Comments on: The Green Shoots of Recovery

By: A New Hope « Pro Evolution Soccer: The Chronicles

A New Hope « Pro Evolution Soccer: The Chronicles — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 13:09:35 +0000

[...] and then, it seems, PES2008 plays like a dream and seems easy. I’m having such a period now. They’ve come along before, and gone away before, so I won’t be getting complacent and declaring PES2008 to have finally [...]

By: Running Riot « Pro Evolution Soccer: The Chronicles

Running Riot « Pro Evolution Soccer: The Chronicles — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 12:50:18 +0000

[...] The Green Shoots of Recovery Archives [...]

By: gregdowns

gregdowns — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 18:55:08 +0000

I believe too, although it’s tough to believe at the moment (as you’ll see in the next few days).

I remember from years past when I’ve finally got out of the lower division, and then finally been able to hold my own in the higher division, how odd it felt to look back and recall all the days (weeks, this year) of struggle at the start.

And how sweet it is to look back from that vantage point!

And thanks for the reminder about Ruskin’s wonder goals. I just rewatched those replays (in the game, in full quality) and it reminded me how *worth it* PES eventually makes any amount of struggle.

It’s a tough road this year for me, but others claim to be finding it easier. I still say those people are playing with nothing but Brazil, Barcelona, AC Milan, etc. I have yet to find anyone on PESfan or elsewhere saying that ML on Top Player with Default players is anything other than a real slog.

By: cklarock

cklarock — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 15:42:51 +0000

I live in Kansas, in the same town with the University of Kansas — it’s where I grew up, and went to school. I am therefore a Jayhawk, born and bred. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kansas_Jayhawks)

During the 70’s, 80’s, 90’s and 2000’s, we have been a basketball school. Nearly always a top 10 program, occasionally the best in the country.

During that time, as good as we were at basketball, we were awful at (American) football. Generally, we were whipping boys for whichever of the conference teams were going to go on to challenge for a national championship, and could always find a way to lose even to other sub-par squads.

This year, however, we’re currently 9-0 and ranked 5th in the nation. You have to go back to 1902 to find the last time a Kansas football team went 8-0, and I don’t know if we’ve ever gone 9-0 before. We’ve certainly never (in my lifetime at least) been mentioned in the same breath as “National Championship game,” but at the moment, it’s one of the possible outcomes.

This goes to show that if Kansas can be a top-10 football school, and Ruskin can belt in two screamers from distance, then by God, Coventry City can get on the teat of the Big Television Money and play in the Premiership!

I belieeeeeve!

I’m prepared to get my electronic ass handed to me in the PES 2008 ML. It makes the ass-handing all the sweeter later.

By: gregdowns

gregdowns — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 15:08:14 +0000

Thanks for your comments. I’ve always played PES intensely – at least a couple of games almost every day, barring illness or other circumstances – and I’ve often thought it’d be useful to put that time to use in other areas, hence the blog. My ML (non-)progress so far is a bit of an embarrassment but it makes it more interesting, I think. It’s not unprecendented either: PES5 gave me *loads* of trouble at first. I have to say though that playing the CPU teams with the starting crop of players (and even with the first batch of better players that you end up getting) was never as tough as it is in PES2008. Be very afraid…

I’m afraid Coventry City and condescension go hand-in-hand unfortunately. If there was a list of most DESPISED teams, CCFC wouldn’t even be on it. They’re not so much hated as completely ignored and not seen as a proper team at all. It’s worse than actually being hated. I doubt we’ll see them back in the top flight in our lifetimes.