Warning-- Extreme Newb..

[OfficerTimFisher]

Felt like I had to say that I just finished off my match with a 2-1 victory over Chelsea in Premier Division action.

A very big win but....

I have 2 off days, and then I play Chelsea again in an English League Cup Third Round match. Tough draw for Arsenal in that bracket.

[Amaroq]

(SPOILER ALERT)

That is rough! *crossed fingers for ya*

p.s., did you see Arsenal's score from real life today?

First English team ever to beat A.C. Milan in San Siro, C.L. match, 2-0, goals in the 84th and 90th minutes.

(SPOILER ALERT)

[OfficerTimFisher]

No unfortunately with the cable package available to us in the on-campus apartments I live in, there is not really any football on TV. If there is, its MLS, blah.

[Amaroq]

Yeah, Fox Soccer Channel is the one to get in the U.S. Being at work during European evenings, I tend to follow results via soccernet.espn.go.com, which does a live text broadcast of matches. Not really something you could learn from for FM purposes, but entertaining to me.

How's the game going for you?

[OfficerTimFisher]

Good, I ended up beating Chelsea on penalty kicks in the English League Cup Game.

Tied Reading 1-1 because of something I can't quite understand. Two times in that game, I had a shot on net that the goalie deflected. Both times, I got to the rebound first and put it into an open net.

Both times, My players start celebrating like its a goal, only to have offsides called. I understand that you can't take a pass when you are behind the last defender because that is offsides, right? But, why can't you score on a rebound even if your behind the defense. Seems kind of silly to me, I really don't understand that part of the rule.

[isuckatfm]

If you post a screenshot of just before your player took the initial shot that lead to the rebound then it would be easier to point out than for someone to write.

Post it up, I'll download it, do a bit of 'paint' to show why the guy is offside (that's assuming he was and it wasn't just a bad call).

[Amaroq]

Congrats on getting past Chelsea; you've got something working!

Regarding offsides, the rule is basically "Did he gain an advantage by being behind the last defender when the ball was played?"

It doesn't matter whether the ball was played as a shot on goal or as a pass.

So, if I have two players, X and Y, past the last defender D:

                 D

X

o

Y

GK

If X shoots, the GK saves, and Y scores the rebound, he would rightly be ruled offsides at the moment of X's shot.

If X shoots and scores, the goal should stand. Y didn't gain any advantage; though in an offsides position, most referees would rule it "passive offsides".

If X shot, the GK saved, and X scored the rebound, then it would be a judgment call for the referee whether Y's presence interfered with the GK; it might or might not be called offsides.

Of course, that's assuming that X wasn't offsides to begin with, on the original pass to him...

[Amaroq]

Hrm. That would have worked a lot better if my graphic had opened and closed with the same tag.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">

D

X

o

Y

GK

* *</pre>

[OfficerTimFisher]

Last 5 Results:

at Wigan 0-0, Draw

vs Anderlect 3-0, Win (Champions Cup Group Game)

vs Chelsea 2-1, Win

at Chelsea 1-1, 2-0 in Penalty Shootout Win (League Cup 3rd Round)

at Reading 1-1, Draw

I have a big game coming up at Valencia in Champions Cup Group Play. I'm actually underdog for the only time other than playing at Chelsea.

Right now, I have 4 wins and 3 draws in Premier Division action, good for 3rd place behind Chelsea and Fulham. I've won my only game in Champions Cup Group play, and I've advanced in the League Cup Tourney. Very happy with my results so far.

For those of you who have helped, especially Amaroq, you've done a great job. I wouldn't be having the success and the FUN I've been having without all the help. Keep in mind, I'm really a football novice. I feel like I'm progressing well in terms of playing the game and tactics. Now I just need to better understand the structure of my roster. The roster rules, and transfer rules. That will be my mission for the week. Does anyone have any good articles or FAQ guides on that?

[OfficerTimFisher]

I'll post some screen shots of the play later. I got an message from a reporter asking me about it and I criticized the refs. That got me a warning from the Football Association. Oh well, what are the punishments if I were to do something like that again. And, will that referee be angry with me and make a lot of calls against me the next time he is assigned to my game because of my criticism?

[bigdunk]

If you repeatedly moan about referees, you can be banned from the touchline for a match. Basically, you won't be allowed to influence that match by making subs/changing tactics etc, your assistant manager will be in charge and doing all that.

[Amaroq]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by OfficerTimFisher:

I have a big game coming up at Valencia in Champions Cup Group Play. I'm actually underdog for the only time other than playing at Chelsea. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

For that one, I'd recommend setting out to earn a draw. Away goals aren't really going to matter, and they'll have to come to London later, so if you can get one point from a draw that should be your target..

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">For those of you who have helped, especially Amaroq, you've done a great job. I wouldn't be having the success and the FUN I've been having without all the help. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

You're welcome, and glad to hear you're enjoying it!

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Now I just need to better understand the structure of my roster. The roster rules, and transfer rules. That will be my mission for the week. Does anyone have any good articles or FAQ guides on that? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Not really; the English Premier League doesn't have roster limitations the way that American leagues do.

You can have an unlimited number of players.

There is no salary cap.

There's a minimum age, I don't remember if its 16 or 17, for league matches. Younger players are still eligible for the F.A. Cup.

Practically, you couldn't keep 800 players happy enough with their playing time so you'll probably gravitate towards something about like:

2 players at each position (22 "regular" players)

1 Reserve/backup at each position (11 more)

A bunch of players out-on-loan (however many you have)

A bunch of Under-18 players.

If you hit an injury crisis, your Reserve/backup moves into the top spot, and you might need to "Recall" one of your players out-on-loan, or give an U-18 player a spot on the bench.

In the Champions League, however, you do have a number of limits.

First, you have to pick 25 players who are "eligible" or "registered" for the competition. X of those have to be home-grown, and Y of those X have to have been trained by your own academy. (I don't remember the values for X and Y off the top of my head, and I think X may vary from season to season.)

If you don't have enough home-grown players, you can't register, so if you were three short, you could only register 22 players.

I believe you can also play any player who is 20 and under, even if they aren't registered for the competition. (For example, if after 5 group stage matches, you have already guaranteed advancing to the next round, you might want to bring up young players to get experience in the meaningless sixth game).