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#190808 Transfer Rumours 2014/15
Eric Portapotty
#190804 Is the old site archive still active?
Eric Portapotty
Of course the formatting is screwed, but it's still mostly readable
#190701 The Ganja Trail - A Caribbbean Adventure
Eric Portapotty
If I'm honest I only do these because I'm absolutely hopeless with the big teams
---------------------------------
First off, of the youth intake I've only signed Junel Croes (the DM) and Brian Figaroa, only 2 because they each cost $50 p/w and if I didn't sign all my amateur to full time deals then there's no way I'm giving these guys money
I'm only just realised that Figaroa might not be as useful as I though - though he hasn't actually started any matches, the aggression, bravery, anticipation and tackling (or the lack of for the latter 2) could result in a card machine.
Boardroom news:
With the profit comes the obscene amount of cash we've had to give the authorities.
TV money in consecutive seasons, a welcome change.
Looks like we'll have to do more winning to earn more cash.
The popularity hierarchy is Aruba is so rigid that we were the only ones to move up last season - from 8th to 7th.
Nonetheless, progress.
Preseason proper:
The usual mixed results against the reserves, followed my a good run against the proper teams.
Would've liked to keep it 100%, but it'd be hard (some might say cheating) to repeat last season's efforts.
Besides, it's the league proper that matters.
Miscellany and the league:
Scored a couple, was shit for a stretch, but came through in the end.
At least he didn't get himself sent off a la Captain Escalona.
They'd think twice about giving me the cash if I really used in on my current squad.
Very good deal for the players, considering they were offered (I shit you not) bonus schemes of $0 and $0 last season.
Britannia didn't even come close last season, heck they've never challenged properly for all the playable (4) seasons.
But they are the most popular club in the land, must be the Aruban equivalent of Liverpool then
#190440 Barclays Premier League 2014/15
Eric Portapotty
#190434 Is the old site archive still active?
Eric Portapotty
#190423 Barclays Premier League 2014/15
Eric Portapotty
#190407 Barclays Premier League 2014/15
Eric Portapotty
NO
#190405 Barclays Premier League 2014/15
Eric Portapotty
Moyes ruining United was one of the best things to happen last season, I don't mind a repeat with van Gaal.
#190248 Barclays Premier League 2014/15
Eric Portapotty
Alexis looks crowded out wide right, and he's doing too much by himself.
Koscielny's been quite rash as well this match, nice header though.
#190232 Barclays Premier League 2014/15
Eric Portapotty
#190202 Barclays Premier League 2014/15
Eric Portapotty
Going to blame Big Sam?
#190176 2014/15 Fantasy Football
Eric Portapotty
Codes are on top post, just copy and paste.Nevermind.
#190170 Barclays Premier League 2014/15
Eric Portapotty
Ditto, Sigs on the bench as well.
#190027 Barclays Premier League 2014/15
Eric Portapotty
You do hate the man now don't you?
#189757 The Ganja Trail - A Caribbbean Adventure
Eric Portapotty
Players of the season:
My striker pair for the majority of the season, it was never truly prolific but it was probably my most 'experienced' (relatively, they aren't even 20 yet).
Oh well, combined they averaged a goal a game, I suppose that's something.
Various knocks (and suspensions) prevented him from doing more than he did, and he also showed a violent side to his game, with 2 sendings off.
Still, most definitely one of the 1st names on the squad list, such is the importance of his skillset.
An incredible 13cm taller than Lake, I should probably have started him more often, but for his horrendous lack of mobility.
Then again, he seems to be able to negate that weakness by simply being unbeatable in the air.
Special mentions:
-Rangel Lugo didn't fit into my systems in the regular season, got fed up and handed in a transfer request which was approved.
However, during the fixture pileup during the playoffs the formations had to be changed to make better use of the whole squad and he found his way back into the first team.
Fair play to him, 4 assists in 5 starts.
-Odor is surprisingly prolific as a centreback, achieving the same goal ratio as Lake and Fingal.
Youth intake now:
An average intake, can't say I'll use many of them next season though.
This is the HoYD's recommendation:
And you know what? For once I actually agree with him - we've been really lacking in specialist ball winners, so he'll most probably be getting game time.
Finally, will the players go on the break?
No. (And no it's not my doing)
#189746 Barclays Premier League 2014/15
Eric Portapotty
#189742 The Ganja Trail - A Caribbbean Adventure
Eric Portapotty
It might get even better....
A pep talk for the strikers worked brilliantly, with them bagging a goal each.
Late header aside, we weren't too troubled.
What a win, and what a time to get it.
Being a speedster (and nothing more) Nouwen was relatively toothless when partnered with Rolston.
But he put it to good use this time, breaking past the opponents' backline repeatedly, and got his reward with 2 goals.
Also:
Yes, with one match to spare we won the title, so much for us breaking under pressure eh?
We finish with a dead rubber, with Lake's scrappy goal ensuring the icing on the cake.
I can't tell how the other teams did precisely, but Nacional must have blown it big time, even falling behind to RCA.
Somehow we managed a 10-point gap over the rest, it was definitely much closer not too long ago.
MONEY
Lake will need to thank his lucky stars for this - sure he did score a couple but if we're talking goals then he was quite far from tte best.
Two in a row \o/
Also, does anyone how they calculated the points? I can't understand how I managed to get 5 times of Number 2's tally.
--------------------------------------------
Seasonal postscript next - youth intake, whether we'll be able to qualify for continental/regional competitions and miscellany
#189706 The Ganja Trail - A Caribbbean Adventure
Eric Portapotty
We started the playoffs with 2 mind-numbing draws
Lake and Fingal were hopeless, and supersub Figaroa came on for Fingal against RCA to plunder in the leveller, incidentally our only shot all game.
The strike pair was then rested, and in their place came Rensy Rolston, who showed them how to be a proper striker with a double.
The subsequent matches then had the strikers on rotation (the entire outfield 10 actually).
Lake and Fingal were yet again blunt, and only just about redeemed themselves by combining for a late equaliser.
Rolston's turn for a late goal, this time a winner in the second of our double header against Estrella.
Lake booked in the 2nd minute - epitomised his game really.
Great response to the RCA loss, though both teams were knackered, as seen by the number of injuries and knocks for both teams.
Which brings us to the standings:
We've fought our way back to pole position, not least due to Nacional's dip in form.
3 to go.
Awards buzz:
Objectively neither Lake nor Escalona deserve the award, they've just not been consistent throughout the season.
#189540 Where Can Football Take Me?
Eric Portapotty
Good luck
#189505 Barclays Premier League 2014/15
Eric Portapotty
More? Okay:
#189453 The Ganja Trail - A Caribbbean Adventure
Eric Portapotty
I stuck with my 4-3-3 (ain't broke don't fix it eh?) but couldn't repeat the previous performance.
Humphrey Ignacio scoring the winner to, bitter taste.
One more go with the 4-3-3, and we record another defeat.
3 strikers, no goals in a combined 360 minutes of football - something's clearly wrong there.
4-1-3-2 in our final game of the regular season, and 2 goals from the front 2 - I'd been doing it wrong apparently.
So we staggered to the finish in a relatively comfortable 2nd - I could blame the strikers' wretched runs of form that prevented from pushing on in the second half of the season, but that'd be forgetting their efforts earlier in the season that got us into contention in the first place, so fair dos.
1st place got 19k, while in the upcoming playoffs only the winner gets any money at all - 19k as well.
A hellish set of fixtures, as we need to play out our 10 games in just over a month.
It doesn't help that our stadium is actually co-owned by the majority of Aruban teams, so in fairness it's also a nightmare for the fixture computer as well.
What does help though, is that our points from the regular season will be carried over, so I'll *just* need to make sure of overhauling Nacional and not do much worse than everyone else.
(There's actually continental qualification as well, but worryingly I've not seen any mention of it whatsoever in the competitions.)
#189445 Barclays Premier League 2014/15
Eric Portapotty
The best PL theme tune by a mile.
#189428 The Ganja Trail - A Caribbbean Adventure
Eric Portapotty
Strikers were complete rubbish again, as we paid for it - again.
I tried out a couple of new ideas for the nexst match, going for a 4-1-4-1 giving my backup GK his debut:
The scoreline took the words right out of my mouth, put it that way.
Needless to say I gave them a good dressing down post-match.
It looked as though we would be in for another loss when we let in the opener, but it was a relief that we got an equaliser immediately after.
We built on that for once and got a winner to (hopefully) put an end to our poor run of form
I should add that Lake had sat out the last 3 matches due to his wretched goalless run going back to the cup rounds, but he was back for the name game as part of the revived 4-3-3, last used when we still had Humphrey Ignacio in the team.
It paid off, with all 3 strikers bagging a goal each.
Good news, though it looks like Nacional will have the regular season in the bag at this rate.
#189417 The Ganja Trail - A Caribbbean Adventure
Eric Portapotty
Thanks
----------------------------------------------
Started our month with an awful match,.Escalona got himself sent off yet again, and we got out of jail only from Figaroa's wayward cross.
Rubbish in the 1st half, good thing we managed to convert our chances after the interval.
Escalona returned, but failed to get us over Nacional, as we fell to a convincing defeat.
The advantage is slowly eroding... /o\
#189217 Itchygon
Eric Portapotty
Do what I do and continue doing it - if you try and push a square peg through a round hole long enough you'll eventually get through, even if it means breaking one or both items or your hands.
#189189 The Ganja Trail - A Caribbbean Adventure
Eric Portapotty
Aye, I didn't expect us to replicate our preseason form this way, been a pleasant surprise so far.
------------------------------------------
Cup month, all cup matches:
A second straight lower-league side, not that I mind.
Lake with another poor game, but he was one-upped by Escalona, who again got himself sent off.
We started poorly and got what we deserved by going into the break a goal down, but Geerman equalised with a fortuitous cross-cum-shot.
Fingal then got us the lead through a Route One manoeuvre, and Brison made sure of things.
MONEY
Yet another lower-league opponent, keep them coming!
We coped brilliantly with Escalona's absence, with Jefferson Guerrero sunning the show with competence in his place.
MORE MONEY
The first top-tier opposition, and it's the topmost of opponents that we could meet - some challenge at last
Lake was (as is the trend for this year's cup) wayward with his shooting,so it was down to the returning Escalona to save the day, with an assist and a converted penalty.
As you can see it's not the most difficult (or glamorous) route to the final.
But I digress:
YES YES THE FIRST TROPHY
Even I'm surprised by this, I don't normally do well in cup competitions.
EVEN MORE MONEY
See when everyone else is faded it's quite easy to make your way up.
But honestly, it's important to not take this seriously, since there are only 4 seasons of records in here.
It's a 10000(ten thousand) seater arena that we play in, 1.4k isn't something to call home about really.
An update on the league, as a couple of matches were played (not involving us though) - probably still reeling from their defeat in the final, inexplicably were thrashed by Britannia.
Which leave the table looking like so:
Definitely 5 clear now, but with still over half the campaign to go there's still a lot to play for.
#189181 Itchygon
Eric Portapotty
Have the wheels come off your title challenge yet? Or will you be able to ride it out?
#189029 The Ganja Trail - A Caribbbean Adventure
Eric Portapotty
Cheers mate, we do need to keep this up for me to not go apsehit again mind
------------------------------------
A bumper schedule this month, a whopping 5 games:
.. And we lost the 1st rather tamely, which also ends our winning run.
Fun fact, RCA have won 4 of the last 6 league titles and are dominant in these parts.
We came back with a flourish, with man-mountain centreback Odor chipping in with a goal and an aimless punt of an assist.
We dominated proceedings, but might have had to endure a tough end to the game with a late concession of a goal.
It turned out to be their only shot on target all match though, as we saw it through.
Another 3-goal win, another goal from Odor.
As it stands we will be at least 2 points ahead, but as mentioned RCA are a powerhouse and will look to reel us in given the opportunity.
This year's cup competition has also begun:
Great that we don't have to start with a fellow top-tier side, I'd like to take it slow.
Strikers were hopeless today, we were saved by a great (Francois) Escalona goal (lots of them this season actually) and a (Jaython) Escalona header from a corner taken by his namesake.
Far more nervous after conceding the late goal this time round, but we got through it as well in the end.
The money can actually pay my wage bill for a couple months, because it's still only Escalona and Lake who are contracted to the club - can't be arsed to offer anyone else deals
#188922 The Ganja Trail - A Caribbbean Adventure
Eric Portapotty
Aye, fingers crossed we can maintain it for once.
-------------------------------
Excellent win against the defending champions(!), Escalona getting his hat-trick with 2 efforts from range, one each from a free kick and in open play.
The match was also a milestone, apparently.
6 on the trot stretching back to our playoff heroics last season - not bad.
Not as convincing as our other games this campaign, but 7 in a row nonetheless.
Britannia were devoid of any real ambition, their first shot only coming after our opener, and they finished with 0 shots on target from 5.
As the scoreline suggested weren't exactly potent either - 4 from 10.
Still a rather misleading table given all the games in hand various clubs have, but the gist is we'll be at least 3 points clear.
Not bad.
He managed an assist in his debut, but subsequently put in two turgid performances - par for the course for him then.
#188776 The Armoury
Eric Portapotty