Hall of Fame
I'm currently a candidate. I'm the one at the top of the achievements table for England.
I've won the EBBL-tournament double, the tournament three times, got to the knockout stage of B3. Been around since season 3. One day, I'm going to win B3 with a mostly English roster. Have you seen my roster? It's not all that at the moment, but they are all mostly English.
So I'm a veteran, and as good tactically as anyone playing this game. My record suggests I'm probably better than most at understanding how 5 individual player skill sets can come together to make the sum greater than the parts. And I'm better at managing game shape than anyone else in England. It's not just about picking the five 'best' players.
Now, I've been England manager before (and U21 manager) and I'm not a big fan of EBBL managers being the NT manager as there's a conflict of interest in merchandising revenues. But to be fair, the EBBL has a much more even spread of NT players than before so it's less of an issue to my mind than in previous seasons.
I can't lie, I did mightily enjoy beating Serbia in my first game as NT manager (they were ranked 6th at the time) but the players weren't really up to sustained achievement. Being NT manager and depending on other people managing the game shape of your players, can be annoying. Give me the tools, I'll get the job done.
So, if someone else, who is English, wants to have a go, I don't mind standing aside if I'm convinced they are capable. They don't have to have as a good a track record as my own (but they do have to talk tactics well enough in this thread for me to believe in them, the same way I and much of the rest of the EBBL backed Eminence).
What needs to improve?
The problem with the current team is that the big men aren't good enough. Our Centres are mostly generalists who can't block shots and our PFs have too many holes in their game, they are mostly jump shooting centers.
As a unit playing LI, the team doesn't really know who should be taking the shots and we don't make best use of our guards. We don't create enough mismatches and I advocate playing a score-first style of PG (not my player Sharpling, he would be a back up).
We do have some great players to put around a heavy scorer, but we're lacking leaders.
I would try and win now (I always do when I'm England NT or U21 manager) and also work with the managers of the 22-24 year olds to make sure the problems we currently have with the roster are evolved out.
The idea would be to hand things over in two seasons to let a rising star have a go. But as I said, if that person wants to have a go now, and shows me enough in this thread, then I'll withdraw.
I do not, however, want an anglophile Frenchman as my NT manager. Even if he's Wenger moonlighting.
Tucks make good friars. But we need a Robin Hood.
Last edited by Elmacca at 9/20/2013 7:53:08 PM