Chas - My first attempt at a career

[Chas]

Hmm...this seems to be the place where this would go...

I just bought the game yesterday, and i'm having a go at a career. I know you probably don't care, but i want to keep a log anyway :P I'm playing on Amateur with the real players patch (59 leagues).

I'm Chas. I'm Australian, living in the USA. In real life, i played goalkeeper starting at the age of 13. I reached semi-pro level with Haledon Lyceum in the USA at age 19. Played well for them, including reaching the State Cup round of 16. I then got my "big break" with the NJ Thunder. I got only one start, a 4-4 draw :(. I couldn't really get myself past that level, partly because of stamina, and partly because of other commitments (music, university, etc). I retired two years ago after three seasons of semi-professional football. I am now a high school teacher and a referee. I'm 23 btw.

Anyway, that's my background. Now onto NSS!

Due to the massive shortage of left midfielders in England, i decide to try my luck. To start, i put nearly all my ability points into Pace, Vision, and Both Feet. I'm given a trial at Forest Green Rovers, where i walked into their first team (admittedly, anyone could with the tasks they set out in training).

So, on to the season.

As it turns out, Stamina is extremely important when becoming an outfield player (who knew?!). Therefore, i turn out to be quite rubbish! Luckily, everyone else at this level is rubbish as well, so i'm fitting in quite smoothly. Despite being a left midfielder, i pretty much line up with the strikers when defending (i can't be bothered to run that far!), and i cut inside a lot. Bunch of 1's and 2's for my match ratings, before i'm finally dropped from the side. My manager seems to hate me, my teammates don't like me (probably because i don't bother following the tactics). But i don't care, because if i'm not playing matches, i have extra time to train. I spend pretty much all of October through December outside of the first team, working on my Stamina.

It pays off, beause in late December i'm finally given another chance. Remarkably, in my first game back, i pick up two assists and a goal, and things are seemingly back on track. A couple more decent performances, and i'm feeling great. Unfortunately, my manager still doesn't like me, and my teammates are quite indifferent. Well, sod off then, i hate Forest Green anyway, being a Crystal Palace and Croydon FC fan myself.

In the January window, i request to be transferred far, far away. England is just too much to deal with for now.

So, off i go to Iceland, where i'm signed on a free at Fram Reykjavik (known in the game as Knattspyrnufelagid Fram) in Iceland's second division.

What a difference a change of scenery makes!

I'm still a bit weary from my overnight flight to Iceland, so i ask for the first match off. Turns out i wouldn't have made the first team anyway, judging by the fact that i was left out of the second match as well. But the third match (and my first in a Fram uniform) turned out to be my breakout match! An early assist and a cracking long range goal gies my team a 2-0 win in the snow and a Man of the Match honour for me! Second match is more of the same, with another assist and a 10 rating.

I've played two more matches for the team, and though i didn't get any assists or goals, i've received another 10 and a 9, and to be fair i should have had two or three more assists, except that two players touched the ball after i did (my pass leads to a shot which is saved, someone else taps in the rebound and i get no credit!). My value has skyrocketed from 20,000 to 500,000!

The fans love me, and the team plays a system that plays to my style quite well. Whenever i cut inside, someone goes out left to cover for me (unlike at Forest Green where they would just ignore me). The teams plays great attacking football, and currently lie in 4th place, 10 points behind the leaders Viking.

I haven't got any screenshots from the first 5 months of my career, but here are my current stats in February 2006.
http://www.refplanet.com/images/nss/01.jpg
http://www.refplanet.com/images/nss/02.jpg
http://www.refplanet.com/images/nss/04.jpg
http://www.refplanet.com/images/nss/03.jpg

erm...the stats are a little off...of the 5 yellows and 1 red, 4 of the yellows and the red were with Forest Green. I've only picked up one at Fram. Everything else is accurate.

EDIT: I am NOT looking forward to being forced to wear Fram's away kit. Pink socks!
http://www.refplanet.com/images/nss/05.jpg

[Chas]

I reckon it would be overkill if i went over every single match, but this one must be done.

The ball keeps ending up at my feet, so i take about 4 shots in the first ten minutes. Opponents HK take the lead on a free kick (which is a shame because i actually tracked back for this one!) (i'm joking, really...i track back quite a lot for Fram...Forest Green was another story). We draw level in the 65th minute on a play i had nothing to do with.

And then, as if i needed to establish myself any further, in the 92nd minute, i spring one of the strikers, Henriksen (gaffer put me in central midfield to try to get the win). He passes it wide to Ottoson, who tries a shot from the edge of the penalty area. Keeper saves, but i followed the shot...tap in rebound, 2-1 in the 92nd minute!

We're now in 3rd place, 7 points away from Viking!

[statto]

Fram's away colors (according to wikipedia): all white with blue socks.

Keep 'em coming, top 3 get promoted so even if you don't do it stay in those top three! Are we going to get a story forum up soon?

[Chas]

Couple more matches, and my form has yet to drop. Apparently i'm the biggest American to hit Iceland since World War II (boooooo....), because i'm suddenly being interviewed, appearing in a magazine, and some boot company i've never heard of has offered me 200,000+ to wear their boots for the year. I agreed of course, and they made me a custom pair in Sky Blue.

Well, now i have way too much money and nothing to do with it all on this lonely frozen little island, so i decide to pump random chemicals into my body. Hope i don't get caught!

As for the team, well, i scored in our last game, but it ended a 2-2 draw, and with 4 matches remaining, we are tied for third. Our 2nd of the 4 remaining games is against third placed Fjolnir, and the last game of the season pits us against leaders Viking!


http://www.refplanet.com/images/nss/07.jpg

ARGH! Bloody drug dealer ratted me out! Not even a week later, i'm tested and caught. Fined 50,000 and lost my sponsorship deal. Everyone is disappointed in me, so i decide i need to take another week off. Manager agrees, and i'll miss the next match while i try to gain my confidence back.

Matchday 34: Finally back on the pitch. Fjolnir's home fans are booing me like mad. Fram's away fans don't know how to react to me. Well, i put an end to that early on, grabbing an assist in the 4th minute. Half an hour later, some ******* takes me out of the match with a tackle from behind. He got a yellow for it, and now i await the assessment of my injury. What else can possibly go wrong?

Fortunately, the team manages to make it a 2-0 away victory and we move into third place. Unfortunately, i'm out for two weeks with a head injury, meaning i'll likely miss my team's final two matches and will have no say in the final promotion race.

Things are not looking good, and now there is speculation that i'm looking to leave the team already. The major rumour is that i'm off to Fylkir, a mid table team in Iceland's first division. I decide to go along with it, as at this point, i need to keep my options open while i try to put this terrible month behind me.

Amazingly, the team wins their remaining games without me and end up winning the league! I could have played in the last game, but my health was still quite low and i asked for the day off, even though it was the title match. The lads go on without me, and we were already promoted before the match, so i don't feel too bad. I'd like to stay with the club for our promotion season, but i feel like too much damage has been done, and it's going to be near impossible to rebuild the relationship with the manager and the players, i think it would be best to move on this summer, possibly to one of the top Icelandic teams. I'm not ready to return to the mainland just yet.

http://www.refplanet.com/images/nss/08.jpg
http://www.refplanet.com/images/nss/09.jpg

With the World Cup going on, i decide to devote a lot of energy to rebuilding my relationships with my friends and family, as well as the fans, whom i'm not even sure i will still be playing for in the fall.

Season 2
I put in a few transfer requests, and the fans boo every time i touch the ball. Despite that, i impress in my first few top-flight matches for Fram, but the transfer window passes and i remain at the club. With Fram top of the table 4 matches in, i suffer an injury early in a match against Viking.

erm...nevermind...the game randomly crashed, and i don't know why. My last save was at the very start of the season. Doesn't seem right to try to get myself transferred, so i won't.

However i'm getting really tired of being booed every time i touch the ball, so i may ask to sit out for a bit and work on my skills. I just got a new sponsorship deal so i'm not too worried.

Now it's December. The team are in first place in the top-flight, and i'm still getting booed. I always put my friends, family and sponsors before the team, and i'm still transfer listed. This is almost as bad a Forest Green, only this time i actually get the ball once in a while. Don't tell anyone, but i decided to take some more performance enhancing drugs to max out my strength, and immediately checked into rehab so i won't get caught this time! Now it's mid-December, and my non-red abilities are all at 30 :)

http://www.refplanet.com/images/nss/10.jpg

Will someone PLEASE sign me?!

Christmas Eve, and the manager has asked me to move forward and play striker. I accept, sicne i spend most of my time up with the strikers anyway. Maybe if i score some goals i can get out of this place...

Well, assuming i can stand up on my own of course! I haven't quite recovered from my alcohol binge (which, by the way, was like a month ago), and i tripped over myself running for the ball, and actually managed to cause myself injury. I am not making this up! Just about the worst debut a striker can make (although i was given a 4), we lose 3-0 at home, have a player sent off, and i'm out for 4 weeks with a head injury. Oh dear...

[Chas]

January 2007
Albania's SK Tirane sees my potential and snaps me up for 5.8 million. I've already had two miserable spells with my first two clubs, so i'm hoping for a better experience here. I signed a two year deal.

http://www.refplanet.com/images/nss/11.jpg

I'm still injured of course, plus i decided to get completely shattered with some teammates upon arriving in Albania, so my recovery has been slow. Finally my debut comes on 31 January against Dinamo. The manager has put me up front, which makes me nervous since i'm used to playing on the left wing. I want to impress my new team. I struggle to get opportunities at first, but then halfway through the first half, i finally see a clera shot at goal, 30 yards out. I take the opportunity, the keeper saves. I followed the shot and the rebound is easy. I've scored on my debut, in my second match i've ever played as a striker!

Otherwise, i'm not really sure what to do, especially when the ball is around midfield. So i track back a lot and get some tackles in, though it leaves me out of position for attack. I nearly scored again before halftime after i beat one defender and tried a placed shot in the bottom left corner. All in all, a 10 rating and a 2-2 draw to start my Tirane career.

http://www.refplanet.com/images/nss/12.jpg

Second game for Tirane: scored the game winner in the 86th minute, 1-0 win over Vllaznia. I know have as many goals for Tirane in 2 games that i had for Forest Green in 21.

[Chas]

Woo-hoo, career forum created!

Anyway, the following may or may not have actually happened in the game, but is actually slightly relevent to real life ;)

Denonno Snubs National Team
SK Tirane's 18 year old Attacking Midfielder/Striker Chas Denonno has rejected his call-up to the provisional USA squad for the CONCACAF Cup, according to sources in Albania.

The left-footed wonderkid, who was born in New York City, lived in Australia, where his parents were born, until the age of 5. He considers himself Australian before American, though he is only a citizen of the United States.

Under current FIFA regulations, a player may represent a national team if his parents or grandparents are citizens of that nation. Under this rule, Denonno may play for The United States (where he is a citizen), Australia (where his parents were born), or Italy (where his paternal grandparents were born). It is believed that Denonno will represent Australia should the opportunity arise.

Denonno scored on his debut, and has two goals in his first three matches for mid-table Tirane.

[Chas]

Notched my first career hat trick on 17 March 2007!

Then in the last game of the season i went crazy, picking up two assists and 3 goals in a 6-3 thrillier over local rivals Dinamo Tirane!

The team finishes in 3rd place in the league, and i finish my half-season with the club with 12 goals and 6 assists in 11 matches. the 12 goals is double my career total with my first two clubs.

http://www.refplanet.com/images/nss/13.jpg
http://www.refplanet.com/images/nss/14.jpg

[Chas]

Season 3
Opening day, i pick up a yellow card early in the match, but get my revenge a little later when i slide tackle the guy from behind off the ball behind the ref's back :D . Then i score on the stroke of halftime to get the lead. Second half i head a free kick off the line (just had a feeling i should be there...), but it doesn't matter because the clearance is recovered by the opponents, and they end up scoring anyway...

Later in the same match i stand on the line for another free kick. This time, the wall does its job and we counter attack, but i'm in no position to join the attack. The ball is eventually cleared, but right into my path so i have a first time shot from the halfway line. Keeper tips it, but it goes behind him, takes a couple bounces, and then....cleared off the damn line!!! Almost had a goal of the month contender there!

Anyway, i ended up getting sent off, but we drew 1-1.

[JJU]

Keep it coming Chas, and note that dual nationality will be a feature of NSS4 too ;)

[rodolfobrasil]

http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/4743/imagemnk4.png (http://imageshack.us)

¬¬ hahahahahahahahhahaahahahahaha