PowerPlay Magazine

Greetings everyone! 

Today I will write to you about the National Team’s Awards (NTA) in PPM soccer which I organized and was held this week. What is the NTA? The international poll where national team’s managers and their assistants could decide about winners in these categories:

1. All Star Team of the Season
2. World Player of the Season
3. National Team Manager of the Season
4. Surprise of the Season
5. Disappointment of the Season

Before voting started there was much to do. It took me a whole week (laugh). I have to search stats of about 1,500 players. In detailed stats in player’s profile, unfortunately, are not all the required information. Some data is incomplete (.ie. first 3 matches of the season missing in these stats), some missing entirely (.ie. information about assists, rating, goalie’s stats are wrong there…). So it was necessary to look at and process almost 700 match reports and replays to get the missing data. Processing of one national team took me in average about 40 minutes. And I processed 35 players from 50 national teams, the rest were processed by my helpers – odik, Gremi and JardaMrkev (thanks for help, again). Players who had played after the 13^th round of international matches with only 449 or less minutes played, were removed from NTA.

At this time I chose the 10 best players on each position (central midfielders and forwards were 2x10) and I nominated them to NTA. It sounds easy but believe me, it isn’t (laugh). On each position there was a rating’s quota. It means that there was a ratio in which players can get into the final nomination. The ratio of average rating on one side, and stats (goals, assists, man of the match, shutouts, goals against average, save percentage) on the other side. Mostly it was 5:5. Only goalkeepers and forwards had it 3:7 because stats there have bigger informational values about players. And why these selections? Why couldn’t everyone choose their own selection? It is simple. I am not naive and I know that nobody knows all important information about all national players. Even I didn’t (laugh). But after I got all the important data I did my best and tried to nominate really the best players. I hope it was good selection (smile).

Then was a website for voting created. It was created by my assistant otrap, who already made the official Czech national soccer team’s website. Also original trophies were made by ThomasHK. Then I posted many post to national team’s managers and assistants. About 250 mails in 2 days, I estimate. Mails with results are not included (laugh).

And now finally voting itself. It was started on Monday and ended Tuesday at midnight. Some categories were thrilling from beginning till the last minutes. Let’s look at the first category.

All Star Team of the Season

10 players were nominated to each position (central midfielders and forwards were 2x10). Voters (national team’s managers and assistants) could not vote for their own national team’s players. Each voter could vote eleven players in 4-4-2 formation style. Complete All Star Team I. and II. are at the bottom of this article.

Goalkeepers

Nomination:

From the beginning it was a tough battle between 2 English-speaking goalkeepers – England’s Willy Pound and Canadian’s Yves Todd. It looked that they were getting votes alternately, for a long time was a difference of one vote. But when it was 10:9 for Pound, he started breaking away! Suddenly he ensured his win in this category. Todd can be sad that he got 5 goals from 9 shots in last match which was included in his stats with negative effects.

My choice: Reimar Kronbo

Left defenders

Nomination:

 Also here we could recognize that 2 candidates would win soon. In the end Lenac could rejoice, even he was equal with Taiminen for a few hours before deadline. At least Taiminen was part of All Star Team II.

My choice: Marijan Lenac

Centre defenders

Nomination:

 Unlike the previous categories, there were hard to find obvious leaders. From the beginning Liukka and Rosenberger were leading. But Ljung, Ventaja and Gyarmatti didn’t drop behind to far. It was balanced till the end. Rosenberger lost his good position in the last hours of voting and Ventaja got ahead of him. Liukka, on the other hand, strengthen his position.

My choice: Asser Liukka and Hans Peter Rosenberger

Right defenders

Nomination:

 Jacek Dudziszewski can be proud of his the most convincing victory in all NTA. There wasn't any doubt about his win after just a few hours. Only one who was capable to keep pace with him was Marcell Takács.

My choice: Jacek Dudziszewski

Left midfielders

Nomination:

Another fight for All Star Team I. till the end. Savioja and Shaposhnykov switched the lead during voting. Each of them was in the lead for a short time…but the winner Shaposhnykov could rejoice after he won by only by 1 vote.

My choice: Yuriy Shaposhnykov

Centre midfielders

Nominated:

 Dimo Pankev and Thomas Fiske were leading from the beginning but they weren’t capable to breakaway from their pursuers Pintér, Adamenko and Chilean midfielder Leira. The deadline was near. Leira managed to hold his position in All Star Team II. for a long time, but was unsuccessful in the end. Adamenko got the same amount of votes and he has a higher average rating, so he took his position in All Star Team II. instead of Leira. Fiske defended his membership in All Star Team I. against Pinter.

My choice: Thomas Fiske and Dimo Pankev

Right midfieders

Nomination:

 And another relentless fight for place in All Star Team I. This time between Yane Angelov and Mathias Magnusson. It was race till the end…again. Bulgarian Angelov chased Magnusson, best world player according to overall rating, very hard…but one more vote missed.

My choice: Yane Angelov

Forwards

Nomination:

 Brandon Jordan and Fidan Stoev walked a certain step to be members of first All Star Team from the beginning. But second All Star Team was opened till the end. Most ambitious were Aguirre, Gaynulov, Frenette and Calewaert. Best world player according to average rating, Frenette, finally gained the required lead. The last place in the All Star Teams, Calewaert gained from Gaynulov in the last moment. A rarity in nominations; Canadian Kelly, who didn’t score a single goal or assist on goal of someone else was in the nomination only because of rating quota. He gained 4 votes and needed only 1 vote to be part of All Star Team II. Another rarity, the best shooter of the World Cup’s qualification; Ruslans Veidis, couldn’t be in the nomination because he played too few minutes. Who knows, what the results would look like if he played 2 more games…

My choice: Brandon Jordan and Anton Gaynulov

All Star Team I.

Willy Pound - Marijan Lenac, Asser Liukka, Enrique Ventaja, Jacek Dudziszewski - Yuriy Shaposhnykov, Thomas Fiske, Dimo Pankev, Mathias Magnusson - Fidan Stoev, Brandon Jordan

All Star Team II.

Yves Todd - Jorma Taiminen, Adam Hateley, Hans Peter Rosenberger, Marcell Takács - Janne Savioja, Ubul Pintér, Raimonds Adamenko, Yane Angelov- Rob Frenette, Erik Calewaert

110 players were nominated, 103 of them gaining at least 1 vote. Involved were players from 37 national teams.

Representation of national teams in the nomination.

World Player of the Season

In this category, national team’s managers and assistants chose the best player of the world. They chose 3 players (could not vote for their own national team’s players), 1^st received 5 points, 2^nd 3 points, 3^rd 1 point. I have never imagined that it could be so close here. From the beginning till nearly the end of voting was a difference between 1^st and 3^rd player in standings by only 0-2 points! All the time! The twist occurred right in last hour of voting. The delayed voters decided that the best player of the world is…England goalkeeper Will Pound! Congratulations. Fidan Stoev and Brandon Jordan were only one step away from victory. One hour before deadline the difference was really minimal. But they don’t need to be disappointed, second and third place of the world is perfect too.

 My choice: 1. Willy Pound , 2. Jacek Dudziszewski , 3. Brandon Jordan

Total players voted for was 53 of 110 nominated players. These players who received at least one vote were from 30 national teams. Viz. table below.

National Team Manager of the Season

In this category national team’s managers and assistants chose 3 managers (could not vote for their own national team’s managers), 1^st received 5 points, 2^nd 3 points, 3^rd 1 point. We already had a lot of thrilling categories in NTA, but maybe the most thrilling was this one. It almost looked as it was written like some American action movie's screenplay. At the beginning there were probably the 2 biggest candidates to victory – Czech manager AntonGorodecky and England manager tensor. And than it began…

First one of them were in the lead with about 10 points. But after a short time he was caught up by an opponent… This manager then took a lead with about 10 points! And so on , and so fourth… When it looked that the lead is sufficient enough to win, immediately everything different. A few minutes before deadline was a lead for AntonGorodecky. But as it was usual in this category full of twists, the winner was tensor in the end. Congratulation. Third place gained after an interesting fight with other 4 managers, Serbian manager DonPatRon prevailed.

 My choice: 1. tensor , 2. komanch , 3. HenrikRomby  

Surprise of the Season

And what national team was the most surprising for voters?

Total voted for was 35 of 50 managers.

 My choice: England 

Disappointment of the Season

And what national team was the most disappointing for voters? 

 My choice: Canada

I want to thank everybody who helped me with this project. And of course also everybody who voted. Voter turnout was 64%. It is a nice number I think. So see you in the end of next season with a second NTA…maybe (smile).

PS: If you want a trophy with a label for players from All Star Team I. or II, or for winners, 2^nd and 3^rd placers in categories World Player of the Season and National Team Manager of the Season, write me a PPM mail.