#21

From Monarchs 1.1, ranked #56 globally and holder of 11 trophies including 2 conference championships and 2 ELITE member it's dpierce - owner of Paxtang Black Panthers!


Hi dpierce!


What part of the world are you from?

South Central Pennsylvania, USA.



Who is your real world favorite team?

The Philadelphia Eagles, which I love only slightly more than I hate, depending upon the result of the previous play.



Who is your all-time favorite player?

My all-time favorite player is Roger Craig, who ran like a bull and looked like a majorette while doing so. He's also the first player to have both 1,000 yards rushing and 1,000 yards receiving in a single season.



How long have you been here at RZA?

I arrived at RZA on Christmas Day 2011, and I've been hooked on the game since.



What is the inspiration for your teams name?

The inspiration for the team name is based on the Marvel Comics character, but I use the animal as the team logo.



How would you describe your team?

I'd describe the team as having a good pass/run balance on offense along with a very aggressive defense.



Brag about your most dangerous star player.

My best player is Timothy Solis. 50 speed, over 40 strength, and very agile. He's the kind of RB that you'd love to have on the team, but hate to see in an opponent's backfield.

He will wreck your day.



Your teams most important/favorite win?

My favorite win was beating St George's Dynamo Patriots for the first time in season 10. Too bad I missed playoffs despite the win.



Your teams most memorable loss?

I lost the season 15 league championship to Vibler Wasserbube in a fantastic defensive struggle, 13-8. I gave up a TD in the 4th quarter which turned out to be the difference in the game.



Biggest rival?

Well, there was Nogard, who I rarely beat, but he or she left the game some time ago. Since then, my biggest rival would be Secret Air Service, but that team has been in the Elite league for 5 of the most recent 7 seasons (including this one).



Which opponent causes you the most headaches?


That would also be Secret Air Service. Team owner Detroit has my number as of late. That team made me revise my playbook (and made me question my team strategy) several times.



Which opponent do you admire/respect the most?

Again, Secret Air Service. He pushes me to my my limits. I can't answer this question without also mentioning angus, owner of the Black Dragons, which I have never beaten (friendlies don't count). The success those two teams have so far amazes me - and makes me a bit jealous.



What do you feel is your biggest team management mistake?

I almost drove the team into bankruptcy trying to keep up with the talent level in the Elite League a few seasons ago. I ended up selling off many of the most talented players. The team still hasn't fully recovered from that poor decision.



Championship game is on the line! It's 4 and goal at the 2 - under 30 seconds left to play and you are behind by 3. What do you do?? Go for the tie or the win?

Call me chicken, but I'd go for OT.



Any last comments?

You can't be what you want to be when you stay as you are. Don't be afraid of going forward slowly; be afraid of standing still.

One more thing: thanks for the addiction, Pete!


Thank you for your time and contribution to making this a fun and competitive game!

#22

From Thunder 1.1, ranked #219 globally and holder of 3 trophies all from his 1st season topped off with the league championship it's IMGregory - owner of Deflators!


Hi Gregory!


What part of the world are you from?

I'm from Philadelphia PA.



Who is your real world favorite team?

Believe it or not, my favorite team is actually the Minnesota Vikings. I just have a thing for purple and gold.



Who is your all-time favorite player?

Tom -G.O.A.T-. The guy went from a 6th round draft pick to a certified G.O.A.T.



How long have you been here at RZA?

I've been a member since the start of season 18.



What is the inspiration for your teams name?

Obviously the inspiration for my teams name came from the Deflategate fiasco. Originally my team name was gonna be "Deflate Deez", but I thought that might've been a bit too inappropriate.



How would you describe your team?

My team is probably one of the few teams in RZA that use a run-first mentality, but don't you dare underestimate our passing game! Defensively, we have blitz-happy linebackers, a bend but don't break secondary, and one of the most consistent D-Lines in RZA.



Brag about your most dangerous star player.

Linebacker Roderick Roldan. If he blitzes on a pass play, the play will most likely end up with a sack. Plus, his coverage game isn't too shabby either.



Your teams most important/favorite win?

Season 18 Thunder 2.2 Bowl. We won 38-20 to cap off a perfect season.



Your teams most memorable loss?

Week 16, Season 20. We lost 31-0 to LM Pirates, a team we had beaten 2 seasons earlier back in 2.2. That was the game that made me realize that I needed to make the switch to advanced playbook if I wanted any shot of taking my team to the next level.



Biggest rival?

Everyone's my rival. I'm not one to take any team lightly.



Which opponent causes you the most headaches?

Definitely the Basterds. It took me nearly 3 whole seasons just to try and figure out their blitz packages with any degree of success.



Which opponent do you admire/respect the most?

Divers. They started around the same time I did and they already look like an Elite caliber team.



What do you feel is your biggest team management mistake?

I got a bit too crazy with my TM spending at the end of season 19 and spent the first few weeks of season 20 in the red, which hurt my team's development a bit.



Championship game is on the line! It's 4 and goal at the 2 - under 30 seconds left to play and you are behind by 3. What do you do?? Go for the tie or the win?

Oh, we're going for the win. I'm not gonna leave my fate in the hands of a coin toss.



Any last comments?

I'd like to thank pete for making a great game and to keep up the good work!


Thank you for your time and contribution to making this a fun and competitive game!

#23

From Dragons 2.2, ranked #243 globally and holder of 2 divisional trophies and a playoff appearance this season it's MonsterT95 - owner of .95 Colts!


Hi MonsterT!


What part of the world are you from?

I'm from the northwestern suburbs of Paris ( which explains the "95" on my team name !

But I have some family at the Reunion Island,, this is why I located my team there on the RZA map (in the south of the Indian Ocean, near the gigantic island of Madagascar)



Who is your real world favorite team?

As you can guess by reading my team name, I'm a big fan of the Indianapolis Colts !

It begun when I "randomly" chose them on Madden NFL 10
I like the Saint too, because they are the more "frenchy" team of the NFL

Then someday I realized that these two teams were the ones playing SB XLIV, so it might be why



Who is your all-time favorite player?

Of course you are expecting #18 here, or even Johnny U if I would be 80 years old.
But I am going with Drew Brees. I am not a NFL fan since long, but I've seen this period when Brees would go 5,000 yards in a season and it was normal.



How long have you been here at RZA?

I have joined in season 16, just more than a year ago IRL. Fincyril left the other game, and I asked him where he was going, so I tested RZA, and It is waaay better.



What is the inspiration for your teams name?

As you have already read, I am from the département n°95 (allez les Cougars de Saint-Ouen L'aumône !! ) and My real favorite team is the Colts



How would you describe your team?

Right now, my team is a skill team. I mean like the latest years of G.O.A.T P.Manning :

Passing offense, passing defense that's it. Though right now I am balancing it because of the Coach Karma (no penalty for the moment, I know) )

So I don't have very strong linemen ( offense & defense) which can be a problem in the playoffs lol



Brag about your most dangerous star player.

Hey, I'm a Colts fan ! My dangerous player is my (best) QB (of the World) Fedor Nikiforov ! I bought him on the TM a few seasons ago, and he is now my teams MVP for the past 2 or 3 seasons.
If I am finally returning to the playoffs this year ( I didn't last year because of goal average ) he is a big reason why he is simply DOMINANT.

I hope i will retire with my team, and he will go to the H.O.F.

I could talk about my first ever draft pick, WR Nolan Veron, or one of my LB, but Nik wins here.



Your teams most important/favorite win?

Without many playoffs matches behind me, it's maybe the one I didn't get !
In season 20, I lost against French mate Tallahassee Parrots be 2 points, 3 weeks before season's end. then i would be the seventh ranked team of Dragon 2.2 NC because of goal average



Your teams most memorable loss?

@Orange Crush in the divisional round of Dragon 3.2 in season 17. He won by 3 points against me (he scored a TD with 3 min left..) then won by 21 points in the Conf. final and then by 5 points in the Bowl ! #IShouldHaveBeenInTheBowl

But later he sold me Nikiforov, so excuses accepted



Biggest rival?

My team have been competitive in Dragon 2.2 for the past two seasons only, so I don't really have a rivalry.

But In all of my seasons in 2.2 I had a match-up against Argentina Pampas, now a top2 team of my conference ( along with Morangueira Wolves)

I don't know If I had a win against him, but there have been some pretty close games !



Which opponent causes you the most headaches?

Well, Argentina Pampas ?



Which opponent do you admire/respect the most?

In last year's supercup group, I had the Vienna Falcons, this year, it's the San Diego Blitzkrieg

I admire both of them because they have been successful teams for such a long time ! I got blown out but this is the way of life



What do you feel is your biggest team management mistake?

Starting my air-it-out offense with QB Stefan Zweig. He is not as intelligent as the "true" Stefan Zweig, and certainly not as good as Nik.



Championship game is on the line! It's 4 and goal at the 2 - under 30 seconds left to play and you are behind by 3. What do you do?? Go for the tie or the win?

Go for it !! We have an All-pro QB with 2 very good WR's, just go ! Oh and the fact that my team isn't physical enough to take the risk of an OT.



Any last comments?

Thanks for giving such a bad, non-successful manager like me that interview !
RZA is one of the best games EVER !
May the Force of this interview be with me !
Next time you will see .95 Colts in your Supercup group, you will remember that


Thank you for your time and contribution to making this a fun and competitive game!

#24


From Thunder 1.1, ranked #243 globally and holder of 3 trophies including Season 21 Friendly Never Give Up cup it's Cheesehead - owner of Amersfoort Alligators!


Hi Cheesehead!

There you go mate, thanks for doing this, love reading the interviews when they're posted.



What part of the world are you from?

Amersfoort, right smack in the middle of The Netherlands.



Who is your real world favorite team?

Green Bay Packers, a childhood friend of mine moved to Green Bay for his work so once I'd been to Lambeau Field I was of course sold!



Who is your all-time favorite player?

I loved Donald Driver when he played for the Packers. But since I've followed the NFL since 2010 or so I don't think it's long enough to have a all-time favorite player. It would be hard to beat Brett Favre however, the guy is a living legend.



How long have you been here at RZA?

Short answer: Early 2015
Long answer: However I started over when Pete offered newbies the chance to start over in Thunder later in spring 2015. I then founded the Amersfoort Alligators (was known as the Green Bay Eagles before). I then had a period when I started a new job and was absent for a few months so really my real start to my RZA career I would put at season 20.



What is the inspiration for your teams name?

The city I live in and I was then just looking for a cool animal that started with an A to get an alliteration (as most teams have). Funnily enough I later found out there is actually a real club called Amersfoort Alligators in my city who play Lacrosse.



How would you describe your team?

In 2.1 my D-line was a interception machine. In 1.1 I am just trying to compete. My goal is to eventually become a pass-heavy team with the meanest OL in the division so that no matter how many TDs the opponent scores, we will always score more. In the GM's office meanwhile prudence is key and I might spend a few bucks when I can but overall I am looking for bargains who I develop in-house.



Brag about your most dangerous star player.

Dominique Maisonneuve. 89.7% tackle success, 9 TfL, 9 (!) sacks, 2 INTs, 1 fumble recovery and two Def TDs. I am lower half team right now so expect those numbers to soar even higher as my team becomes better! Picked him up for only 700k as well last season!

Honorable mention goes to my draft pick this season Roderique Boshoff. He had a tackle success of 88%, 3 sacks and 3 INTs.



Your teams most important/favorite win?

This season I won a Friendly Cup and the final was a real thriller with me scoring 10 unanswered points in Q4 to take the cup home.



Your teams most memorable loss?

There is not really a memorable loss but most painful was this definitely my divisional game against lionwings. I had really prepped for this game and was really confident I would beat them and take a convincing lead in my division. To lose with 35 secs on the clock was hard to swallow at that moment.




Biggest rival?

I think there is nice rivalry developing between Bison City Nightcrew and myself. Outside the division I am gunning for LM Pirates and The Wolfe Pack. When I can beat them I know I am getting to a stage where I can start to really compete.



Which opponent causes you the most headaches?

Hmmm difficult one this, I think no one in particular however the games against Bison City Nightcrew were definitely causing me the most amount of stress!



Which opponent do you admire/respect the most?

Divers managed by thomastem. He just had an unbeaten season after starting RZA in S18.

I also need to give an honorable mention to NOtown ~MYST1CS~ managed by JohnnyAce. He knows why. :-)



What do you feel is your biggest team management mistake?

Letting all my players train to ridiculous levels when I was absent. I then had to fire loads of them as the salary was gone go into the 6 figures.



Championship game is on the line! It's 4 and goal at the 2 - under 30 seconds left to play and you are behind by 3. What do you do?? Go for the tie or the win?

Definitely go for it. Teams should go for it on 4th down a lot more. It is statistically proven to be the best strategy!



Any last comments?

Big shout out to Thunder 1.1 NC North - a really fun division to play in and on the up! And of course to Pete, he's made a really addictive and entertaining game. Also love his occasional grumpy reply in the forum.


Thank you for your time and contribution to making this a fun and competitive game!

#25

All the way from Elite league, ranked #26 globally and holder of 25 trophies including Season 21 Admiral Divisional title it's Andrew2scott2 - owner of WV BoBcats!


Hi Andrew2scott2!


What part of the world are you from?

USA ,WV



Who is your real world favorite team?

Bengals! One day they will get it right.



Who is your all-time favorite player?

It would have to be Hines Ward Ward. Got to love a WR that can knock out LBers!



How long have you been here at RZA?

Since season 2.



What is the inspiration for your teams name?

Local team near my home town.



How would you describe your team?

Spread offense. Plain and simple.



Brag about your most dangerous star player.

Stanley Henson my future QB.



Your teams most important/favorite win?

League Champion Admirals Division 1.1
Sinna Ladd Tromsø @ WV BoBcats
34:35



Your teams most memorable loss?

Motol Ducks @ WV BoBcats
14:13



Biggest rival?

Free Agent Mascots and/or Shard End Sharks.



Which opponent causes you the most headaches?

Free Agent Mascots.



Which opponent do you admire/respect the most?

Shard End Sharks.



What do you feel is your biggest team management mistake?

Messed up contracts of few good players a while back.



Championship game is on the line! It's 4 and goal at the 2 - under 30 seconds left to play and you are behind by 3. What do you do?? Go for the tie or the win?

Go for the overtime!


Thank you for your time and contribution to making this a fun and competitive game!

#26


From Monarch 1.1, ranked #176 globally, holder of 3 trophies including Season 15 League Championship title aand coming off a 10-6 season 21 it's PeteR - owner of Peterborough Pirates!


Hi PeteR!


What part of the world are you from?

I was born in the Rhondda Valley in Wales but left home at 17 and now live near Peterborough in England.



Who is your real world favorite team?

It was the Patriots since Superbowl XX (ouch), although I am now following Jacksonville since they have started coming to London.... Go Jags!



Who is your all-time favorite player?

Coming from a Rugby background, playing with ball in hand and lots of contact, it had to be a running back. Being a running back it can only be the great Wa l t e r Payton, although John Riggins was also a favorite.



How long have you been here at RZA?

Joined at the beginning of November 2014 during season 14 post season.



What is the inspiration for your teams name?

Quite simple really, I live near Peterborough and it just sounded right.



How would you describe your team?

Balanced, I am still learning and I trying to improve it while keeping it balanced.



Brag about your most dangerous star player.

It has to be Dunmore Campos (QB), I got him in the S16 draft and he has served me well. I will get a couple more seasons out of him I think.



Your teams most important/favorite win?

Season 20, 17 - 13 win against the Burnaby Bruisers. Always enjoyed the games against the Bruisers.



Your teams most memorable loss?

Season 20, Conference Championship 33 - 14 loss against the Burnaby Bruisers.



Biggest rival?

Haven't really got one, although it could have been the Bruisers if they hadn't gone and got promoted to the Elite League.



Which opponent causes you the most headaches?

Too many to pick just one. There are some good teams out there and I have had quite a few lessons.



Which opponent do you admire/respect the most?

No-one in particular, I think that anyone willing to take part deserves the admiration and respect.



What do you feel is your biggest team management mistake?

How do I just pick only one...... probably, hiring the wrong assistant coach and causing a good one to be fired.



Championship game is on the line! It's 4 and goal at the 2 - under 30 seconds left to play and you are behind by 3. What do you do?? Go for the tie or the win?

Got to go for the tie, and win it in overtime.



Any last comments?

Firstly, lots of thanks to Pete for creating this game and all the work he puts in to continually improve it. It is a great community which has given me a lot of enjoyment being a part of, I just wish I had found it sooner. Thanks also to Duncan (Scottishbronco), who helped me at the start, he got me on the right track.



Thank you for your time and contribution to making this a fun and competitive game!

#27 - Draft day special!

From Elite, ranked #10 globally and holder of only 33 trophies including Season 21 NC East divisional title it's JonnyP - owner of Leeds Celtics!


Hi JonnyP !


What part of the world are you from?

The UK, which is why I’ve just gone through your list of questions correcting the spelling and grammar.

Punch Drunk comment: There is only 1 correct way to spell favorite.


Who is your real world favourite team?

Philadelphia Eagles. When the NFL became popular in the UK in the 1980s I joined a PBM game called Gameplan with a group of school friends. I was randomly given the Eagles to control in the league – so I read about them, found out they had an exciting QB and a brutal defense, and that was that! Plus when I went to University, my team there had the same color scheme.



Who is your all-time favourite player?

Randall Cunningham, the Eagles’ athletic QB of the late 80s, and one of the game changers who paved the way for the modern, mobile QB.



How long have you been here at RZA?

Since half way through season 1 – 2011. It probably feels a lot longer to Pete



What is the inspiration for your team’s name?

Easy one this – I went to Leeds University and played for the Leeds Celtics for 3 seasons. After I graduated I stayed in the city, shared a flat with some of the players and coaches, and did the team stats for another 2 seasons. Great teammates and great memories. RIP Karl – you were a nightmare to live with but an inspirational captain on the field!



How would you describe your team?

Micro-managed to the extreme



Brag about your most dangerous star player.

He hasn’t made the roster yet, he’s still in the YA working on his Agility and Throwing Accuracy and yet he’s already an RZA legend – Hamad Hategka.



Your team’s most important/favourite win?

Another easy one – 31-30 against the undisputed number 1 team in RZA – Michigan - in the final week of season 20. We were the only team to beat them in the Elite league that season.



Your team’s most memorable loss?

For several years now we’ve had a rivalry with Buffalo’s team (with their various names), he has a slight edge on the head to head stats, but there have been many memorable encounters along the way – however the Championship Game in season 12 sticks in the memory. It was one of the few seasons in which my Celtics were favourites to beat him, my best players had peaked, several were retiring, we were the Champions elect that season, and my stars should have been able to retire in style.
Then I picked the wrong DC for the game, sent my rookies and backups, left one the best QBs in RZA at home, along with key members of my receiving corps and some other stars. Unsurprisingly we got stuffed. It still hurts now.



Biggest rival?

A toss up between Buffalo and Grzymisław (whose name I always have to copy and paste because I can never spell it) – good, hard, honest competitors whose teams always demand respect.



Which opponent causes you the most headaches?

Pete! Everywhere I turn I see him scheming with game tweaks designed to rid me of my vast in-game fortune! You’re not having it, do you hear me, you’re not. It’s ALL MINE. Muhahahahahaaaaa.



Which opponent do you admire/respect the most?

Now I’m going to be controversial here – this would have been Spartans (the manager of Michigan State Spartans), but there are 2 factors which grate:
- His terrible non-use of capital letters!
- The fact that he has had to sell up because he was going broke.

I don’t support the boom and bust style of management, a team must be manageable over the long term.
So Solana-Steve gets my vote – consistently at the top, always polite, one of the game’s true greats.



What do you feel is your biggest team management mistake?

Being so bloody minded about getting my bank account over $1bn that I failed to keep pace with my rivals in Elite and had to go back to 1.1 for a few seasons.



Championship game is on the line! It's 4 and goal at the 2 - under 30 seconds left to play and you are behind by 3. What do you do?? Go for the tie or the win?

Kick the field goal, my roster is deep, my players rotate in and out effectively, so we tend to be stronger towards the end of the game.



Any last comments?

Last words are for fools who haven’t said enough!


Thank you for your time and contribution to making this a fun and competitive game!

#28

From Admirals 2.1, ranked #210 globally and holder of 5 Division trophies including Season 21 it's Schwabe - owner of Vienna Swabian Seestadt!


Hi Schwabe!


What part of the world are you from?

I´m living in Vienna but was born and grown up in a small town in Swabia, a region in southwestern Germany.



Who is your real world favorite team?

The first time I watched American Football was a match of Frankfurt Galaxy in the 1990s. In the NFL I liked most the Bengals because of their jerseys. Since I learned more about the NFL I couldn´t say I have a favorite team. I still like the Bengals, but I like also the Packers because of their organization and I will like each team coached by Jim Harbaugh too.



Who is your all-time favorite player?

I see American Football as a team sport, and I think it´s not fair to all those unknown starters to pick out one star.



How long have you been here at RZA?

I started in Season 11, so I´m not as long here as the most you've interviewed but long enough to know where I can find TFM.



What is the inspiration for your teams name?

This question is hard to answer. But maybe someone who reads this can tell me why I like this name.



How would you describe your team?

My team is built only by players I found in drafts or youth pull. Maybe I´ll never reach Elite with this strategy but in another two years it should be possible to stay in 1.1. My guys get a hard training and they need to evolve to fit into more than one position in their career.



Brag about your most dangerous star player.

At the moment I think it could be my DE Ilija Dorfmeister. I´ve also some other guys in my team which are as good as him, but he´s the youngest of them.



Your teams most important/favorite win?

That was in season 18 in the Divisional Playoff against the Rhinos Milano. Not because I don´t like them, just because this was my first step to promote.



Your teams most memorable loss?

The Conference Final. 21:23 against the Lakefield Vikings. I thought now is the promotion gone.



Biggest rival?

I cannot say that there is any team I can call a rival. I think the Comeback Kids are the team that comes closest to a rival.



Which opponent causes you the most headaches?

So far there is only one team that causes me headaches - my own.



Which opponent do you admire/respect the most?

The most respect I feel about Pete (no question why). On the second place there is Wiesengrund because of his forum appearance. And on the third place are all those managers that try to have fun in a peaceful competition.



What do you feel is your biggest team management mistake?

Needed too long to find a decent strategy to form a team with the players I have.



Championship game is on the line! It's 4 and goal at the 2 - under 30 seconds left to play and you are behind by 3. What do you do?? Go for the tie or the win?

My soul says "go for it" but I think my playbook likes the overtime.



Any last comments?

Pete made a great game and I think we should not try to fight for a small advantage inside the forum. To let the game still get better everyone of us needs to handle changes. Some of them fits to our strategy some not, but it would be boring if everything is straight forward.


Thank you for the interview, have fun and good luck!


Thank you for your time and contribution to making this a fun and competitive game!

#29

From Claymore 1.1, ranked #185 globally and holder of 6 trophies including Season 16 League championship it's ryandinho - owner of NI Aliens!



Hi ryandinho!


What part of the world are you from?

Hi Punch Drunk and everyone else! I am from the centre of the universe, a small country called Northern Ireland.



Who is your real world favorite team?

Baltimore Ravens.



Who is your all-time favorite player?

It's a toss up between Ray Lewis and Ed Reed, I have been lucky enough to support a team that had 2 all time greats playing at the same time.



How long have you been here at RZA?

I joined the test server for a short time and have been at RZA since day 1 apart from a few seasons in the middle.



What is the inspiration for your teams name?

NI for Northern Ireland and aliens because I find them interesting!



How would you describe your team?

Developing. Older players have been sold to make way for younger ones coming through. The next few seasons will hopefully see some big improvements.



Brag about your most dangerous star player.

Unfortunately I don't really have any real star players yet but Kent Levine, bought earlier this season looks to have a promising future with the Aliens. All time Dirk Carman was the most dangerous by some distance.



Your teams most important/favorite win?

No big wins with the current team but the conference championship win against S.M.T.N. was a big one and lead to an undefeated season!



Your teams most memorable loss?

Season 1, Bowl game against the Huckleberry Hounds. Forgot to set the tactics and lost heavily. Lee would still have won but I quickly learned to make sure I do some planning!



Biggest rival?

There have been 2, Huckleberry Hounds and Oban Bay Broncos.



Which opponent causes you the most headaches?

The two above along with S.M.T.N. from past seasons.



Which opponent do you admire/respect the most?

Lee1950 has been a great player since the very start and always puts out a competitive team. I always enjoy the games against him even if I haven't won too many. A gentleman also.

Scottishbronco was fun to watch as he grew his team and the games between us used to always be close. Hopefully I can get back to giving him a tough game again in future but I think he has created a team that is too good.

Grzymisław is another manager I really admire and respect. He messaged me out of the blue in one of the very early seasons with some advice and offered some tips that I hadn't even considered. It was a really nice gesture and was greatly appreciated at the time.



What do you feel is your biggest team management mistake?

Too many to list



Championship game is on the line! It's 4 and goal at the 2 - under 30 seconds left to play and you are behind by 3. What do you do?? Go for the tie or the win?

I'd like to say go for it but I think my playbook says field goal. A win in overtime would be nice though!



Any last comments?

Thanks to Punch Drunk for inviting me to participate in this interview and an even bigger massive thanks to Pete for creating this game. When I first joined the game the new version of Football Manager was just close to being released and I remember being more excited to play RZA than FM. It's a credit to Pete to have made something this great that so many people from all across the world can enjoy.


Thank you for your time and contribution to making this a fun and competitive game!

#30 (Interviewed in season 21)

From Sea Devils 1.1, ranked #150 globally and holder of 4 trophies including Season 18 League championship it's Fincyril - owner of The Red Star Goats!



Hi Fincyril!

Hi! Thank you for having me!



What part of the world are you from?

I am from France, currently living in the Alps mountains.



Who is your real world favorite team?

Hard choice alert! I discovered Football when I met my American wife. She was coming from Baltimore at this time and I decided to follow the team. Luckily it was season 2012-2013 and I followed then until the SB victory! Since I also follow the Falcons as her family lives in Atlanta and I had the occasion to go see games. But my first choice stays the Ravens I guess. Despite their terrible last season...



Who is your all-time favorite player?

I could say Ray Lewis but I watched him play one season only and his troubled past bothers me. So I guess I will go with Julio Jones. He has so much talent and what I like the most is his mentality. When D.Thomas or Dez Bryant were skipping training to get a new contract, Jones worked hard on the field to show what he deserves. That is the right attitude and I respect that. I also love what Steve Smith Sr, Gronk and JJ Watt show on the field.



How long have you been here at RZA?

I arrived during the S16 post-season so a little bit more than one year. I am now finishing my 5th full season.



What is the inspiration for your teams name?

The Red Star Goats is the name of a non-professional soccer team I created and managed in Hanoi, Vietnam. Even tho I left the team and came back to France 4 years ago, I keep following the results and try to play with them during business trips over there.



How would you describe your team?

My team is pretty much balanced. Defense is stronger than offense but not that much. I play all formations (Go Karma) and use Run and Pass equally over my different playbooks.

Now I would say I am a second tier team in my league and hope to reach the PO in a couple of seasons.



Brag about your most dangerous star player.

No contest: Guile Picazzo !!!
He was my first big fish from the transfer markets. He is now a 29y 4* MLB who recorded the most INT of Sea Devils 1.1 last season. For a while he was also my top TD scorer last season as well! I fear a lot his retirement but I think I found his successor in Kevin Texier.



Your teams most important/favorite win?

Easy to say: My win over the Chichester Chimera during the last supercup 1/16. It was so unexpected but I think my team deserved the win this day. I am 1-6 against WorpeX but this one counts way more for me! I like to believe that thanks to this win I got some credibility in the game.



Your teams most memorable loss?

One loss during the supercup group the same season. I prepared a huge playbook to face mighty Metropolitan Meerkats and played my MOTY. I think I spent 3 hours cracking his strategy this day and I did! The only problem was I forgot to assign this PB in the game setting... He scored 21 points that my monster Def PB would probably have prevented. At the end I lost by 7 points. Hopefully I managed to qualify for the PO despite the loss and I reached the 1/8.



Biggest rival?

My biggest rival was the Vienna Cardinals until he turned bot after two harsh losses in the division this season. It is very sad as our last games were very close. Now I guess my best rivals would be Chichester Chimera as it is the only team in my Division I beat already (S21) and Paris Rooster who is the IRL friend who convinced me to play the game.



Which opponent causes you the most headaches?

I think it is Drac's Legions in my Division. In 6 games against him, I have been crushed all the time. At least against Chichester Chimera I see progresses, but not against the Legions.



Which opponent do you admire/respect the most?

There are a lot but if I have to chose one I will pick JonnyP from Leeds Celtics. He helped me understand the game when I first started and I occasionally ask him more of them. He is also a brilliant player of the Elite. I wish him to reach the PO this year and why not reach the Bowl.



What do you feel is your biggest team management mistake?

This is pretty much the same as my most memorable loss. Spending 3 hours on a playbook, playing MOTY and forgetting to assign the PB in the setting... you can not do worse I think...



Championship game is on the line! It's 4 and goal at the 2 - under 30 seconds left to play and you are behind by 3. What do you do?? Go for the tie or the win?

I would go for the tie I guess. My team usually finish well in games thanks to a deep Depth Chart. I would say I have more chances to win in OT than to succeed on 4&2.



Any last comments?

Just thank you for asking me these questions and of course a big thanks to Pete for managing this game!


Thank you for your time and contribution to making this a fun and competitive game!