Wage Auctions... sleeping is for wimps.

You know that feeling.... within an hour (or few) of a Wage Auction to end, you have a bid in and just have to wait up.

I could never, whilst retaining any kind of credibility in the 'real world', explain this to people I have met in the flesh & even *SHOCK* touched, but way too often I have stayed up till stupid-o-clock just to SEE that I have won an auction......     I say won, I mean fretted over which arse might jump in and steal the player, that I don't own, off me.

It seems, if only in my small mind, that if you stay awake to see the WA in, you are able to ensure the player becomes yours. I'm not entirely sure the process for this, and whether as well as morale SI have factored in desperation of managers into the ME, but  there I was doing it again last night.

It was around 10:30pm, I popped back onto Valderrama for 15 mins and this (because I was so keen to guide my WA target- a nice 4.5* PA yoof- into the Spartacus harbour) resulted in my eventually getting to sleep at around 1:30am.

That's not the whole story. Sleep was 01:30am, but the wage auction finished at 12:00am. You see, it's not enough to just sign them. You have to play the buggers too. Gaze upon their Atts and ponder the way tactics might work with them (or, in my case, with any player I own). Add in the Lag of 15 minutes from auction end to player arriving and the time mounts up.

Today= knackered (and completely negating the previous relaxing weeks Annual Leave).

I remember doing a nutty one on Zola.... staying up till 4am just to see the great Francesco Metti safely home.

Bloody stupid, tiring FML addiction. Now at work during lunch trying to summon the energy not to leave the office at 3pm and sleep in the car for an hour before I go home.

Like I said, you couldn't explain this to a 'real person'. They would look at you and consider you some sort of mentalist that pokes at snakes with a short stick just to see if they are deadly poisonous.

Regardless, I won the player. He is mine.... and anyone that tries to take him from me will need to stay up late for him.

1 relaxing week away to Ireland and then 3 late nights on FML... has anyone got a couple of aspirin or a weapon of some kind to kill people with... I'm shattered.

Lag

I absolutely hate it. It is the bain of the GW's and, frankly, the main thing that makes me log off.

Post reset, seasons 1 to around 9, it was a 'mare. We kept hearing about how it was being looked into and how it was being taken seriously. I didn't doubt this, just as, over the last week or so, it is undoubted that it is growing again (also in Nunez when logged on there)

It is not numbers on the GW (1 minute to see mail this morning with 30-40 online). It is not my PC- got it newly built in Dec with a super dooper processor. It is also not my provider.... so definitely the Game/Server/FML/SI.

This is a major issue. SI need to address it, and soon. I'm as hardcore on the game as most, but it will cause me to look away...  9 months of frustration was enough. The moans in-game are increasing, and justified.

New Subbie in Nunez :-O

After being able to source 4 x 4 month box sets, I decided to set up a new account elsewhere.

After chatting with several people I decided on Nunez. There is a vibrant community on Valderrama and, despite what other GW’s might desperately pontificate, I find it difficult to see how another GW might be as good. With this in mind I’m trying Nunez and they often state it’s a great community so I can judge that claim- and I know a few people there so I can get some good loans in!

To be honest, it was the best bit of player analysing I have been able to do since I originally joined in March 2009- shield-less I had no PC’s, no chat to look at, nothing to approve and start and no Emails to reply to…. loved it.

On first sight I certainly saw little evidence of the great starter players that have been lauded on the forums- although I have no issue with them for starter teams as they are some way behind in Skills, Money, Stadia, Rep, YA’s and Income already. That said, Nunez is a RS GW and it seems that Fantasy GW’s are more likely to have some of them.

Got several good players all the same (compared to my original Valderrama starting pool anyway). I’m hoping a few managers in Nunez feel the same way and offer me silly money for a couple- I really see it as a big help for new teams, and perhaps vital.

Whether this is fair on longer term managers in Nunez..... well, if they have had x-months head start on me with the aforementioned (Skills, Money, Stadia, Rep, YA’s and Income) then me being able to sell a few players for a £mil or two (fingers crossed) shouldn’t offer them serious problems. If it does, they really need to either look at the way they have set their team up or relish the challenge to show the noob his ‘place’. I always tend to work on a '10 months to get to the top' system anyway.... so care less regardless!

Not sure how much time I will spend in there yet (as Valderrama always takes priority) but if I can work out how to set up a couple of clients at the same time I will have total chance to screw this up….

Inter FA.... Yeeee... (and may I say)... Haaa

IFA.

3 Letters. One success.

Maybe a novel fad, maybe something that will whither and decline in time, but in the meantime a great idea that needs huge pats on the back.

I only speak from Valderrama experience where the relevant Mods and Orgs on this one have spent shed loads of time implementing and facilitating quizzes, comps, predictions, Deal or no Deals, etc. but the community activities whereby people are associating more with their FA’s has been a huge hit.

All of a sudden, and for the first time since reset, I actually give a toss if I win a non-Major game (generally easier to do against EFA). I now really want to win the picture quiz with DFA so we get more points. When other managers in your FA win IFA games or comps you are genuinely pleased- even when the annoying ones win!

There are only 2 initial & potential negative points on this (but even they are small).

1)      Some may feel more reluctant to move away from an FA that doesn’t suit their style of play

2)      It needs a bit more money to make it a tangible ‘win’, perhaps.

Regardless, a good addition. I would recommend this to all GW's that want to harness a bit of community spirit… And yes, Dugout FA is the best...

Youth Academies.... whiney whiney

YA managers + expectation that the youths they get will be good = disappointed managers.

The above calculation is standard. YA's are a gamble. Pure. Simple. Straightforward.

If managers want to ensure the standard of their youths, not have to release the rubbish they get, not 'waste' their money, not 'hate' the YA system.... close the Youth academy- I refer them to Line 2 again.

In my old age I am beginning to understand that many more people than originally perceived are masochists at heart..... because those same whiners never do shut their YA's! :p

Your Youth Academy- get used to it!