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IX Chronicles: Manager In Focus - bobkhaw

Written by Azaris

In light of this newly launched tournament for Div IV & V teams the IX Chronicles had chosen to interview the very first manager who had stated interest in participating in the inaugural IX Challenge (http://ixchallenge-hattrick-sg.blogspot.sg/), bobkhaw (232890) manager of Villains F.C (136705) in IV.38 (4335)

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So how do we address you?

My name is Bobby Khaw, and my friends call me Bobby/Bob for short. I use my real name as my username, so people call me Bob in Hattrick.

Would you mind sharing a bit about yourself so that our readers may get to know you better? Like what’s your favourite food, favourite football club or TV show?

Definitely a well-prepared steak when it comes to food! As for football club, I’ve been supporting Manchester United since young. My favourite player is Cristiano Ronaldo, pity he moved =P. I’m not much of a TV person to be honest. When I do sit in front of the television to watch anything it would definitely be watching Manchester United games.

How long have you been playing Hattrick?

I started playing Hattrick in 2003, with a team called FC~vile. I joined with a few of my friends from Secondary school. The bunch of us were quite successful and we all made to different Div. II series.

Why did you leave? And why did you return?

When I got enrolled in University it was hard to muster up interest in the game and I left in 2010. I’ve recently received a new team in August this year. Honestly I don’t know why I returned but it’s been a blast so far.

Has the game changed much since you left?

The game had already begun changing just as I was about to quit. The changes so far have been significant, but they were, I feel, necessary in order for the game to progress. The shift towards multi-skilled players was a particularly good move in my opinion. It gives managers more options, and well-managed teams should be versatile, and able to toss up a midfield-heavy team one day, to an effective counter-attacking team on another day.

Any pet-peeves, things that annoy you about the new stuff?

Not really, I find the homegrown bonus/ loyalty changes to be a good thing for players like myself as it encourages me to develop my own youth players even though there may be other slightly better foreign players in the market.

What’s the goal for your Series this season?

Despite being top of the series at the moment, I am not revising the target for a Top 4 finish. After all, this is my first full season, and it's a learning season for me. I will be aiming for top 2 or promotion in 2-3 seasons' time.

Do you think you’ll do well in your Series this season?

There are 4 bots in my series, so that would at least guarantee me a minimum of 4th place this season.

We wish you all the best in your Series endeavours. Why did you choose to enter the IX Challenge?

The IXC is a brilliant initiative for our Singapore community. I think it is a good opportunity to get to know fellow Div IV and V managers and also to pit my team against other Div. IV and V teams.

Any other positives that you can see from having such a competition in Singapore?

The biggest positive is that it makes Wednesdays interesting again.

How well do you think you’ll do in the IX Challenge?

I’ll mostly be playing my trainees for the IXC, so the results won’t be pretty. So realistically, I don’t expect my team to do well at all.

That’s quite humble of you. Had any chance to scout your would-be opponents though?

Haven’t gotten around to do any proper scouting but I’ve kept an eye on the Cup results. I have to say, some of the teams in the IXC are of a really high standard.

Based on that have you made any special plans for the IXC?

Not planning on winning games to be honest but it would be good to know a few more managers in the process.

With that said and the competition about to begin, will we be seeing you again for the next edition?

You can count on that! I will be here again next season.