Introducing to you all: FC De Snaken

[Kemal]

Finally got my hattrick team today, after weeks of waiting! FC De Snaken is ready for action, and all players are eager to act in the next editon of the CDZ-Cup, hoping to bring glory and trophies back to their home ground, the Snaken Arena.

However, I'm under the impression that there's a lot of work that needs to be done before I can field an adequate team, when taking a look at the players I have in my squad:

Your 18 players

Appie Seldenrijk
TSI = 110 , 22 years, poor form
Has disastrous experience and inadequate leadership abilities [Head]

Stamina: inadequate Keeper: disastrous
Playmaking: weak Passing: poor
Winger: disastrous Defending: inadequate
Scoring: poor Set Pieces: wretched

Co Bardoul
TSI = 310 , 27 years, poor form
Has poor experience and poor leadership abilities

Stamina: poor Keeper: disastrous
Playmaking: weak Passing: solid
Winger: weak Defending: weak
Scoring: wretched Set Pieces: passable

Gelwin van der Heijden
TSI = 190 , 28 years, weak form
Has wretched experience and inadequate leadership abilities

Stamina: solid Keeper: wretched
Playmaking: poor Passing: poor
Winger: passable Defending: poor
Scoring: weak Set Pieces: disastrous

Gerjan Klajic
TSI = 20 , 22 years, poor form
Has wretched experience and passable leadership abilities

Stamina: inadequate Keeper: disastrous
Playmaking: wretched Passing: disastrous
Winger: weak Defending: poor
Scoring: poor Set Pieces: disastrous

Harold Poorter
TSI = 520 , 22 years, weak form
Has wretched experience and weak leadership abilities

Stamina: weak Keeper: disastrous
Playmaking: weak Passing: poor
Winger: weak Defending: passable
Scoring: weak Set Pieces: poor

Jerry van Bergen
TSI = 650 , 30 years, weak form
Has wretched experience and inadequate leadership abilities

Stamina: disastrous Keeper: inadequate
Playmaking: wretched Passing: wretched
Winger: disastrous Defending: disastrous
Scoring: wretched Set Pieces: passable

Kazim Geerste
TSI = 90 , 24 years, poor form
Has wretched experience and weak leadership abilities [Quick]

Stamina: wretched Keeper: wretched
Playmaking: inadequate Passing: weak
Winger: weak Defending: wretched
Scoring: weak Set Pieces: weak

Liam Thybaut
TSI = 250 , 25 years, weak form
Has disastrous experience and disastrous leadership abilities [Head]

Stamina: weak Keeper: wretched
Playmaking: inadequate Passing: poor
Winger: weak Defending: weak
Scoring: inadequate Set Pieces: poor

Merijn Verhees
TSI = 0 , 49 years, weak form
Has brilliant experience and weak leadership abilities [Head]

Stamina: wretched Keeper: wretched
Playmaking: wretched Passing: wretched
Winger: disastrous Defending: wretched
Scoring: disastrous Set Pieces: wretched

Olivier den Boer
TSI = 170 , 20 years, inadequate form
Has disastrous experience and disastrous leadership abilities [Unpredictable]

Stamina: poor Keeper: wretched
Playmaking: passable Passing: weak
Winger: wretched Defending: disastrous
Scoring: poor Set Pieces: weak

Oscar Boekweg
TSI = 230 , 22 years, wretched form
Has wretched experience and poor leadership abilities

Stamina: weak Keeper: disastrous
Playmaking: weak Passing: poor
Winger: weak Defending: weak
Scoring: passable Set Pieces: disastrous

Perez van Dijken
TSI = 440 , 21 years, passable form
Has disastrous experience and inadequate leadership abilities [Head]

Stamina: weak Keeper: disastrous
Playmaking: poor Passing: passable
Winger: inadequate Defending: weak
Scoring: wretched Set Pieces: solid

Rieuwert van der Hall
TSI = 230 , 28 years, weak form
Has poor experience and weak leadership abilities [Technical]

Stamina: poor Keeper: wretched
Playmaking: passable Passing: disastrous
Winger: inadequate Defending: poor
Scoring: weak Set Pieces: wretched

Robertjan Jongma
TSI = 140 , 23 years, poor form
Has wretched experience and poor leadership abilities

Stamina: poor Keeper: disastrous
Playmaking: weak Passing: disastrous
Winger: inadequate Defending: weak
Scoring: poor Set Pieces: poor

Robert-Jan Noteboom
TSI = 210 , 25 years, inadequate form
Has poor experience and wretched leadership abilities

Stamina: inadequate Keeper: disastrous
Playmaking: poor Passing: inadequate
Winger: weak Defending: poor
Scoring: weak Set Pieces: weak

Sijmen Buringa
TSI = 90 , 27 years, passable form
Has weak experience and weak leadership abilities

Stamina: wretched Keeper: wretched
Playmaking: inadequate Passing: wretched
Winger: poor Defending: weak
Scoring: weak Set Pieces: inadequate

Sjaak-Jan Bruininx
TSI = 210 , 25 years, weak form
Has wretched experience and weak leadership abilities

Stamina: inadequate Keeper: disastrous
Playmaking: poor Passing: passable
Winger: poor Defending: weak
Scoring: poor Set Pieces: inadequate

Wilm Meesen
TSI = 180 , 25 years, inadequate form
Has poor experience and weak leadership abilities

Stamina: weak Keeper: wretched
Playmaking: disastrous Passing: poor
Winger: weak Defending: passable
Scoring: wretched Set Pieces: wretched

Hmm, first question that arises with me already, is whether letting your keeper take the set pieces has any impact on my team's keeping abilities, i.e. in this game, is it actually reflected in the amount of goals scored against me that a keeper taking set pieces such as corners would actually need to make it back to the goal in time to do any goalkeeping there? Since my best keeper also has the best ranking in set pieces, I thought of letting him take them... but not if that would mean that every corner I get means conceding a goal of course.

Furthermore, I've noticed there are plenty of options to choose from besides creating a team line-up, such as hiring spokesmen, assisten coaches etc, and my next game is coming up rapidly.

So, if any of you hattrick experts could give me some starting hints, as to what is best to do early on to have at least a little hope of surviving in my 8th division, that would be very much appreciated!

[Schip]

Congrats. Maybe I can shed some light on the situation.
First of all I never experienced a downside to having your keeper take set pieces and I did it myself for a while.

Looking at your team I can see a serious lack of stamina. Especially you midfielders need it badly. The two passable innermids you won´t last for 5 minutes before the get exhausted. So training stamina for a few weeks wouldn't hurt. Remember that the for of your players will go down, so don't train it for too long.
Furthermore if I were you I would fire some (the ones that don't have any skill on inadequate or higher) and by new players instead. Bear in mind do that you need app. 20 players and you can always line up the usuless ones in friendlies.

Determine what skill you are going to train and try to find a couple of 17/18 year olds with inadequate/passable on that skill. In time you need a passable/solid coach too.

Within a few weeks you should expand your stadium to about 15.000 seats. Otherwise you'll never make enough money out off crowd revenues.

The 'specialists' you can hire serve several purposes.
Doctors heal your injured players. 1 week of the total per doctor for a 17 year old.
Physio's prevent injuries.
spokesman keep your sponsors and supporters happy (even if you loose a lot)
assistant trainers enhance the effect of training.

I would hire 3 spokespersons, 3 assistant coaches and 1 assistant keeper trainer. 1 physio comes in handy too.
(I don't know if you can afford al these)

That's it I think, I don't doubt others will have a different opinion, maybe PP can tell you more about 8th division dynamics.

good luck!

[Kemal]

Thanks for the excellent tips Schip , Already an important relegation match coming up next week for my Snaken, so time for some serious stamina training for my feeble payers indeed.

[Shabbaman]

Welcome on board Kemal! Any explanations on your team name?

First things to do, before you do anything:

1. Try to arrange a friendly for today
2. Download hattrick organizer or a similar program
3. Read the abc of tactics
4. Read the platypus guide

Then proceed with the following:
Do what the platypus guide says. Don't bother with your current team, the season is half-way so you can't win anything anyway. You'll probably end up relegated either, so focus on making big money really fast.

You've got little cash to start with, be careful with it. You need at least to upgrade your stadium and to get a new coach.

[Kemal]

I heard about the importance of a friendly match from pp as well, but atm I'm unable to get one arranged, since teams either have already arranged a friendly, or I'm unable to challenge the team at this moment.

First reason is obvious, but as for the second...is that because it's too late now already to still arrange one, since they are played tonight? Or should I continue searching until I find a team I can challenge?

Thanks for the useful links btw! As for my team's name, it has been the name of my team in any football competition for a long time, but it doesn't have any spectacular or meaningful origins I'm afraid, IIRC it was the name of an organisation of thieves in some book I was reading (no idea which one that was) when I first needed a name in a fantasy competition, and I've used it ever since.

[yndy]

I'm having a look at your team and will come back to you shortly, how much money did you receive with the team?

[Kemal]

I've got 300.000 starting money, and only 500 supporters.

[yndy]

Try this link for something i'm working on. I'd recommend you go for option 3 but it's not ready right now. I'll get to that now if my boss leaves me alone for half an hour.

http://www.ht-arena.com/Sticla/?page=kemal

Your 18 players

1. Appie Seldenrijk – inadequate defender (sale value = 0) – keep him for now

2. Co Bardoul – no usable skill but maybe others fall for him – transferlist him with 0 starting price

3. Gelwin van der Heijden – passable winger (sale value = EUR1,000) – keep him for now

4. Gerjan Klajic – useless, no value – fire him

5. Harold Poorter – passable defender (sale value = EUR 5,000 – 20,000) – transferlist him for EUR 5,000

6. Jerry van Bergen – inadequate keeper (sale value = 0) – keep him for now

7. Kazim Geerste – useless, no value – fire him

8. Liam Thybaut – inadequate playmaking, inadequate scoring (sale value = 0) keep him for now

9. Merijn Verhees - weak coach – keep him for now

10. Olivier den Boer – passable playmaker – (sale value = 0) – he'll benefit training in the stamina gambit

11. Oscar Boekweg – passable scoring (sale value = EUR 10,000) – transferlist him with 0 starting price

12. Perez van Dijken – inadequate winger, passable passing, solid set pieces (sale value = about EUR 10,00) – transferlist him with 0 starting price

13. Rieuwert van der Hall – passable playmaking, inadequate winger (sale value = 0) he'll benefit training in the stamina gambit

14. Robertjan Jongma – useless, no value – fire him

15. Robert-Jan Noteboom – useless, no value – fire him

16. Sijmen Buringa - useless, no value - fire him

17. Sjaak-Jan Bruininx - useless, no value - fire him

18. Wilm Meesen - passable defender (sale value = EUR 5,000 – 20,000) – transferlist him for EUR 5,000


Man, they are bad. So, my revised suggestion is to fire 6 people and transfer list 5 more in the first place.

Then I’m sorry to tell you but it seems that you will relegate no matter what. With some luck and good moves right now you’ll manage to get back next season and maybe even not relegate into this one.

Yup, it’s kind of hard to find a friendly at this time as the games are tonight but you’ll manage without one this week.

OK, now how to make money real fast. I’ll start writing the material about the stamina gambit.

Edit: transfer list more players

[ProPain]

I can't stretch this enough : Upgrading your stadium in 8th division is a waste of money UNLESS you play for no.1 or no.2 position. Financial situation in the 8th division is much worse than in the 7th and crowds rarely exceed 700 spectators at the beginning. As it usually only costs you 9 days to upgrade the stadium there's no need to hurry.

I upgraded my stadium at the beginning and still only occasionaly draw more than 7000 sups. Last season I had 13.500 and 2 weeks ago 11K, only two times I exceeded 10K in 2.5 seasons!!! I've been playing for top positions in my league since last season, I;ve been the unbeaten league leader this whole current season.

The extra money you spend weekly on your stadium can be spent better on a reinforcement player, just make sure you keep 200K around to upagrde when necessary.

[Plux]

Wow, congrats on getting your team. I'm still waiting on it