostly because the base construction cost is low and I didn't have much to put into it but I still needed to, oh, break the measly 15k capacity mark. Not that it'll be huge (16.9k) but it's something and it'll help me nab someone decent around midseason. Of course, I wouldn't've done it at all if I didn't have a half-decent trainee to sell...replaced him cheap. He wasn't first-team, he wasn't ever going to be first-team, and his progression was slower than the others. Kinda like another I'll probably be dumping soon for a youth movement.

Anyway, enough about my diabolical plans...