Team Building 101.

By: chris | October 27th, 2009

nintendo_ds_black The synthesis of a fantasy match between the likes of adidas and Nike. The draftboard war room, if you will.

Clearly we should be running EA Sports’ FIFA division, or Football Manager.

(adidas and Nike lists for reference.)

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[10/26/2009 2:15:20 PM] chris: just noticing something: no Iker, no Gigi.
[10/26/2009 2:16:51 PM] Daryl: huh
[10/26/2009 2:16:56 PM] chris: uhlsport or something?
[10/26/2009 2:16:59 PM] Daryl: maybe
[10/26/2009 2:18:24 PM] Daryl: nike absorbed umbro, so i basically have a lot of England players. including Emile Heskey. be afraid
[10/26/2009 2:19:20 PM] chris: Notice the manager thing too? I vote we pick one patrolling the sidelines. Play DS for a day.
[10/26/2009 2:19:29 PM] Daryl: what’s DS?
[10/26/2009 2:19:34 PM] chris: Director of Sport
[10/26/2009 2:19:51 PM] Daryl: ah
[10/26/2009 2:20:02 PM] Daryl: i thought you wanted to play Nintendo
[10/26/2009 2:20:10 PM] Daryl: you have any keepers?
[10/26/2009 2:20:28 PM] chris: I think there’ve been a few articles about how the Prem clubs need to start using the DS. Not Nintendo.

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[10/26/2009 2:20:56 PM] chris: I have Cech + Helmet. Not all that enticing.
[10/26/2009 2:23:16 PM] chris: van der Sar. Not quite choosing between Iker & Gigi, but it’ll do.
[10/26/2009 2:23:59 PM] Daryl: Hope Solo for me
[10/26/2009 2:24:25 PM] chris: You should do that. It’d be shameless, but you should still do it.
[10/26/2009 2:25:00 PM] Daryl: she was the only keeper I had for a while. might go for a Hope Solo vs Mad Jens competition
[10/26/2009 2:25:05 PM] Daryl: can you imagine that?
[10/26/2009 2:25:17 PM] chris: Your team is destined to implode.
[10/26/2009 2:26:10 PM] Daryl: depends on the coach.
[10/26/2009 2:26:14 PM] chris: Uh oh, may have found my tridente.

Luis Suarez – Villa – Messi
[10/26/2009 2:27:14 PM] Daryl: I have Pele. just not the real one
[10/26/2009 2:27:51 PM] chris: Part of probably the worst deal ever. 16m + Pele for Quaresma. 18mos later…Pele > Quaresma.
[10/26/2009 2:28:50 PM] chris: Luis Suarez is entering Ronaldo @ PSV territory. 21 goals in 16 games.
[10/26/2009 2:29:07 PM] Daryl: narrowing this down is going to be a struggle
[10/26/2009 2:29:47 PM] chris: Damn, you have Essien.
[10/26/2009 2:32:31 PM] Daryl: thinking Essien, Gattuso, Wilson Palacios and maybe one other all man-marking Xavi. Plus maybe Vinnie Jones
[10/26/2009 2:33:04 PM] chris: You might need them. I’m running out Messi, Villa, Kaka, Suarez and Xavi – Barca-possession style.
[10/26/2009 2:34:12 PM] chris: You have Maschers too.
[10/26/2009 2:34:54 PM] Daryl: do you have some tough choices to make? i got some headaches
[10/26/2009 2:35:01 PM] chris: not really
[10/26/2009 2:35:32 PM] chris: just formation, whether I wanted to go all out attack or sit Kaka back in midfield.
[10/26/2009 2:35:50 PM] chris: Given I don’t have that ol’ issue of accountability, you can guess which one I chose.

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[10/26/2009 2:39:21 PM] chris: realizing a problem: no defenders. I have Lahm and Nesta, but I’m not even sure Nesta could make it to a hypothetical game uninjured.
[10/26/2009 2:40:18 PM] Daryl: you can choose any MLS jersey you like!
[10/26/2009 2:40:32 PM] Daryl: scored two this weekend
[10/26/2009 2:40:42 PM] chris: Alexi Lalas is on my list.
[10/26/2009 2:41:47 PM] chris: Is this a CL Final? If so I may tag Seedorf along on the bench.
[10/26/2009 2:42:31 PM] Daryl: ha, i’m thinking about bringing Ricardo for PKs
[10/26/2009 2:43:04 PM] chris: I have Julio Cesar too, now I see.
[10/26/2009 2:43:25 PM] Daryl: no contest then
[10/26/2009 2:43:31 PM] chris: I’m going to leave a keeper twice your best in the stands.
[10/26/2009 2:44:40 PM] Daryl: boo

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[10/26/2009 2:45:29 PM] chris: Nike really attacked the marauding DM market. I’m stuck with DDR and DDR alone.
[10/26/2009 2:47:21 PM] chris: Oh wow. Totally missed Gerrard.
[10/26/2009 2:47:43 PM] chris: And Lampard. After your little English/Umbro thing, I didn’t even bother looking.
[10/26/2009 2:50:44 PM] Daryl: who’s missing then. Reebok/Puma sponsorships. I can only think of Henry and maybe Eto’o top of my head
[10/26/2009 2:50:47 PM] Daryl: plus keepers
[10/26/2009 2:51:03 PM] Daryl: oh, Puma sponsors Buffon, because Offside used to have those ads
[10/26/2009 2:51:42 PM] chris: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Puma_sponsorships#Footballers
[10/26/2009 2:52:00 PM] chris: a comparatively weak showing
[10/26/2009 2:52:23 PM] chris: I wore Puma socks with my adidas shoes this morning. Felt wrong.
[10/26/2009 2:52:57 PM] Daryl: i’ve been wearing some new Puma Kings this season. bliss.
[10/26/2009 2:53:11 PM] Daryl: Puma win at “notable former players”

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[10/26/2009 2:58:08 PM] chris: I gather your back line, based solely on the weakness of my options, might give Xavi & Co. fits.
[10/26/2009 2:59:28 PM] Daryl: maybe. if Rio Ferdinand wasn’t playing like early Titus Bramble right now
[10/26/2009 3:00:02 PM] chris: Yeah, but I might have to pick Titus Bramble.
[10/26/2009 3:00:09 PM] Daryl: please do!

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[10/26/2009 3:22:54 PM] chris: My team looks awful in comparison to what you’d expect, which gives me confidence.
[10/26/2009 3:23:15 PM] Daryl: not 100% happy with mine either
[10/26/2009 3:23:31 PM] Daryl: not our fault though. can only do the best with what we’re given etcetera

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[10/26/2009 3:38:21 PM] chris: Just noticing perhaps the most intriguing name of all on my list: Juan Roman Riquelme.
[10/26/2009 3:38:59 PM] Daryl: in your XI?
[10/26/2009 3:39:56 PM] chris: God, he could be. To be perfectly honest, I want Modric.
[10/26/2009 3:40:06 PM] Daryl: i left him out.
[10/26/2009 3:40:16 PM] chris: You don’t respect him enough.
[10/26/2009 3:40:38 PM] Daryl: maybe not. also taking form into account and right now his form is a broken leg!
[10/26/2009 3:40:52 PM] chris: That’s probably a good enough reason.