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Le petit poucet (lowest ranked side left)

Written by JJMcLane

Last week you faced Hyland's 11 (554905414), and the ratings suggest you were pretty much outclassed. You opted to beef up your defence using a tactical assistant, and they failed to convert in the centre, as well as missing a CA free kick and one from the left, whilst you scored with a wing SE, against the odds on the right, and a Quick SE. You had the advantage with Head spec numbers as well. It looks like having a well specced team more than made up for the ratings disadvantage?

I still can't believe I won that game but my strategy was to move to maximise defense and midfield in the event that I was ahead at half time. I got lucky in that this was how it happened. This was my first week using a tactical assistant and it proved to be worth it!

You took over your team on 28/02/07. in s50 (10 seasons ago) you were knocked out at the semi-final stage by the eventual Cup winners, Real Tuff (no longer playing) (409535390) . Please tell us a bit about that cup run, and your team compared to now?

It was an unbelievable cup run. I'd managed to go to round 10 2 seasons earlier and when I reached round 8, I did everything I could to go as far as possible in the cup. I was PICing all my league games and ended up being relegated.
I also had home advantage in the last few cup games unlike the current format, where several latter stage games are now held on neutral ground. With a little more luck, I could have reached the final as I only lost by a goal scored in the 73rd minute.

At the time, I was all for scoring and did not care much about defence. These days I try to have a more balanced team to be able to play different types of games and to be less predictable.

I have been stuck in division 3 for a long time but hopefully I will manage to reach division 2 soon.

HAC stands for Havre Athletic club, and your manager page states you are French, and support Le Havre AC as well as AS Saint-Étienne and AS Tonvilla. Please tell us a little bit about your heritage and what's going on with AS Tonvilla this season under their new French manager.

I am indeed French. I have always supported the teams where i lived. Born and raised in Le Havre, I then studied in Saint Etienne and then I spent 5 years working in Lichfield (hence Hac_Lich). I am now back in France.

I enjoyed spending time in Villa Park. In England, people really support their team whereas in France, we are more spectators. Hopefully Aston Villa will stay in the Premier League at the end of the season but Remi Garde has a lot of work to do, starting by recruiting new players and getting a strong replacement for Benteke up front.

Have you a favourite tune from 2015, and if not an older classic would be just as welcome (link to vimeo or utube or soundcloud please?)

A young French girl who has a bright future, Marina Kaye:
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwKkjLOHd7s)

Apart from in the Gym, when was the last time your rode a bike ?

I used to ride a lot (1k km of mountain biking per year) but these days I am prefer playing tennis. So, the last time I rode a bike was probably 2 or 3 months ago but only to ride as far as the local bakery to get a baguette (not a French cliche at all). (http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Sport/Pix/pictures/2013/5/6/1367840551317/Man-on-old-bike-014.jpg)

If you happened to be locked in Canary Wharf this xmas, with 'terrorists' holding an office xmas party as hostages (with your estranged wife among them), what would you do to try and stop them?

I would be completely lost as I am no Bruce Willis despite the resemblance. I would rather call Kick Ass and Hit Girl to save the world. (http://images5.fanpop.com/image/photos/30800000/Kick-Ass-Hit-Girl-kick-ass-30884052-2560-1707.jpg)

What do you make of the recent game changes, especially with this new tactical assistant that you used so effectively in the last round?

I did not think much of it in the first place but as I had a free spot and the new employees contract were due to start the week after, I decided to try the tactical assistant and realised he could be of real use (he is now on a 16 weeks contract).

Overall, I like the recent changes made to the match engine. I think it gives more chances to other tactics and we will less see the usual 352 setup.

Please provide a link to your favourite work of art.

This is not really a work of art but I like the idea so much: The best machine you can ever build:
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z86V_ICUCD4)

Which is more of a headache for you and why? a) Having 3 players suspended for the league game on Sunday this week, or b) going out of the cup with a £300k wage bill to cover for the rest of the season?

b. is worse, but I am used to it... I never managed to get a performing team without spending much on the salaries. As first place in the league is not going to happen for me this season (again), I can concentrate on the cup so I prefer to have 3 red cards for a league game than for the cup game.

What are your plans for Xmas day (food/location/company etc)?

Home made chicken korma (I miss Indian food) at my brother's in Paris.

JJMcLane