FWM 2019--Group A Preview

Introduction—“Bookie’s Tip Special”

(France, South Korea, Nigeria, Norway)

      

Too early for unorthodox predictions?

Not for this bookie. Every tournament must feature at least one “Group of Surprises” and we’ve an excellent candidate here. Both the South Korean and Nigerian squads are severely underrated. The schedule affords them both a chance to rack up points unbecoming of their present FIFA Rankings. Additionally, this collection of countries furnishes us with our first legitimate “Implosion Team” candidate. In a spectacular break with tradition, it’s actually not the French.

The hosts—benevolently dubbed the “Gauloises Gals” in previous Syndicate Chapters—should successfully ride the enthusiasm of last Summer’s glorious triumph and this year’s glittering prospects without much difficulty. The French being the French, we must of course allow for the possibility that they will decline to be in the mood precisely when they should be. The original hipsters never seem to miss an opportunity to play the contrarian. It remains a possibility; albeit a significantly remote one. 

The nation this independent oddsmaker expects to fall apart are the Grasshoppers of Norway. They’re perfectly poised to gobsmacked by the Nigerian Amazons, further harried by the hosts, and Gangnam-Style trampled upon by the Koreans before their unconvincing coach even gets the basics of his tactics sorted out. I trust the Norwegians to deliver some neatly-plaited Nordic hair braids and that’s about it. 

Nothing personal against Norway. Fjords, Jan Garbarek, and “National Firewood Night” are all among my favorite things in the world. Also a big fan of neatly-plaited Nordic hair braids. Who isn’t? It’s simply that this year’s team displays no cogent sense of identity. Building a workable lineup that looked like it could flow proved impossible. Coupled with the controversy surrounding Ada Hegerberg’s voluntary exclusion, your friendly bookie feels it will be too much for Haavi and Co. to bear. 

Hegerberg merits discussion. We can’t begin coverage of this tournament without mentioning that the player considered by many to be the best in the world has opted to boycott. The Olympique Lyon superstar persists in protest. It all originated in the Autumn of 2017, shortly after the Norwegians exited with a flop in that Summer’s Euros. The women banded together to file a pay dispute with the Norwegian Football Federation, ultimately earning some additional financial remuneration, but failing to receive adequate financing for their domestic league teams. 

It wasn’t enough for Ada, who will miss out on the women’s great global showcase in hopes that her outspoken absence will ultimately prove more useful in drawing attention to the sad plight of professional women footballers who are barely able to make a living in fledgling domestic leagues. Read through this year’s State of the Syndicate Address and you’ll see that this remains an issue very close to your friendly bookie’s heart. 

It's a damn shame that a broader audience won't be able to watch her participate in this Summer’s festivities, but I’ll begrudgingly admit that at least one of the top caliber players has to sit this one out to make this very important point. It must be done in conjunction with the exposure this competition will bring.

What? All this sincerity grating on your nerves, gentlemen? I know what you want. You rubes want to see the picture of Elodie Thomis, Gatetine Thiney and Corrine Franco from back in 2011 again don’t you? Ah Christ. Might as well go with what ‘Das Publikum” wants.

Yeah…that’s a pretty effective tactic too.

  

France—“Les Bleaus Feminine”

Big changes to report here as Louisa Necib, Laura Georges, Laure Bolleau, Camile Abily, Elodie Thomis, Claire Lavogez, Camile Catala, Sabrina Delannoy, and Marie Laure-Delie have all either retired or fallen out of favor. Former manager Bruno Bini returned to relieve Phillipe Bergeroo after the 2015 tournament. Following a rather listless performance in the 2017 Euros, Bini resigned and former national team centerback Corinne Diacre ushered in an entirely new era. 

Along with Scottish National Team Manager Shelley Kerr, Diacre shares the groundbreaking distinction of being one of the handful of female managers who have actually managed a men’s professional team. For three years she held the reins at Clermont Foot in France’s second division. Her lineup selections both at the club and international level can't exactly be described as innovative, but she usually builds an effective and balanced attack with veteran leadership skewed slightly to the left. 

The hosts enter the competition riding a convincing streak of victories against legitimate opposition in friendlies over the past two years. This includes lopsided triumphs over other tournaments squads such as Brazil, Japan, Australia, Cameroon, and the USA. Only the Germans and English have managed to defeat Diacre’s Dames in the last eighteen months. Questions nevertheless abound as we’ve yet to see them perform in high-pressure matches. The Federation didn’t even allow them to compete in the 2019 SheBelieves Cup.

Eugenie Le Sommer remains a prolific goal-scorer, but the bookie wonders if she’ll prove as effective without her long-time attacking partner Marie Laure-Delie. Wendie Renard also loses her preferred partner Laura Georges at the back. Valerie Gauvin and Griedge Mbock-Bathy should make for more than serviceable replacements, but we might witness some missteps in this highly competitive group.  

On the whole, the French attack appears too strong to predict anything other than a first-place finish accompanied by the full nine points. Lead attacker Vivianne Asseyi enters her prime. Should she lurch a tad, Delphine Cascarino or Kadidiatou Diani can enter the fray and get the assault moving rather rapidly. The Froggies should light it up easily, in sharp contrast to the crap men’s team forced us to sit through in their group last Summer. 

Allez Les Bleau! Vive le France! Pour liberte, egalite, et fraternite!      

 Projecting the French Lineup (4-3-3) 

Vivianne Asseyi

Eugenie Le Sommer                            Valerie Gauvin

Amandine Henry         Grace Geyoro

Gaëthine Thiney

S. Karchaoui    W. Renard  G. Mblock Bathy     A. Majri

Sarah Bouhaddi

 The Talisman—Amandine Henry 

2015’s Silver Ball winner returns, this time sporting the captain’s armband. Everyone remember that sizzling scorcher she scored in the 5-0 rout of Mexico four years ago?  At present she occupies deeper anchoring role in central midfield. She essentially inherits Elise Bussaglia’s place. 

The captain has struggled with injury and suspect form during short loan spells for PSG and the Portland Thorns, but presently finds herself surging during her late-career second stint at Olympique Lyon. A clutch goal in the 2018 Shebelieves illustrates how vital she can be in getting this team moving. 

  The Pillars—

 Wendie Renard 

The freakishly tall and lanky centerback from Martinique looks all set to have a monster tournament. Her status as a female footballing legend already cemented, she should sparkle in front of her club hometown club crowd of Lyon once the Froggy Fawns attain the Semis.

 Viviane Asseyi 

 

A strong and explosive center-forward of Ghanaian heritage who came close to making the cut for the 2011 and 2015 squads. Looks as if she’s finally found her groove after moving to Bordeaux last year. Bookie projects her to spearhead the attack after tallying much recently for club and country. 

 Eugenie Le Sommer 

Still here. Still scoring. She’s now racked up 74 goals for the National Side in over 160 caps. Cannot emphasize how important she’ll to this squad either on the left or all alone up top. Another “Lyon Lady” who serves as an alternate captain.

 Gaëthine Thiney 

Much beloved in this Sportsbook. Now 33, she’s far too slow to lead the attack. Or is she? Club goal production has tapered off slightly, but she still showcases her skills regularly as the captain of Paris Juivisy. Bookie projects her staring just above the defensive line, though such a augury may stem solely from his own wishful thinking.

  The Phenoms—

 Grace Geyoro 

 

The 21-year-old of Congolese descent has been groomed carefully in the youth system for quite some time. A PSG Prodigy, she finally claimed a regular spot on the right during the 2017 Euros. Like to see her come forward a bit more. She only recently scored her first national team goal against Uruguay earlier this year. An excellent ball-winner. Sort of a female N’Golo Kante.

 Sakina Karchaoui 

A sturdy and well-disciplined left back born to Moroccan parents. She’s also been starting regularly for the senior side since making her debut in 2016. More defensive-minded than most fullbacks, she’ll have to fend off competition for her starting role from a resurgent Amel Majri....or maybe Diacre will follow the bookie’s projection and start them both.

 Valerie Gauvin 

A 22-year-old superstriker who plays professionally for Montpelier. Hardly French at all as she’s originally from the island prefecture of Reunion just off the coast of Madagascar. She scored five goals in her first ten international caps, including a spectacular hat trick against Nigeria in 2018. Watch her come alive.

 Kadidiatou Diani 

The PSG-Goal Machine isn’t quite as dominant for the national side. Bookie doesn’t see a starting place for her, but he may very well be very wrong. At 24-years-of-age she’s on the older-end of the phenom spectrum, but appears to be peaking after putting in a lot of hard work. The Parisian recently grabbed a brace in a friendly against the USA.

 Emelyne Laurent 

Never even heard of this girl until she made the final roster. Three caps for the 20-year-old who plays alongside Nigeria’s Desire Oparanozie at En Avant de Guingamp. Looking forward to meeting her.

South Korea—“Taeguk Nanja”

 

Don’t believe the FIFA Rankings. Our female Asian Tigers have placed second in two major tournaments this year. The Republic punched through to the Round of 16 four years ago and, thanks to a solid returning core of players, might even make it farther here. Yoon Deok-Yeo has further refined his system and the bookie stands most impressed. Ji So-Yun and Cho So-Hyun are on fire. Just wait until you meet Moon Mi-Ra!

All of this notwithstanding, it should be noted that it took the bookie some time to talk himself into this team once he learned of Jeon Ga-Eul’s exclusion. This talismanic former captain seemed an apt choice to start on the upper left flank. After toying around with the lineup somewhat, I eventually came to the conclusion that Yeo can build stronger without the veteran. 

Jung Seol-Bin is a notch younger, a hair taller, and has developed better over the last four years. She’s had her struggles with injury, but demonstrated once again this year how potent she can be once fully fit. Three goals in two starts for Incheon Hyundai Steel in the season that just concluded.

Cho So-Hyun, Kang Yu-Mi, Lee-Geum Min, and Ji So-Yun all return having improved tremendously. Captain Cho So-Hyun in particular made great strides, eventually landing a contract with West Ham Ladies. Her striking and London Women’s Premiership counterpart scored in three quarters of her matches over at Stamford Bridge.

In addition to featuring a strong frontal attack, fullbacks Lee Eun-Mi and Kim Hye-Ri are excellent on flanks and crosses. Two younger centerbacks and a new keeper upgrade the defense. Sorry syndicate brethren! You’ll have to do without BOTH Kim Jung-Mi and Shim Seo-Yun. Less eye-candy this time around ; ( 

 Projecting the South Korean Lineup (4-4-2) 

Ji So-Yun    Cho So-Hyun

Jung Seol-Bin                      Lee-Geum Min

Moon Mi-Ra   Kang Yu-Mi

Lee Eun-Mi                            Kim Hye-Ri

Shin Dam-Yeong  Jang Sei-Gi

Kang Ga-ae

 The Talisman—Cho So-Hyun 

It took some time for the one time Incheon prospect to get comfortable taking more shots on goal. She’s always been a shy one with a strong penchant for self-criticism. Throughout most of her twenties she only really looked comfortable playing for the national team. 

Though she still prefers the flight director’s role it midfield, it’s been nice to witness her remaining with the attack more, especially since transferring to West Ham in January. Surely flying high after scoring a critical penalty in the FA Cup Semi-finals, she’ll be happy to settle in with her natural sisters, perhaps even providing us with a goal as memorable as the one she scored against Spain in 2015.

 The Pillars—

 Ji So-Yun 

 

Last tournament’s talisman continues to kick ass for Chelsea Ladies. Still only 28-years-of-age, she hasn’t lost a bit of that ravenous appetite for loose balls. (No entendre intended). A brace in this year’s inaugural Cup of Nations now brings her record total national team tallies to 54. With no one else even coming close, expect a generation to pass before she gets eclipsed. As the bookie put it four years ago, she’s essentially the female Oh Dae-Su during that hallway scene in Oldboy.

 Lee Geum-Min 

Scant minutes and two bookings for the former FC Seoul forward in the 2015 tournament. In the intervening years she’s tallied 15 times in 44 caps to secure her place on the right ahead of Kang Yu-Mi. Few will know her now. More will in a few weeks. 

 Jung Seol-Bin 

Loads of extra pressure on the 29-year-old Incheon Red Angels forward now that Ga-Eul will be sitting this one out. Bookie retains confidence in her. Lee Min-A and Lee So-Dam stand at the ready should she not be up to the task

 Kim Hye-Ri/Lee Eun-Mi 

The aforementioned fullbacks. Truly great rovers who match up well against most of their counterparts in this group. The latter has even tallied 14 times for the national side. Watch them dish it up for their colleagues. 

 The Phenoms—

 Yeo Min-Ji 

Bookie knows very little about the 26-year-old striker with twelve goals in 34 caps for the national side since 2015. He merely knows great numbers and a streaking player when he sees one. She’s quite the late bloomer. Dook-Yeo showcased her a bit in the Four Nations tournament and in recent friendlies. She seems to score every time she gets the nod. Other than that, I can only report that she plays for that new Korean Sportstoto Franchise that seems like it’s moved 46 times. 

 Moon Mi-Ra 

A VERY late-bloomer, she’s come out of nowhere to score eleven goals in 22 caps over the last couple of years. Might as well dub her the female equivalent of Ayoub El-Kaabi. She scored in both the 2019 international competitions. For all of the both of those keeping track, that’s two late-blooming-phenoms. It’s a testament to what an eye for talent Dook-Yeo has. 

 Jang Sei-gi 

The prodigy finally gets her day. Tapped as the Asian Young footballer of the year before she was even out of High School, the now 24-year-old can play virtually anywhere on the pitch. She settles in as a centerback in Dook-Yeo’s system, but don’t be surprised to see her deployed further afield. She’s tallied eleven times when called given license to roam.

 Son Hwa-Yeon 

A 22-year-old “joker card” as one would put it in German football parlance. The Korean manager plays her introduction close to the vest, though he’s not quite as shifty as Shin Tae Jung. Another one with more than her fair share of tallies over the last two years. 

Nigeria—“The Super Falcons”

They shall not serve as doormats this time. Take heed of the confident bookie’s projection. We’ve waited four long years to herald the triumphant return of what I once termed the “O-Ordnance”. This has to be year for the eleven-time African continental champions. They ride a wave of success, having captured the African crown in 2014, 2016, and 2018. They’ve also just trounced all opposition in the WAFU West African Cup.

Our Delta Queens have qualified for every single Women’s World Cup since we began back in 1991. Not only will they progress out of the group for the first time in twenty years, this team might even make the quarters. A Golden Generation prepares to peak. I…er…really mean it this time.

Some explanation of the “O-Ordnance” is in order. In the opening round of the 2015 tournament, Edwin Okun’s Falcons came from behind twice to draw the Swedes in a 3-3 in an absolute cherry bomb of a match. Bookie took the opportunity to highlight the performances of Asisat Oshoala, Ngozi Okobu, Francisca Ordega, and Desire Oparanozie in his Round Two rankings.

From FWM 2015—Round Two

I repeatedly warned any and all doubters that this team came to play. Don’t let the socreline fool you. The Super Falcons DOMINATED the Swedes from start to finish. Oshoala, Ordega, Oparanozie, and Okobi didn’t downshift for a split second. I’ve honestly never seen a four-pronged attack fly for 90 minutes in fifth gear. Might as well dub this quartet of ladies the “O-Ordnance”. They fired fast and furious, never even showing the slightest sign of running out of steam. Okun drops to his knees to praise Allah every time they bulge the back of the net. 

He’s much to be grateful for. We many very well be witnessing the advent of a “Golden Generation”. Oshoala, Ordega, Oparanazoie, and Okobi are all only twenty-one years of age! Oshoala already plays for Liverpool Ladies. Ordega has experience in the Swedish League and just signed for a stateside squad. Oparanozie hones her skills in France. 

All four players return. Updates can be found below. As it so happened, Edwin Okun totally squandered his chance to utilize this attacking axis in the previous tournament. He accomplished by somehow besting then Norweigan coach Even Pellerud’s proud penchant for tactical stupidity 

No need to revisit that travesty as former Sweden Women’s coach Thomas Dennerby took the reins of this program in early 2018. Recall he was the coach who led the Blaugults to a third place finish back in 2011. 

It’s been an excellent fit as many of Nigeria’s women have extensive experience playing in Sweden. A fantastic team effort in the 2018 Women’s African Cup of Nations saw the squad truly gel as a unit with goals coming from many different players and angles.

Naturally there exist weaknesses. Bookie remains concerned that Ebere, Ohale, and Ebi might get too easily torched at the back. Ordega’s been dipping a bit too hard for my tastes as well. Bear those in mind before plopping down an entire paycheck on them at the Tipico.  

 Projecting the Nigerian Lineup (4-3-3) 

Asisat Oshoala     Desire Oparanozie     Ngozi Okobi

Halimatu Ayinde  Francisca Ordega

Evelyn Nwabuoku

Ngozi Ebere                                             Osinachi Ohale

Onome  Ebi  Josephine Chukwunonye

Alaba Jonathan

 The Talisman—Desire Oparanozie 

Our first member of the “O-Ordnance”. The “She-Wolves” of VfL certainly must rue letting this über-robust piece of artillery slip through their grasp. Capable of bulldozing through just about any defense, Bookie affectionately refers to her as “The Panzer”. She’s explosive in her sprints, yet tactfully graceful when it comes to her touches and dribbling.

A complete athlete. You’ll love watching her balanced flair. Another great season for Guingamp in the French League as well as no shortage of sparklers for the national side in recent competitions.

  The Pillars

 Josephine Chukwunonye 

A tall traditional centerback with experience playing in the USA. The 27-year-old become something of a sought-after commodity in Sweden, playing for three separate clubs in as many years. Got her start at the Delta Queens Academy with teammate and “O-Ordnance” Member Ngozi-Okobi. The two were inseparable for some years. 

 Halimatu Ayinde 

Bookie sees her starting directly behind the attacking trident. She already had that place on the team locked down at the age of 21, starting two of the three group stage games back in 2015. The 24-year-old midfielder put in a serviceable stint with Western New York Flash before their self-imposed demotion. After a self-imposed exile of sorts in Belarus, looks like she’s headed over to the Nigerian Swedish Haven. 

 Asisat Oshoala 

Our next “O-Ordnance” member. Almost gave up on her when she left the Women’s Premiership for a stint in China. Turned out a year in Lioaning did wonders for her confidence. After staring for Liverpool and Arsenal Ladies, she returned to Europe to demolish anyone who stood in her way with a scorching season at Barça. What an incredible breakout player! She netted six goals (including a Super Hat Trick) in the 2016 continental championships while tallying thrice in 2018. One of the world’s finest, she’s a great role model for girls everywhere. FUCK BOKO HARAM!

 Ngozi Okobi 

The third “O-Ordnance” member. She’s added another “O” to her last name, presumably after eloping. Note that it often takes time for your friendly bookie to refer to female players by their married name. Wasn’t ready to call Celia Okoyino da Mbabi “Celia Sasic” for a full two rounds. Wasn’t ready here. Looks as if her Swedish side has interfered with her production by attempting to tinker too much with her positioning. Dennerby won’t. Place her either on the right wing or in the number ten role and she’ll produce. 

 Francisca Ordega 

The final “O-Ordnance” member has had some problems finding a steady club. She’s spent a lot of unproductive time out on loan over the past four seasons. Perhaps a stint in China will do for her what it did for Oshoala. Still unquestionably talented, she tallied twice in the 2018 Women’s CAN.

  The Phenoms 

 Anam Imo 

An eighteen-year-old FC Rosengard prospect who only recently made her debut in the WAFU Competition…and she’s already scoring. Doubt if Dennerby has any plans to deploy her at striker, but she could be used in midfield.

 Rasheedat Ajibade 

How many teenage striking prospects can a single tournament squad carry? Evidently not enough as we’ve another one here. Signed by a Norwegian side at the age of 17, she’s been on a many a scout’s radar for ages. It’s getting a bit ridiculous with the young talent in this program. Another Golden Generation waits patiently in the wings.  

 Chinaza Kanu 

This year’s version of Courtney Dike. An American-educated 21-year-old prospect. This one’s from Southeastern University.

Norway—“The Grasshoppers”

Since failing to qualify for the 2016 Olympics and crashing out of the 2017 Euros without scoring a single goal, the Grasshoppers have responded quite capably without making a coaching change. Martin Sjörgen’s girls topped a tough qualifying group that featured the lethal Dutch and a competent Republic of Ireland squad only dropping a single match. They’ve also won the 2019 Algarve Cup.

Why isn’t the bookie buying stock? Declining form all around. Isabell Hervlosen and Elise Thorsnes appear well past their prime. Production numbers for Haavi and Mjelde’s production are falling off as well. Then there’s the matter of the controversy surrounding this team following the pay dispute.

Norway’s women did secure a 50 percent pay increase, Lyon Superstar Ada Hegerberg has still refused to return to the call-up pool, citing the unfair treatment of the woman’s team by the national football federation. This matters immensely. Hegerberg is arguably the world’s best female player and commands a great deal of attention. How will a team mostly relying on young players who wish to emulate her success react? 

Somehow the bookie doesn’t see it playing out well. As it stands, Sjörgen already faces daunting tactical challenges. The enormous gaps in age and playing style on this roster render it doubtful he can assemble anything that will click chemistry-wise. Bookie does his level best below, trying to incorporate as many reliable LSK Kvinner regulars as possible. 

Note that I cannot quite ascertain where squad selections like Karina Saevik, Amalie Eikeland, Stine Holvand, Cecille Kvamme, and Therese Asland are supposed to fit into the plan. Synne Hansen makes sense, but five hitherto unknowns make little sense. All were included at positions where the Grasshoppers are already deep.

We’ll thus stick with the meltdown prognostication, emphasizing the fact that I often get proven dead wrong.  

 Projecting the Norwegian Lineup (5-3-2) 

Lisa K. Utland         Isabell Herlovsen

Guro Reiten                             Caroline Hansen

Ingrid Syrstad Engen

Emile Haavi

Ingrid Moe Wold       M. Mjelde   K. Minde          Vilde Risa

Ingrid Hjelmseth

 The Talisman—Emile Haavi 

Yes, I’m sticking with her as the talisman. No, it has nothing to do with my fetish for elven-ears. I’ll conjecture that no other sportswriter, amateur or professional, shall tap her as the star. Minde, Mjelde, Hervlosen, Reiten, Graham-Hansen, Hjelmseth, and even Utland all lie ahead of her in most people’s books. Bookie simply sees it differently.

She may generate far fewer chances in her new role further back, but she’ll be crucial in ensuring that this unproven team and their very green coach. With Mjelde and Minde apt to run forward, only a reliable sweeper can keep the lines clear and the back diamond stable. She’ll also be charged with covering quite a bit of ground that Risa and Engen might cede. Success in this tournament hinges largely on her ability to instill some sense of discipline.   

  The Pillars

 Ingrid Hjelmseth 

Some talk as to whether Cecile Fiskerstrand will actually get the starting nod. Hjelmseth is, after all, what can only be described as 39-years-of-age. It appears she’s not ready to relinquish her position as the stalwart. She’s still reportedly fully fit, often times training with the outfielders. Somewhere I recall reading that, much like Neuer, she always truly wanted to be an outfielder. Hopefully, she’ll do better than Neuer last Summer.

 Maren Mjelde 

The versatile captain has slowly become less versatile with age. Rarely seen in attack anymore, she’s also been relegated to the second string at Chelsea. None of this in any way diminishes all that she’s accomplished in over 130 caps for the national side. We’ve sung her praises multiple times in these pages. Bookie expects mostly defensive work from her this go-around. Love to be proven wrong.

 Caroline Graham Hansen 

After five years of owning the flanks for VfL Wolfsburg, the 24-year-old is headed to the Ciutat Esportiva to play for Barca ladies. It appears she’s finally fully recovered from the knee injuries she suffered just prior to start of the 2015 tournament. While her club form didn’t truly suffer, she looked totally lost in the 2017 European Championship. She rebounded with six goals in the qualifying round. Having debuted as a 16-year-old in 2011, one of our favorites now 25 goals in 71 national team caps.

 Lisa Karlsen Utland 

If there’s one player capable of picking up some of the slack, it’s the FC Rosengrad striker. She scored a total of seven times in the qualifying round, netting a Hat Trick against Slovakia and a brace against Northern Ireland. She may even start alone up top if Hervlosen or Thornses can’t go. A bonafide star.

 Kristine Minde 

The former Kristine Wigdahl-Hegland has been more of a tournament player for VfL Wolfsburg, but will likely serve this team well. Bookie has her projected as a centerback, but she can also play in attacking midfield or even forward if need be. Known for her fabulous footwork whatever position she occupies. Great to see her back. 

  The Phenoms 

 Ingrid Syrstad Engen 

Can a 21-year-old hold down the midfield? Why not. She’s off to a terrific start since debuting with the senior side last year. A decisive goal in the qualifying stages evinces poise and class well beyond her age. Sjörgen would be a fool not to give her a shot. 

 Guro Reiten 

Another star of the qualifying campaign, the 24-year-old has been tearing the domestic league to pieces with back-to-back twenty goal seasons for LSK Kvinner. We may be witnessing the sprouting of one of the all-time greats. 

 Frida Leonhardsen Maanum 

Still no national team goals for the 19-year-old who debuted in the 2017 Euros, but that’s no reason to give up on her. Performs well for Linköping in the Swedish League.

 Vilde Risa 

A rabbit’s foot of sorts whom the bookie predicts will edge out Maria Thorisdottir for a shot in the defense. Cecilie Kvamme and Stine Hovland are others who may get a go.

Vicey’s Fearless Group Prediction (3 to 1 Odds for bookie)

 1) France  

 2) South Korea

 3) Nigeria

 4) Norway

Overall Championship Odds

 France (Straight Up)

 South Korea (4 to 1)

 Nigeria (6 to 1)

 Norway (8 to 1)

Round of 16 Odds

  France (NO BETS)

  South Korea (Straight Up)

  Nigeria (Straight up)

  Norway (2 to 1)

Quarterfinal Odds

 France (NO BETS)

 South Korea (Straight Up)

 Nigeria (2 to 1)

 Norway (4 to 1)

Semifinal Odds

 France (NO BETS)

 South Korea (2 to 1)

 Nigeria (4 to 1)

 Norway (5 to 1)

FWM 2019--Syndicate Shadow-Heart

Servus Syndicate Members, 

Given that the bookie’s proclivities toward baroque introductory paragraphs occasionally leave some hopping mad with the annual rules review, we’ll dispense with the verbosity here and cut straight to the chase. 

Plenty of rambling in the re-release and introductory address. 

Welcome to the Summer of “Syndicate: Shadow-Heart” Let’s review the rules. Pay attention, gentlemen. It’s simple Gambling 101. We’re not locating the Higgs Boson.

1) Onset Group Odds

In the coming days, I’ll release the “Onset Betting Odds” for all 24 teams in six separate “Group Preview Sections”. Copa America and AFCON Lines will come in single tournament preview sections.

Here’s how they work:

Vicey’s Fearless Group Prediction (3 to 1 Odds for bookie)

 1) France  

 2) South Korea

 3) Nigeria

 4) Norway

Here we have a “Group Prediction”. You can only bet AGAINST the bookie in this instance. If the Group finishes exactly as the bookie has predicted, you owe him three times your wager. 

Should it finish in any other permutation, he owes you your base wager. For example, should you bet $10 against, the bookie will owe you $10 UNLESS the four teams finish PRECISELY as he predicted. 

Should they finish precisely as he predicted, you owe him $30. 

2) Onset Round Odds  

Overall Championship Odds

 Germany (Straight Up)

 Portugal (Straight Up)

 USA (8 to 1)

 Ghana (10 to 1)

Should you bet $10 on Germany winning (and they do) …you’re entitled to $10.

Should you bet $10 on the Portugal winning (and they do) …you’re entitled to $10.

Should you bet $10 on the USA winning (and they do) …you’re entitled to $80.

Should you bet $10 on the Ghana winning (and they do) …you’re entitled to $100.

Should the side not win, you owe the bookie $10. 

The same logic applies to the other Round wagers.

Semifinal Odds

 Germany (Straight Up)

 Portugal (Straight Up)

 USA (3 to 1)

 Ghana (5 to 1)

Should you bet $10 on Germany attaining (and they do) …you’re entitled to $10.

Should you bet $10 on Portugal attaining (and they do) …you’re entitled to $10.

Should you bet $10 on the USA attaining (and they do) …you’re entitled to $30.

Should you bet $10 on the Ghana attaining (and they do) …you’re entitled to $50.

Should the side not attain, you owe the bookie $10.

3) Line Bets

These commence once the actual matches begin.  

Deutschland vs. USA

 vs. 

The Line: Deutschland +3 Goals

The Favorite (Germany) is favored to win by 3 goals. If you bet on the USA, there are three ways you can win the bet:

1) USA loses by less than 3 goals.

2) Match is a draw

3) USA wins 

Conversely, there is only one way to win if you bet on Germany

1) Germany wins by more than 3 goals

Should Germany win by precisely 3 goals, THE BET IS A WASH. THE BET IS A TIE. NO ONE OWES ANYONE ANYTHING.

OTHER THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND

1) As always, the bookie reserves the right to roll the line should too much money come in on one side. Rest assured, however, that your friendly AND fastidious bookie makes note of ALL electronic time-stamps and wagers will be accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis.   

2) Speaking of conflict of interest, THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO WAY IN HELL YOU'LL GET ME TO BET AGAINST GERMANY!! Don't even try. This would be analogous to a black man casting a vote for David Duke.

3) Payouts come at the end of the tournament. All bettors also get a Schwag Pack. Trust your bookie, if only because he can't risk having the lid blown off this shadowy operation.

4) Absolute deadlines for submission will be set one hour prior to kickoff. 

4) Prop Bets

We’ll encounter these during the knockouts. No need to delve into these as only the hardcore boys usually partake. As a reminder, your friendly bookie remains amenable to those offered by the predatory creative contingent. 

Alles klar? Then you’re ready to play. Postpone the “World-Weary-Worrying”…for a bit and let’s watch some football.  

2019--State of the Syndicate Address

From FWM 2011: “Bride of Syndicate”

Why watch women’s football? Is it because Vicey is predictably burnt out after another semester of writing everyone else’s piece-of-shit papers and now, through his clamorous craving for catharsis, believes he has the right to badger us with a bunch of nonsensical mayhem? Well….maybe a little. At any rate you don’t have to be a dick about it. 

In point of fact, women’s football is a colorful athletic spectacle every bit on par with the major male tournaments. The beautiful game rewards creativity, spontaneity, and endurance. These are not characteristics over which any one gender holds a monopoly. 

Frustration at a Women’s basketball game may be understandable. What is it with this dearth of dunks? One may be similarly empathetic towards the observer of a Female Ice Hockey Game. Sure they’re talented, but why are the frequent body checks conspicuously absent? Football (or soccer if you really insist) is not a game in which pure physical prowess reigns supreme. Consider the girl that regularly out-dekes you in your Co-ed League. You know exactly what I’m talking about. She makes you look like a fool. How long will you hold on to such misplaced pride?

Thus began our Sportsbook coverage of Women’s Football tournaments precisely eight Summers ago. Lest anyone think a class of professionally offended self-righteous online trolls is a relatively new phenomenon, I’ll remind the reader that the opening provoked some sanctimonious screeching from a couple of bratty kids even back then.

One might have mistaken a humble bookie for Stephen Moore.

To be fair, the statement itself contained its own instigative puerile snark. Sass begets sass. Moreover, ignorant pharisaical sarcasm has always been the domain of the young. It remains the easiest adult behavior to mimic, while simultaneously according the young and inexperienced a ready-made Pecksniffian ledge from which to judgmentally peer down on their elders. We’ve all utilized this tool at some point. No point in pretending we didn’t. 

Given that your friendly bookie devoted some space in the Re-Release Section to naming a couple of books he found to be genuinely awful, I’ll use this post to mention one I truly happened to enjoy. Ken Jennings’ “Planet Funny: How Comedy Took over our Culture” counts as an absolute masterpiece. 

He literally covers just about every major comedic movement since antiquity, explaining along the way how comedy now drives our entire quest for meaning in the postmodern secular age. He does it all in a smooth, entertaining, and non-linear fashion, unlike the rube who wrote that last sentence. 

On the topic misplaced sarcasm, it gets pretty personal. Reviewing a Spy-Magazine-inspired column he once wrote for his High School Paper he makes the following retroactive observation:

“I had read Spy and thought, ‘These people are smart and talented, and are sometimes dicks in print. Therefore, If I’m a dick in print, I must be smart and talented.’ Without a cause or a deserving victim, my work wasn’t satire. It was satire’s eyeball-rolling teenage nephew, snark.”

He expands a bit on the difference between satire and snark.

“Snark is irreverent kibitizing as a way of life—the curled lip, the bored sneer. Snark is too detached and superior to really function as criticism, since it looks to put down everything, but it hates sincerity and sentiment above all. Satire denounces; snark merely dismisses.”  

We have notorious 19^thcentury Berlin drunk Eckensteher Nante to thank for all of his. The word itself derives from the onomatopoetic chortling sound made as he, true to his namesake, occupied various street corners in the capital, downed Schnapps, and cracked wise at any pedestrian in his immediate vicinity. “Snarken” no longer exists as an active verb in the German language, but it remains essential English for anyone needing to describe the hordes who imbue their lives with meaning by calling out offensive material online, victimizing themselves professionally, and doing their utmost to ruin any customer service experience you already weren’t looking forward to. 

How much of your friendly neighborhood betting syndicate is satire and how much is snark? We’ll leave it to the above-mentioned hordes to make that call. The bookie himself admits he occasionally finds his own ratio displeasing. I’ve put in time both on Berlin street corners and at Turbine Potsdam matches. A mite more mature now, I wish had spent more time at the latter. In any event, we’ll take it a bit easy on ourselves (as well as the hordes) and say that, contrary to Jennings’ carefully cleaved definition, a bit of snark can occasionally come from a well-intentioned and sincere place. 

Pages upon pages in this Sportsbook extol the virtues of the women’s game. While they were undeniably written by a man, they were also written by a lifelong fan. Europeans have always had women’s club teams to root for. This is because the vast majority of the clubs originated as local community athletic societies. Of course your community club has a women’s team, just as sure as they have a Bacchi Association and a tennis court!

Such was not always the case in the American professional landscape, despite the fact that women’s football has always far exceeded the quality of MLS. Only recently have American women’s football fans had the privilege of following a professional league that lasted for over five years. Drumming up enthusiasm for this beautiful sport in the non-public sphere has always proven difficult. That’s WHY the female stars voluntarily engage in activities such as this:

 

Accuse a humble bookie of objectifying them as sex symbols? They do that on their own accord!

Anyways, it finally appears that the NWSL (National Women’s Soccer League) is here to stay. This oddmaker couldn’t be find himself more ecstatic! It’s been a long journey, nearly thirty years since your friendly bookie first watched the U.S. Women win the 1991 inaugural version of the FIFA Women’s World Cup and wondered where he could watch the likes of Mia Hamm, Carlin Jennings, Michelle Akers-Stahl, Julie Foudy, and April Heinrichs play professionally. 

For some reason the 1991 victory in China didn’t lead to any serious attempts to form a professional league. Semi-pro post-college developmental associations like the USL-W and the WPSL winked in and out of existence. I seem to recall some other pro-ams splintering off from them, then disappearing faster than antimatter particles at the Hadron. Most everyone gave up on the idea in the later stages of the decade. Then came 1999….

 

Ah yes. Brandi Chastain. “Surely,” said the venture capitalists who among the 90,000+ who watched the U.S. Women claim their second star at the Pasadena Rose Bowl, “We can sell THIS!”

Hence, the “Women’s United Soccer Association” (WUSA) was formed at the cusp on the new millennium. Virtually all the major cable conglomerates poured investment into what looked like a sure-fire market. Folding in some of the pro-am teams would control costs. Coastal hubs would ensure it wasn’t stretched too thin. Some of the top-tier talent from around the globe even bought in. Birget Prinz, Homare Sawa, Sun Wen, Christine Latham, Hege Riise, Katia, Marinette Pinchon, Steffi Jones, Maribel Dominguez, and Maren Meinert all signed stakeholder contracts to play in this league!

Three seasons was all we got. Even the top-market teams couldn't draw more than 7,000 average attendance. The flagship Atlanta Beat couldn’t even keep the stadium half full despite being eminently successful. Players got furloughed or had to miss paychecks. Not that it truly matters, but the Philadelphia team was too godawful to sustain this bookie’s interest. Your friendly bookie recalls watching a young Hope Solo stand in goal for them…and presciently observing that something was about to go horribly wrong. 

Following a four-year hiatus, we witnessed another stab at a professional league in the form of simply named “Women’s Professional Soccer” (WPS). Some of the dissolved teams from WUSA reactivated and they tried to plant major market teams in Chicago and L.A. Somehow your friendly bookie knew this one was doomed to fail as interest in the women’s game had been waning domestically. The Germans had won the 2003 and 2007 Women’s World Cup and were set to host and very likely win the 2011 tournament. 

While the WPS exhibited some decent ideas, notably some great regional rivalries along the coastal enclaves, attendance figures were even worse than the WUSA Numbers. Eight years without a title had taken its toll on public interest. Then, of course, there was the mater of…..grrr…. “magicJack”. Hard to take a league seriously when it features a team named after a dongle you plugged into your computer. If you happened to be a big Abby Wambach fan, as your bookie unabashedly was, you had to tune into this awkward commercialized mess to watch her play. 

 

“magicJack knows how to plug in!”

Sadly, this happened. We allowed it to happen. I allowed it to happen.

Despite receiving a slight bump after the U.S. Women reached the 2011 Final in Germany, it proved too little, too late.  The WPS cancelled its 2012 season. With a four-year-lifespan, the second professional league barely outdid the first. Hopes were abysmally low for the 2013-debuting National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) iteration. It looked to be just a lousy attempt Canadian, Mexican, and American Federations to weakly prop up another semi-pro developmental league. 

Not without its problems—folding teams, poor broadcast rights negotiating, and three commissioners to name a few—the NWSL did get a lot right. Partnering with MLS teams turned out to be quite smart. Taking advantage of the Portland-Seattle rivalry was even smarter. Expansion has largely been a success and the North American player quotas have worked well for the rosters. Bookie really likes the Portland Thorns and Seattle’s Reign FC. (Klingenberg and Rapinoe remain my favorite active players). It certainly beats watching the Timbers vs. the Sounders! 

Beyond the thriving NWSL, there’s a whole slew of good news for those who appreciate women’s international tournaments. Outside of the FWM and the FEM, we used to only have Portugal’s Algarve Cup (a genuinely goofy competition), the Cyprus Cup (which the best teams often opted out of), and China’s Four Nations Tournament (which usually lasted all of two days). Thanks to the USWNT’s championship in 2015, the U.S. now has its very own annual international invitational: The SheBelieves Cup. 

 

All four of iterations of SheBelieves have been wildly entertaining. For now, it’s simply a round-robin group bracket, but it always features top tier European teams like England, France, and Germany. Brazil made their debut this March. Attendance has been fabulous and expansion is likely on the way. Elsewhere, the AFC has recently introduced a new four-team-pacific tournament and CAFU unveiled a West African Women’s Championship. Times are indeed fantastic for fans of the women’s game.         

Before moving on to the other two tournaments we’ll be covering in during this Summer’s festivities, your friendly female-football-loving bookie must, of course, weigh in on the USWNT collective bargaining dispute. It’s actually not a new issue in the sport. The Norwegian and Spanish Football Federations have already faced similar protests from their players. 

 

Do the ladies deserve equal pay? Of course they fucking do! They deserve more pay than the men’s squad who couldn’t even qualify out of CONCACAF last Summer. They have three legitimate stars atop their crest. Just give the girls their damn money! 

Here are our two other ancillary tournaments:

2) 2019 Copa America (Kickoff June 14^th)

 

Brazil or Argentina get a chance to win something for a change! 

(Be advised that bookie’s European bias might rear its ugly head when covering this tournament for the first cycle)

2) 2019 African Cup of Nations (Kickoff June 21^st)

Having covered this tournament extensively in 2013, 2015, and 2017, I’m almost sad that it’s been moved to the Summer. Fourth cycle coverage might be diminished somewhat due to the change. Africa also joins Asia and Europe in officially expanding to the “24-team-Super-tournament” structure.

Bookie remains tepidly okay with this insofar as football is concerned, but did the Democratic Presidential Candidates really have to follow suit? Yikes. Syndicate regulars know of my disdain for prolonged election cycles. They’re horrible for democracy. The overly-sensitive outrage machine gets fuel. Voters get bored. The outrageous rise to the top as people seek to be entertained. We began this post with some thoughts on humor. Perhaps we should return to Papa Jennings.

“For the most part, Western civilization has chosen to maintain a careful line between government and comic entertainment. In the United States, this bright line even has a name: Corwin’s Law. Thomas Corwin advised future president James Garfield, ‘Never make people laugh. If you would succeed in life, you must be solemn, solemn as an ass.’ 

In [gradually] repealing Corwin’s Law, we created a culture in which everyone is expected to be entertained by politics all the time, and when we finally did it, when we finally voted in the showman whose candidacy had seemed the funniest, no one felt much like laughing at all.”

…..

…..

Well shit. It’s time to watch football, gentlemen. There’s never been a better time. Treat yourself to some true entertainment. 

(Hopefully, that statement comes across with as little snark as possible)  

Syndicate Re-Release: "Friendship, Reclaimed"

Editor’s Retroactive Notes

When Syndicate Member 88-M first proposed the notion of an eventual “Department of Vice Studies”, your friendly bookie immediately felt stabbing pangs of empathy for the poor hypothetical professors forced to sit on the tenure committee. A horrid image surfaced; that of a collection of tweed-clad academics stuck indoors on gorgeous day, wasting what declining intellectual faculties they had on a rigorous debate on  the satirical nuance of “Living in the Digital Age”.  Compassion for the miserable undergrads was also in order. The poor saps poured all of their available spirit and stamina into writing their papers for the “Goodbyes and Championship Pick Capstone”, only to fall into bottomless melancholia when they realized none of that accrued knowledge proved useful in getting the Drive-Thru line moving faster.

Thanks in large part to a sustained friendship with the ever clever and supportive 88-M, I’ve come to the realization that these speculative characters deserve significantly less of my theoretical pity. The imaginary profs were likely far too busy with maintaining their monument to even realize that their life was passing them by. The pretend students, assuming they actually did any of the reading and didn’t pay someone else to write their papers for them, very much needed to confront the grim realities to shake them out of their self-entitled affluent upbringing. The imaginary departmental secretaries…well…I still feel bad for the imaginary departmental secretaries. I feel bad for all departmental secretaries, especially the ones who had to work for my parents. 

In truth, there exist far worse reading assignments than our Summer Sportsbook. Take it from a voracious reader who regularly repairs and then re-ruins his own dry-wall by throwing books across the room. Somewhere this very moment another reader has just completed the latest installment of Karl Ove Knausgard’s “Mein Kampf” and wondered what in the hell is wrong with the entire country of Norway. I also cannot possibly be the only one who excitedly bought David Brooks’ new memoir, only to wonder aloud how uninterrupted professional success and a truly nice new young wife constitute a moral Christian struggle of some sort. 

Your friendly bookie can’t do self-pitying narcissism anywhere near as well as those who invoke Hitler or Jesus. I’ll nevertheless be candid enough to admit that there have been regrettable instances within these very pages where I’ve damn well tried. Thankfully, the glorious season of “Friends & Football” affords us all a chance to dispense with the worst of our instincts, especially the ones fomented by either Hitler or Jesus. 

88-M always likens it to an annual return to “Bizaro Summer Camp”. Well put. That’s why he’s the successful Shadow Scholar. I suppose that makes your bookmaker the eccentric counselor frantically trying to get everyone on the bus. I’ll gladly fill that role, ushering in as many of your crazy asses as I can. 

Welcome back to “Syndicate Season”, gentlemen. All are welcome aboard. 

Here’s this Summer’s re-release, dedicated to Member 88-M and his fine young son:

From CC 2017—Goodbyes and Championship Pick      

Dearest Friends, 

Just as I did last Summer, I cordially invite fellow members of my age cohort to contemplate how many ephemeral acquaintances you’ve made over the past fifteen years. How many people with whom you once shared a memorable connection will you likely never see or speak to again? Obviously there’s no need to answer a blatantly rhetorical question. The transitory nature of friendships, even those of the most deep and thoughtful variety, doesn’t really constitute a great tragedy. New priorities accompany new jobs, new locales, new careers, and new families. Those with whom once associated play no real role in the challenges stemming from the personal life changes one makes in pursuit of growth and development. Nothing personal. It’s just life. 

Your friendly bookie doesn’t take such situational realignment personally. Not in the slightest. Schlepping back and forth between the continents as a youth imbued in him a keen intuitive sense of when he’s unlikely to see someone ever again. When one learns to formulate a sincere goodbye at a very young age, one gets rather good at it. That’s the reason why these sections are so uncompromisingly sentimental. I genuinely love each and every one of you, including and especially those for whom the End of this Summer’s Sportsbook shall prove our “auf nie’mehr sehen”. Don’t forget to “live lionhearted or don’t bother living at all”. ; ) ; ) I conclude every Chapter with those words, lest anyone forget how crucial it is to pour as much of your heart into your present interactions as possible. Even those whom you’ll never meet again deserve your very best.  

As is often the case, some new readers aloud why I continue to write a time-consuming aesthetically-atrocious text-based blog with zero commercial potential. As is ALWAYS the case, I tend to get pissy and tell them where to stick it. Tend to do that quite a lot. ; ) Try to understand what an immensely amazing experience it is to reconnect with one’s old friends every Summer over a topic that gives us all great pleasure to argue about. Think for a sec what an enthralling exercise it is to write with THEM in mind. Consider what joy it brings a human being who’s reading habits often leave him feeling incurably misanthropic to hear of the uplifting stories from fellow humans he actually always enjoyed.

The improbable stories are legion. Some check in an annual basis. Others take an extended hiatus only to come back when one least expects it. Your friendly bookie never knows who’s coming to the “Silly Season Party”. Everyone’s invited, but it’s more of a “make it if you can, no offense if you can’t sort” of of affair. After a full year of not communicating with 13-M, we exchanged precisely identical photographs of what may be kindly described as our respective “Liquor Cabinets”. 76-M checked in after years of silent static with a fine picture of his kid’s ass temporarily tattooed with some stickers I once sent him. 8-M, 29-M and 65-M—all of whom had forgotten their numerical designations—came out of the woodwork to send in their riffs. 

After NINE long years, 17-M phoned me up at 2 a.m. to discuss insights about our youth he had gleaned from the Trainspotting Sequel. Luckily I was awake reviewing tape, so we plowed through a half a bottle of Woodford and discussed who Begbie was truly meant to represent until the birds began with their incessant chirping. Christ, you guys are insane! So am I. It’s our fate to grow old together talking frivolous nonsense. Your friendly bookie wouldn’t have it any other way. We’re all a bunch of incurable Intellectual Goofballs. ; ) 

Then there’s Syndicate Member 88-M; the only other “Shadow Scholar” amongst our ranks. I’d honestly love to refer to him as my “Doppelgänger”, but the man is far more talented, successful, and well-adjusted than me to be labelled a “Kindred Spirit” of any kind. An incredible man; a man who uses Shadow Scholarship to pay the mortgage and support the family. 88-M and I reconnect on a non-Syndicate-based schedule. When one attempts to contact the other, it means that one writer has reached the depths of suicidal despondency. One desperately needs a project of some sort to distract him from the utter meaningless of his failed life. Er…take a guess as to which way the percentage splits on that one.

 

Writers instinctively reach out to one another in times of dangerous despair. Sometimes what is needed is a collaboration. Other times it’s a joust. Whatever in the hell it was that brought Bernard-Henri Levy and Michel Houellebecq together….well…sometimes it’s “that”. Eminently entertaining stuff from two stuffy Frogs who opted to publish their correspondence! The desperate phone call of one writer to another ultimately settles around a “productive purpose”. 88-M would surely agree. 

“Give me something to work on! Help me find something to divert my attention from my life! Give me ‘productive purpose!’”

When he first reached out to me with the story of his 11-year-old son’s professed desire to be a writer, my thoughts harkened back to the copy of “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Anthology” gifted to me by my father when I was his age. By the time I turned twelve, I had read through those books so many times that all of the bindings came loose. The famous “Trilogy in Five parts” had been divided into at least 15 parts of loosely kept together dog-eared pages strewn about my room. Someone had given me a “Productive Purpose”. I literally tore apart the book in implicit obedience. 

Together we resolved to compose something for the aspiring young writer. Namely, the combined fruits of our limited wisdom. As 88-M himself put it, 

“He needs to hear from one of those ‘Hermit Writers’ too.” 

Very well. Fair enough. Here are some of the highlights from…

  

Your “sneak peek” at “A Letter to a Young Writer”

III. Romance

….

….

“…..Your first Romantic Experience will end up weakening you. It might be the case that your second, third, and fourth end up doing the same, albeit in a proportionately diminished fashion. Losses of focus and concentration terrify writers. Any impediment to their craft sends them running for the hills. Your very livelihood is threatened when you’re unable to fixate on the task at hand. Many writers make the mistake of believing they should isolate themselves and chase off anyone who may ever love them. While it’s true that the insulated and protected individual lives a life free of distraction, such an individual also deprives themselves of an incalculable inspiration. Love may be painful, but it shouldn’t be avoided….”

….

….

VI. Time

….

….

“….Time Management: An indispensable life skill. Deadlines must be met. Calendars must be read. One should always think days or weeks in advance. It’s important to differentiate the skill of “Time Management” from the “Time Pressure” others will attempt to inflict upon you. In nine short years, when you are twenty years old, your parents and professors will begin to tell you that you are ‘running out of time’. They’ll continue to harangue you with this chorus all throughout your twenties. “You’re running out of time, young man!”. “We need to know who you are and what you’ll become!!”

Ignore such pressure. Proceed at your own pace. Know that you can only operate at the age that you are. Maturity and wisdom will come with age and experience. You may lose your looks in the process, but you’ll get there eventually. Every experience affords you the opportunity to learn, but there’s no substitute for experience. Your elders may pretend to be wise, but that’s only because they’ve lived longer and seen more than you. They’re not so wise, just older, more cynical, and wrinklier ; )

Proceed at YOUR OWN pace!!

….

IX. Trust

….

….

“…An odd paradox about people. Sociological Fact: Ninety-Five-percent of people are well-intentioned human beings who would never dream about robbing, raping, or murdering another person. Financial Fact: Sixty-five-percent of Americans are employed in the sales professions. They’re all selling something, looking for one of those “suckers” born every minute. 

It’s a difficult paradox. How can we reconcile the honest nature of most humans with the dishonest nature of most of their positions? I don’t know the answer to that question, young man. All that I can say is that you’ll be able to recognize the level of honesty and sincerity apparent in the person with whom you speak if you train your mind to think tactically. Football managers read “Xs” and “Os” on the chalkboard. After an initial gauge of the talent on that board, they take into secondary consideration the “heart” that each player has to offer. That secondary consideration counts for a lot….”

…

...   

XIII. Pursuance 

…

…

The Real World can be horribly brutal. We can’t possibly imagine how hard it might be for a young man like yourself who grew up with his very own Social Media Profile. In the workplace you’ll confront others who have their own very unique phantasies about how the world should work.  If you don’t conform to them, you’ll be unceremoniously dismissed. 

As harsh as it may be, there’s no time for tears. Finding your place in this world involves a certain amount of “Trial & Error”. Should you find yourself surrounded by co-workers who can’t accept something different, find a different group. Seek the group that you can be proud to call “family”. If the “family” you love doesn’t accept you, work harder to make it so. 

…

…