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And the U21 has thrown a game oriolekid. I believe you were new at the time.

In what situations would you ignore go against popular opinion (on the offsite mostly) and go on your own?

Not many situations at all. I'm a team player. If the offsite members (Mainly A Warrior, Hunterz, and fewmit) all think something different than what I had in mind, I'm just going to have to suck it up, because if the majority of the group believes one thing and they have good points, then I trust them. It comes down to the saying "We can agree to disagree". I may disagree with what they are saying but I have to respect their opinions and if they have other people backing them up then I see no reason to not go with the majority. This is why it is also important to get more people involved on the offsite, because then there are more voices to be heard and on hard decisions there will be more perspectives involved.

Last edited by E.B.W. at 12/24/2013 11:13:28 PM

BB-Charles, can you use your powers and relegate my team into the abyss of BB, D-VI. I'd like to further slide into the depths of absurdity as I discretely add another impressive accolade to my collection. Upsyndrome, D-VI champions! I envision my fame reaching new heights, as I'd be widely viewed across BB as the KBD of the lower level divisions.

You are elected to lead, not to follow.

Now with that said I agree with you. Except many a times, I believe Jelme most famously, has gone against the popular opinion with both good, and bad results. Jelme is one of the best U21 coaches we've ever had.

As the manager you know the team better than anyone. If with 100% of your heart, you believe that 2-3 zoning against a dominant LI team will yield better results than just M2M, than consult the offsite, see what they want, and if you're not convinced completely to follow their advice, than screw it. The offsite, like any group of more than five people, tends to level out at play it safe. Sometimes playing it safe simply does not work.

Now if all week people have been saying play LI, with Lineup A, and then you set your lineup as RNG with lineup B, without telling anyone because of a gut feeling, than you have a serious problem and don't deserve to be managing.

That is exactly right. The manager is suppose to be a leader, but at the same time they need to be a team player. Obviously in cases where there are split ideas that are about 50/50 I will go with my own opinion and trust my gut, however in cases where many of the people on the offsite disagree with my approach I have the willpower to go with other experienced managers who agree with each other and not go with my own way due to being to selfish and close minded. With that being said, you and I both know that I have been vastly more involved with the U21 NT than you so I feel like I would be able to hold accurate stances on the players and roster and tactic setup. At the same time fewmit, Hunterz, A Warrior and a couple other managers are also in the same boat as myself. I look to lead this team with the help of all of them and whoever else wants to get involved.

Here's my question for you fine gentleman....

In what situations would you "throw" a game?

Great question. Throwin a game at the U21 level is rarer than the NT level but certainly has there places. I know others said they wouldn't ever throw a game, but the goal is to win a gold and that might be needed. During the worlds we may have a situation where intentionally losing a game could guarantee us an easier group or avoid playing a stronger team. These would e the times we could think about throwing a game, but like I said, it won't happen often.

Heres another question that is rather selfish. I've been gone for a couple season (maybe 5-6?). What has changed in the game engine that can be exploited and what has changed in the scenery of the national stage? We can be local with the Americas side.

This topic if very debatable and can be opinionated. So, I feel there hasn't been much change since you left Jelme, except for the amount of teams transferring to outside offenses. With the decrease in cost of JR and SB it's only a matter of time before we see a more balanced community with a variety of tactics. SBing is one skill that has become more and more popular since you left as well. It is being noticed finally and there are top teams putting a priority on it now. Not quite in the USA, but foreign teams. I myself though have been very excited about SBing for several seasons now and am currently building a huge SBing center.

As for tactics, I believe it's becoming more and more easy to see different things work today. Princeton offense for example, which was viewed as a tactic you used to throw a game, has become increasingly popular.

A bit off-topic, but I just want to say I am a huge fan of Princeton, and it can really work at the club level. More clubs should experiment with this, because it was easily my best offense for my U21 player Otto Reedy to play in.

From: Jelme
Date: 12/24/2013 10:58:21 PM
And the U21 has thrown a game oriolekid. I believe you were new at the time.

In what situations would you ignore go against popular opinion (on the offsite mostly) and go on your own?

Great questions Jelme. Although should be expected from a former U21 manager.

I think one common misconception about the NT/U21 managers is that you have to go with whatever the concensus is. That isn't true though. In fact, we are spoiled to have so many managers on the offsite that are willing to give opinions.

The NT/U21 manager's duties is to run the team in a way that puts the team in position to be successful. Sometimes that includes going against the community as well. As the u21 manager I would definitely make sure to communicate all possible options so that nothing is a surprise. Negative feedback comes when your decisions are a complete surprise. I will be completely open with everyone in the community with what my opinions are and then allow them to voice their opinions as well. Ultimately though, it comes down to who has the ability to click the mouse and set the lineups and tactics.

I don't want to say I wouldn't go against the community because I know for a fact that I have differing opinions than many members, but I will keep everyone updated on what I am thinking. This will include a step by step breakdown of all my thoughts, similar to a journal, so everyone knows what I am thinking. If I have very strong opinions against the community though, I will use my power as a leader of the team to do what I believe is right.

Really, as long as you communicate what you're feeling with the offsite you're good. They'll point out flaws that you may have overlooked if there are any, or may give a very good addition to your plan. Just don't lead a week of discussion only to give the community a giant middle finger when they look at the box score.