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HTalking wiZ LarryPampushky #1 [ORIGINAL]

Written by 84289F75-3C25-4ECD-AD30-B26CAA59A563

LarryPampushky (12314054) About ice-cream, ukrainian folk-rock and green colour.

LarryPampushky – English native speaker (http://nrxw4zdpnywwy2lgmuxhe5i.cmle.ru/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/stereotypes.jpg)

zeeper – speak English like Boris from «Snatch» (http://0s.ne.pf2gs3lhfzrw63i.cmle.ru/vi/R75lYZKmh-U/hqdefault.jpg)

So, Larry, is it your real name? Tell me a little about yourself, how old are you, what do you do in real life etc.?

No, Larry is not my real name – I like to be anonymous on the internet! I am 44 and have been running my own publishing business for almost 20 years now. I'm a keen cyclist.

Did you remember how you came to HT?

I originally joined HT back in 2003 after seeing a review on another website. My original team (Metheringham Mill) (57432) made it to the Premiership in England before I quit for a period of about 7 weeks.

The name of your club is the same clear reference to the famous Ukrainian club Shakhtar Donetsk?

I wanted a slightly comical name for my team and thought that Donetsk sounded a bit like donuts. I really wanted to call them Rapid Viennetta (Viennetta is an ice-cream dessert, do you get that in Ukraine?) but that was already taken. I don't know much about the Shakhtar Donetsk other than that they get in the Champions League most years.

I don't know something about Viennetta, but it sounds tasty)

It was briefly glamorous in the 1980s, but these days it is seen as a bit cheap.(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viennetta)

Why did you choose a nickname, one part of which is your virtual name, and the other is a bread product traditionally served in Ukraine to the main national dish - borsch? =)

After calling my team Shakhtar, I thought that my user name should be something Ukrainian. So to go with the donuts theme I chose Pampushky. Larry was just a random choice.

You are in the HT since 2012 again, and during these 5 years you can boast of certain achievements: the victory in the Cup of England, the first places in the leagues. Now you're in the top division, what do you expect from your team?

My first goal was to top the table and unlock the achievement for being ranked number one, which I managed to do after my first game. After that I hope to win the title this season or next season, before my team gets too old. My chances of doing so are slim.

I have reviewed the chronology of last season in your league of 2nd division (515) and I can say that your main rivals who took 2-3 places had stronger squads than you (judging by the TSI and some ratings). What is the secret of your success of last season?

I play the long shots tactic so my team is a little odd. In terms of TSI, I think my team is a perhaps better than it looks as some of my players are beginning to age and so their TSIs have dropped. Also, 10 of my 15 players are homegrown so they also perform better than they look. Other than that I'm probably just lucky!

Why are you so active in the Ukrainian HT community? =)

Haha, I like to save my embarrassing posts for a foreign forum, I guess.

Have you been to Ukraine? What kind of associations do you have about this country?

No, I've never been to Ukraine. I don't really have any connection to it at all. The closest link I have is that my wife's stepmother's son is married to a woman from Kiev. I've never met her though.
Although, now I think of it, when I was younger my favourite band was The Wedding Present. Their guitarist left them to form The Ukrainians (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ukrainians), who play an alternative version of traditional Ukrainian music. I bought their first album. Maybe that's where I get my interest from.

You participated in the national coach's choice of this offseason. What has caused you to do it and do you have the experience of participating in such events?

A moment of madness. I didn't think I would win – that was one of the reasons I chose Ukraine – I didn't really want the job. I have stood in various countries around the world where I had similarly no chance of winning (Argentina, for example), but you get to meet other people from around the world that you wouldn't normally get to speak to.

Are you sure that you could effectively manage your club and team at the same time? There is a saying about this in Ukraine: you get run for two hares - you do not catch no one.

I think it would be possible. Being a long shot team, my club side is very easy to run. I play the same line-up most weeks! Of course that might be a problem for the NT in the sense that I haven't played HT 'normally' for five years, but I'm sure I'd be okay....

Personally, it seems to me that you had a much better chance of becoming a coach of the national team of England. Why did you choose Ukraine?

Yes, you are correct. I think I would have had a pretty good chance of winning in England. I certainly would have got more votes than in Ukraine (0!). I didn't really want to get the job.

If it calms you, I scored 0 votes in the elections in Honduras=)

Ha, I was quite pleased. 1 or 2 wouldn't be as funny.

Apart from purely gaming activities, you also own one of the HT support programs. What is the Hattrick Bodyguard? Explain for those who do not yet use your creation, why they are obliged to do it immediately.

It scans teams to see how aggressive they are and so how likely they are to cause injuries. It's mainly used by teams that like show off how murderous they are! (https://www92.hattrick.org/Community/CHPP/ChppProgramDetails.aspx?ApplicationId=4144)

3 things that you like most of the HT today:
This is a hard one. After playing the game for so long I've forgotten why I originally liked the game.
a) I suppose the game's main appeal is that it is simple to play.
b) The forums are important (if not as lively as they once were) – I've always thought that HT is primarily a decent forum with a mediocre game attached. I'm not sure the HTs have ever realised this.
c) Er, it's a nice shade of green.

3 things that you want to change in HT right now:
This one's a bit easier...
a) A reduction in the supporter price. I think the high price is killing the game.
b) More stats pages.
c) I lied before, I hate this green colour.

It seems to me that the same green color is on the Flag of Lincolnshire=) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincolnshire)

Yeah, that's an awful flag too.

A last question)
What price of Supporter is acceptable for you?

I think about £30 is plenty for Gold.

Thank you very much for interview. It was interesting and informative.

Thanks, for the questions. I hope I wasn't too boring.

HTalking wiZ LarryPampushky #1