Good Times, Bad Times

I don't know if anyone really reads my incoherent ramblings but I do quite like writing them and I expect this post is going to turn out that way.

I was going on the other day saying it was "all about your form!" and tonight has kind of highlighted this again to me.

I restarted last season on the beta and signed players as per my previous post for my template for success. However, due to the reset I haven't give them the due care and attention they deserve. I play and ORG in the AFA (EFA in live money) and managed to finish mid table in the Championship in the first two runs of the season without really playing much. I was hoping to try and add some weight to my point that player ability doesn't actually mean very much at all but lack of actually playing has hindered this a little.

Meanwhile, my team on live could do no wrong. I log on, get hammered then fluke some last minute winner, score some total fluke, score 2 in stoppage time, score offside goals and everything you can imagine. I've been tinkering a bit on live with some trials and tactics and lost several friendly games yesterday. Tonight I set up a quick play and my team which previously could do no wrong has been thoroughly beaten by pretty much everyone. I ain't too fussed by this, I actually don't mind losing when it's logical, and I deserved to lose these games tonight.

But i've been playing 2 GWs at the same time tonight and my beta team which was previously generally getting pasted all over the place by far better teams has taken the place of my live team! Suddenly they can do no wrong, PP has me top of the league! While typing this I remembered I kicked off a game 5 minutes ago, no worries, it doesn't need my attention, i'm unbeatable! (bollocks, they have just scored... brb! - yeah i've been 2swed!) None of the injuries are sticking tonight, nothing is going wrong.

Back to live, coming up to the last quick play game. The opposition is down to 10 men and my previously unbeatable team can't string two passes together, they can't do anything. They finally get a late equaliser and hold onto the draw like their lives depend on it. It's only a friendly competition, there's no stress and i'm not really fussed, just testing things out and all that.

But it really does highlight just how quickly and deadly seemingly random changes of form can be.

The beta team is in the AFA and we are on a 5 day season at the moment due to some previous issues with the league not starting. So when I logged on I had a shed load of games to play. As per my previous post I started by playing the easy home games first, then progressively working my way up to the more difficult teams to get my form going. This FA is the way forward, I haven't even played an FA game in the last 5 days on Live ! I really think more people ought to try this FA, it's so much better than the standard ones. There's always games to play and the AI limits are pretty relaxed and even if you fail in the first run of the season you have another couple to completely turn it round!

Anyway I didn't get a response to my email to support (I did say I didn't want one, and I don't) however, i'm sure it was just a coincidence that SA10 turned up in the GW tonight. Probably just a coincidence the MP rules changed to some resembling common sense and one of the default EXTA FA competitions actually started. Good work chaps.