The last three (largely meaningless) games of this 2008 season are a good opportunity to take a quick look at one of my most reliable players—my right back, Postma.

He’s been an ever-present in my side since he arrived in the middle of season 2007. At the moment he’s 18 years old. His positions are SB/WB/SMF. Sadly, he has no special ability stars, but his key baseline stats go a long way to making up for that shortcoming.

Attack:78
Defence:76
Agility:81
Acceleration:80
Mentality:79

The above stats really do show up on the pitch. Postma can outrun almost any attacker and keeps his head when all about him are losing theirs.

A good right back (or, for that matter, a good left-back) is so important in PES2008.

They’ve always been important, but in the next-gen version of the game, with the opposition’s fleet-footedness and tricksy shimmying at the byline, side-backs who have good speed, tackling, and fitness are a necessity. Worth their weight in gold.

The benchmark for side-backs in PES2008, for me, has to be my old right-back from my last ML career, Guimaraes. Postma isn’t quite up to his level—he’s a long way below it—but he’s the next-best side-back I’ve played with so far, and he has a long way to go yet.

Postma’s development graph shows that his peak is many years away yet, and that it’ll be pretty high. Nothing jaw-droppingly spectacular, but it’ll do me.

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Just three games left in the 2008 season. Then I’ll get down to some serious business in the transfer market, shore up my squad with some reliable talent, and make a real fist of season 2009. That’s the plan, anyway.

Immediately after I beat Sampdoria 4-3 in the D2 Cup Final, I came up against them in the League. This happens a lot in PES, and PES2008 is no exception. It happens in real life too, so it’s not really a cause for complaint.

Perhaps it was inevitable that my eye wasn’t really on the ball. The exertions of the cup final took their toll and I went through the game just pressing the buttons rather than engaged as fully as I should have been. The CPU took full advantage of my inattention just before half time, when yet another clearance from one of my corners landed ever-so-neatly right at the feet of a Sampdoria midfielder. He turned and ran from almost level with his own penalty area.

Upfield he went, past one defender, past two, jinking around a third—and then clean through on goal. It was my own fault. I can usually stop these post-corner runs that the CPU loves to go on. The Square button is my friend. I use a spare player to challenge while I get the player under my control into prime position to make a challenge or slide-tackle, with good results. Usually. But I was too hasty this time.

I dashed my keeper, James, out to meet the Sampdoria player on the edge of the box, but a shake of the hips later and the CPU had an open goal to slide the ball into. It finished 1-0 to them.

I perked up for the next game—the season’s penultimate game—against Feyenoord. And what a game it was for me. I scored six goals in a comprehensive 6-1 rout of the fallen Dutch masters. I call them fallen because in season 2007 they used to sweep my team aside with pitiful ease, but things are different now.

Here’s a couple of the goals, both from Altintop, my star man of the moment:

In the last game of the season, Sunderland seemed determined to prove that they are my bogey team, despite me believing that they’re not. Early on I had Pjinatnigh red-carded for nothing. It was a tackle from the side, not from behind, and it was up near the halfway line… Most referees in real life or in other football games, including most previous PES games, wouldn’t even have given a yellow card.

But I always play well with 10 men. I got it back to 2-2. First a penalty that was won by Matuzalem and then dispatched by him with style into the top corner, high up where no keeper is ever going to reach it. They’re the best possible kinds of penalties. In PES the game sometimes decides you’ll miss a penalty for no discernible reason. We need better penalties in PES. Here’s hoping for a (whisper it) FIFA-style power meter in PES2009 and beyond.

In literally the last seconds of the game, Leonardo popped up on the edge of the Sunderland box to do this:

I love goals that go in off the post. I loved this one. A hard-fought draw, and a fair result.

————–

And that was season 2008. Must do better next season.

Final position: 15th
Won:10 Drew:10 Lost:18
Goals scored:49 Goals conceded:58 Goal difference:-9
Yellow cards: 42 Red cards: 24

Teams relegated from Division 1: PSV, Paris St Germain, Tottenham.
Teams promoted from Division 2: Real Elcherino, Ajax, Torino

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this season. Having abruptly abandoned PES2008 at the turn of the year, and spending weeks flirting with FIFA, it was good to come home. What turned me off PES2008 was how extraordinarily easy the game becomes when using good players. It was never thus for me before. I was shocked and—frankly—disgusted to find that it was so for me now.

The importance of House Rules—as strict as they need to be, and no stricter (there’s no point in getting silly)—cannot be underestimated when trying to extend this game’s longevity. Self-handicapping is the way to go. No, we shouldn’t have to do it (curse you Seabass), but we play with the PES we have, not the PES we want.

Next season, my third with Singers FC, has got to be a promotion year. The negotiation period is coming up and it’s got to be a good ‘un. I’ll be taking my time and making my decisions carefully. I’ll also be tweaking my transfer market House Rules a little. Not too much—just enough to keep myself honest…