Desert Rats FC

[talisman]

Due to popular demand (well one person PM'd me and asked me to), I've created a Team Showcase Thread for Desert Rats FC!

Desert Rats FC has a long history, being a 'throwaway' team I used for experimentation in the days when Palace Casuals and Palace Terriers were my two 'serious' teams. I had a break from TE between mid-August and Christmas Eve last year, and when I came back, rather than resurrecting one or both of the previous teams, decided to go to the account for Desert Rats, hoping that enough time had elapsed for it to have been deleted and I'll start afresh. Alas, it was not to be, as I was greeted with the message 'Hello Boss, welcome back!' or words to that effect and Desert Rats still existed, only I was long enough away to have a brand new team with all the appropriate tokens and packs as if it were a new starter, only starting at Level 5. So the current history starts at Season 12, and that is the new Day 0 for Desert Rats.

Achievements since then: Ground, Shirts and Emblem and Trophy Cabinet

[talisman]

Desert Rats FC are starting their 20th Season at Level 13, having won the Cup last term and been Runner-Up in both the League and Champions League.







They are in an Association, which last season retained their position in Gold 1 Division.

The playing squad at the start of the season is as follows:



The Champions League draw has been kind, in a same-Level competition this season.

[talisman]

TE Season 95, Day 1

The first action of the day was to clear out the dead wood from the Squad, and as a result, Sebastian Nielsen, Nahir Ruprecht and Dennis Hysa were sold to make room for new recruits.

The Cup draw had been kind to the Rats for once, and -39%Q opponent faced them for the first home match, which ended in a 5-0 win. The Management had been mulling over a replacement for right-winger Patrick Tillmanns, but he keeps performing and scoring, so we'll see how it goes for the moment.



Day 2.

Return Leg in the Cup, and a goal-fest for all as Desert Rats qualify easily for the next Round of the Cup.

[talisman]

Day 3, Part 1.

League draw is revealed, and shows that Desert Rats are one of the better Quality teams, but have a Triple-Crown winning old adversary from previous seasons in the selection.



The Assistant manager had come up with his latest set of recommendations, and the Youth setup had produced its latest graduates.



The Management took on AMC/AML Damien Zerbo from the Recommendations, and paid the 10T needed to sign on Jack Mace, with the intention of him eventually replacing Patrick Tillmanns. James Aubrey was signed on and then sold, bringing in some more funds to the Club.



The first League match was against a -10%Q team, and the Management send out a strong side, which struggled to a 2-1 win.

[talisman]

Day 3, Part 2.

Having seen the struggle in the League match, the Management decided to invest in a new defender, and an older player from the Scout market was purchased.



The new defender, and left winger Damian Zerbo were put into the starting line-up for the first Group match in the Champions League, and a massacre followed:

[talisman]

Day 4, Part 1.

The second League match at home, and an attacking formation from the opposition, so the Management set the Rats up defensively. With Quality relatively even, the existing MR was deemed not up to the job and a replacement purchased from the transfer market.



The expected attacking performance from the visitors failed to materialise and after a first-half stalemate, the Management decided to up the ante. DMC Mohamed Ali had received a yellow card in the first half, so was slated for replacement after the break, but while this was pending the opposition scored from a set-piece. ML Stefan Vukomanivic was moved up to AML and new-boy Andreas Gurski was replaced by Patrick Tillmanns as the home side went from 4-1-4-1 to 4-5-1V, and the move immediately brought dividends. Vukomanovic was replaced by Damian Zerbo and Desert Rats completed the comeback for a 3-1 win.

[Spartan117]

Nice team!
how did you get customised emblem that u currently use?

[talisman]

Nice team!
how did you get customised emblem that u currently use?

Made it myself in the Club Shop.

[talisman]

Day 4, Part 2.

The Round of 32 in the Cup beckoned, and Desert Rats were playing at home to a -13%Q team. As is usual with this Quality difference and an absent opposition manager, the match was rather laboured, but the Rats eventually triumphed 2-1.

[talisman]

Day 5.

The day dawned on the prospect of another titanic struggle with the bete noir team in the League this season. Away against the leader in the embryonic League table, the hosts had scored 11 goals without reply in their two matches to date, and with mixed results in the encounters in previous seasons, the Management erred on the side of caution when setting orders for his charges, despite the 3%Q advantage that the Rats held. It was all right in the end, however, as the visitors produced a flawless defensive/counter performance...



The day's second match was an away trip in the Champions League, similar Quality difference as in the Cup match yesterday, absent manager, same struggle, same result.