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it's been a bussy times for the NT staff, so i'd like to start by appologizing for not having written something sooner.

Anyhow, first i'd like to say:

Happy New Year

Now, back to bussiness:
The NT has gotten a much tougher Consolation qualification round than it has had in the past. Where as in season 18 and Season 20 we finished with 7-1 records, it's unlikely that this season will be able to repeat such a feat. The goal this season is to make th KO 32 and to take it game by game from then on.

Making the final 32 requires a 5-3 record with a good goal averages, or a 6-2 record. HCA is important in those KO stages, but with opponents such as Australia, Slovenija and Turkey, it's impossible to hope for a great record. So right now, the goal is to try and win all 5 games prior to the game against Australia, and then we'll see how things go from there on. We were lucky with Sweden the way they chose to play last week and hope for a victory against Austria to achieve the 5-0 record, meaning that we can play the last 3 games without any pressure.

Unless someone has overseen a National coach somewhere, i was recently pointed out that i'm the coach with the second longest record of being in charge of a NT on BB. (First is the Czech coach, who's in his 12th season as head of there National team). This is my 10th season in charge of the NT. Makes me feel Nostalgic. I still remember the seasons where Delaere, Liessens and Reyngoudt were our NT SF's. When OD 14 was considered enough to be a NT guard, etc etc.

Reflecting on those my past 10 seasons, i'm pretty pleased with what i've done. My only regret is that i've never managed to go to the world championship with the Belgian NT. But other than that, i'm more than pleased what i've achieved. At the end of this season, Elections are comming up and i'm pretty sure i'd like to continue being the Belgian NT coach. But at the end of this season, my 5th NT term will be up, meaning it's once again time to judge me for my preformances with the NT. a new candidate might come allong, who might be more suitable than me. But we'll discuss that once we've reached that point ;)

This season, we've managed to beat Belarus, Wales, Luxembourg and Sweden. That means that Belgium has got a 4-0 record (just like our next opponent). We are sitting in the top 32 atm (currently ranked 9th) and a victory against Austria should guarantee us a place in the KO stages of the consolation tournament. Let's hope for a victory on monday to secure our position ammongst the final 32. That should leave us 3 games to try and improve our position for the KO stages.

Since this is the 10th season, i'l try and do something special at the end of the competitive season ;) some statistics that should be fun to see . This ofcourse depends if i've got the time to check it all up ;)

a win against Austria has sealed the deal. We are 99% sure to be qualified for the KO stages. Next 3 games can be used to build up enthusiasm and maybe win a game to improve our position to have HCA in the KO stages of the tournament.

Was pleased with the game overall. Score could have been higher had Dirnberger not been injured halfway thru the game. But a win is a win. We've added to our total. Next game is away against Australia, where we will be playing to limit the damage. a loss by 10 points or less would be terrific.

25 point loss against Australia. Was more than i had anticipated. was hoping for a 10 point loss, kinda surprized about it. But the ratings don't lie. We were outplayed in every section of the game. Next game is once again an away game, this time against an european nation. Let' hope we'll do a better job at limiting the damage than against Australia.

R~

Marchoul and Marichal lead Belgium to surprize victory over Turkey!

With Marchoul and Marichal comming off the bench to drop 20 points each, Belgium has surprizingly beaten Turkey by 24 points. It has to be said that the Turkish NT had horrible GS and that their GS was like a rollcoaster this season ( it had it's ups and downs).

Never the less, Belgium will be heading into the KO32 with a 6-2 record and a PD of just over 100. Sadly enough, we're likely to fall short of securing HCA for any rounds and will most likely face a fast exit. Tomorrow we'll know our opponent. Never the less, i'm pleased with the progression of certain players. Especially the guards are making big progress. Now all that remains is for the NT to get our hands on more PF's (sadly they are very rare and often aren't trained to go the NT distance either...)

R~

it still is a great victory! congrats revo, well deserved ;)