Aihe: The I1 thread

We seem to be very quiet on our forums which I think is a shame. Especially as I1 seems awfully competitive this season!

We're now 15 games into the season, meaning we've all played each other at least once, and there's still only one point in it at the top! The top 8 are as follows:

Cannon Fodder 24pts
Toronto Maple Leafs 23pts
Inter Lincoln 22pts
Old Shatterhands 22pts
Leicester 18pts
HK 2013 JOEL Lucenec 16pts
Dagenham HBC 16pts
BC Hlohovec 15pts

Inter Lincoln have, so far, been the only real team to be actively using the transfer market regularly and have brought in some real talents for some quite hefty price tags. A few other teams have made the odd significant signing here and there but on the whole, the majority of teams are sticking with what they have and utilising their sports academies, freeing up funds to be used elsewhere. 3 teams, for example, already have a three tier multi functional stand on the build which, when complete, will offer a significant boost to gate receipts. These teams seem to be looking at the long term picture as well as trying to remain competitive this season.


Of all the newly promoted teams, only LV Washington Wizards are currently sitting outside of the playoff places. They are 11th.
Dagenham HBC have had a solid start and are 7th, whilst the 2 teams that promoted from the same division, Cannon Fodder and Leicester, are first and fifth respectively.

Last year's champions Inter Lincoln are currently third, just one win away from top spot, as they look to climb back to the top after a surprising early run of 3 defeats stunted their early season progress. Inter Lincoln are also in a good position in their Champion's League Group where they are one of four teams all on four points.

Obviously there's still a long way to go, and things as they are now will more than likely change come play-off time, but first impressions suggest this could be a very close fought race.

Anybody want to comment on how they think the season is shaping up?

Ross

P.s. I appreciate I haven't commented on every team, or in much detail, but as much as I'd have liked to have done so, creating forum posts on a phone just aint easy!!

Wish I would get someone decent from my academy! I guess I have to be patient. So annoyed I got relegated into the third tier. How are our top teams compared to those of other countries?

I had a quick look last night and our top couple of teams should hold their own on the world stage. We're still at an early stage of the game so a lot of teams are around the same level. There are obviously a couple of stand out teams though that have been able to put together a team full of studs (Inter Lincoln being our best shout)

Ah good, we want to see some fight from us for once!

Been a while since anyone posted on here so I'll do another quick review. 2/3's of the way through the season and we now have a definite top 3 teams that, despite the fierce competition throughout the whole league, have moved away from the rest of the pack.

Still in pole position are Cannon Fodder who, unbeaten now in over 10 games, are on 60 points from a possible 70. Their goal difference is struggling compared to 2nd and 3rd place however, so they will need to keep ahead of Inter Lincoln and Toronto Maple Leafs on points if they are to win the division.

Inter Lincoln are lying second and have recently dropped 6 points behind the leaders following back-to-back defeats against Cannon Fodder and Leicester. They are not to be underestimated however, and have just splashed 13 million on a new player again, adding to the vast array of imported talent already in their squad. Will this acquisition help them close the gap to the leaders, as they continue to fight on two fronts, looking good to win their Champions League group, or will the extra energy exertion take its toll on their players?

3rd, and a further 2 points off Inter Lincoln sit Toronto Maple Leafs. They were the last team to beat league-leaders Cannon Fodder so they definitely have the ability, but will they be able to close the gap to the top?

Leicester, HK 2013 IPEL Lucenec, and HC Hlohovec are in a tight 3-way battle for 4th place with Leicester having looked strong of late with some impressive form.
Lucenec are our other representatives in the Champions League, but unfortunately unlike Inter Lincoln, do not have a chance of making it out of the group stage.

Old Shatterhands are the only team in the top 8 with a negative goal difference but are looking in a good position to book a playoff spot. They are six points ahead of ninth placed Dagenham HBC, who have hit a bad patch of form with only 3 wins from their last 10.

The two Angel teams, Alma and Ipswich will need a special run if they are to make a late push for a playoff place but I fear it could be too much to ask.

Bodrog SE have become managerless this season, which is a shame, but next season should see them replaced with a more competitive team.

And bringing up the rear are Peterborough who, despite being very active, have struggled for competitiveness this season.

Cannon Fodder - 60pts
Inter Lincoln - 54pts
Toronto Maple Leafs - 52pts
Leicester - 44pts
HK 2013 IPEL Lucenec - 42pts
HC Hlohovec - 41pts
Old Shatter hands - 34pts
HbT Solent - 31pts
-----------------------------------------
Dagenham HBC - 28pts
LV Washington Wizards - 26pts
Alma Angels HC - 25pts
Ipswich Angels - 22pts
Bodrog SE - 18pts
Peterborough - 13pts

17 games remaining, 34 possible points up for grabs, no team is yet guaranteed a playoff spot so there's all to play for!

Who's your money on?

My bets are on you winning both the league and the national team place, and me to not get any decent drafts and have to put up with just training. Done well to out up with it I can't wait for playoffs right now, team's energy looks okay.

I've had very poor drafts recently but I won't complain as I've pulled some absolute stunners since game start!

Maybe its a common thing in our league, Ive had very poor drafts for the past 6 weeks or so.
I agree, the gap at the top now may be a little too much to be caught, my feeling is the top 2 will stay in their respective positions.

The league is one thing tho mate, play-offs are an entirely different kettle of fish and that's the one you want to win really!

Very true! And playing home is a big advantage in the playoffs, so league position helps with the playoffs in that respect.

I hadn't thought about that aspect, and I suppose with teams having similar skill levels still, the home advantage will be a lot more apparent than in say 5 seasons time. It's an energy trade off I suppose; is it worth playing a few more games on higher intensity to guarantee winsthey'll to get home advantage, or will that impact your players' performance too much when it comes to actually playing those home play-off matches. Intriguing!

Yeah its never as simple as it seems with this game, always a compromise one way or the other. That just makes it all the more interesting though!

I just barely managed to qualify to the Champions League playoffs from the strongest of the groups, ahead of RK Legion which is 8th strongest team at the moment. Looking forward to playoffs, as there is no home advantage, I think I can achieve a good result. Keep fingers crossed guys, cause we need some points to the ranking. Anyway we only going to have one place in each European Cup next season, mainly because of the poor performance of the other representing teams.

Best of luck in the playoffs. You've got a great squad so there's no reason you can't go all the way.

Yep I'll second that, best of luck in the playoffs!