- Q) Australia NT team has not been able to perform well in the last couple of seasons any reasons as to why the performance has dropped
Well, the U/21 campaign was compromised by a first time NC who was busy with his working life, we couldn’t get in contact with him until a few days before the tournament which hindered our preparation. There were other problems, but in short Troy and I had to run the side from NCA positions and you can’t do much like that. Then we changed NC and the senior campaign was a lot better. Still some minor problems due to another first time national coach’s inexperience, but overall we had time to prepare, with the luck abandoning us in our first two World Cup group games.
- Q) Are you a firm believer of the Transfer Market ability to find the right price for your players would still be the same if the 6 permit rule was not there.
Good players will always sell and the top talent are regularly selling for more than 10 million AUD. It’s the average player that are selling for much less. Having 9 foreigners means that you can effectively buy a new team, which in a limited market such as Australia is required to be competitive on the world stage. It also means that if your own youth academy doesn’t produce talent during a rebuilding window, you can still build a good team if you have the cash to do so.
- Q) How many foreigners do u have in your squad and why
I currently have 8 foreigners on my squad, I’m searching for one more reasonably priced players with potential as I rebuild my team.
- Q) What type of Formation does u prefer?
In season 59 my team will all be 22 years old or younger, so they don’t have the collective aerial passing balls to pull off a wing formation. I run a short passing tactic with a 5-man spine that works out as a 3-5-2 formation. When I need to defend against a wing attack I’ll run a 4-4-2 with a diamond midfield and one sided attack. In 1-2 more seasons I’ll try out a wing attack.
- Q) Which manager you try to replicate
I don’t have a specific manager I try to replicate. Though I admire Jose Mourinho because his team are built on defence first before attack. In Australia our real life NT coach Ange Postecoglou plays in a similar way to Pep Guardiola teams in terms of, hold possession of the ball, stay in your positions and trust your teammates to advance the ball into the final third where you can be creative. If you could combine the two styles that’s what I’d be trying to do.
- Q) Do u think smaller nations will be able to compete with teams like Argentina, Poland and the rest?
In short no, smaller nations don’t have the collective youth academies to come close. 15-20 people developing players can’t compete with 100-150+ people doing the same thing. The difference is chalk and cheese. Australia has made a couple of U/21 international finals but never won one. We did win a Confed Cup in 2013 when playing wings was found to be the premier tactic, but not all countries used it then. So we got ahead of the game through good planning and capitalized on the advantage, but the campaign also received some luck. In season 57 I coached Australia as they won the Clash of the Legends 2nd edition, but that was a team of superstars, the best of the best we’ve ever produced so it made the playing field between countries more even. These days our best chances to win a trophy or reach a final are the U/21 tournaments when we produce a good group of players.
- Q) What do you make of the new sim?
It’s not that different from the last one. Man marking and defensive play is better, penalties for going a man down or having an informal tactic has been reduced, and you can plan who goes back went receiving a red card. Wings remains the dominant tactic for reasons of unrealistic passing accuracy over exorbitant distances.
- Q) Also what changes would u like to see some changes to improve the sim?
Give aerial passing different difficulty settings for short, medium and long passes. Implementing through balls so players receive the ball on the run. Midfielders using the full width of the pitch allowing for a standard 4-4-2 formation to work. Continuing to reduce strikers back passing the ball when they have a clear shot on goal. Preventing striker from dribbling the ball straight into the goalkeeper as if they are trying to run them over. Make heading for defenders the equivalent of tackling in the air. I’ve more but those are the most pressing concerns. You can’t fix this sim to incorporate all of them, so I’m one of those more interested in Sim 3 when it arrives.
- Q) Why have you chosen the team name u had?
When I began this MZ journey 7-8 years ago my team name was the Jokers, for obvious reasons as a Batman Comics fan. Our emblem was the flying J with wings, it stayed that way until about 5 seasons ago when I felt it was time to move on. So I had a think about it and Amputees FC had a good ring to it, plus it allowed me to create a really cool one winged badge symbolizing the loss of a wing (arm). I’m not an Amputee myself, but have always admired how people just get on with life regardless of how few limbs they have.
- Q) U have not been able to break into the Top league any specific comments
Well I won the A-League Championship/Seniors National Cup Double in season 55, then sold up and dropped back into Division 1 to rebuild with a balance of 55 million AUD. I began competing again in the World Leagues and Youth leagues in season 58. I’ve been promoted twice this season in the U/18 world league and won promotion in all my Youth Leagues. I’m not sure I’ll ever reach the Top Leagues in any them as my intention is to build a senior team, so when the current players are too older for U/xx comps I won’t replace them with players of the same standard.
- Q) How much time do u hang out in MZ?
Quite a lot, I post regularly in the A-League messageboard and put my bit in here and there in the forum’s.
- Q) Do you have any rivals within MZ whom you just want to beat (E.g. between Australia and New Zealand)
Not really, Aussies and New Zealanders get along very well. We’re a small community so feuds rarely spike out of control. It’s true some managers are not the best of friends, but I’ve only had to mediate one feud that got out of control. In terms of wanting to beat a specific team, everyone wanted to beat Arrested Developers when they were still around. We don’t have a standout team to hate at the moment, the championship window is so small now that people win 1 or 2 A-League titles and then sell up. If not, you become a team of deteriorating players who are still good, but see their title chances fade with each additional season.
- Q) How many times have thought about quitting the game and what made you change
I’m a very laid back person, I don’t get angry or frustrated often, so rage quitting has never been an issue. If I did stop playing the game it would be more through a lack of interest, or when circumstances change. For instance, if I took a job in a remote part of the world, which training as an Anthropologist is a possibility, I’d have limited access to the internet. There will come a time when I don’t write the zone and hand those tasks over to another. I’m just waiting for such a person to come along before life circumstances force me to stop writing and the aussiezone disappears from print.
Written by Scruttino and Gerrad_08
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