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Essex Wanderers KO'd this week.

Written by wanderers73

Essex Wanderers were knocked out of the cup by Stinging Scorpions this week. We caught up with them, finally, in a post match post press conference post.

Your team, Essex Wanderers lost to the holders, Stinging Scorpions in R9. Last season (s55) you were knocked out in R2, so this has the feel of a real zero to hero cup run turnaround, with your previous club record being R7 back in s49. So what have you done with the club to so dramatically turn things around from last season to this?

I was stoked to get as far as I did, since I started writing this I lost to Stinging Scorpions (497641072) . To be fair, I was totally outclassed, but as for getting as far as we did, I’m a bit bewildered by it all. I can only put it down to a slow but steady improvement of my team. That and a whole lot of luck!

If you have a favourite tune of 2014, please provide a link to vimeo/utube/soundcloud for us to listen, but an older classic tune would be just as good?

I was taken on a bit of a journey by the Dum Dum Girls this year: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDYRQX6FPQQ) It’s not so much the tune itself, but more the fact that it kind of spring-boarded me into another whole genre of music, it got me out of my previous musical rut. I made a station in Spotify centered from this tune and I have never looked back.

You took over your team on 24/09/09 just over 5 years ago. You spent your first 5 seasons in VII/VI and then took another 8 seasons to get yourself into IV, this being your 4th season in IV.8. This looks like steady yet patient progression, has this been your deliberate planned strategy?

Yeah! I won VI.247 four times but could never win the qualifiers, that got a little frustrating but I have fond memories of the experience with the teams in that league. I checked out the forums to see what people had to ssay about promoting out of VI and it seemed that the consensus view is that it’s damn difficult for a noob to get out of. My strategy has always been the same and I decided quite early on to never just stick to one plan and to never let anything get in the way of enjoying this game we call Hattrick.

If a fan wanted to buy you a pint, which pub would it be easiest to find you in, and what's your poison?

My local and it’s a pint of bitter for me, please.

This season, Postigod was voted in to be the England NT coach. After 6 matches England is heading for qualification, holding 2nd in Group 7, 3pts clear of Slovenia in 3rd & behind a Total Football Dutch side that has won 6/6. Did you vote, and what do you think of our performance so far?

Wow, that’s a lot of numbers and stats! I’m going to have to get back to you on that.

What skill are you currently training and what stamina percentage are you currently using and why?

I’m currently training playmaking with a stamina share of 27%. It seems that where I am in the league midfield really matters and I’m slowly getting there with it, I've got some 9* and 8.5* players now which are making the difference for me. The stamina percentage I upped recently because my old guys were dropping off performance 60mins into the game. I've realised that a training plan for the team is never going to be optimized when trying to do well in the Cup, after only a few rounds, I’m forced to play me best players in both cup and league matches, so I've got three younger midfielders that haven’t trained for 7 weeks, thanks to having such a good run.

You currently pay for gold supporter, what made you decide to stick with the gold package?

I guess it does just what I want it to do. I never felt the need for a second club or all of the bells and whistles that come with being platinum.

According to our internet research, Essex Wanderers is an animal sanctuary in Upminster, Ilford Rugby club call themselves "Wanderers" and there has been an Essex Cricket Wanderers as well. We were wondering where it is exactly that you are wandering to and why? Are you actually just an itinerant vagrant, and isn't it about time to think about settling down after 5 years of wandering?

I didn’t know about the animal sanctuary! The shortened fast reason for the name of my club is down to the fact that I have moved around a lot, living in different houses!! I’m not some hobo vagrant though. Most of these places have been in Essex. I hope I've cleared this one up?

What was your favourite movie of 2013/14?

My favorite film - in fact only film of 2014 I bought (and I haven’t seen it yet) is called Frank, it’s a made up drama/biopic of the legendary Frank Sidebottom (the guy with the papier-mâché head) who seemed to appear in almost every TV program in the 80’s. Unfortunately, it’s still in it’s cellophane wrapper. I’m sure it’ll be great though. (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1605717/)

Have you any advice to give to any newer managers that might be reading this?

Don’t give up. It can be frustrating sometimes but just go with it. It gets fun when you get your head round things and also check the forums a lot, everything you need to know is there.

Thanks Blink286 for sending me that email and asking me to do this.