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Q:
A head coach is only as good as his coaching staff around him....

How will you (guys) handle this? I feel like the last several seasons the scouting has been lacking a lot, and there hasn't been much personalization to managers training U21 candidates.


I also notice that most U21 players keep coming from the same managers who train the same way for the same builds each time.
Do you see this as a problem? If so: How do you think this can be improved upon?

Thanks for the question EightPackKilla

I will address the bolded first and the Italics second.
As many of you know, I'm usually in chat a lot. Game days, weekdays, anyday that I'm basically off from my job. I will use some of this time to work on things the U21 needs work on. The issue you pointed out I think is based upon the amount of managers the game is losing and gaining.

I want to revive the scouting network a bit. There is something I think lacks in the usual scouting procedures that needs a change: Activity.

When I had the utopian team Houston Bombers, I had a borderline U21 prospect for Italy U21. The scout who PM'd me PM'd me almost every week to check in on pops for the player. With our US Player Database not showing signs of returning anytime soon to where you can just update your player and boom! we have your player's build, we'll have to take a step back in technology and do it the old fashioned way bugging a manager every so often for the update on a player.

Other managers might find it annoying; but to those who want to make the US U21 great it will only show that we are interactive in making the player better. I'm also not saying we just reach out to prospects. We reach out to BORDERLINE prospects as well, because you never know. That same manager who didn't get sound advice on his borderline player now has a complete U21 stud and doesn't know how to do anything with him. What does he do? The trainer eventually falters and messes up that gem and you have one less player to consider for the team. Not saying that we can save and get everyone aboard the U21, and scouting, as some players just want to train for their clubs; I understand that. But we should be more interactive throughout the community in helping the newer generation of BB Managers adjust to the game quicker. Whether it be through BB Mails, offsite, or in game chats it doesn't matter; it must get much better than what we have right now.

The U21 players coming from the same managers? Well, that can be fixed a bit by reaching our hands out to that new generation of BB players. This is a problem I think, not because of the old managers; but more so of the new ones. The new managers are already put into a hole financially, especially against other teams that have thousands, perhaps, millions in the bank. I think if we reached out to them throughout BB Mail instead of forums, it will be a step towards getting them involved in the U21 scene. Again, not every manager can be salvaged or brought into the U21 scene, some will disagree on it and others just don't like training. But I will say a BB Mail will give the manager a better feeling...because to simply put it, not many new managers will check out the forums at all for the first few days of existence. We, ourselves, have to show the initiative and maybe, just maybe, 2-3 managers will hop aboard the U21 scene. even 1 beats zero.

1)I would say that in part, that i would probably be doing a lot of the game to game analysis as the head of the u21 program, whereas tough would be more of the guy seeking out the talent. You have to have a team involved rather than just one individual involved. One person taking on all the duties on their own is possible, but you might occasionally run out of time to find everyone. It's part of the job of the scouts to find the talent, and it's part of the player's actual team to also bring their player up to scouts, or to the u21 head coach. In some cases this past year, players that were probably good enough to be on the team or in consideration for a call-up spot were missed. The blame is equally spread on that error.

2) I think that when a u21 manager does this, they are doing it for purpose of having a guy that is capable of staying in good game shape. This past season, several of the best call-up options were players that fluctuated week to week in gameshape, and were too risky to bring aboard. The easiest solution is teach everyone with a player in the u21 the best ways to manage their teams gameshape. This benefits both the US team and the team that trained him into that position, because it teaches them good habits that improve the overall performance of their team.

Last edited by FurY at 2/15/2016 11:31:20 PM

Some seasons are just better than others for draftees:
This is a fact.

In these cases, what have we done, are we doing, or have you thought, in regards to 19 year old new draftees and their roles in possible U21/NT?

For instance: I did the 18 year old bigs for scouting for S33. This S34 draft class, i have already seen, more than 1, some prospects that are already good enough to be in the top 5-10 of all the bigs from LAST Seasons' 18 year old crop, and these are guys that are 18 this season already. So needless to say, there are probably some 19 year olds that at the very least should be in the running/considered.

I also notice that most U21 players keep coming from the same managers who train the same way for the same builds each time.
Do you see this as a problem? If so: How do you think this can be improved upon?

Yeah, I see it as a problem if their builds suck. How do I improve this: I tell them not to use their crappy player builds; Use mine.

It's simple, you're training a guard? 1v1f, OD, maybe some IS, train some passing and boom you're done. Inside guard. We win.

Forward? 1v1f, IS, hit ID/OD boom done.

You're training a big? 1v1f, IS, ID, RB. Boom done. We win.

Show me any prospect and I'll give you a build to aim for (there's only three in my book), I'll even hold your hand through the whole training process and wipe your ass if you need it...The fact is, do you want to win? I'll help you build a prospect that wins: IS and defense! Pound it down their throats the American way.

I also notice that most U21 players keep coming from the same managers who train the same way for the same builds each time.
Do you see this as a problem? If so: How do you think this can be improved upon?

Yeah, I see it as a problem if their builds suck. How do I improve this: I tell them not to use their crappy player builds; Use mine.

It's simple, you're training a guard? 1v1f, OD, maybe some IS, train some passing and boom you're done. Inside guard. We win.

Forward? 1v1f, IS, hit ID/OD boom done.

You're training a big? 1v1f, IS, ID, RB. Boom done. We win.

Show me any prospect and I'll give you a build to aim for (there's only three in my book), I'll even hold your hand through the whole training process and wipe your ass if you need it...The fact is, do you want to win? I'll help you build a prospect that wins: IS and defense! Pound it down their throats the American way.

refering to bolded part:
Well... we have not been winning lately. So, yeah, that fits into this.

It's simple, you're training a guard? 1v1f, OD, maybe some IS, train some passing and boom you're done. Inside guard. We win.

Forward? 1v1f, IS, hit ID/OD boom done.

You're training a big? 1v1f, IS, ID, RB. Boom done. We win.

I noticed we don't win if we train a forward? Haha, why is that?

Because we've been training backwards this whole time.

**Forwards**

Please excuse my typos, and also my dear Aunt Sally.

Because we've been training backwards this whole time.

**Forwards**

Please excuse my typos, and also my dear Aunt Sally.

But *most* of the managers, from what I have seen, read, and heard via discussions etc. Have been training in a near identical way to what you just recently proposed...

I find this very contrary to your prior statement.

Certainly, your experience with the game is vast compared to mine, yet I find it troubling that you seem to think this is the best way to win. This is not how your team or recent b3 winners or even recent NT winners are built.

What you preach here is no different then what has been preached to the managers of the USA by the u21 staff and offsiters for as long as I have played the game. This is a game of numbers, a giant math problem that leaves nerds like me salivating at the thought of solving it. I have seen what these donkey builds have brought us and really it isnt much. Simply looking back to last season my u21 big Robbie Hendrickson outplayed those bigs of the typical u21 IS/ID/REB donkey route significantly in almost every game even some where he had fallen to 7 GS.

He was simply a SB heavy big, not that much different then the typical Donkey. Look at what Hrudey is doing with guys, the SF's being built by multiple managers right now are looking great. We do not need more of the same donkey build players. We need a manager who can look at the game as a giant math problem in need of solving, as that is what is is and looking at it in any other way with the intention to outwit our opposition is asinine.

Q:
Should we EXPECT any U21 forfeits from "you" as a new manager for u21 like we have ... started to grow accustomed to?

We haven't been winning lately because we haven't been training winning builds. I'm half joking because that's only part of the issue. You have to understand that we're not always dealt a great deck of cards each season, so some seasons we bluff it. And that's OK. The odds aren't always in our favor, but Rocky still beat the Drago didn't he.

The fact is, we have a dedicated staff of volunteers on the US offsite, but many mangers of US prospects refuse assistance, so that's not on the US staff members. Dedicated managers are the ones that help our NT program succeed: the managers that want to win. And that's it. Anything else I say, I'm just talking out my ass. Actually, I've been talking out my ass this whole time. But, hey...as long we win, right? That's all that matter. Winning. And Tiger blood.

Here's the deal: If you have a prospect and want to train him into a player that will help your club team and NT win, join the US offsite or BB-mail me directly. I'll tell you exactly what needs to be done. But only if you want to WIN. I don't tolerate losers.