BuzzerBeater Forums

Regardless of who's managing us!

The number one thing would seem to be, not increasing the number of active users, but increasing the number of users who actually have some idea what's going on in BB.

Right now, the draft pool effectively comes from the top two divisions. Elsewhere, people aren't even setting their picks (good players might end up with bot teams!) and plenty of great young players get no training. If everyone picked an IV division to mentor, it would ensure that good potential english players weren't sucked into a void. Sure, the U21 coaches can mail teams who luck into MVPs, but well-trained stars/allstars/perens are the lifeblood of U21 teams especially...

What would it mean to mentor a division? Write to everyone there! Make them feel noticed! Try and get banter and competition going on the division forum! Congratulate teams on wins! If it were done right, you could get 10 of the 16 users made into real contributors, rather than the mess we have right now.

Good idea. I'll sign up for that if 14 other EBBL or II.x coaches will.

This is a brilliant idea... However the really active people (or that claim they are active) should act on posts in the forums first. I have set up a new federation to discuss these kind off matters and also U21 and NT issues. We did have one, but the guy owning it has been inactive for over a month which means noone else can give access to new members.

This old federation has about 15 members, so far the new federation has 5. I am thinking about writing all division 1 and 2 teams and invite them to join. However, doing this for all 4 divisions. you come to over 400 teams and since division 4 has about 5 leagues, do the mats and the work that is involved to contact all the new active teams and find out who are the actives teams and who arent. I have been offered enough help to sort this all out, but I dont want to do all the work before I get voted as the new u21 coach. If i dont get voted I will definatelly help the elected coach if my help is needed, but I will off course look more after my own team first.

In case I get voted as a U21 manager, I came up with the following idea, why not ask BBcharles whether it is possible to get informed when a new member sings up to BB. That way we can give him a special welcome, give him help and try and get him more involved in the english community. For the BB people this would benefit them as well, less members that leave and most likely more that become a supporter.

It is funny that you believe we would only contact MVPs or better. perhaps I misunderstood what you mean, but that is how I read your message. Captainfalafel is already scouting players and we can be lucky if we can get 12 players together that have a 20k salary or more at 21. Believe me when I say that with these kinds off salaries potential doesnt matter at all. For our U21 for the time being, potential doesnt matter at all. A benchwarmer with a 20+k salary at 21 yrs will be definatelly considered as well if I win the post.

I am more than happy to do all the work that is involved once I get voted as the new U21 coach, however I am worried with 1 thing, community expectations. Our current bunch off U21 is terrible. As I stated before, the andorran U21 is in better shape and they have only 24 active members.

Yes we can mobilize our community, find and pin point who our future stars will be and train and groom them, set up a mentoring system, but these are all plans that wont help our current U21 campaign/squad, this is a long term plan. I am more than happy to take the initiative, spend all my spare time I have into this and by doing so, how more and more I look at it, I need to be fully open about who I am training and how I feel about tactics etc. Where as some members off the community thing I would be too competitive once I know who their U21 players are, I am certain I will loose my chance, (if i ever had one) to win the EBBL, once every single coach in the english leagues know how I see tactics and how I use them. I am willing to risk/forfeit all this, but I do need the help, patience and full support from the english community.

I think the way forward would be to have a NT coach and a U21 coach who work closely together and who will be at the helm off these 2 teams for many seasons to come...

I would very much appreciate the thoughts from the english community on this...

Last edited by Astragoth at 9/13/2009 6:56:56 AM

Wooah, calm down. This is nothing to do with the U21 election. It's just a great idea to get new players more into the game. Back off, you are running the risk of killing this thread by over complicating the issue! Please delete your post (and then I'll delete this one).

Last edited by Elmacca at 9/13/2009 6:59:46 AM

i wont delete it, because there are some great ideas in it and I am honest. you are the one overreacting or reading stuff into what I said what I didnt say. I havent said anything negative or evil about anyone, so i dont know why you feel I should delete this post.

what would you say if we start a thread, like on the USA forums in which players can ask for a mentor and than send out a sort off news letter, like you say a welcome message etc and let them know that when they feel the need to ask for help or if they would like to get a mentor, there is an option available on the forums?

The trouble is - a lot of people don't read the forums! Those that do are on the road to success anyway.

Asta - what I meant about the potentials was this. Right now, we're stuck in a loop that goes like this:

Day 1: New team is created in division 3/4. Hurrah! Viva FC Newteam! They have a squad full of english players, including Bob Smith, an 18y/o PF with 4000 salary and allstar potential.

Days 2-60: FC Newteam play various matches with the standard tactics. They lose most without really understanding why. Smith gets 32 minutes a week at a position they aren't training.

Day 61: Owner of FC Newteam quits in frustration and goes off to play hattrick.

This is what division mentoring would try and break out of.

I think that's an excellent idea - and you've completely missed my point about your mammoth post putting people off. It's wayyy too intense. Never mind, you are who you are and at least you are passionate.

i know this is the case, i have said that many times before and i totally agree. This is why we have such a horrible crop off U21 players. Because you can call me pessimistic if you like, but I have done some scouting myself to help other coaches and Captainfalafel has send me alot off prospects from the EBBL and most division 2 teams and believe me or not, Andorra U21 has better players than us. ps I am looking at the players currently selected for their U21 team. Knowing that Andorra has about 25 active teams and we have 450 active teams, than you dont need to be a genius to understand that we are lacking something.

I have played this game for 7 seasons now and the amount off players I have seen coming and go is very high and depressing.

Division mentoring is a great idea. However, we have discussed this in the forums and in the U21 national team debat thread extensively, how do you try and offer help to people without actually patronising them or make them feel we do this?

I think it would be great to have a mentoring system like they do this in the USA. So in my opinion wouldnt it be a great idea to send an email to all currently active teams, with links to the rules section, to the forums, to the federation we set up, that there is a mentoring system in place (off course we need to find some people capable and willing to be mentors). Also if a team got promoted congratulate them etc. We could use a standarised email and when you want to make it more personalised based on the team you are contacting that would be even better.

With regards to spotting new U21 potentials. You can approach this in 2 ways, you can go 1. we have spotted you have a potential future U21 player, if you need help in training him we/I can help. or 2. cool you have a possible future U21 player, how are you planning to train him and if you would like to see him in the U21 and want to know how you can maximise his chance in becoming a U21 player please drop us/me a line.

I think the approach in contacting new and already exsisting coaches can be the difference between failure to get more players active on the forums and to success.

Im not saying you would approach the player in the wrong day, I just think we should approach all the players in the same way.

You know I wouldnt run for the U21 position when i wouldnt think there is alot off prospects in the U21 teams, we just need to help eachother and bundle our efforts more and we will succeed. If Holland can make it into the top 10 rankings, so can we. However this will take atleast 4 seasons in my opinion...

Last edited by Astragoth at 9/13/2009 7:53:39 AM

you are right. I am (too) passionate. you should know that by now, but that is part off me and it has its possitive sides too.

I cant help it, now we have started this community going, I am buzzing with ideas and energy and enthusiasm.

you are partly to blame yourself, we always clashed with our ideas and when you stated you would support me, didnt want to let you down :P hahahaha :)