The Run of Play is a blog about
the wonder and terror of soccer.
We left the window open during a match in October 2007 and a strange wind blew into the room.
Now we walk the forgotten byways of football with a lonely tread, searching for the beautiful, the bewildering, the haunting, and the absurd.
December 7th, 2014: A date which will live in infamy.
Holy crap. Roma looked like they used the 1-7-3 for this one.
Whoa, that’s a HUGE result! And I’m super excited for the lads at Pro Vercelli, but given the season Roma is having currently, forgive me if I’m a little sensitive about the giallorossi.
The Killers? I very much approve.
I think Pro Vercelli will be European Champions by 2017, and Intergalactic Champions by 2020 at the latest.
I was not aware rocketry was a staple of the Piedmont region but now I know.
I’m assuming Roma’s Ultras invaded their training ground the next day and threatened to behead Jost…
My FC Sagittarius side in Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 would like to challenge Pro Vercelli to a friendly. I’ve made myself the attacking mid, situated behind a custom-made Jozy Altidore Mii on one side and either Lionel Messi, Fernando Torres or the newly-acquired Carlos Tevez on the other. (Sadly, David Villa’s out with a knee injury right now.)
Is that possible? Can we make this dream match happen?
So let’s see…we’d be talking about a cross-platform, cross-game, cross-game-genre friendly between one real team made up of imaginary players and one imaginary team made up of real players and you. Let’s do it.
You realize that there was an Earthquake in Rome today?
I don’t know what to say…
Incredible result. I guess salvation from relegation is pretty much a sure thing at this point.
Though, I gotta know, what position did Pierre Jost play?
I thought I saw a flat four in the back for Roma there on the fourth goal.
Cerberus — He started out as an attacking midfielder, but Roma switched to a flat 4-4-2 pretty early on (around the time of our second goal). At that point he moved to the right, where Napolitano repeatedly destroyed him.
I’ve for a fiver on Pro Vercelli.
Nice results in the league. What three other teams got in the way of your march to greatness? I saw the win over Fiorentina, and the loss to Torino in your last post. Curious who the others were.
Splendid! I play a 4-4-2 with a diamond midfield. Here’s what my roster looks like right now:
GK: Petr Cech, Edwin Van Der Sar
CB: Rio Ferdinand, Christian Chivu, Ricardo Carvalho, Kolo Toure
FB: Dani Alves, Jose Bosingwa, Patrice Evra, Giorgio Chiellini
DMF: Michael Essien, Xabi Alonso, Owen Hargreaves
SMF: Cristiano Ronaldo, Arjen Robben, Vicente, Shawn Wright-Phillips, Steven Pienaar
AMF: Dave Warner*, Steven Gerrard, Andrei Arshavin, Julio Baptista
CF/SS: Jozy Altidore*, Carlos Tevez, Lionel Messi, David Villa, Fernando Torres, Thierry Henry, Ronaldinho, Robin Van Persie
(* – Mii Development players)
I won the Konami Challenge Cup yesterday, and I’m looking forward to my inevitable battles with Senors Dorte, Malgani and Baquistata.
I’m debating bringing in a third Mii Development player, but I’m not sure where he/she would play yet, aside from “not at striker.” Putting a Hope Solo Mii in goal sounds like fun, just for the “O Solo Mii-O” chants, but I have to max out Cech and Van Der Sar’s skill sets before I can make that happen.
Then there’s my friend Sharon, who remembers me from my “Soccer is evil” days and still laughs at the complete 180 I’ve done. (I used to chide her for getting hurt playing rec-league soccer, thus preventing her from going out dancing with me.) She’s 5’1″ and 95 pounds, but hey, if DaMarcus Beasley can play left back, so can she, right?
I don’t what’s more exciting, that you thrased Roma? Congratulations by the way. Or that you have stock footage of a missile being launched?
@Dave: Is the game even fun any more? Once you start collecting too much talent, there’s not a team that could even challenge taking a shot on you much less beat you. When things start getting that ridiculous it’s time to start from scratch again.
I tried imposing rules on myself like following the proposed 6+5 rule (sort of worked) or designing a squad to a wacky formation that I would never normally use (no out and out strikers! wingers only!)
Tim — Through 15 games we’ve
Beaten: Ascoli, Fiorentina, Livorno, Parma, Catania, Roma
Drawn with: Atalanta, Lazio, Genoa
Lost to: Palermo, Udinese, Siena, Inter, Torino, Bologna
Dave — Play Sharon, and we might have a chance to stay within five goals of you. I emphasize might.
Brian, have you played around with any of the pitch editors, or are you still playing in a risotto-producing Sil?
I’m playing with the cards the game dealt me. Trying to think of it as a tactical advantage—the soupier it gets, the more it neutralizes Inter’s technical superiority. I’m pretty sure Brian Clough had fire trucks hosing down the Baseball Ground before that Juventus game.
You know the “My Favourite Year” -esque book written about the rise of Vercelli under your tenure will open with this win, the night everything changed. I’d write it on spec…
That was beautiful. And eerie. Good win.
@Dave Foster: While winning never gets old, I do find myself pushing the game’s skill level all the way to get a game, and I do get that. Plus, I’m still intrigued by the challenge of trying to draw Wayne Rooney’s card for my squad, even if I have zero need for him at this stage.
@Brian: I don’t know. Sharon’s going to be learning from C-Ron and Steven Pienaar. She might just give your boys some trouble on the right wing — assuming she doesn’t break her toe again.
You know, I’m playing as Sampdoria right now, and my board won’t relay the pitch either.
I’ve had good luck with my board so far. After a midtable finish in our 1st year in the 1.Bundi with FC Kaiserslautern, the board volunteered to add 15,000 seats to the stadium.
Legend
I demand a rematch !!!