Prediction Revision

After taking a look at the four final teams' potential line-ups, league positions, injuries, and form and evaluating those variables in light of the overall intelligence levels of the four team managers, I have come to a conclusion that runs counter to my previous predictions. But I must express it nonetheless. Even the great totemasters change their minds. Even stupid Presidents change their social security plans.

Anyway, the new predicted winner of this year's Brooklyn Cup is......drum roll, please.....The Brooklyn Wind. Interesting, eh?

A Swede drinks in Brooklyn?

Hey, has Peter's trip come and gone already? Is there a report?

Yeah yeah yeah, ouch this.

Bonafide: 48*, 201 HS.

Grumble grumble grumble....

Ouch!

BFC 52.5* 215 HatStats
Wind 40.5* 160 HS
Ellwood 50.5* 218 HS
Ratz 44* 192 HS

See you in the 3rd place final, Sic! ;)

CONGENIALITY ROUND FIXTURES

Plus, any of us playoff eliminados who are interested in a consolation match, the fixtures would breakout thusly:

Le Tigre - Chocolate Thunder

Bonafide - Stones

And today I believe my beverage of choice will be Woodford on the rocks, thanks. Oooh, and some roasted almonds if you got any handy. Thanks.

DLI SEMIFINAL FIXTURES

Sorry Rio, I know I'm late, been unusually away from the machine today. Anyhoo, without further sociopolictical commentary, DLI semi fixtures, with home team first, natch:

Direwolf - The 'Pus

Freaks - System

Who among you will be the Ultimate Loser? Who, I ask you?? WHO???

PUS

Sorry for the injuries inflicted, but how do you explain what the hell happened, I held the ball more than 3/4 of the game. Not to mention i had a better mid-field. Oh well, good luck.

I love the sociopolitical comments you toss in the midst of your Hattrick observations, John. I think in the off-season (in this case defined as the bits of the year the Brooklyn Cup is not played) you should offer us sociopolitical observations with references to BC teams. Am I pressuring you? Good. Now you know how I felt last season with the burden of restoring your faith in the fairer sex. ;)

Looks like the final showdown will be between a Brit and a Yank, one way or the other. I support this drive to bring the cup back to the US. And then we few from the midwest and west coast must steal it from the New Yorkers!

Oh, and I had a serious reason for posting too. The management (*coughs*Boyd*coughs*) knows the Invitational elite players do not have fixtures in the cupmanager and must have one posted in the blog?

P.S. You did surprise me, Cappie, I expected you to win. :/ Ah well, you were the victim of my strange luck. It was a good match and you kept my guys out. Thank you. :)

Excellent Competition

Wow. What a cup. Wind vs BFC in a rematch of last year's phenomenal quarterfinal barnburner and the all UK semi accross the pond between Dirty - a team trying to win a series and bring back the cup and Ellwood the defending champion. We do know that it's going to be one 'European' (Uh, UK really, eh - what's so bad about the Euro anyway?) and one US team (Uh, Brooklyn really, eh - everything is wrong with the rest of this country) in the final.

Tell me, if BFC goes over to beats the crap out of Le Tigre in Sweden, how the hell am I to have a chance against him?

Once again The Wind is luck to be where they are....

Every morning you greet me

The Hills Are Alive...with Saltopi!

2-0 shutout, thereby doubling my goal production from the B-Cup season. On the road. THAT's why you support Der 'Pus, Johnny! Don't you know my squad is perfectly built to make a serious run every year in DLI.

KCU I commend you, even knocking out two of my guys in a friendly. That's why I don't play my best players in the B-Cup.

My odds just shrunk to about 125-1 in DLI.

better next time

I was hoping that playing with the best squad of the moment would get me closer to a BC trophy (even if it has the word "losers" somewhere in the name; though as the rest of the participants, I prefer the term "invitational"). In fact, I was even mischeviously pleased the surprise I was concocting, of playing the full squad, and hoping it would be a surprise for Maria too.

well, it wasn't. A disappointing BC season just got more disappointing.

John's Musings and Predictions

If nothing else, your predictions are entertaining so keep them coming. Personally, I think the von Trapps were clever. Who would think to check Hitler's love-nest for fugitives fleeing the Nazis?

LoL

Sux to be you ;)

Better luck next season, hehe 8-D

To be honest I had forgotten myself until it was too late.

Lucky for me I set up my friendly teams on Saturdays right after I set up the league team ;)

AAARRRRGGGGHHHHH!

Curse you Dirty Rats!!!

I am such a loser. I forgot that I was playing at your field Jeff. Which means we played a day earlier than if we were playing at Thunderdome. Which means that I never set my lineup! It was a close match none the less. Nice work. Good luck to those who have matches today and good luck to everyone in the second round.

Two more things

1. I am an American and therefore have an insanely ridiculous miopic view of the planet. Because Scott is an American, he is destined to be a winner. We are winners, we Americans. More importantly, those of us in Brooklyn are just smarter than all of you as well.

2. And remember, as always, the odds are made exclusively for illegal wagering purposes only.

Das Losers Even Get Odds

You guys are all a bunch of losers but I love you anyway. Enough to spend a little time otherwise used for scouring the transfer lists to rate your loser chances in the DLI.

Direwolf (3-1)
How do you solve a problem like Maria? Hmmmmm. Bet she never heard that growing up. Anyone love the Sound of music as much as me out there? Little known fact: As the Von Trapps are seen scaling that mountain accross the border to 'Switzerland', in real life crossing that pass would actually take you straight over to Bavaria and specifically Eagles Nest - Adolf's secret crash pad. Why aren't you in the Finals Maria?

Kings County U (3-1)
Kings County - also known as Brooklyn - is the home of our most cherished Hattrick virtual trophy - The Brooklyn Cup and will be when this campaign is over. It's just that KCU won't actually have it. Did you know that Churchill's Mother was born in Brooklyn? Go figure that out people. Anyway, what was I talking about?

The Freaks (5-1)
You guys get "The Onion" over in Europe? You should. You know about Smoove B and his tendancy to 'freak the ladies nasty all night long'? Well it's funny ass shite, let me tell you. I also like the pot-smoking loser columnist Jim Anchower and the way he starts off with "Hola Amigos. Been a while since I rapped at ya.". Good stuff guys, good stuff.

Avalanche (89-1)
What happened to this team? Klaus, are you alive? Did someone steal your computer and take control of your team? Oh how the might fall......

Presidents (90-1)
Anyone ever hear that band "Presidents of the United States of America". So bad. God I hated them. Anyway, Presidents, are you ready to put the smackdown on Klaus? Smack. Down.

The Pus (345-1)
0 points and -26 GD? Jay, dude. What is happening with you? I'm suprised you even got invited to the DLI. Why do I support you again?

Delta (2-1)
This team is going to take it all in the DLI. Just watch.

Your American right?

Very comical predictions Johnny, i look forward to them every year......however, i think they are slightly tainted by the fact that.....um....your American! I know you guys really want this trophy and all that but cmon!!!

Anyway, i will be shortly air mailing you that knife and a clear bag so you can show your friends!!

Cheers Johnny and good luck to all.

Addendum for the Totemaster

Great predictions! As per usual ;)

I am going to hold you to that 'nutsack' promise... even if I have to swim the 'pond' to watch it happen ;P

Sadly your odds for me to win may have to drop slightly after my recent league game... I lost badly and now have to fight to win the title.

Personally I don't think I can win this season as I suspect my league play will cause me to field much weakened teams for the final rounds of the BCup :/

But you never know ;)

Jay, that is quite a player you have there. I guess you could also say that it's a good thing his specialty isn't quick.

Nice predictions there Johnny. I'm not too fond of my odds however. I'm a non-realist though and that's why I choose to focus on the one in that equation rather than the 100. I mean, hey, there is always a chance when you play an 8-1-1 formation.

Now the Real Tote Mastering Begins.....

What you all have been waiting for.....
After a preliminary round of practice totemastering, the REAL stuff begins. I'm telling you, this year's Round 2 is really going to be something special. I have a feeling we may be, just maybe, ready to take this goddam cup out of Old Europe and bring it to New Brooklyn. It's where it belongs. Speaking of the Cup, maybe we should have a REAL cup made and send it around to the rightful owner every season. We're already playing virtual footy. How about a real Cup? Anyway, I'm getting off track. Let the real totemastering begin....

Here's the way it's gonna shake out, with some explaining after:

Quarters
Ratz 3-0 Thunder
Tigers 1-2 BFC
FCB 2-1 Ellwood
Stones 0-1 Wind

Semi's
Wind 0-3 BFC
Ratz 2-0 FCB

Final
Ratz 1-2 BFC

Dirty Ratz (3-1)
There is a team named "Mounting Goats" in Ratz's series. I wonder if the manager is called "Head Goat"? Anyway, Ratz is in a good spot in his Series at number 1 and has no reason to play anything but the best. And it's one thing to lose it to a Swede, but a Welshman? Ouch. As always, the Ratz midfield will never let you have a chance.

Le Tigre (3-1)
There is a team named simply "Denim" in Le Tigre's series. Are blue jeans still a novelty item in Europe? Are you still wearing jeans jackets over there in Scandinavia? Anyway, um, it looks like Le Tigre are in SERIOUS danger of relegating back to Division 6. A number of things could happen here but I certainly don't want to face a Tigre team with nothing to lose.....Scotty?

The HATED FC Bonerfried (5-1)
There is a team named "Easy Cheese" in Boyd's series. I have no idea what that could mean. None. Interesting though nonetheless. He beat me on a goal differential of ONE in Group play only to be rewarded with a date at home against the defending champions. A HUGE win against his first place series team probably keeps him from relegating. Look out for the HATED Bonerfried, they've got some room to groove.

The Stones Reunited (10-1)
There is a team named Raglafart Devils FC in Stones' series. Apparently they stink. Doh! (Oh yes I did.) Anyway, the Stones lost THREE strikers to injury in their last league match, What the? How fortunate that is for whomever drew them in the quarters. Anyway you cut it, the Stones have had a great cup run this year. Comfortably in a secure series spot, we'll still see a good squad out there. Just no one that can score.

The Brooklyn Wind (100-1)
There is a team named "Four Kids and a Wife FC" in my series. It's such a bizarre name isn't it? Wouldn't it be funny if he actually had four kids and a wife? Ironical indeed. Anyway, I don't stand a chance to win this thing. I'm going for autopromotion and I have two tough matches finishing up. But after 3 strikers from my Quarters opponent go down two days before our match there just might be a higher calling for the Wind this year, no?

Ellwood (4-1)
There is a team named "Pink Army" in Ellwood's series. Pink Army, really. It could mean so much but I know it probably doesn't mean a repeat for the Wood. No way. They've proven they could hang last year, but the cup is leaving Wales this offseason. In fact, just to be sure, if Wood wins this thing again I will actually lop off my nutsack. What, you don't believe me?

Brooklyn FC (3-1)
There are no real interesting names in his series. Anyway, look, I'm so ready to see Scotty win this thing. The only problem with his team may be confidence. Otherwise, he's angry about the fact that he doesn't have ONE point in Div 3 and he's tired of losing to Ratz. If he gets past Le Tigre though, which is entirely, uh, probable, he's a virtual lock in the Final. Bring it home Scotty. Bring. It. Home.

Chocolate Thunder (100-1)
There is a team by the name of "Chocolate Thunder" in his series. Speaking of Chocolate Thunder, I had this Flaffel with extra hot sauce the other day. Holy shit. Anyway, Thunder has no chance here. They've gotta go to the Rat Hole in the Quarters. No one ever wins in the Rat Hole in the Quarters. Ever.

Unfortunate name

That guy needs to hang out with Hung Maguire from The Genetic Freaks.

All Name Team Member

I nearly died when I saw my latest youth pull:

http://www10.hattrick.org/Common/playerDetails.asp?playerId=60998175

Thank god his specialty isn't Head.

Sorry Folks

Sorry Folks-
I really screwed that up didn't I?

Who'd have thought Delta, System, and Direwolf would be out and Stones, FCB, and Thunder would be in? Cearly, I didn't. What a horrible set of prognostications. Congrats to those teams that suprised me. Well done. Perhaps I need to hang it up and let someone else take over. Ha ha. No such luck. I'll make it up with a perfect 2nd Round set which will be coming in the next few days.

Cheers!
Johnny the Wop
Official Totemaster of the Brooklyn International Cup

OFFICIAL PLAYOFF & DLI FIXTURES

Well, as it turns out, the Cupmanager worked after all and what is listed there is now correct. But here's the breakdown on the playoffs. Info on Das Losers Invitational follows that. Reminder: all playoff matches are CUP RULES.

PLAYOFF FIXTURES AND RANKINGS

(home team first)

Dirty Ratz - Chocolate Thunder
Brooklyn Tigers - Brooklyn FC
FC Bonafide - Ellwood
Maidstone Reunited - The Brooklyn Wind

1. Ratz (18 points)
2. Tigers (16 points)
3. Bonafide (15 points, +18 GD)
4. Maidstone (15 points, +15 GD)
5. Wind (15 points, second in group)
6. Ellwood (12 points, +10)
7. BFC (12 points, +6)
8. CTFC (10 points)

DAS LOSERS INVITATIONAL FIXTURES AND RANKINGS

Direwolf - Delta
KCU - Saltopus
Freaks - Presidents
System - Avalanche

1. Direwolf (9 points)
2. KCU (6 points, -1)
3. Freaks (6 points, -9)
4. System (6 points, -11)
5. Avs (3 points)
6. Prez (0 points, -23)
7. Pus (0 points, -25)
8. Delta (0 points, -26)

Playoff Fixtures and Challenges

As you know, the final group matches are tonight. However, PLEASE DO NOT issue or accept any challenges for the playoff matches until you see the official seedings and matches posted here (which will also be notified via HT mail). Because of a possible error made in the Cupmanager when setting up the competition (what can I say -- the program is great but some of the function buttons and the manual are not very clear...), I'm not sure that the Cupmanager will correctly allocate the matches, and I am fairly certain that it will not correctly designate the home team. Also, I'm not sure if it will allow me to fix it manually after the fact. So the bottom line is trust what you see here, not the Cupmanager, until I'm sure that everything is working properly. In any event, I should have everything sorted and posted tonight shortly after the last matches.

Also, as an additional note, the Rules Committee has determined that this season's Cup Final match will be played as a single match in a neutral stadium rather than a two-leg aggregate final as we have done in previous years. The hosting venue will be determined after the semifinals are conducted.

Good luck to everyone! (....except Sic)

One More Note that Boyd Missed

I beat him last night with a couple wingers in the IM position.

Seedings

After the first five rounds, here is the current seeding for playoff positions.

1. Tigers (15 points, +12 GD, 14 GF)
2. Ratz (15 points, +12 GD, 12 GF)
3. Bonafide (12 points, +15 GD)
4. Maidstone (12 points, +9 GD)
5. The Brooklyn Wind (12 points, +13 GD)
6. Brooklyn FC (12 points, +10 GD)
7. Chocolate Thunder (9 points, +12 GD)
8. Ellwood (9 points, +5 GD)

As you can see, many teams are very narrowly separated so this ranking could easily move around a good deal after the final group matches, but it does show the promise of several high-profile matchups in the first knockout round. If it were to end today based on this list:

Tigers-Ellwood rematch of last finals
Ratz-CTFC stalwarts v. upstarts
FCB-BFC deploy the National Guard
Stones-Wind immovable objects v. irresistable force

Also, I note that because of some scheduling glitches last week we had to award two default victories. You may notice that the Cupmanager page shows those as 3-0 wins despite the fact that traditionally we have awarded only 2-0 wins for this situation. It turns out that the Cupmanager has the 3-0 score hard-wired in, and I can't alter it. Odds are that it will not affect any standings in the end. If it does, however, we will cross that bridge when we get to it.

New York trippin

Well RioRio your evil plans has come to waste since the dates were carefully planned in accordance to the B-cup schedule :) So I shall beat your team and then fly to NY to celebrate. (Party...?)

Update on the LastExit date. Ive checked with my mate and we are apparently booked for 22nd and 23rd. And the following weekend as well apparently, but any other day maybe?

Because of changes at his work plans have been altered unfortunately.

Re: New York

Darn. I was hoping you'd be there next week so the Brooklyn boys could get you drunk and plunder your team before our next match.

NewYork Visit

Ja!!

Arrivning on the 20th april - Departing 5th may

During this time my friend has made some plans, dont know when and how or what.

Although he is famous for his flexible nature so I'm not worried.

Logistics, etc.

Looks as if Boyd is going to be returning that evening (the 22nd) from a trip out of town. He's an integral part of the neighborhood, and I'm thinking that it's imperative that he be there. Our choices? We can go ahead with the 22nd and hope his plane gets in on time and that family obligations allow him to be out for a while. Or, we can choose another day during Peter's visit.

What, exactly, are the dates of your arrival and departure?

Selling forwards

I've put a couple of highly productive forwards on the market, since I've decided to go with an AOW strategy and need more passing for that to happen:


Faas Vermaat TSI = 5 960 , 23 years, inadequate formHas poor experience and weak leadership abilities
Stamina:
inadequate
Keeper:
disastrous
Playmaking:
weak
Passing:
wretched
Winger:
inadequate
Defending:
inadequate
Scoring:
brilliant
Set Pieces:
poor


Bartłomiej Pierściński TSI = 1 350 , 21 years, solid formHas wretched experience and weak leadership abilities
Stamina:
poor
Keeper:
disastrous
Playmaking:
wretched
Passing:
poor
Winger:
passable
Defending:
inadequate
Scoring:
excellent
Set Pieces:
magical

Let me know if you're interested and I can give you more detail. I'll be losing money on both players, so I think they're bargains.

Mid-Season Awards

Dan, yes, I think we'll be around indeed. We're going to get you drunk, get your hattrick password, and plunder your team.

Most Suprising Team: Stones
Most Disappointing Team: Delta
Second Most Disappointing Team: Direwolf
Sorriest Team: The 'Pus (O goals, 12 goals against, 0 points, 3 injuries)
Most Valuable player: Daniel Tellskar, The Wind (6 Goals, 1 Hattrick)
Best Overall Team: The Wind