Interview with viracer

In this article, we will meet one of the most famous user in Philippines, viracer (10447204)!

What's the secret of winning so many trophies, how much time he spends on Hattrick, what should we expect from him into the future, and many other things can be seen only into the article. You're invited to read it! :)

1. Hello, viracer! Please tell us a few words about you.

I am 39 years old, married, and proud father of a great little girl.

2. How did you learn about Hattrick?

About 10 years ago, a friend of mine started playing Hattrick and introduced me to the game. I also created a team and managed it for a while. Hattrick immediately caught me, although I wasn’t successful and made many beginner mistakes at that time. In 2010, I started over completely with the Islanders (714517).

3. You won the First Division 6 times in a row. That's an incredible result. Could you tell us what's the secret? :)

I think you need to be clear about which formations/tactics you are planning to play and thus which positions you need players for. In a second step you then define which skills the individual players need to have. Calculate this through for the entire team, so that it fits with your budget.

In the beginning, there will usually be only enough money to cover a single formation optimally. After playing for a while, you can add a second formation, e.g. the classic 3-5-2 and a counter-attack formation. I think, however, that the final quality of two formations can’t be as good as focusing on a single formation. Personally, I did very well with just one formation, 3-5-2, for a long time, while nowadays I throw in counter-attacks sometimes.

Analysing the opponent for a match is quick: Which of my two base systems fits better? How can I optimise it to the playing style of the opponent by directions to the players, such as offensive, defensive, towards the centre or towards the wings? I rarely need more than 15 minutes for it.

4. What is your definition of "success" in HT?

Like in every game: Having Fun!.

5. You have also won the Cup three times so far. What do you enjoy the most - a Cup trophy or a First Division one? Why?

Definitely the Cup. It is harder to win. Just one lost game and you’re out... And we all know the game engine is temperamental.

6. On your last Press Announcement, you said that time has come, the club management is in need to perform a restart of the team. What should be expect from you into the future? What's your plan from now on?

Despite all the success, my team is currently in a downswing. It’s just getting too old and I haven’t got the financial reserves to replace players equally good or even better ones.
However, a complete restart selling all players is out of the question for me, since I would like to take my Goalkeeper to the National Team. At the start of the season, I made some transfers in order to play in the LP (Liga Pilipinas) as long as possible, but I do believe we’ll see a new top team in the Philippines next season at the latest.

7. How comes the motivational part for you? I mean, someone can say that, once you win so many trophies, you might start getting bored. So, beside the time you spend for your team, what other activities do you have into Hattrick? Is the National Teams part an idea that you enjoy?

Definitely. Both National Teams are important pillars of my motivation. The ultimate goal remains, of course, the HT-Masters. Without a completely fresh team (see question 6), this is completely utopic. Concerning the national titles, if I’m being honest, the biggest euphoria has faded. The first Championship and the first Cup Trophy I’ll never forget, the fourth one...

I also really enjoy the communication with the other managers. There’s already some live in our league forum and I also wholeheartedly support your initiative!

8. How do you see HT in the future? Are there any feature you would like to have developed?

I’m happy with the existing features and don’t see the need for any additional ones. In my opinion, it would be important to reduce Supporter prices. Otherwise, I fear Hattrick will die sooner or later.


9. You've just won the Cup, congrats! Please tell us a little bit about the road to the final and how was the last match. What's the feeling playing the final against an additional club? :) It seems he has a really strong team.

Some season ago a new cup system has been set by the admins. This new cup setting generates a lot more prize money for the clubs and is far more easy to win for the LP than the old one: I have to play only 3 away matches instead of 7.

Nine matches are in total to win. The first two against bots are just like friendlies. The next two I had to play against two 2nd teams of good friends from Pilipinas NT: Thrilla in Manila (94638) and Burnt Toast Collective Ensemble (71418).

Sorry, guys, but I know you play these teams mostly for NT's sake. Starting with round 5, the opponents became more challenging, with FC Philippine Dragons (714492) being the tightest match.
Until the final, I do not had to play against another team of the LP. That's pretty uncommon and that's the reason why the season was a somewhat easy victory.

The final, however, was a tough match against top challenger **FC INTERNAZIONALE** (714033). For the final, I decided to give away the league and MOtS the game to ensure good chances to win at least one trophy. Of course I will still try to win the LP this year nevertheless, but I am pretty sure **FC INTERNAZIONALE** (714033) or Manila Football Club (94712) will do it!

Playing against 2nd teams is nothing special. I love these managers maintain their teams here and help the NT with their YA.

10. Many people think that, being into the First Divison and fighting for the Cup, too, you have to spend a lot of time on Hattrick. Could you tell us how much time do you spend on spying the opponents and choosing the tactic?

It's true I spend a lot of time on Hattrick. But 30% or even somewhat more I do non-HT related things, like chat with friends. About 50% of my HT-time I spend for building the team, reading and writing posts, our NT, my YA and so on. Only small part is opponent review and tactics. The reason is simple: On short term, you do not have lots of possibilities to higher your odds against a stronger team. Luck has much more influence.

11. Please send a message to the Philippines community.

Support our national team: Go found football academies and train new talents!

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