Fingers Crossed

My guys are running good. Once we get our injury situation cleared up, we looking to make a run for the cup!

EXCLUSIVE PHOTO!

Check it out! An Avalanche "insider" has just leaked this top secret photo of Claus together with a portion of the hospitality squad of the Bajen Avalanche Supporters Club!

Wow

Yeah, how about KCU? Nice!!

Finger?

I'm not certain whether I pulled my finger out, but my lads got the job done against the 'Pus. I think it's clear now that Group A is the real Group of Death. Four rounds done and only 3 points separate top from bottom.

Meanwhile, how about KCU? Gotta be the story of the season so far.

Five - Nil

If revenge is a dish that is best served cold then it was positively freezing in the New South Stadium tonight!

Ratz redress the humiliation of last week's devastating loss to the boys in green & white. The only downside was the three week injury to Ratz star wingback Andy Conner (flowers in the post, Andy... daffodils, obviously!).

Of course I am going to be a gracious winner and not rub Claus' nose in his team's pitiful performance.... Yeah, right!

In yer face, Clausey-Boy! ;)

Group A is certainly looking real interesting right now. Even more so if Boyd pulls his finger out later on... go FCB!

Humbled Before The Home Crowd!

I suppose after three BCup titles, 2 runner-ups and 2 semifinal finishes a manager could run the risk of becoming complacent and cocky about qualifying matches. This same manager may find his bravado getting the better of him and may shoot his mouth off once too often. Said manager may then find his fingers being burned by a superior team in a vital BCup match.

Fortunately, none of this applies to me as losing to Avs was all part of my fiendish master-plan to reclaim the BCup title for a fourth time! Honest, Guv!

Sadly the days of Ratz midfield being head and shoulders above all (most?) others are long gone as PM training has long been left behind by the Dirty Ones. Now I just get pulverised in the League, the BCup and, yes, also Xpert11.

Maybe it is time to create a new internet manager game for me... 'Knittrick' anyone?

CongRatz, Claus, may all your players be 'unbanned' for next week's game ;)

Historical Perspective

In a chat yesterday, I asked Jeff about losing two consecutive matches in Group play. It actually has happened only once and I have confirmed it with my own independent investigation of the matter. In Ratz' first two B-Cup matches EVER, the Avs crushed Ratz at the hole 1-4 with around 18 stars to the Ratz 15.5 in the opener and then went to Henry Street and lost to Bonerfried 7-2; where the Bonerfried posted a scary 17 stars with the Ratz posting 14.

Ratz then when on to win every single match afterwards to take home the first ever B-Cup.

"So it goes."

Avalance of Ratz

Who knew that parity could be so exciting! But, frankly, we were all taken aback when someone declared Group D (and not our group A) to be the Group of Death. It's nice to see Claus pull out the "big guns" this early in the BCup and send Ratz to a 2nd straight loss (a first?). Jeff has clearly helped with his dabbling in a 3-4-3, although I can only suspect some sandbagging going on.
Anyway, I think my "double secret reverse revenge" strategy worked, at least through the first round of games. I call it "double secret" because even I didn't know about it.

I won! I beat the Ratz in The feared Rat Hole! :-)

It wasn't until I stumbled in on a secret message sent from Jeff to Jay where Jeff in a somewhat degrading way stated the following...
-------------------------
Head_Rat: "Anyway it is about time I ground Claus' non-xpert11 team into the dust again ;)Cheers for giving me the determination to do it next week :D"
-------------------------
...it was then I decided to bring my mid field giant Sandro Caredda to The Rat Hole, along with my A-keeper Gustav. I believe they were the ones that made the trick! Mua ha ha ha ha... ;-)

(The 3rd A-squad player - Anghel Pantea - was suspended last league match so he was also on the pitch when 'the-Miracle-in-The-Rat-Hole' took place!:)

Sorry for this Jeff, but you ought to know that I'm a bit sensitive when it comes to my precious Avs.
I tend to over-react when people try to beat my boys verbally...before a match ;-)

Eh..what? Return match? Next week!!! Ehm...don't try to interupt me while I'm trying to, in a most humble way, say 'welcome to Stockholm next week' to my dearest friend Jeff and his very very nice and clean ratz.
All for now...

Urine big trouble now!

I just bought a new keeper. 28K TSI, Mag +4.

Gonna debut tonight against Maidstone Reunited.

Lars Ulrich
Age: 40-ish
A small drummer who is tempermental and dishonest.
Has divine experience and passable leadership abilities.

Stamina: Excellent Drumming: Magnificent
Playmaking: Wetched Passing: Wretched
Singing: Wretched Defending: Wretched
Songwriting: (has deceased with age) inadequate Set Peices: Poor

Re: How Handy

It's not me!

How handy!

In fact, I've heard that Brooklyn Football Club has a couple players who actually know how to use a urinal. Just rumors. ;-)

Christmas in July.

Here's a gift you boys should put on your list.

http://www.lazyboneuk.com/store/peegoals.html

Ellwood and NYC

Well Boydy Scott and Woppo, your celebrations in Brooklyn look ace. Dan and I still banter about coming over to see you guys. We wish you all the best.

It's been a pretty hard week for Danny boy, a very close family member of his passed suddenly, and he's been through a lot, so I'd just like to wish him all the best. I'm sure that my win midweek didn't help, so I'm sorry :)

Left right left right

Well Jeff, I have to sympathise with you. I too am a 'pad brat' (Father was Army - 22 years) and have lived all over Europe most of my life. It's only when my Dad was posted back to Hereford that we returned to the UK.

Living under the shadow of constant terror, with bomb scares, bombs going off (and shattering your classroom windows when you're only 7 or 8) leaves a lasting impression on you. I must say I never lived to see quite the extremity of having a bomb land in front of me however! That's pretty damn extreme. Must put a new perspective on things. My Dad too served in NI (as do many) but I was merely an embryo at the time.

Turns out the bombers were 18, 22 and 30 ish, and all were UK born and residents. Hm.... fighting the enemy within.

Anyway, enough with this!

The WOP is embarassed

Lady and gentlemen, I am sorry to say that the WOP's preseason predictions have not come to fruition. After two weeks, any predictions would seem rather ridiculous, no?

I've actually been a little busy with working, drinking, my 'erstwile' girlfriend and my own hattrick team. Not particularly in that order either.

I've not been holding up my own, I realize.

HOWEVER, seriously, the WERE REALLY my PRE-SEASON predictions to advance.

Ratz
'Pus
Brooklyn FC
Kings
System
Ellwood
Tigre
Wind

Funny how it all seems like it's working out. Anyway, UPSET special of the season so far has to go to 'pus against Ratz last night. 'Pus is the leading candidate for the First Annual 'Tony Tuesday' Award.

We'll see you all again before the playoffs begin! Ciao!

You are welcome to the points ;)

I went to Iran in 1977 at the ripe old age of 8 years! In late 1979 we had a bomb thrown through the window of our house (fortunately it failed to detonate as I was watching it from 10 feet away!) and were then given 24 hours to leave the country by the British Embassy or else the Iranian police were going to arrest all British military personel and their families.

Scary stuff!

Being ushered through Tehran's airport by your parents whilst rich 'westernised' Iranians are thrusting millions of 'rials' (the currency of the time) at you begging for your airline ticket is a grim memory that will stay with me forever. We lost all the possessions we had except the clothes on our backs and a hastily packed suitcase.

My family is not exactly a stranger to these sorts of incidents but I digress.

Good win for the 'Pus... all I want to try and do now is avoid the DLI :/

Re: We Suck!

And that's probably giving my team too much credit! You never know what the HT game engine is going to come up with (other than some wild prose). But I'll take a mysterious, lucky win and look forward to beating up on Bonafide while Boyd's off in España.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go see a doctor about an "uncontested case of handball in the penalty area". Or maybe a lawyer?

P.S. Very glad your friends were ok, Jeff. The bombing was obviously a big deal here--still frontpage news too--and your experience and perspective is enlightening. You must have been pretty young living in Iran?

Dirty Ratz FC... A Ratz' Perspective

Why did we lose?

We Suck!

Nuff Sed.

Great Perspective

Thanks for the perspective Jeff. Very interesting. I can see your points. We're with you here and thinking of those in London.

In a totally irrelevant matter, I'd love to hear your perspective on how your Ratz got beat by the 'Pus tonight. ;-)

Cheers!!!

Bombings... a Ratz' perspective!

Cheers to you guys for your support over this 'situation' we have created for ourselves but, to be honest, it just seems like business as usual for those of us who were about during the IRA reign of terror a few years ago. Having lived in Northern Ireland in the early seventies and in Iran in the late seventies I have become somewhat accustomed to these kinds of 'attrocities'.

Whilst I do not wish to belittle last week's incident I cannot help but be saddened by the attention a few dozen needless deaths have recieved when there are thousands dying needlessly, every single week in less fortunate countries, that could really use the media spotlight more.

To add insult to injury it now appears likely that the people who killed my fellow countrymen were also British. Sick! Who do we declare war on after 7/7? Yorkshire?

I can't say the whole affair in London didn't affect me completely; I had 2 friends going to Russel Square that day to book into a Hotel in preparation for the Queen concert that was supposed to happen the next day. Fortunately they had not reached King's Cross before being turned back. I was worried sick until I managed to make contact with them at about 7.30pm when they eventually got home.

These things must be kept in perspective, however. It was a bad day... but there will be much worse to come in the future.

Re: Brett's Gracious Announcement of his Match Results

And so we are offered a glimpse of undaunted British spirit - a man refusing to bow before the horrors of terrorism and instead defiently going on about his usual business - gloating over footie results. ;)

system 3loc 3 - 0 Ellwood

Eat my pies Dan ya pie eater!

Easy? That's not the word. I've had a harder time fighting my way out of a paper bag you big gay.

Hahahahahahahahahahahahaahahahhaa.

Ahem. Sorry. That'll be the caffine.

Thanks for your kind words

The past week has kind of shaken up this country as you'd expect. It has also made us stronger.

More resolute to not let global terror effect us as a nation or a people.

Thanks for your support and kind words in this new age of terror on the west.

On another note....

Indeed

I second that. Well said Maria.

London Explosions

Whatever the complicated cause and effects of terrorist acts, the violent attacks on regular people going about thier daily business is sickening. My heart and thoughts go out to the British people, the victims of today's attacks and their families.

Gerrard Stays!

Phew! Thank f.. I mean goodness for that.

And DON'T do it again Stevie! Bad boy!

Let's Keep Him in the Family

Anyone need a little swedish world-class playmaking?

I'm only asking $4M......

Martin Seldahl (17642333)
24 years, solid form, healthy
A pleasant guy who is fiery and honest.
Has weak experience and weak leadership abilities.

Nationality: Sverige
Total Skill Index (TSI): 37 690
Wage: 12 840 US$/week including 20% Bonus
Owner: The Brooklyn Wind
Warnings: 0
Injuries: Healthy


Stamina: excellent Goaltending: disastrous
Playmaking: world class Passing: solid
Winger: poor Defending: inadequate
Scoring: weak Set Pieces: weak

A DoorMagnet?

I thought you were a Chick Magnet. When did you become a DoorMat?

The relegation rule is a good addition, although I wouldn't mind something that creates more parity in-season, or (more realistically) across multiple seasons. It's my own fault for ignoring my team on "auto-pilot" when I first signed up for HT, but I feel like I'll always be at least a couple seasons behind. (You should have seen how good my players' Stamina was after they trained it for like 30 consecutive weeks!)

Anyway, Claus--- your Xpert Eleven team is doing so well. I think you should focus your energy there this week, and forget about HatTrick and your first week's B-Cup match. ;-)