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Well done mate!

19yos finished. Again, if you have a 19yo and I haven't just called him up, and he isn't on the transfer list let me know. Its not impossible that I missed someone. By that age, a played would probably need a minimum of 55 tsp, preferably more.

Feet up for a bit now before I move onto the 18yos.

Spent far too long on the 19yos, so I had to move straight to the 21yos, who of course will make up most of the squad. Had some difficulties with the NT Scout (somehow players were being missed) and because I didn't trust it, I had to run it several times before I was happy. This meant the 18yos have gone unscouted. Not a disaster, just means I won't save myself time getting their skills in advance. Part of my reason for posting this week has been to show anyone interested in being u21 coach in future what exactly it entails, and so, in this case, don't follow my mistake. Be more selective about who you look at.

The squad will likely be named over the weekend. Not sure it'll be the full 12 players, I'll decide later. Normally I'd name 12, leaving me 6 free slots for callups during the season. I can pick a squad of 18 but in my opinion it doesn't make sense to do that in one go. For those that don't know players can't be removed from the squad as that lowers enthusiasm so there's no room for mistakes.

Congratz on your election!

i guess i'll kick this topic off: What are your expectations in this U21 group. what kind of record are you aiming for? (these questions can only be answered once you've got an idea of your roster ofcourse)

Tough question, as you know, and one I normally try to avoid, but its fair to ask. I have to say I think the squad looks a little light in terms of numbers, and consequentally game shape is going to be vital, as it always is, but if pushed I'll be disappointed with less than 5-2, though I think if you wanted odds, I suspect 4-3 is perhaps more likely.

Off to Ukraine. I doubt very many of you can watch tomorrow. 2:30 isn't the best time. Sorry for not naming the squad yet. Personally I'd like to keep it this secret every week if I could as its to my advantage I think, but I understand anyone with a 21yo might be wondering if your player will make it. You'll find out soon enough.

Ok. Time for me to start doing the job I was voted in for.

This week's "advice" is about game shape. I will be getting in touch with managers of players who should have made the squad today but haven't because of game shape being too low but I'm going to say here what I believe is the way game shape works. Anyone who disagrees, please, please post after me saying what you think. The more opinions the better, as it will give people choices.

It's important to say that this is just an opinion, but since I do generally have good game shape on my players, I feel confident that I'm right. The most important number in the game shape calculation is the starting game shape of the player. This is why after week one we're often surprised by the game shape of our players. Simply put, the best way to have good game shape (proficient) is to already have it. If you do, then the range of minutes at which you'll keep proficient game shape widens.

So; how do we get to proficient? Well, that's harder of course. For me, 60-72 minutes is best. I prefer to give advice stating a range of minutes than one exact number, though in reality, I myself look for closer to 60, but that's not always practical.

From checking players' minutes, I've come to the conclusion that some people must think their player needs 48 minutes in a game to get his full training for the week. This is not the case. 48 minutes in a week in the required position is what he needs.

Generally the best way to get 60-72 minutes is to either play your player as a starter twice, as a starter once and backup twice, or, the best way if you're training, 48 minutes in one game, and then backing up in another game.

I feel almost like I'm begging now, but please, if you agree or disagree, please post here. Its slightly preposterous for me to say your community needs you, but at the very least, they could use your assistance.

Thanks, Gully.

I think as low as 48 minutes will still give good results, I aim for 48-72 minutes with 60 being the sweet spot. They also adjusted the range for high stamina players, in my experience guys with 8+ stamina can flirt with 80 minutes every week and still be in good shape.

I think as low as 48 minutes will still give good results, I aim for 48-72 minutes with 60 being the sweet spot.

Thanks, this is exactly the kind of reply I was looking for.

They also adjusted the range for high stamina players, in my experience guys with 8+ stamina can flirt with 80 minutes every week and still be in good shape.

Definitely agree with this. With the u21s though high stamina players are few and far between, but still, for the ones this does apply to, its an important point I missed.

Again, thanks for the comments.

the only thing with 48 is if you plan on only playing 48, you should get your player the minutes early in the week

Hadn't really thought of mentioning that but its worth considering.

ultimately game shape can be a crap shoot sometimes.

Yes, anything with randomness is going to end with an element of luck involved. That can mean players who play too many minutes can still have reasonable game shape. I did actually discount one player because he had played too much, even though his GS was still 7(considered the minimum), because I couldn't be sure he'd stay in shape.

(38856)
Iceland U21 72 England U21 98
Player of the game was Malcolm Lambert, top scorer and top rebounder. 9 player lineup worked quite well.

(http://www.buzzerbeater.com/world/standings.aspx?teamid=1...)
Standings here for those who don't know where to find them. Too early to read much into it, but the top 4 seeds all won their first games, though Hungary had to use more effort to beat Switzerland, which was interesting.