Avornian Football League, Year 70, 1st Division, Team by Team Previews

Hanuna (Bluefins) (Owner: Cyboar of House Eliason) (Manager: Lellochatnim of House Gull) (Formation: 5-2-2-1): Going into Year 70, the Bluefins are happy to see their beloved manager, Lellochatnim, back on the sidelines after missing the entire season last year due to a nasty starvation curse.   It doesn’t look like he’s quite at 100%, but the team will take what they can.   Weirdly, though, the starvation curse struck again during the offseason, this time the team’s owner, Cyboar, was hit with the exact same curse (he’ll be okay).   The authorities are looking for the mage responsible, but he’s been an illusive one thus far.

After hearing of the horror story that his defense has become, Lellochatnim decided to update the formation to copy Silagnak’s 5-2-2-1 formation to artificially improve the defensive performances.   This means changing Garlen of House Richenaan into a pure Right Centerback, which forces him to focus only on using his aggression to prevent goals despite having shown some surprising growth on offense.   He’s an incredible defender, but it does limit what Hanuna can do on offense, it seems an odd decision.  The Bluefins will be happy to see intelligent Left Centerback Shend of House Illard back after he missed much of last year with a bad knee injury. Also with a younger goalkeeper fresh from the Youth Academy, there’s no questioning that Hanuna should be much stronger on that half of the field. 

One has to wonder though, if the offense is good enough to make up for the defensive minded approach.   Alfenz of House Mohr (Striker) is likely to have another good season, but it feels like he’s out there a bit more by himself, especially since Osnardo of House Zahn (Right Forward) seems to have regressed again.  When in shape and motivated, Osnardo is a wonderful dribbler, able to open up space for himself in ways most forwards can’t.  However, winning the League Championship in Year 68 seems to have made him content, he’s worsened each of the last two years and he’s not getting younger either.   Alfenz will have to pull out a miracle if Hanuna is going to threaten on offense.

Hanuna’s 8th place finish last year looked worse than it was due to the team suffering a losing run near the end of the year.  Fans are hopeful that the new defensive formation, plus Lellochatnim’s usual coaching wizardry, will result in another competitive season.  

Their new 2nd jersey is rather basic, just a gold shirt with blue pants, a literal reversal of their normal home set.

Baelanholme (Pirates) (Owner: Candor of House Blusal) (Manager: Danotto of House Fongo) (Formation: 4-4-2): The mood at Baelanholme has been tense so far, judging from training camp.   Danotto, once praised as the next managerial genius, is likely fighting for his career this season and it shows, as he’s changed the team’s 3-3-3-1 formation and switched to a more conventional 4-4-2.  In general, he’s been an irritant to the players, demanding near perfection out of everyone while they learn the new formation.  For his part, Candor (Owner) doesn’t seem to mind, so long as the team has a much better showing than last year, when Baelanholme finished 10th, coming far closer to being relegated than they’d have liked. 

The offense will once again feature Waen of House Harbage and Mehcka of House Bhasah, both now playing as true forwards.  The hope was that with neither being a featured striker, maybe that would make them a more dangerous pairing, since in theory defenses wouldn’t just have one of them in particular to worry about.   In reality, Waen has regressed even worse since last year, age unfairly caught up with him far sooner than anyone would have liked.   Mehcka is still a legitimate scoring threat, but there isn’t much help to support him.   Either Waen’s going to have to have a surprisingly good year, or Mehcka’s going to have to learn how to make do with far less space to play with as opposing defenses are sure to hound him non-stop.

With guys like Shanto of House Sayloor (Right Center Midfielder) and Tyfir of House Angelbacc (Centerback/Stopper), Baelanholme’s defense is at least anchored well, which is good because there are two new defenders that are coming off the bench to start this year.  The biggest problem is Traxton of House Blackharth (Goalkeeper), who proved to be mentally frail and played horribly last year.   Unfortunately, Baelanholme still doesn’t have anyone in the Youth Academy that appears ready to take his place,  so the Pirates had better hope Shanto and Tyfir can prevent teams from shooting on Traxton too often, or long they’ll fall behind in many games.

Overall, experts are conflicted.    On the one hand, this is a team that finished just 1 point out of first place in the League Standings just two years ago, so in theory they shouldn’t have dropped out so far.   On the other hand, there are clear weaknesses on the team, particularly with goalkeeping and the attack seems one dimensional.   If being objective, those weaknesses, plus a young coach that seems to be trying too hard to regain his early career praise, are likely to result in another season where the Pirates are battling a relegation threat.

Their 2nd jerseys are in the same style as their primary, with gray and white stripes over gray pants.   It's a minimalistic approach to coming up with something new, most fans aren't too impressed.

Chalmblaank (Knights) (Owner: Pyppan of House Steelow) (Manager: Deagu of House Sanchor) (Formation: 4-3-3): After 3 years of 7th and 8th place finishes, Chalmblaank had a huge jump in the League Standings in Year 69, finishing in (a distant) 2nd place for the first time since that cursed Year 65 season.   Now the Knights look to build upon that positive result, hoping to finally win that elusive League Championship (although even a King’s Cup would probably suffice at this point, since they’ve never won one of those either).

If any championship is to occur, it’ll likely be on the strength of Chalmblaank’s defense, which did perform very well last year.   However, goalkeeping is going to be a real question mark.   For his part in the ugly King’s Cup brawl between himself and Petorvale’s Garrend of House Jackleton that involved several fans getting hurt (including a relative to King Mikelangel III), and because this was the 2nd altercation that those two had been involved in, Matrack of House Cattlebottle was suspended the entire Year 70 (considering the politics involved, he’s probably lucky it was only a year, there was talk of permanently banning both players from the Avornian Football League, Pyppan and Deagu had to do a LOT of work to convince the Avornian Football Committee to give them another chance).  Losing Matrack is going to hurt and it forced Chalmblaank to hurriedly promote a new goalkeeper from the Youth Academy, at least for this season.  The unfortunately named Piggan of House Vuvutaila is a rather no-nonsense type that carries himself in a way that expects to be listened to when he barks out directions for his defenders.   He is, in fact, a rather good strategist, well aware of where he needs to be (and where everyone else needs to be too) in every situation, at a level above what one would expect from a guy so young.   Good thing too, because he’s only an average athlete, so he’ll have to rely on his brains more than most goalies.  Still, Arlo of House Pixsan (Centerback/Sweeper) returns after making improvements last year, he can anchor the defense well, so it’s totally possible that the Knights will be successful on defense overall.

The offense still has Sirge of House Einna (Center Forward) as its best shooter.  Sirge is likely in his prime now, and he’s always happy to be the main scoring threat of the team.   He’ll have to be, because the longtime Center Midfielder, Alajandrus of House Capeburgh is probably past his prime now.   Alajandrus, an elite ball handler that can do just about anything, is still a great footballer, but after missing time again last year, it’s fair to wonder how much longer his body is going to hold up (he’s missed games in multiple seasons now).   Even if he can stay healthy, Chalmblaank only has an average offense, he and Sirge are easily the best players on that half of the field.

There is some concern about the goalkeeping position and the offense really could have used another asset by now.   However, to his credit, Deagu (Manager) has been building the team up during his three year reign and seems to be getting better at managing every situation far better than he used to.  He’s handled the adversity of Matrack’s suspension (plus the near weekly naggings of Sirge to remember to trust his teammates enough to pass them the ball) more maturely than he might have just a couple seasons ago.  If he can keep Chalmblaank in the top half of the standings again (certainly possible, though this will be a highly competitive season) it may be time to recognize him as one of the better manager in the game.

In a final bit of news, Chalmblaank has radically changed their attire.   Pyppan has always hated the Knight's dark gray shirt over red pants look and decided to demote that to the secondary jersey.   Now, Chalmblaank wears a gray and white striped red shirt over white pants.  In truth, Pyppan only kept the gray out of tradition, knowing there were more than a couple of nobles that liked the idea of the Knights wearing gray "armor" in the set.   Otherwise, he'd have likely just had the team wear a red and white striped shirt.  Whatever the reasoning may be, it's not a popular look so far, with fans saying it reminds them of Petorvale's stupid green and white striped shirt (they aren't wrong!).  Chalmblaank may be redesigning again in a hurry.

Leorux (Elves) (Owner: Herrad of House Hoopmeister) (Manager: Eddark of House Hoopmeister) (Formation: 4-4-2): After two straight 4th place finishes in the League Standings and also finishing as the runner ups of the last King’s Cup, it’s time to take Leorux seriously as a contender to win a Championship in Year 70.  The team adapted well to the changes in Eddark’s formation and he has several young talents that are quickly improving.   Not that underwhelming in Year 70 would put him at risk for termination, being the owner’s brother and all, but he’s competitive enough to where he’s plenty motivated to push his team to their best finish ever.   Speaking of Herrad, one of his more boring "business" decisions was to decide what to do with the Elves' secondary kit.  Not feeling very creative, he decided that a yellow shirt on top of white pants wouldn't be too much of an eyesore (he's wrong).

Being a defensive minded coach, it probably drove Eddark nuts that the Elves allowed the 5th most goals last year, no doubt why he spent a lot of time during the offseason working on his two centerbacks, Kade of House Nush (Left Centerback) and Azaroth of House Belock (Right Centerback).   They had both been making strides to improve over the years, but their communicating skills needed work, something they’ve worked hard on with their manager.   If they start working together more cohesively, expect improvements from the Elves’ defense.

The offense remains a good, if not feared unit.  Carles of House Yalmount (Right Forward) remains the best asset on attacks, but Joezas of House Nook (Left Forward) made great strides last year to compliment Carles on offense and looks good again in training camp.   Hemly of House Raber (Right Midfielder) provides additional support on passes or shots on goal.   He’s also worked hard on stealing the ball better, so that if Leorux losses the football, he can hopefully regain the ball to get another drive started quickly.

Indeed, there’s a lot of optimism coming from everyone in the farming and lumbering city.   Elves’ fans, for the 1st time ever, can have realistic championship aspirations.    The team’s starters seem to be continually improving (to the point where they only promoted one athlete from the Youth Academy, a midfielder that will mostly bench warm this season), the passionate manager has his team fully invested in his vision, and the owner has worked overtime to promote the team’s title hopes (it’s likely the team will sell out most if not all of their games for the first time ever).   Times have been good in Leorux, now comes the hard part, living up to their potential.

Anjocca (Sabercats) (Owner: Connavonn of House Duvaloi) (Manager: Markhen of House Stonner) (Formation: 4-3-3):  Most team owners would have been satisfied to see their team finish in the top half of the League Standings for in each of the previous four seasons, especially given the general amount of parity in the Avornian Football League, where even dramatic fluctuations are common.  Not Connavonn though.   He had expected a title during these four years with a roster he felt was good enough to win it all, (to be fair, Anjocca did win the King’s Cup back in Year 67).   However, despite Tan of House Browse doing his best, his team kept falling further and further out of 1st place (from 1 point in Year 66, to 6 in Year 67, to 7 in Year 68, and 19 in Year 69).   So, feeling a managerial change was needed, Connavonn fired Tan and decided to hire former player Markhen of House Stonner, who had shown promise early in his career but due to trying to play through bad injuries, shortened it greatly.   He’s still a bit of a tough guy and expects his team to be the same.  

News of this coaching change didn’t go over well at all, as the players liked Tan and felt the firing was nonsense.   Markhen isn’t nearly as liked, after he was benched for Shaggu of House Khaldrem (Right Wing), he was kept as a bench-warmer and was a miserable teammate for multiple years before his retirement.  Early reports haven’t improved his reputation at all, running the team like a drill sergeant.  Worse, he seems to be playing favorites, not pushing his brother, Tobyas (Center Forward), nearly as hard and is less critical of him while ripping Shaggu for the slightest mishap.  Time will tell, but the team looks way too tense at this point.

What also could hurt the team’s chances is the loss of Xaxi of House Pentuna, the long time goalkeeper, who has retired.   Xaxi, famous for being one eyed due to an early facial injury, had been known for his legendary toughness but had finally had to miss time for the first time of his career in Year 69.   Seeing that as a sign, he’s hanging up the gloves, now he can spend more time watching games in Anjocca and occasionally Meshalketh (where his brother Adiq is the manager).   Anjocca doesn’t really have anyone that can hold up the mantle as goalkeeper, so more will be expected of Gailor of House Omakyt (Left Centerback).   In one of the only good decisions Markhen has made so far, he’s essentially told Gailor to forget everything Tan “taught” him last year and focus again on being the hyper aggressive defender he was before Year 69, (good thing, as Year 69, when Tan was trying to teach him to play cleaner, was Gailor’s worst season by far).  Overall though, despite Gailor’s best efforts, Anjocca’s defense is likely more vulnerable than ever before.  The offense is in trouble too, Tobyas is declining more than ever, realistically he’s now considered a below average forward.   Shaggu is a talented guy, but with Markhen riding him all the time, one has to wonder if Shaggu having to look over his shoulder constantly is going to have an effect on his performance.   Dunne of House Werewilf (Center Midfielder) looks healthy for once, it’d be nice if he could play an entire season as he’s yet to do that in three seasons.  He’s a great player when active, the defense especially will be grateful if he can stay on the field.

Overall, this looks like it could be the Sabercats’ weakest team that they’ve assembled so far.   Markhen did inherit an aging squad that doesn’t have a great Youth Academy, oh and also an owner that still thinks Anjocca has what it takes to be competitive, so he’s got his hands full to be sure.   But the way he’s coached the team so far isn’t encouraging, in fact he’s likely destroying their morale, which won’t be good for performance.   The truth is, while they’ve not finished in the bottom 5 since Year 65, there’s a good chance that this team will finish closer to relegation than they will a championship this season.

At least they have a possibly decent alternate jersey now.   Anjocca goes with an all navy 2nd kit with yellow lateral stripes down the sides.   Of course, it's worth noting that since Anjocca started using Shadoman seamstresses to make the alternate, but not the primary jersey, the navy on the new kit actually looks like navy, (the cuffs and collar on the main set are supposed to be navy, but in fact are so dark, it looks black).   

Tomen (Rivermen) (Owner: Knoan of House Whitley) (Manager: Loeb of House Gammiz) (Formation: 3-6-1): After a bad year and a half in Years 68 and 69, Tomen had finished last year strongly, jumping up from 12th place halfway into the year to all the way up to 6th in the League Standings.  Considering that in Loeb’s four and a half year run as the Rivermen’s manager, that the team only once has finished in the bottom half of the standings, one would assume that Tomen should be good to compete for a title once again.

The unusual 3-7-0 to 3-6-1 formation has been questioned a few times now, especially with Tomen having such an elite level offense star in Cragnus of House Sammsoon (Left Center Offensive Midfielder to Striker).   Cragnus has been famed for being quite likely the most incredible dribbler the game has ever seen and obviously a key piece to the offense.  Some experts feel that the formation is putting the spotlight too much so on him, whereas a more conventional formation could at least allow another teammate or two to join him on attacks to give off the presence of there being more than one scoring threat on the team.   However, Loeb, long a charismatic leader but never known for his strategic prowess, has steadfastly keep his formation for now.  To be fair, with the game’s best midfielder in Mishakl of House Floddergrove (Center Midfielder) being very adept to controlling the ball and passing it in just the right place for Cragnus to shoot, the gameplan has generally worked so far.  Mishakl has even scored a few goals here and there for variety, so in theory, Tomen’s offense should be just fine.

The defense is showing mostly the same faces too.  Argill (Right Centerback), Cragnus’ brother, is back, ready to cause mayhem again to offenses who dares cross his path.   The goalkeeper remains Stilston of House Amago, which is seen as a slight surprise.  It’s true that he performed better than expected in Year 69, but he remains a short goalie that wasn’t seen as very good for a reason.   He’s agile, but cautious in the position, a trait that didn’t backfire last year, so the hope is that his approach will allow him to overachieve again in Year 70. 

Overall, Tomen looks like their normal selves going into another year.   That should be a good thing, though of course, their normal selves have yet to win any championships since their King’s Cup title in Year 66, but that’s been a while ago.  As long as Loeb can keep the team motivated throughout the year, (and of course, if they can avoid injury problems) they should be a contender once again, though by now, experts are thinking Tomen’s best case scenario is limited by its odd formation and rah-rah heavy coaching approach, no one is predicting that the Rivermen will actually win any championships in Year 70.  Another thing that nobody predicted was Tomen's alternate jerseys.   With so many teams essentially using their usual color scheme to come up with the alternates, it's actually a bit refreshing to see the Rivermen pull out a kit that doesn't use any of their normal colors (all navy with red collar and cuffs).  

Dobo (Claymen) (Owner: Jephard of House Obuis) (Manager: Mothrew of House Greenbend) (Formation: 3-4-3): Dobo fans saw their team jump up in the standings to 7th place in Year 69, a welcomed sight after two straight 11th place finishes.   Fans had been saddened when popular (if inefficient) manager Wahwmah of House Taccew had been let go, but the improved placement went a long way towards legitimizing Jephard and Mothrew’s new reign.   In truth, Dobo only improved by one point, so there’s plenty of work that needed to be done if Dobo was to keep that placement in Year 70.   Perhaps sensing this, Mothrew (who at this point is developing a reputation of being unafraid to switch things up if he thinks it’ll improve things) switched the team’s formation from the standard 4-3-3 to a 3-4-3 approach, thinking the balanced formation could generate more offense, which Dobo deparately needs (they remain the last of the original 12 teams that have never scored 30 or more goals in a season at least once).

Another thing that will help Dobo is 2nd year player Sahasha of House Bethel (Left Forward), who mostly sat on the bench as a Youth Academy rookie last year.   He’s a very speedy, athletic guy, that’s also a healthy 6’1”, his height will be greatly appreciated for headers.  Axsan of House Sleigh (Center Forward) will be grateful for a legitimate passing option for scoring drives in case he’s too pressured by defenses.  That will only help Dobo if Axsan himself can bounce back after a disappointing season in Year 69, (to be fair, he had missed an entire year’s worth of games due to a horrible leg injury suffered in Year 68, so that’s to be somewhat expected).  If Sahasha and Axsan can get into good chemistry with each other, Dobo might just have their most dangerous offense ever.  The midfield looks good too, with Kocha of House Nabu (Right Center Midfielder) and Sindol of House Hattmen (Right Wingback) leading the attack with Dobo’s ball control strategy in mind.  Kocha is becoming a bit notorious for his demanding expectations of the team to play near perfect ball, he doesn’t let them slide.  He’ll probably make a great manager someday, but he’s way too young to be thinking that.   Sindol is a solid dribbler and has a nice cross pass that will likely hit Axsan a time or two for goals.

The Claymen’s defense has been rough to watch for the last few years, and unfortunately it doesn’t look any better now with only 3 defenders to man that half of the field.   2nd year Left Centerback Deason of House Amabastan is plenty talented, a natural at clean tackling that avoids penalties well for a guy so young, but he can’t do it all himself.  Dobo really needs another top level centerback and a new goalie if they ever want to avoid their strategy reducing to winning shootouts (not ideal for a ball control heavy team at all). 

Dobo’s going to be an interesting team to watch in Year 70.   In theory, the formation is more balanced now, but there are notable weakness on defense and question marks on the new (and recovering) forwards.   It isn’t expected that they’ll jump up the standings another four places, but it’s nice to see Mothrew lead the team in a clear direction and build up the young squad.   Finishing in the middle of the pack seems to be a reasonable goal for the Claymen.   

Finally, for the new alternate jersey, Dobo may have stumbled onto something with its red striped blue jersey that seems to go way better with their red pants than the main red with blue sleeves shirt does.  Jephard has noticed the fan reactions and is considering making a change after this year, so even if Dobo doesn't contend, they'll have something nice to look forward to!

Henix (Firebirds) (Owner: Caltan of House Zakariah) (Manager: Quant of House Tivers) (Formation: 4-4-2): The Firebirds were no doubt happy to survive the threat of relegation in Year 69, but now it was time for the team to finally take a step up the standings, having finished from 8th to 10th place every year in their existence so far.  Caltan (Owner) decided to hire another non-player in Quant of House Tivers as the new manager.  A close family friend to the Zakariah family, Quant is at least a huge football fan, having impressed Caltan with his knowledge of the game despite having never played professionally before.  Quant may not be quite as player friendly as Dobi of House Almen was, but he’s not off by much.  A calm presence, Quant will ride players gently for mistakes or unprofessional miscues, though that depends on how good the athlete is.   Someone like Ewick of House Poulser (Right Forward) might well get away with literal murder as skilled as he is, let alone for the constant trash talk.  In other words, Quant plays favorites, but as long as the star players aren’t complaining, neither will Caltan. 

Quant is also introducing a new 4-4-2 formation, to replace Dobi’s 4-3-3, in order to put more a little emphasis on defensive play. It’s long been known that Henix’s defense is about the worse in the league and Quant’s first mission was to find a way to improve it.  Carlin of House Fandanno would certainly appreciate it, seeing as he’s been the only halfway decent player on defense so far.  With 3 new centerbacks and fullbacks (obviously Carlin stays) in the starting lineup, the hope is that switching things up will make for a tighter defense.   It also helps that Quant worked with Endru of House Adib (Right Center Midfielder) on his defensive skills.   Endru is well rounded for the most part, but he usually focused on offense in the past, so the work on his field and situational awareness could help greatly.   

With the emphasis on just 2 forwards now, Ewick and Roh of House Quake (Left Forward) will be highlighted more by defenses.   Truthfully, Ewick’s big mouth has long put a target on his head, defenses are known to train especially hard when preparing to deal with him.   But Roh having more attention will be worth watching.   He had worked hard last year with Ewick to improve his confidence and willingness to take tough shots, which had paid dividends.   Hopefully he doesn’t regress because a dangerous Roh makes Ewick all the scarier to defend. 

It’s too early to say for sure where Henix will finish for sure.   They’ve certainly put some effort into improving the team, but it likely will come down to whether Quant’s new formation and mostly new defensive unit will be enough to make a huge difference or not.  

For new uniforms, the new alternate is their "ash gray" being used as the shirt color.   An orange line wraps around the jersey that matches the new orange pants, the only really inventive aspect of the kit.

Silagnak (Black and Blues) (Owner: Shonnie of House Bochwiller) (Manager: Mendo of House Tydent) (Formation: 5-2-2-1): The Black and Blues have been enjoying a golden period of sorts, having finished in the top four in both the League Standings and the King’s Cup for the last three seasons.  However, the glorious championships in either contest has evaded Silagnak up to this point.  Mendo, now 70 years old and looking more frail and wrinkled than ever before, has coached this team very well, but there’s questions as to how much longer he’ll want to keep managing for.  On the surface, he seems to be the same as usual, but one can’t help but notice that there seems to be a certain urgency to his tone and game planning this year.     Could a retirement be coming soon?

Another retirement to watch for is with long time defensive captain (and dirtiest player alive), Borky of House Silvor (Right Wingback), he’s already made it clear that this is his final season.  Mendo is allowing him back into the starting lineup for now, which is surprising considering Wels of House Portler (Right Wingback) looked pretty good when he played in Borky’s absence.  Whether it’s because of Wels’ age, his immaturity (he cost Silagnak a few times due to stupid penalties by way of hotheadedness), or just as respect for all Borky’s done as a leader, the gameplan is likely for the two to split time.  Silagnak’s defense has been good since Mendo took over with his 5-2-2-1 formation, but one would think he’d still run with his absolute best players at all times.

The offense will be dangerous as usual with Boba of House Coldsteek (Striker) leading the way.   Boba’s been so good for so long, that it seems to hardly matter how much effort defenses put to stopping him, he still finds a way to score.    Even if there’s any semblance of success slowing him down, Boba can just let Varner of House Patracks (Right Forward) shoot instead.   Varner still tries too hard to be ever so precise with his shots, but his strong leg is nothing to sniff at.   Silagnak should once again either lead or at least be near the lead in goals scored.

You’d think this was just another year in the kingdom’s toughest city, with the team and formation looking much as it has the last several years.   However, there is an unusual energy that’s been noticed coming from the players during training camp.   Most athletes respect their coaches, but it really feels like the collective team is pushing harder than before, perhaps acknowledging the limited window of time to win that elusive title for Mendo (and Borky) is probably closing, and soon.  Will this finally be the year the Black and Blues win it all?

...Or should we say, the Black and Purples?  Having to come up with a second jersey was annoying to team owner Shonnie of House Bochwiller.  After injuring his knee, he noticed later on that it was almost black and purple from the bruises.   Figuring it fit with the team's aesthetics anyway, he decided on a purple shirt with black collar and cuffs over black pants.   The new jerseys certainly stand out and the fans love them so far!  They'd love a League Championship more, but one step at a time, right? 

Petorvale: (Hammers) (Owner: Benwah of House Ailian) (Manager: Hammen of House Tong) (Formation: 4-4-2): The defending champions have plenty to live up to, having dominated in ways never before seen last year, when everything clicked perfectly.   Any hopes of a similar result took a huge hit in the offseason.   Garrend of House Jackleton’s (Left Forward) temper had blown over during the Year 69 King’s Cup Semifinal when he let Chalmblaank’s Matrack of House Cattlebottle’s antics get to his head.   Having exploded, fists a-blazing at Matrack, Garrend had caused a huge controversy when several fans got injured during the scuffle.  Worse for the young man, he was pointed out by several witnesses as the one who had punched the relative of King Mikelangel III.   Given the king’s fury over the incident and the meetings that followed between him and the Avornian Football Committee, there was plenty of speculation as to what would happen.  It was widely believed that there was a real threat to Garrend that he might possibly be permanently banned from playing football ever again, given the nature of the fight, the fact that it was the 2nd time he had physically lashed out at a player in just his 1st season, and the politics involved regarding who was hurt (fair or not).  

After nearly an entire month of discussions, the verdict was in.   Garrend would not be suspended forever, but he would be punished dearly.   In addition to being banned from participating in any team activities for Year 70, he also was sentenced to serve as the injured noble’s personal servant for the rest of Year 70’s and 71’s offseasons.   Also, due to the recent escalation of the two fanbases’ violent behavior towards each other, the Petorvale and Chalmblaank games against each other will be played on a neutral site, to keep those fans as far apart as possible.   Losing a home game stinks, but losing Garrend for an entire year really hurts Petorvale’s offense.   While Svontal of House Dors is still the superstar striker that he is, (coming off of a record setting performance and all) experts point out that in the couple of years before Garrend debuted, the Hammers offense only scored around an average amount of goals.   It’s true that Ceecil of House Ackerberry (Right Center Midfielder), the humorously round headed guy that’s already balding badly despite being in his 20s has long been a useful offensive asset, but beyond him, Svontal doesn’t have nearly as much help as he would like.

It'd be a bit surprising if Petorvale’s defense was quite as dominant as it was last year, but the days of hoping to survive by shootouts are over.  Cooma of House Niccagua (Goalkeeper) was stellar last year.  He's put a little weight on, but should still be very good.   It helps having Norty of House Peaweedle (Left Centerback) and Zephyr of House Emmonds (Right Fullback) defending Cooma.   Zephyr was highly promising as a rookie, with excellent footwork to steal footballs away from offenses and strong enough to push them around if that fails.  There’s real hope that he could someday develop into one of the top five defenders in Avornia, regardless of Division or Position.

Overall, the Hammers took one heck of a blow, losing a budding star forward for the year.   Nonetheless, Hammen of House Tong (Manager) has done what he can to keep the team positive.   A strategist as wise as he is wide, Hammen is easily one of the best managers in Avornia and already promoted another player from his Youth Academy to replace Garrend.   Though that player is probably not ready just yet for the big time, Hammen will do his best to coach him up.   Petorvale will face some serious pressure from the competition in their quest to become the first repeat champion in several years.   Silagnak is always a threat.   Leorux has improved more than ever.  Hanuna is well coached.   Tomen usually over-achieves.   And of course, Chalmblaank… hated Chalmblaank did finish in 2nd last year and is just as desparate as Petorvale is to finish above their rival.   It’s going to be a intense season for sure!

Speaking of intense, the Hammers' new alternate kit is quite a departure of their normal set.   Wearing a black shirt with no stripes at all, Petorvale's new secondary kit looks pretty intimidating, or at least that's what their owner, Benwah, was trying to go for.   Whether the look works or not, at least Petorvale is trying something interesting with their alternate.

NEXT: 2nd Division Year 70 Review

How do you think your favorite team will fare?   As always, C + C is welcomed!

Last edited by Stickman (2/03/2023 1:55 pm)

Avornian Football League, Year 70, 1st Division Season Review

Going into Year 70, there were several teams that appeared to have a realistic chance at winning the League Championship.   Defending champion Petorvale, weakened by Garrend of House Jackleton’s suspension, were still considered a strong team.   Silagnak, who last year became the first team to ever earn three straight top 4 finishes in league history.  Chalmblaank, who had finished 2nd last year and still had plenty of star power despite missing Matrack of House Cattlebottle for the year.  Hanuna, well coached and with a new formation to play with.   Leorux, who’d been rapidly improving the last couple of years and hungry for their first ever title.   Who would win the Avornian Football League Championship?

Anjocca: Fears that Markhen of House Stonner (Manager) would be a terrible leader have proven well founded.  His insistence on riding the team past their breaking point has become a theme throughout the year as one by one, his star players’ bodies fell apart and nearly every major football player missed time due to playing so hyper aggressive the way Markhen wants them to.   It’s ultimately put the Sabercats in the unenviable position of being squarely in the relegation fight of their lives, a place nobody would thought they would be at even just one year ago. 

The worst part is that, eight weeks into Year 70, it actually looked like Anjocca was possibly going to be a surprise contender for the League Championship, being just three points behind the three way tie of Dobo, Leorux, and Silagnak.    However, in a Week 9 matchup against a shockingly bad Petorvale team, it all felt apart.   Both Shaggu of House Khaldrem (Right Wing) and Gailor of House Omakyt (Left Centerback) would exit the game, Shaggu with a knee injury and Gailor with multiple broken ribs that would cost both of them several weeks of the season.   Anjocca would lose that game 2-4 and would in fact lose their next six games (seven total) by a combined score of 5-14.   They would be eliminated from League Championship contention after Week 14, but at least have earned 4 points in the last two weeks to suggest that they could be gaining some momentum, albeit far too late for it to matter much.

The offense was mostly below average.  Even when he played, Shaggu seemed to play scared all year long, no surprise with Marken ripping him apart every time he felt Shaggu messed up something.  It’s pretty clear that Markhen never forgave Shaggu for taking his starting position in the lineup several years ago and it’s become a source of embarrassment for the team.   For his part, Shaggu’s confidence seems shot and one has to wonder if he can bounce back next year.   Dunne of House Werewilf (Center Midfielder) was surprisingly the only big name to stay healthy all year, made even weirder as this was the first time he’s survived an entire season.   He gave the forwards every chance possible to make some goals, being a great passer, but it wasn’t enough.  Tobyas of House Stonner, (Center Forward) Markhen’s brother and clear favorite on the team, did his best, but his shots just don’t have the same zip that they used to and he’s slowing down big time, resulting in the Sabercats’ offense having no bite to it.   However, that’s still a better result than what the defense presented.  Only the defensively inept Claymen of Dobo have allowed more goals than Anjocca.  Truthfully, the unit had seen better days even before this year, but it’s gotten a bit ugly, especially during the six weeks Gailor was out.   Gailor himself played well enough when on the field, being his usual overly aggressive self and almost brutalizing opposing offenses with his bullying style of play, but he couldn’t do it all himself and it showed.   

Overall, the Sabercats have avoided relegation, for now.   Week 18’s match against Petorvale will be critical to their survival.   Fail to win and it’s the 2nd Division for them.   Even if they survive, it seems entirely possible that the Markhen experience will end.   Connavonn of House Duvaloi (Owner), already irritated with Tan of House Browse (Anjocca’s last manager) for not bringing a League Championship home, is reportedly furious at Markhen for the team’s regression and appears to have plenty of buyer’s remorse.   Perhaps Connavonn may learn a lesson about not messing with a good thing, but that won’t help the Sabercats right now.  Whether they survive relegation or not, Anjocca needs a LOT of work done, and quickly to turn things around.

Petorvale: What the heck happened?!  Last year’s Cup and League Champions had been weakened by the year long suspension of fledging star forward Garrend of House Jackleton, but everyone had felt that the Hammers had more than enough talent to be competitive.   Why are they in 9th place, in a relegation battle with Anjocca, heading into their Week 18 matchup? 

After a nice looking 1-0 win over Silagnak in Week 1, Petorvale wouldn’t win another game until Week 8, losing four straight and then tying the next two to have just 5 points by that point.   Winning four of their next six games from Weeks 8 to 13 seemed to righten the ship, but then injuries and plain bad luck began to haunt them.   Their losses to Tomen (Week 14) and Hanuna (Week 16) both featured controversial penalties against them by the referees that resulted in goals allowed via Penalty Kick and Week 15 would be the final time Ceecil of House Ackerberry (Right Center Midfielder) would play that year, as he broke his ankle fighting for the ball against Henix’s Carlin of House Fandanno during a drive.   Heading into Week 18, it’s been four weeks since the Hammers have won a game, their form looking terrible going into a game that they cannot afford to lose under any circumstances. 

Svontal of House Dors (Right Forward), neigh untouchable in Year 69, looked far more human this year, especially once Ceecil would injured.   He still played well enough, as usual leading the team in goals, but just didn’t have that oomph helping out around him to keep defenses honest.   Ceecil, usually a part of the offensive battery with Svontal, just didn’t have a good year.   Even before his broken ankle injury, it looked like Ceecil was playing injured, likely hiding a nagging injury.   Petorvale has scored just 21 goals so far.   Even accounting for the the season having four fewer games on the schedule, that’s still only about half the goals that they scored last year when they terrified every defense in Avornia.    Speaking of defense, one would say that it wasn’t terrible or anything, but they have allowed more goals than they did last season, at 26 so far.  Cooma of House Niccagua’s (Goalkeeper) run of bad luck became a joke within the league, as five of the goals that he allowed bounced awkwardly off the goal post and into the back of the net.   There wasn’t much he could do about that, but it didn’t help that Norty of House Peaweedle (Left Centerback) seemed off on defense, getting outmaneuvered by crafty forwards a few too many times for Hammen of House Tong’s (Manager) liking.   Norty even got benched a game for ineffectiveness, though that didn’t seem to solve the problem.  Zephyr of House Emmends (Right Fullback) had another solid campaign, with the way he can effortless swipe footballs with his finesse based legwork, most people believe that he’s probably one of the top 5-10 defensive players in the league.   But there’s only so much that he can do by himself.   It may even be time for Hammen to get creative with his defensive protégé, maybe it’s time to change his position to a centerback role.  

Fans have been stunned by the collapse of their beloved Hammers, nobody had expected this team to fall so far in the Divisional Standings.   Benwah of House Ailian (Owner) and Hammen have also been at times left speechless at some of the bad breaks that the team’s endured.  Word is starting to be spread throughout the country that there just might be a curse on the League Champions as, including Petorvale, the last four champions have regressed rather dramatically the following season.  In truth, a regression should have been expected after the Hammers had such a great season in Year 69 and immediately been hit with Garrend’s suspension, but there could be some validation to the rumors.   Petorvale has gotten nearly no breaks throughout the year and unless something changes drastically next week against Anjocca, Petorvale could very easily become the first team to go from League Champions to Relegated in the span of just one season.   No one in Avornia would have ever predicted it, but that’s the reality of the situation.   Hammen’s been beloved by the community for years, but even he would have no chance at keeping his job if that were to happen.   Benwah’s pride being wounded (he’s a typical Chalmblaankian raised guy, arrogant to the bone) would guarantee it.

Baelanholme: The early part of Year 70 seemed to show some slight promise for the Pirate.  After Week 6, they were in 3rd place, five points behind Dobo for 1st after a three game unbeaten run.    However, every one of the team’s games had been decided by 1 goal or less, so they were blowing people out of the water or anything.   Nonetheless, fans would have loved to have seen that sort of performance all year long.   They wouldn’t though as, after Baelanholme had earned 10 points in the first six games, (3-1-2 record), they have managed to gain just nine in the eleven games since (2-3-6 record), being officially eliminated in Week 15. 

The Pirates’ offense has performed about as well as it did last year, being a slightly below average unit.   Mehcka of House Bhasah (Right Forward) played brilliantly all year long, being a nightmare for defenses to deal with as they’d never know which way he’d dart about while either dribbling the football or trying to get open for a pass.   Unfortunately, Waen of House Harbage (Left Forward) just doesn’t have the same energy he did in Yar 68, when he shocked the league midway into the season to become a happy little surprise scoring threat.  He’s still trying his best, but he’s getting older, so it isn’t too likely that he’ll be playing too much longer, let alone starting.  

Baelanholme’s defense was fairly bad.   The 27 goals allowed looks like a huge improvement over the 33 they let into the net last year, but of course they are playing four fewer games this year (plus, they still have a Week 18 matchup against a very offensively strong- and hated rival-Silagnak team to look forward to).  Traxton of House Blackharth (Goalkeeper) was absolutely terrible again.  His confidence has taken a huge blow, now he looks unsure of himself and it’s affecting his decision making while defending.   If the Pirates had a better option in the Youth Academy, they’d have made a switch long ago.  Things likely would have looked worse for the squad (especially with multiple new starters on defense that weren’t all that good) if not for Tyfir of House Angelbacc (Centerback) and Shanto of House Sayloor (Right Center Midfielder).   Those two have formed good chemistry over the years, Shanto being Tyfir’s favorite target to pass to after he would intercept a pass and Shanto knowing how to get open enough for the ball to be passed to in order to get a drive started.   Both are solid defenders and it’s likely that without them, Baelanholme would have allowed the most goals in the 1st Division. 

Ultimately, this was another disappointing showing from the Pirates and it’s likely that their owner, the usually unpleasant Candor of House Blusal, will be making some major changes next year.  Danotto of House Fongo (Manager) has clearly not lived up to the early promise he displayed as a leader, the team has regressed in the last two teams pretty badly and Candor believes that he’s wasting great talents like Mehcka and Tyfir with his inability to find new recruits from the Youth Academy to supplement them.   Plus, most of the team has been playing more sloppily too, perhaps a result in Danotto nitpicking them to the point of making them apathetic towards football.   About the only good thing for Baelanholme is that, given the Petorvale and Anjocca matchup in Week 18, the Pirates are officially safe from being relegated.   However, narrowly surviving being sent to the 2nd Division every year is certainly not a place where they want to stay for very long.   Something has to change if the Pirates are ever going to win their first League Championship (or even their first Cup Championship). 

Tomen: Tomen’s early season form seemed to be looking pretty good, being in a four way tie for 2nd place in the Divisional Standings after Week 7, just three points behind Dobo.  They had just beaten the snot out of Henix 5-1, in a home game where the Rivermen fans were roaring loudly with glee as their footballers were embarrassing the Firebirds.   However, in the 87th minute of the game, Tomen’s season effectively ended when, in a moment of rage, humiliation, and frustration, Henix’s Carlin of House Fandanno rammed the heck out of Tomen’s Cragnus of House Sammsoon (Left Offensive Center Midfielder/Striker) while the slim kid was driving on an attempt to score his 5th goal of the game.  Cragnus was instantly unconscious, his arms, legs, and even fingers freezing in place due to the seriousness of the concussion suffered.  It would take several minutes to revive him enough to get him off the field, (Carlin had already been removed from the game due to the hit and had to be hurried out of the stadium as the angry fans were throwing whatever they could find at him).    With their best player gone, Tomen’s form has dramatically faltered since, going 2-2-6 in the ten games since Cragnus’ injury (for 8 points) as they would quickly fall out of contention, being formally eliminated in Week 16, though spiritually being out of the running long before then.   No amount of rah-rah-ing from manager Loeb of House Gammiz could shake the team back into it.  

Cragnus had been on his way toward a career year, having already scored 7 goals, including the 4 he got in the infamous Week 7 Henix game.   Breaking the all time record could have been a real possibility, but the concussion he suffered was more than bad enough to keep him off the field for the entire rest of Year 70.   Without Cragnus, the Rivermen’s offense sputtered horribly, they’ve scored 6 goals as an entire team in the last ten games.   It’s been about as effective as a rudderless ship, just being stuck with no real sense of direction or purpose.   Mishakl of House Floddergrove (Center Midfielder) did his best with his limited offense threats, but in truth, he had reverted a bit back towards a bad habit he had as a young player, trying to do too much by himself.   He’s great at helping drive scoring attacks, but if he’s going to also be the guy who shoots the goals, he’s proven to not be as trusting of his other teammates as he should be.  

The offense’s pathetic efforts have overshadowed Tomen’s defensive unit, which has actually played very well up to Week 18, only allowing 22 goals so far (good for 4th best in the Division).  Argill of House Sammsoon (Right Centerback) has made life very difficult for opponents as they tried to get drives started, he’s greatly improved his form from a difficult Year 69.  When the opportunity does come to shoot at the goal, Stilston of House Amago (Goalkeeper) has continued to surprise everyone with his efficiency.  In a sport that values height for his position, the 5’9” Stilston has once again over-achieved performance-wise by not making any real dumb errors and being quick to get at the ball.   Not seen as a very good player before he had begun to start games in Year 69, Stilston now appears to have become one of the nicer breakout stories in the league as fans (and Loeb) are starting to trust him to be their long term answer at the position.  It’s to the point where Tomen is keeping him as a starter despite having a potentially promising kid in the Youth Academy that could be ready to make the jump to the big leagues.  At least one half of the field seems set to compete.

One has to wonder if Tomen could have made a real run at the League Championship this year if not for Cragnus’ devastating injury.  It’s true that Loeb’s 3-7-0 to 3-6-1 formation makes it difficult for the offense to generate much of a threat without their star player, so a new one could be needed.  Knoan of House Whitley (Owner) has been very hands off so far in Loeb’s managerial reign, so it isn’t too likely that he’s going to push Loeb into changing anything so long as the team keeps drawing fans to the stands.   So far the attendance has been pretty good still, so for now, the goofy formation will likely stay.  As it is, the Rivermen are safe from the threat of relegation, so it appears that this will go down as another disappointing lost season.   The problem is it’s felt like Tomen has wasted their last few seasons with inconsistent play and experts are wondering if the fans will eventually grow tired of the middling performances and stop showing up.   This is a team that a few years ago had been seen as a up and coming franchise that was destined to win it’s first League Championship at any time.   That hope now seems to be fading in Tomen, yet it feels like nothing is being done to regain it. 

Hanuna: While Bluefins fans have always looked forward to a good game at Hanuna, times have been tense during Year 70.   Last year, a rouge mage had cursed team manager Lellochatnim of House Gull with a starvation curse over a bet on a fish.   While he has fully recovered, he would be far from the last inflicted.   Owner Cyboar of House Eliason was hit with the same curse by the same mage and made no public appearances during the year while attempting to recover (it’s been a tough road for him, being an older man in his late 60s).   One would have hoped that things would calm down now that it appeared that this mage only seemed to have problems with the Hanunan high ups, but as citizens would learn, he wasn’t done yet.   The mage would strike at periodic times, it appears that he is striking the heaviest set individuals in the city with the starvation curse that leaves the victim withered and always hungry until they’ve had extensive time to heal.   Early in the season is when he started to attack Hanunan players.   Osnardo of House Zahn (Right Forward) is the only big name that’s been afflicted, being the most out of shape player on the team, and he’s been out nearly the entire season.   The Bluefins, hampered by curses, were clearly distracted and worried for the entire year and it showed in their gameplay.  Other than a three game losing streak from Weeks 2 to 4 (right after Osnardo got cursed) and a recent two game winning streak from Weeks 15 and 16, Hanuna has not had the same result in back to back games all year long.   They currently stand in 6th place, having surprisingly only just been eliminated in Week 17 and it appears that Lellochatnim’s coaching and their defense are the only reasons why they are placed so high.

The defense, a source of heavy embarrassment last year, would normally be the headline grabber, as Lellochatnim’s new 5-2-2-1 formation that he stole from Silagnak has done wonders for that end of the field, having allowed only 23 goals so far, cutting last year’s total by nearly half.   The centerback combination of Shend of House Illard (Left Centerback) and Garlen of House Richenaan (Right Centerback) have proven extremely tough to get past.   Shend, having missed much of last year with a nearly destroyed knee, has been a delight for the Bluefins, his smart tackling and physicality approach is back in full force.   Garlen, though he had been very good as a defensive minded midfielder and could handle both ends of the field, is back as a pure centerback, and once more he is excelling, likely among the top 2-3 defenders in the entire league.  

The offense… has struggled.  Part of the reason Silagnak can use the 5-2-2-1 and be productive on offense is due to the presence of Boba of House Coldsteek and Varner of House Patracks, being so deadly on attacks.   Hanuna does have Alfenz of House Mohr, who did revitalize his career a couple of years ago to become a legitimate scoring threat.   However, Year 70 confirmed once and for all that he’s no Boba and without Osnardo to help take some of the load, Alfenz just couldn’t carry the offense by himself.  Hanuna has only scored 21 goals, somewhat wasting the defense’s good season, though to be fair, perhaps a sound minded Alfenz could have done more if he wasn’t worried about getting cursed for the entire season (he’d have made a good target for the evil mage, being the team’s biggest name player).

Most people will forgive Hanuna for not finishing higher in the standings.   With the threat of being cursed on everyone’s minds for the entire year, it’s honestly a testament to Lellochatnim for his ability to keep the team as focused as they were and to help lead the team a middle of the pack place in the Standings.   That’s not to say there wasn’t a threat of relegation, for a while the Bluefins were in last place, only escaping that threat once Anjocca started their big losing streak.  One does have to wonder how good this Hanunan team could have been over the last two years if the rogue mage wasn’t causing mayhem for the team.   Could they have repeated as champions last year with their manager at all the games?   Could they have legitimately made a real run at the League Championship this season?   We’ll never know now, but what is clear is that until the mage is caught and brought to justice, Hanunan players and fans will be looking over their shoulders for a very long time.

Henix: Henix had an entire existence up to Year 70 being know as one of the weaker squads in the league that had always finished in the bottom half of the standings, despite having some legitimately great star players in the club.    This season appeared to be the one where the team has finally shaken off the bad reputation and put on a solid campaign for the entire year.   Being able to play competitively against the best in Avornia, the Firebirds kept pace near the top of the standings for most of the year, never straying more than seven points out of the competitive field for 1st place.  At times just two points out, even a late season regression wasn’t enough to keep the field from keeping close, being just four points behind Chalmblaank for the top spot in the Divisional Standings as recently as Week 16.   A draw with Hanuna last week was enough to eliminate the Firebirds, but the fans are still happy with the way the team played this year.   So is their very competitive owner, Caltan of House Zakariah, who’s already publicly said that he’s proud of his team and contributes much of their improvements to the new manager, (and his personal friend) Quant of House Tivers.   

The defense had been getting watched very closely, as it was a constant source of Henix’s struggles.   However, thanks to Quant’s calm and defensive minded leadership, the Firebirds’ defense had easily the best season it’s had so far.  Carlin of House Fandanno has long been the leader of the squad and he was typically tough to get past.   However, he’s earned some ere from fans across the league with a more chippy style of play than what he had demonstrated before.   Known as a clean tackler before this year, Carlin has been involved in the two ugliest injuries of the season, first cheaping concussing Tomen’s Cragnus of House Sammoon in Week 7, then breaking Petorvale’s Ceecil of House Ackerberry’s ankle while the two fought for the ball in Week 15.  To be fair, that had been more of a freak accident, but after his diry play on Cragnus, most people have begun to assume the worst of Carlin.   It’ll be a long time before he gets his once stellar reputation back, and that’s if he goes back to being a clean player.   Frankly, with the improvements that the team’s defensive statistics have seen this year, Carlin may decide to keep playing the way he has, since it’s working.   In truth, the addition of rookie Tiffery of House Cunnard (Left Fullback) has had a lot to do with the defense’s upgrade in quality play.   Tiffery is a clever ball handler, good at stealing passing and even better at passing it to the midfield to get a drive going.   With Carlin and Tiffery leading the way, Henix may well be able to destroy the narrative of their defense always being terrible.

Henix’s offense seems to be just fine.   They’ve scored 26 goals so far, good for 3rd in the Division.  Ewick of House Poulser (Right Forward) is having the year of his life.  The cocky trash talker is not only once again leading the team in goals (with 11), but his popularity as being perhaps the biggest name in the sport has reached new heights.   Apparently, the daughter of a cousin of King Mikelangel III’s over in Earch has made it clear that she’s a huge fan of Ewick’s.   That sort of connection with anyone related to royalty will always draw plenty of attention, but that’s exactly what Ewick thrives on and it actually hasn’t been any sort of distraction at all.   That’s been nice for Roh of House Quake (Left Forward), who’s always been a bit of a timid guy.   Ewick getting all the attention has left Roh with little pressure from fans this year and that’s been great for his production output, he’s had a career year in his own right.   Finally, Endru of House Adib (Right Center Midfielder), in addition to improving on his work on defense, has been his usual good passing self, able to decide on a moment’s notice whether to pass to Ewick or Roh and where exactly to put the football.  It’d probably be nice if he became a little more active on taking shots himself, it’d really open things up for Henix’s offense, but for now, things are going well enough on that end of the field.

The Firebirds had definitely worked hard during the offseason to improve their horrid defense and also had a new formation to play with.   The question was, did it work to finally improve the team?   Given the results up to this point, the answer is yes… to a point.  It’s true that Henix is clearly playng much better football, Quant definitely deserves plenty of credit for working on the team’s discipline and coordination.   But it’s also true that there are some teams ranked below the Firebirds in the Divisional Standings that are undoubtably better teams.    What if Petorvale didn’t have such bad luck with their offensive players?  What if Cragnus didn’t get hurt early in the year, crushing Tomen’s chances?  What if Hanuna didn’t live Year 70 in constant fear of being cursed by a madman?   So, no doubt there’s been some luck involved with Henix’s rise to the middle of the Divisional Standings too.  But for now, times are good in the city and the team is showing real promise that could result in an exciting future.

Dobo: The Claymen would have been okay with just finishing in the middle of the pack again like they did last season (which they can still do if Henix beats Chalmblaank and Dobo loses to Leorux in Week 18).  The fact that the team has been at or near the top of the Divisional Standings for the entire season was an extremely welcomed surprise, especially since they do still have a (long) shot at winning the League Championship, an honor they’ve not been anywhere near contending for since the team’s surprising Year 66 run when they stunned all of Avornia by winning the title.  This has been due to Dobo’s unusual streakiness.   They quickly took sole position of 1st place thanks to winning five of their first six games, a 5-0-1 record spoiled only by its loss to rival Hanuna.  However, failing to win any of their next three games would put them in a tight cluster with Silagnak and Leorux (losing to Silagnak and tying Leorux during that stretch didn’t help things), making it appear as if the party would be over quickly.    That was until the Claymen got hot again, winning four of five games, losing only to Henix during a run that briefly put them back into sole possession of 1st place.   Unfortunately, they have since lost all momentum, losing their last three games.    In particular, the Claymen will regret blowing both of their games with last placed Anjocca, whose victories in the local rivalry being about the only thing the Sabercats have done right this year.   If Dobo fails to win the championship, that failure will likely be to blame.

It had been hoped that new starter Sahasha of House Bethel (Left Forward) would help kick start the Dobo offense, as too would a full season of Axsan of House Sleigh (Center Forward) being fully recovered from a bad leg break suffered in his rookie year.  But even the most optimistic Claymen fan was stunned by just how good the offense became this year.   Axsan and Sahasha have set the league on fire with their dominance, leading Dobo to 31 goals scored so far with one game left against Leorux.   The current record for goals scored in an 18 game season is 32, a mark that Dobo could very easily break.  Fans and coaches alike have been pleased to see Axsan in particular returning to the form he briefly got to display as a rookie (leading all of Avornia with 14 goals scored).   He’s proving to be really good to flicking passes sent by Sahasha into the net on his first touch, making it extremely difficult for goalies to defend against.   Sahasha himself had a solid year, actually being the better option for Dobo when making a quick counter on a stolen football, as he’s the fastest player on the team and has a quick touch on the ball himself.   Between these two young guys, plus the usual mistake free ball control style that midfielders Kocha of House Nabu (Right Center Midfielder) and Sindol of House Hattmen (Right Wingback) provide when leading most offensive drives, Claymen fans could have plenty to cheer about for years to come.

That’s a good thing, because opposing fans will have plenty to cheer about too with as awful as Dobo’s defense was again, leading the division in goals allowed with 30 so far.   Deason of House Amabastan (Left Centerback) did his best with the limited amount of help his teammates provided, but an injury suffered recently is one of the reasons Dobo’s been on a losing streak lately.  Deason is a good, clean tackler, but he’s still a fairly skinny guy for the position and there’s worry that he could get injured more often until he starts to buff up.  If he does become injury prone, then Dobo will have to win a whole lot of shootouts.

The current situation is that the Claymen still have a chance to win the League Championship.   Helpfully, they are playing one of the three teams ahead of them in the Divisional Standings, Leorux.   If they win that game (and they’ll have to dominate the Elves to pull ahead of them due to where the teams stand in the goal differential tiebreaker) and if Silagnak and Chalmblaank both fail to win in Week 18, Dobo will have once again stunned the world of Avornian football.   The fact that they could actually do this while fielding what’s easily the worst defense a champion will have ever had up to this point (no League Champion has ever allowed more than 24 goals in a season) would make it all the more stunning.  Defense wins championships?   Not if the Claymen have anything to say about it!

Chalmblaank: Last year’s runner-up to the League Championship certainly didn’t have a promising start to Year 70, being shut out in both of their first two weeks and losing both.   However, once manager Deagu of House Sanchor coached the team into rightening the ship starting in Week 3, things have improved a ton.   Going 9-3-3 (for 30 points) since that slow start, the Knights have looked highly impressive.  They play Henix in Week 18 with a real chance to win the League Championship and in truth, they’d have probably rather played one of the other three contenders, seeing as they went 5-0-1 against Dobo, Leorux and Silagnak (easily the best head to head record between the four teams).  Humorously, Henix remains the only team in the 1st Division that Chalmblaank hasn’t earned at least one point against up to this point, so that’s some extra motivation for a team that really didn’t need any more of it.

The Chalmblaank defense was expected to be the best chance that the Knights had to win the title and it has performed admirably despite losing starting goalie Matrick of House Cattlebottle to a year long suspension.  Emergency goalie Piggan of House Vuvutaila has played so well that Matrick won’t be guaranteed his starting role when he comes back, there will be a real goalkeeper’s war to determine next year’s starter.  Piggan’s good sense of position and his ability to effectively yell out where his defenders need to be is proving to be a very handy asset and it makes up for him being a less than stellar athlete.    Arlo of House Pixsan (Centerback) has lead the defensive unit very well, having himself the best year of his young career, his natural speed now combined with a heightened sense of situational awareness has made him a pain in the neck to get around.    Overall, Chalmblaank’s defense has done more than enough to keep the team in the League Championship race.

To be fair to the Knight’s offense, it was believed to only be an average squad at best even when healthy and they indeed have scored the 5th most goals in the division in Year 70.  Sirge of House Einna (Center Forward) reverted a bit too much into his old annoying habit of trying to score every single Chalmblaankian goal when he could have just passed the football to a nearby teammate, but he still had a good year.   Alajandrus of House Capeburgh (Center Midfielder) was able to stay healthy for the whole year and provided good support to Sirge, scoring a few goals of his own.   Ultimately, it’s not a unit that will be able to carry Chalmblaank too much by itself, but they can hold their own. 

This week’s game against Henix is a critical one to win,a tie will not be enough to win the championship as there’s no way Chalmblaank can beat both Leorux and Dobo in a tiebreaker no matter what the score of that game ends up being.   In addition, even if they win, they have to hope that Silagnak doesn’t (no guarantee, seeing as the Black and Blues have by far the easiest matchup of the contenders, against 8th place Baelanholme.   However, that is a big rivalry matchup, and you never know how rivalry games will end).   The Knights had a mission going into the season to finally win that elusive League Championship.   It’ll take some help, but Deagu (whose management doesn’t get enough credit, he’s dealt with plenty of controversies throughout his reign and has still kept the team highly competitive) has coached the team into a position where they could finally cross that title off the bucket list.

Silagnak: What motivates you to win?   That’s a question that, for most footballers, there’s an easy answer for.   Being the League Champion, to be called the best in the world, to validate the long hours spent honing your craft and being away from your loved ones, that’s motivation enough for most people.   The Black and Blues of Silagnak, have had that motive, as well as an additional purpose to winning the Year 70 League Championship.   That purpose being to win Silagnak’s first ever championship for Mendo of House Tydent, the quiet 70 year old manager who is well respected within the Avornian Football League, as well as for Borky of House Silvor (Right Wingback), who is significantly less respected within the league (due to his dirty play) but is beloved in the locker room.  There’s been a clear sense of urgency from the team to win it all and it has helped carry them despite dealing with several injuries throughout the year hampering their progress.   Their efforts have kept them either tied for 1st place or close for the entire year, falling more than four points out exactly once.   They currently are just one point out of the top spot with one game left to go.

The physical defensive style of the Black and Blues has been playing at a high level for years now and that hasn’t changed in Year 70, allowing the 3rd least amount of goals in the division at 21.  As expected, Mendo had Borky and Wels of House Portler split time as the starting Right Wingback, which went better than expected.  Borky’s final year has been okay considering that he’s way past his prime and a somewhat slow athlete now.   He’s had to dig into his bag of tricks as usual, pushing his luck juuuuust far enough to not draw fouls (except when he deliberately wants to send a mental message to an annoying forward).   Wels, for his part, is still a bit of a hothead and it still has been hard for him to reign that in.   He has worked on his tackling skills a bit though, so he’s at least trying to play cleaner.   He’ll still make for a great defensive asset one day if he keeps improving.   Anchoring the Silagnakian defense was Lenzlo of House Amburs, at least when he was healthy.   He’s been dealing with a nagging foot injury that’s kept him out of more than a few games this year.   He’s not 100% whatsoever, but there’s no way he isn’t playing against Baelanholme next week, even an injured Lenzlo is still a great defensive player.

It wouldn’t be entirely fair to say that Silagnak’s offense is worse than last year (when it was scary hard to defend against), but with the injury issues Boba of House Coldsteek and Varner of House Patracks have had, it’s not a surprise that the Black and Blues have scored fewer goals this season (though they’ve still gotten the football to the net 29 times, good for 2nd in the Division).   Boba has missed more time due to a minor head injury suffered early in the year, but since he’s returned, he’s been the usual great scoring threat that he can be.  Varner did have to carry the load for a while, and while he did okay, this year may have exposed him as not being nearly as transcendent of a shooter as Boba is, though that’s no real thing to be ashamed of.  Overall, Silagnak’s offense is still strong and Baelanholme will have its hands full next week trying to defend against it.

While Silagnak has played very hard, the fact remains that they are still just in 2nd place behind a very tough Leorux squad.  If they fail to win the championship, the Black and Blues only have themselves to blame.  Yes, they’ve had injury problems, but the fact of the matter is, when they’ve needed wins against the top contenders in Year 70, they’ve mostly failed to deliver.   They did sweep Dobo, which is very nice, but Leorux and Chalmblaank both swept them, Silagnak wishes they’d have gotten at least one win out of those four games.  But as it stands, they have a very real chance still at winning the League Championship.  As long as they take care of business against a much weaker (but very motivated) Baelanholme team in a big rivalry matchup and so long as Leorux doesn’t win against Dobo, the Black and Blues will have finally earned Mendo and Borky their first title.   That alone could be enough motivation to prevent Silagnak from potentially choking their best shot at the title away… right?

Leorux: The Elves were in a unique spot this season.  For the first time ever, they had expectations, expectations to finally win the League Championship.   The squad was young and improving greatly, Eddark of House Hoopmeister (Manager) was hungry to win his first title, and fans were showing up in droves to support them.   In a season where several quality teams beat each other up to keep the top of the standings crowded, it is Leorux who currently stand atop them all, with 31 points.   After a slow start to the season, Leorux has been hot over the last twelve weeks, going 8-1-3 in the last three months, having just took over sole possession of 1st place for the first time all year last week after their win over Tomen and Chalmblaank’s draw with their hated rival Petorvale put them over the top (Leorux was for three weeks tied for 1st place, but had never been atop the standings by themselves until now).

If defense wins championships, then Leorux should be able to wrap things up soon, as they’ve only allowed 16 goals so far, exactly half of what they’ve allowed each of the past two seasons.  If that marks holds (which won’t be easy against Dobo’s top ranked offense), the Elves will tie the record for the fewest goals ever allowed by a team and would be the fewest allowed since the league’s inaugural Year 64 season.  Kade of House Nush (Left Centerback) and Azaroth of House Belock (Right Centerback) have been darned impressive throughout the year.   Communication between the two of them had been poor going into the season, but with Eddark’s coaching, the two have been on point throughout the year and that’s greatly helped the defense overall.  

While not as stellar, the Elves’ offense has still played respectably, scoring the 4th most goals in the 1st Division.  Carles of House Yalmount (Right Forward) once again led the team in goals scored and made life tough on defenses.   Joezas of House Nook (Left Forward) showed his progress wasn’t a one year wonder as his shots found the end of the net more often too, but his passing game is still his best asset.   Hemly of House Raber (Right Midfielder) has evolved over the years to likely be one of, if not the, best two way players in all of Avornia, being capable of stealing the football from attackers, then driving quickly to assist with Leorux’s own drive.  Overall, while there’s probably not one player that would be called one of the top 5 individual offensive players in the division, collectively, they’ve played extremely well together and make the Elves’ offense what it is.

One more game remains in the Elves’ road to its first title, but it won’t be an easy one.   Dobo had played them well in a hard earned draw last time out and the matchup, featuring the team that scored the most goals vs. the one that allowed the least, will be made tougher by the fact that Dobo can still pass Leorux in the Divisional Standings (although that would require Dobo to beat the Elves by 4 or more goals, not exactly a likely bet, though the chance still exists).   The pressure will be on Leorux because if they fail to win, either Silagnak or Chalmblaank could easily pass tham if either were to win their games.   It's been the best season in Elves’ history, but the battle’s not won just yet.



NEXT: The conclusion to both the relegation battle between Petorvale and Anjocca and the 4-way battle for the League Championship between Chalmblaank, Dobo, Leorux, and Silagnak.

Who do you think will win the League Championship?  Who will be relegated into the 2nd Division?  Find out soon!
 

Last edited by Stickman (2/04/2023 10:57 am)

King’s Silver Cup, Year 70

1ST ROUND
10. Earch City over 9. Elkstrom 1-0 (after extra time a.e.t.)
8. Sporting Club over 7. Meshalketh 4-2

QUARTERFINALS
5. Naide over 4. Shadoma 2-0
1. Forest Rangers FC over 3. Earch FFC 2-1 (a.e.t.)
6. Jahnsel United over 8. Sporting Club 5-3
2. Rammsten over 10. Earch City 3-0

SEMIFINALS
6. Jahnsel United over 5. Naide 3-2
1. Forest Rangers FC over 2. Rammsten 2-1 (a.e.t.)

FINAL
6. Jahnsel United over 1. Forest Rangers FC 2-0

The first ever King’s Silver Cup (a single elimination knock out tournament for all 2nd Division teams in the Avornian Football League) featured a first, as Jahnsel United surprised everyone by becoming the lowest seeded team to ever win a King’s Cup (they also become the first team to ever win two Cups-having won the first ever King’s Cup back in Year 64 and are of course the only team to have ever won both the Golden and Silver Cups), being just a 6 seed going into the tournament.   The Jackrabbits just got red hot during the tourney, starting by beating Sporting Club in a barn-burning 5-3 Quaterfinal.  They defeated Naide in a very good semifinal, Jimm of House Tamacka (Right Wing) scoring a header off of a corner kick late into that game to make the difference.  Finally, against the Divisional Champions Forest Rangers, the often inconsistent defense finally got a top notch performance, shutting the Rangers out 2-0.  After ending the season well, Jahnsel looks to be a team on the up and up, could a promotion be soon to follow?

For their part, Forest Rangers did their best to win a Cup the same year that won the 2nd Division, but the tournament draw did them no favors.   Drawing Earch FFC, the 3rd seed, in the Quarterfinals, and followed by 2nd seeded Rammsten, the Rangers were given everything they could take by their opponents, requiring extra time in both 2-1 victories.   By the time they got to the final, they appeared to be spent, having experienced the highs of becoming Divisional Champions and no doubt exhausted by the two previous matches.  They simply looked flat, which was disappointing.   Nonetheless, with the 1st Division awaiting, Forest Rangers have no time to regret their performance. 

The only other noteworthy thing was that this was the first ever King’s Cup to not have a single game decided by Penalty Kicks.   Still, with Jahnsel’s surprise victory in the tournament, fans mostly agreed this was a good event.

King’s Golden Cup, Year 70

1ST ROUND
8. Tomen over 9. Baelanholme 2-0
7. Petorvale over 10. Anjocca 4-0

QUARTERFINALS
7. Petorvale over 4. Chalmblaank 1-0 (a.e.t.)
5. Henix over 6. Hanuna 2-1
3. Dobo over 2. Leorux 2-2 (3-0 Penalty Kicks)
1. Silagnak over 8. Tomen 3-0

SEMIFINALS
5. Henix over 7. Petorvale 2-1 (a.e.t.)
1. Silagnak over 3. Dobo 6-4

FINAL
1. Silagnak over 5. Henix 2-2 (4-3 Penalty Kicks)

The seventh edition of the renamed King’s Golden Cup will go down as one of the best in Avornian Football League history.   After a pedestrian 1st Round, where Baelanholme and Anjocca mostly went through the motions and got blown out predictably, thing got interesting quickly.  

Chalmblaank and Petorvale met up for the second straight season during the tournament.   While this matchup featured no major controversies this time, Petorvale did once again defeat their hated rivals, winning 1-0 after extra time.   Henix and Hanuna’s game may not have needed more than the allotted 90 minutes (aside from a couple minutes added each half), but it was a highly technical game that did have the unfortunate bad luck in that the mage that had been terrorizing the city of Hanuna over the last couple of years struck yet again, cursing five fans on his way towards the athletes before finally being captured by the Avornian Guard and placed under a paralyzing spell by a nearby good mage.   Bluefins fans will be grateful that this ordeal is finally over.  Dobo and Leorux competed in a rematch of their one sided Week 18 matchup.   Whatever spirit that the Elves had left in them after that embarrassment was used up in regulation, as Dobo’s Axsan of House Sleigh broke the Elves’ fans’ hearts with a beauty of a leaping kick that scored a 92nd minute goal to send the game to extra time.   After nobody scored in extra time, the game went to Penalty Kicks.  The Claymen would score their three attempts, but would not need a fourth, as Leorux falled to score even one Penalty Kick.  It’s another heartbreaker for the Elves in a season full of them, how they bounce back could be worth watching.   The League Champions Silagnak took care of business over Tomen easily to set up the Semifinals.

Henix and Petorvale battled tooth and nail in their thriller of a Semifinal, requiring extra time.   Ewick of House Poulser (Right Center Midfielder) would win the Firebirds their first ever King’s Cup Finals appearance with a diving header late in the game, spoiling Petorvale’s efforts to become the first team to ever win two straight King’s Cups.  Silagnak and Dobo were expected to provide fireworks, being the top two scoring teams in the country, but nobody was ready for what they had in store.  Their semifinal matchup was the highest scoring game in Avornian Football history, as Silagnak would win 6-4, a stunning ten goals scored even with no extra time needed.  

The Silagnak vs Henix final was a highly physical contest, with Silagnak’s Wels of House Portler (Right Wingback) and Henix’s Carlin of House Fandanno each knocking a player out of the game with concussions.   But it wasn’t all about dirty play, as fans were treated to two of the best individual players in the kingdom (Silagnak’s Boba of House Coldsteek- Striker and Henix’s Ewick of House Poulser) mesmerizing the audience with spectacular play, both players clearly trying to outdo the other and seemingly trying to win the game on their own.   The game would require Penalty Kicks (Boba and Ewick easily made their attempts).   It would come down to Roh of House Quake (Henix’s Left Forward), but the timid man would hit the goal post, blowing the game and no doubt crushing his feeble confidence.    Silagnak becomes the third straight League Champion to also win the King’s Cup and completes a magical season for the rowdy Black and Blues!

Avornian Football League, Year 71 Offseason

After several years of drama during the “Football Wars” era, it’s nice to have a relaxing offseason where nothing major appears to be happening.   In fact, it’s not just in football, but in all of Avornia in general.   With a peaceful summer, the economy doing well, no issues with famine, and with no major domestic issues to disturb the people, this offseason might have just been almost… boring.   

Enter Silagnak’s owner, Shonnie of House Bochwiller.    Or should we say, the former Silagnak owner, as just before the season began, King Mikelangel III had finally sent out his forces out to combat the ever growing crime problem in the city.   Shonnie has long been associated with being the head of the biggest crime family in the city.    However, after Silagnak’s League Championship victory, he got himself crazy drunk while going on a first date with a new girlfriend (his wife has probably long known about Shonnie’s serial cheating, but with the money and power he has, has never done anything about it) and spilled the beans on his crime operations, which included extortion, prostitution, and organized hits on enemies of the Bochwiller family.   Unfortunately for Shonnie, his “date” was actually an agent sent by one the King’s local spy agencies (he has one unit in each major city to find out about any attempted assassinations or uprisings in order to nip any potential problems at the bud).    With her testimony, Shonnie was finally arrested for his crimes and will be doing “hard time” in Irongate, (in reality, he’ll live a comfortable enough life, he still has some influence within the prison, he won’t be suffering too much).   Still, this was a huge shock to the football world and the King has been grilling the entire Avornian Football Committee regarding their knowledge of Shonnie’s history when they allowed him to become an owner.  More to come from this, as Silagnak will certainly need a new owner now.  

Finally, after all the Shonnie drama, it’s worth noting a few new jersey changes.   Anjocca, after years of wearing a navy color on the collar and cuffs of their primary shirt that was so dark, it looked black, finally was able to correct the tone of their navy blue, which is reflected in the primary shirt’s collar and cuffs.  It’s the only change they made.  Another minor change comes from Dobo’s secondary jersey, as they merely decided to changes those pants to blue from red to better clash with any red teams that they may face.   However, the biggest change by far comes from Chalmblaank.   After fans complained about the team’s striping pattern being too close to Petorvale’s striping, owner Pyppan of House Steelow decided to quickly change the uniforms again.   Now the team uses the lateral striping pattern used by Earch City and Anjocca’s secondary uniform.   The primary set is red with white stripes, the secondary set being dark gray with red stripes.



Next: Avornian Football League, Year 71, 2nd Division Team by Team Preview

Last edited by Stickman (2/10/2023 5:52 pm)

ZO82 wrote:

This is why crime bosses don't advertise themselves when they are out in public 

Indeed, it can't be overstated how stupid it was for Shonnie to throw everything away like that.  The fact of the matter is, Silagnak's crime problems have long been a source of strife for its citizens and for the kingdom in general.   It was probably going to be a matter of time before he got caught, but Shonnie really did make it too easy to catch him.   The timing definitely isn't ideal, as the Black and Blues just had a huge year, winning both the League and Cup Championships and with their former player captain (and also possibly their manager) retiring, this could be the end of an era in Silagnakian football.
 

Last edited by Stickman (2/10/2023 5:58 pm)

FC Macbeth wrote:

I wonder if he used all that blood money to fund his team's success.

It's highly likely that most of his money was ill-gained.   He did have a legitimate business as a land owner for many of the homes in Silagnak, but that was more of a way to hide how he got as rich as he did.  While it's impossible to know exactly where every coin and paper was used to purchase, it's pretty much a guarantee that at least some of the illegally earned money was used for the team's expenses, (building the stadium, paying the players, etc).   

Being the League Champions, and with no evidence that any of the players or manager participated in Shonnie's crimes, the team will be allowed to stay in business.  What will happen is that the Avornian Football Committee will have the team be available for a new owner to step in and buy the team.   Given the Black and Blues run of success in recent years, it's expected that there will be plenty of interested potential buyers.