Hattrick Season 67

[UncleIan]

I had to beat first place by 5 goals to win the league and get a qualifier. Looking at their ratings they generally have one or two okay side attacks, and a reliably terrible central attack. They'd got 4-5-1 the last few matches, so we went 2-5-3 with two WB and no CDs and the most obvious MOTS, and still my central defence beat their central attack by 70/30! They'd gone with a 5-3-2 CA with two wingers, one IM and both strikers set towards wing. Safe to say, we had plenty of possession, 75/25% in fact, while my attack v their defence was 40/60, and their wing attack v my defence 50/50.

In the first half we stormed to a 2-0 lead while they missed a couple of counter attack chances, in the second half we missed a couple of chances, while they finally managed to score on the counter to set up a rather nervous last twenty minutes, during which they managed to fluff another counter attack. Final score 2-1.

So we end the season in second on 32 points same as first, and -9 goals behind them, ten points ahead of 3rd who slipped up in the last match. First now have a qualifier as they slipped below the qualification line of 34 points, I guess I scuppered their auto-promotion, not sure that was a sensible idea but it keeps the fans happy until next season.

[Bink333]

Well I was in 2nd and clear to have a go at the TS ravaged double Champions of England and this seasons Cup winners, in order to stay there. I couldn't finish outside the top 4, so didn't need to hold back for a playoff, so set up with a 2-5-3 with FTW-NF-NF OW-IMTW-OIM-IMTW-OW and OCD-OWB.

My divine+4 side attacks were pretty much 50/50 with their side defences and central attack was in the low 40s, until 60 minutes when I switched out the passable stamina WB and central forward for another OCD and a TDF.

This gave me over 2/3rd possession and they pressed rather than LS and we ran out 2-0 winners, meaning that I'd done the double over them and finished 2nd in the Prem for he second season running.

I'm a bit surprised to achieve this, as my team is getting on for geriatric status, and as I said at the start of the season, I expected to finish outside the top 4.

I'll put a lot of it down to TI/TS management. The new training page is very handy for adjusting TI (and stamina to ensure I upped it to compensate for any loss of training intensity in order to keep stamina as high as I could on my mid-30yr old squad).

As a quick run through, here's how I've adjusted it from my starting point of 100% TI and 34% stamina. I had passable coach leadership. All games were on PIN except where indicated, and PIC'ing a long way into the Cup helped too:-

In week 1, before the opening game, I dropped TI to 67% with stamina at 61% This gave me just enough to ride my luck and win away against the Champs.
In week 2 I upped TI to 85% with stamina at 60% (which was a mistake as stamina should have been 40%) Home to a CA and lucked in to get 3pts
week 3 TI up to 90% st 38%, was always going to lose away to Red, so probably should have pushed up to 100% and 34% but was wary of any big rises affecting form.
Week 4 95% TI st 36% went PIC home to a CA and was unlucky with SEs to only get a draw.
Week 5 100% TI and 34% stamina. Won at home against a MoTs and then in week 6 got a very lucky away win.
Week 7 TI 90% and st 38% home win by the book.
Week 8 TI 95% and st 36% would have preferred a PIC but a PIN guaranteed m/f and 3pts away.
Week 9 TI 85% st 40% very very unlucky to get a home draw.
Week 10 TI 95% st 36% PIC away loss and probably should have gone to 100% TI beforehand but again wary of form negative effects.
Week 11 lost the Cup semi final (50/50 game) and a tough away draw in the league
Week 12 TI 67% st 51% unlucky to get a another draw at home here.
Week 13 Home team MoTsed rather than CA and I lost
Week 14 TI 34% st 100% MoTs to win at home.

This week it goes back to TI 100% and st 34% and I expect I'll have some form issues to contend with, but I'm also expecting this to be my last season in the Prem, as even this sort of management trickery can't stop the wheels of time and skill decay.

I've had a level 5 form coach and Psycho all season to keep form and confidence up.

[Donut102]

Ok, my brain hurts. Everytime I think I'm up to speed with all the nuances in this game, Bink goes and throws me a curve ball.

I thought the TI trick was a one-shot wonder hit to boost your team spirit just before a big game. My notes that I kept said that for each 22% (?not sure where I got this from?) you drop TI, you get a one level boost in team spirit. Need to increase Stamina to compensate, and the down side is a drop in background form.

So you drop TI before week 1 to steal a march on your opponent, and take the 3 points thankyou very much.
Why not back up to 100% in week 2? Is there a logic somewhere that says taking it back to 85% mitigates the form consequence?

Why not drop TI in week 11 for the cup semi-final and the tough away game?

And why drop TI in week 14? You were guaranteed top 4, but couldn't win the Prem - why not just MOTS?

Thanks for posting this stuff Bink - it does make my tactics look rather binary in comparison!

[UncleIan]

Ok, my brain hurts. Everytime I think I'm up to speed with all the nuances in this game, Bink goes and throws me a curve ball.

Thanks for posting this stuff Bink - it does make my tactics look rather binary in comparison!

Indeed. I'm starting to realise why some of us are in the Prem, and sum of us are....not.

[Eastheath]

0-4 away win to 5th (who were presumably prepping for a qualifier) and we finish in 2nd with 12 wins and 36 pts, 6 pts short of the champs.
Where did we go wrong? We lost twice to the champs. I might as well say "Move along now, nothing to see here...."

Looking forward to trying again next season!

[Bink333]

Ok, my brain hurts. Everytime I think I'm up to speed with all the nuances in this game, Bink goes and throws me a curve ball.

I thought the TI trick was a one-shot wonder hit to boost your team spirit just before a big game. My notes that I kept said that for each 22% (?not sure where I got this from?) you drop TI, you get a one level boost in team spirit. Need to increase Stamina to compensate, and the down side is a drop in background form.

So you drop TI before week 1 to steal a march on your opponent, and take the 3 points thankyou very much.
Why not back up to 100% in week 2? Is there a logic somewhere that says taking it back to 85% mitigates the form consequence?

Why not drop TI in week 11 for the cup semi-final and the tough away game?

And why drop TI in week 14? You were guaranteed top 4, but couldn't win the Prem - why not just MOTS?

Thanks for posting this stuff Bink - it does make my tactics look rather binary in comparison!

Raising TI also has a negative effect on TS. So, raising it in small increments, especially while able to PIC cup games means that you can manage the downside more efficiently. I'm also mindful about the form negative effects and can theorise that smaller changes will have less effect, but it's unproven but I didn't have any serious form issues during last season.

I avoided dropping in week 11, in order to try to make a run at the Prem title, which didn't pan out, but the TI/TS management was planned ahead to some extent. The plan was to be ready for a tough home game in week 14, and either way by securing 2nd place I get better prize money, more points on the historical standings and matched my best ever finish. It was also pleasing to do the double over the reigning Champions of England and current Cup holders...

I'm putting myself forward for the England NT job, so please stick a vote in my box if you think I'll do a decent jpb?

[Donut102]

Thanks Bink - vote duly registered!