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Look who's back...

Written by defunked

A second cup final and a second interview with h00ligans' manager, the reigning Prem Champs.

Last time we spoke was shortly before the season before last season's cup final (18660). You went on to win the double, and backed that up by beating principal rival Matt- (and current cup final opponent) by 1pt to win the league last season. This season you are level on points (once again with an inferior GD) and are away to Matt- on the last day, with Ville and Hairy Chinese Kids breathing down your necks. Obviously you are going to tell us that Matt is going for the league, so you'll be MoTsing the Cup Final, and there's no chance for you following in the footsteps of Phi's Fire (955024) (5 consecutive Prem titles) or Rah's Raiders (restarted as Hacked Off (61273)) feat of hattrick of titles?

I’m greedy enough to go for both the league and cup (again). It’s funny but when I started building my current team from the ground up 5 real life years ago, I only had one ambition – to make it to the prem. Having achieved that and done the double in my first season I’m still hungry for more.

Last season my lot and Matt’s were neck and neck in terms of ratings, and as usual it came down to who dropped the least points against the mid-lower table prem sides. This season he’s been head and shoulders ahead of the rest of us and with a bit more luck would have had the league wrapped up by now. My focus has been the cup, but once you hit the neutral rounds in the cup it’s relatively easy to PIC and save TS for the league (when will they introduce a random draw)which has meant I’ve been able to put a late run together.

You went out of the Hattrick Masters in R1 last season and R3 this season. As one of the strongest teams in England right now, is this a reflection of the heightened coin-toss involved between top teams under the current match engine, and how much do you think this will change under the new ME next season?

It’s actually more a reflection of the fact that there are teams out there who are better than anything we have in England. Both times I’ve gone out I’ve been well beaten! We do have the problem of the match engine not being very good at separating top sides, mainly because a little bit of random goes a long way when there’s not much in it and valid tactical options are incredibly limited. The new ME will help but it’s not going to suddenly encourage people to play anything other than 3-5-2, it’s not going to fix a largely broken tactic (counter attack), or make any of the other useless tactics playable. That said, I do think it’s a small step in the right direction.

Last time we spoke, you said your first team were in the 30-32 year old age bracket, and your team page suggests they are now 33/65. What kind of stamina % are you running to get the most out of them, and what training do you do, if any?

I’m definitely all about winning titles over longevity at the top. I’ve made virtually no attempt to reduce the average age of my squad, but have reinvested every pound of profit back into strengthening the side. Stamina share is normally high 30s and training alternates between PM and secondary skills in a futile attempt to keep the skill drops at bay.

You still have gold supporter. Please tell us your thoughts on the price hikes, and match engine changes due to be implemented at the start of next season?

Like everyone else I think the price hikes are ridiculous, but while I haven’t decided what to do when my supporter runs out, there’s still no way I’d carry on playing without it. I can afford supporter and am probably silly enough to pay for it again in fairness.

I’m still a bit of a fan of normal forwards (and even used one in my other cup final appearance) so I suppose making them more worthwhile is something I like. It looks like it might be viable to play 1 x defensive forward and 1 x normal forward and still muster a reasonable central attack under the new ME, so I can see that setup with 1 x winger and 1 x wing towards middle becoming popular. Otherwise they need to completely overhaul the way specs work.

Last time we spoke we discussed Chelsea's signing of Cuadrado. Looks like Willian won that battle, and Jose has now signed Pedro as his new 'threat'. despite this, Chelsea have gone from being virtually impregnable to surprisingly easy to turn over in the space of one summer. What do you think are the reasons for this, and what needs to be done to fix it?

Almost the whole team is playing badly, so sack the lot of them?! Defensive frailties are a major part, but otherwise we’ve been moving the ball around far too slowly. The quick counter attacks of last season just haven’t been happening and we’ve really struggled to break teams down. I’m going to the Southampton game at the weekend so hoping that is the time we turn it all around.

You've attended one hattrick London social, and met a few of your peers. Please tell us about the experience, whether you'd go to another, and how it has enhanced your enjoyment of the game (if at all)?

The bits I can remember from that day are a cheeky nandos, a curry accompanied by a world record breaking naan bread, and making it home only to fall asleep on the floor for 5 hours :S In between was a beer infused haze and probably some nice banter with like minded HT managers. I also once made it to a fed meetup during Euro 2012 when we made friends with lots of swedish supermodels.

(Ed. I'm in the wrong fed)

Since we last spoke your player Luke 'Jack in the box' Jack (304730540) has become an England International. and has now played 27 games for England. Please tell us a little bit about this and how he's been getting on?

Luke came through my YA many moons ago and has lived the dream by playing for the U20s and the NT. He’s been used as an impact sub during Q2 of the current world cup and is now gearing up for one final hurrah and the push for a long awaited medal.

Have you found any great music so far in 2015 that you'd like to share with us?

Normally I’m a dance music fanboy. But I came across this track recently which I’m enjoying. "Hanging by a thread" – sums up my chances on Tuesday? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0pL-nqcFiY)

What was the most memorable (non-ht) moment of your weekend this weekend?

Took the missus to see Alan Carr doing standup for her birthday - her choice not mine. Did a bit of heckling and embarrassed her something rotten. Good times.

What was your first car (or bike) and what happened to it?

A white ford fiesta (https://ssli.ebayimg.com/00/s/NjAwWDgwMA==/z/OgcAAOSw~OdVWEsx/$_86.JPG) with many not so careful owners. It used to break down so often that ultimately it was cubed.