THE TUMBRAN NATIONAL FOOTBALL TEAM
The Black Eagles
IMPORTANT OOC NOTE: For all intents and purposes, this Tumbra that began contesting in WCQ87 is an entirely new nation. They have no recollection of their earlier exploits from WC70-80, because that simply didn't exist for this
Tumbra. Any and all similarities to the nation of the similar name can and should be construed as glitches in the Multiverse. You may, however, make muted references to "having done this before" or something. For a detailed explanation of how this came to be, read these RPs.The
Tumbran National Football Team is Tumbra's main representative in all association football competitions for national associations. Making its debut at the 87th World Cup Qualifiers, the team currently ranks 117th in the world. The team is controlled by the Tumbran Football Federation, which is also the governing body of football in Tumbra. Also known as the Black Eagles, or affectionately the Eagles, the team competes in the World Cup and its related competitions; it also participates in the Campionato Esportiva, also sends teams to the Di Bradini Cup for Under-21s, and the Under-18 World Cup, in which the team won it's 13th incarnation.
The current manager of the team is one Marco Hemmings, who took charge of the team before the WC87 qualifying cycle. For decades, Tumbra suffered under a succession of coaches who preferred dour, boring defensive football — Hemmings has changed all that. Prioritising high-tempo, fluid, pressing and passing play, Tumbra's players are a joy to watch.
Coaching Staff
Pos Staff Member Age Prev.Club
Manager Marco Hemmings 47 Fraser Valley FC
Asst. Manager Peter Gabriel 38 Straton FC
Coach (Atk) Gabriel Watson 53 Hesham FC
Coach (Def) John McGann 55 Delphi Lions
Coach (GK) Callum Randolph-Watts 43 Fraser Valley FC
Head Physio Lucy Reynolds 39 --
Physio Joseph Smith 65 --
Scout Viv Watson 58 Tavistock Athletic
Goalkeepers
No Pos Player Age Caps Goals Club
1 GK John Lennon 30 4 0 Lakewood City FC
12 GK Louis Addison 31 25 0 Lakewood United FC
13 GK Nick Barker 25 2 0 FC Inter Nantwich
24 GK Mike Hancy 24 2 0 West Couno United
Defenders
No Pos Player Age Caps Goals Club
2 LB Ryan Hughes 27 8 1 Lakewood City FC
18 LB Simon Hart 32 19 1 Kingsbury United
25 LB Michael Campbell 27 3 0 Straton FC
4 CB Harry Henderson 25 28 0 Kingsbury United
5 CB Johnny Brown (c) 32 26 1 Lakewood United FC
14 CB Ian Ashburn 22 10 0 Lakewood City FC
20 CB Louis Paterson 25 4 0 Lakewood City FC
23 CB Wayne Forrest 24 3 0 Straton FC
26 CB Douglas Moore 25 3 0 FC Inter Nantwich
3 RB Russell White 28 26 0 Clyde Park
19 RB Chris Carter 22 4 0 Lakewood City FC
27 RB Nigel Harris 25 13 0 Lakewood United FC
Midfielders
No Pos Player Age Caps Goals Club
6 CM Vincent Hicks 22 26 5 Hesham FC
8 CM Craig McGrath 25 22 3 Serrapince FC
10 CAM Adam Herlinger 31 20 6 Lakewood United FC
15 CDM Michael Aitken 30 6 0 Straton FC
16 CM Alan Morgan 24 15 1 Lakewood City FC
28 CDM Tom Stansfield 27 5 0 FC Inter Nantwich
29 CAM Phil Cole 22 3 1 Lakewood City FC
30 CM Andrew Fisher 22 2 0 FC Inter Nantwich
Wingers
No Pos Player Age Caps Goals Club
7 LW Neil Fraser 23 24 5 Clyde Park
17 LW Dylan van Heirolf 21 17 2 Miruan City FC [Tikariot]
31 LW George Hilton 23 4 1 Serrapince FC
9 RW Robin Vaughn (vc) 26 33 10 Lakewood City FC
21 RW Dean Cresswood 28 3 0 Clyde Park
32 RW Alexander Anderson 25 2 0 Couno Rangers
Strikers
No Pos Player Age Caps Goals Club
11 ST Philip Cohen 26 25 13 Lakewood United FC
22 ST Marcus Sheldon 30 10 6 Couno Rangers
33 ST Nick Riordan 19 2 1 Serrapince FC
*Caps and Goals figure accurate to pre-WC88.
Bolded players denote starters, but pre-match XIs will be posted before every cutoff. If none are posted, feel free to pick and choose from this side, though do keep in mind a player with the number 14 is more likely to be picked than a player with the number 26.The Black Eagles return for a second tournament, buoyed by their earlier successes in which they finished fifth in their qualifying group as an unranked side. The team were in contention to finish even higher, however several disappointing results including a draw against Regmotto and a final day loss to eventual qualifiers South Newlandia put paid to those hopes. Now buoyed by a relatively strong Campionato Esportiva showing, the team enters the new domestic season looking to progress towards another promising campaign on the world stage. However, a potential storm has been brewing at home, over the inclusion (or lack thereof) of female players in both the under-21 side, the domestic leagues and, most damningly, the National Team. How will the winds of this storm blow? Will the TFF, the bastions of conservatism of football in Tumbra, push hard to retain the status quo of male-only footballers in Tumbra, or will the winds of change blow this ship towards change?
GoalkeepersIt's all winds of change here in the goalkeeping department, as Louis Addison was first dropped for John Lennon midway through the Campionato Esportiva, and Hemmings seems to be leaning towards the Lakewood City keeper as his number 1 for the upcoming qualifying cycle. Addison's performances with Lakewood United somewhat dropped off throughout the previous domestic season, possibly leading to this change. Both
Lennon and
Addison play in the same way, though Lennon is particularly skilled with his feet, and will prefer to use them when available; passing out to the defenders is his preferred way of beginning attacks, while Addison prefers to launch balls into midfield. Both are competent shot-stoppers, and both are particularly acrobatic. Behind the two goalkeepers from the opposing sides of Lakewood, however,
Mike Hancy, a relative newcomer, comes into the team; from unfancied side West Couno United, the goalkeeper looks set to try and make an impression. Debuting in a 1-2 victory against Frestovenia, Hancy looks set to try and enjoy the experience, really. The same could be said of
Nick Barker, the Nantwich n.1; at just 24 years of age, there is already talk that he will succeed the battling two goalkeepers once their era is over. That being said, however, Barker is a more traditional shot-stopper than either Addison or Lennon.
DefendersOn the left wing,
Ryan Hughes has locked down that left-back starting spot; the left has never looked more secure under his custodian-ship. Multiple attempts by Marcus Bradley, whose attacking output far outpaces his defensive one, Graham Lloyd, who got relegated with Port Marray and has since signed for recently-promoted Macarthur, and even Simon Hart — the starting left back through the WC87 cycle — have failed to dislodge the Lakewood City left back.
Hughes is calm and composed on the ball, the defender preferring to pass along the wing or into the midfield to going on attacking runs.
Simon Hart largely prefers to do the same, but his age means that his pace isn't as good as it used to be. He is, however, considered a somewhat better tackler than Hughes, and less likely to get booked.
Michael Campbell comes in as third-choice, perhaps as a replacement for the error-prone Bradley; the more offensive option,
The centre defence sees six defenders come in for the qualifiers; no doubt the usual defensive combination of Henderson/Brown looks set to continue, with Brown donning the fabled armband; but rumours abound that this could be his last cycle; after all, he will be 33 at the end of these qualifiers.
Harry Henderson typically plays as the clean-shorts, passing defender, while
Johnny Brown plays as the no-nonsense, hard tackler; yet somehow clean enough to avoid getting booked, most of the time. Of their understudies — Ian Ashburn, Louis Paterson, Wayne Forrest and Douglas Moore —
Ashburn and
Moore are the passers, while
Forrest and
Paterson are the tacklers. The defence tends to play a high line; this, unfortunately, leads to them being caught out sometimes.
On the right,
Russell White and
Nigel Harris continue their roles as the custodians of the right-back spot; while both are experienced, LCFC right-back
Chris Carter, often touted as a more attacking prospect, has entered the team as well; some suspect that Hemmings plans to gradually put Carter into the team, given his relative youth. Otherwise, White looks set to start; the more adventurous of the two wingbacks, White sometimes drifts into midfield to provide an additional man there in the offense.
Overall, the defenders have a high standard of passing and will look to begin attacks once they receive the ball; man-marking has largely been eschewed in favour of high-tempo pressing, dispossessing and pushing up field.
MidfieldThe 3-man midfield Tumbra utilises is unique in the sense that there are three fixed roles; it does not matter who plays where; merely that players that fulfill these three roles should be on the pitch for the Tumbran brand of football to be particularly effective. These three roles are the
dynamo, the
pacesetter, and the
visionary. The dynamo typically plays deepest, and is the most defensive of the three; his role is to run around the pitch, helping to press attackers and dispossess them, while simultaneously beginning attacks by receiving the ball and cycling possession by passing it to either the pacemaker, visionary or the two wingers. The role involves a high degree of stamina; running around the pitch for 90 minutes does require that, and they often rack up a huge amount of kilometres ran per game. The pacesetter sets the tempo of the game, speeding up or slowing down the game as they deem fit, recycling possession or moving it onwards, and going on runs to appear on the edge of the box. The visionary typically plays highest up the pitch; typically defending the least (but still expected to chip in whenever possible), their main job is to splay balls into the final third, beginning runs into the box or otherwise.
Of the eight midfielders included in the squad, it's fairly evident who plays as what;
Vincent Hicks,
Tom Stansfield and
Andrew Fisher typically fill in for the dynamo;
Craig McGrath,
Michael Aitken and
Alan Morgan typically play as pacesetter, and
Adam Herlinger and
Phil Cole as visionary. These alignments aren't fixed, though; though the dynamos typically play as dynamos (due to how physically intensive the role itself is), all eight midfielders are at least somewhat competent at each role. Do note, however, that Herlinger and Cole wouldn't be seen dead as the dynamo, nor would Aitken or Stansfield at visionary; they do have their limits as players. The hard press exists here, too; Herlinger may be a little more loath to press, given his age; but he will do it, if somewhat half-heartedly.
WingersDan Galbraith no longer plays for this team; in his place, Robin Vaughn, the Lakewood City talisman and so far only person who has played in every one of Tumbra's 33 WCC-recognised matches so far.
Vaughn plays as an inside forward, and has largely followed in the mold of the taciturn finisher that his national team mentor Galbraith taught him to play. Rarely media friendly, he prefers to let the football do the talking; but on the pitch Vaughn can be fiery, and his determination on pitch is second to none. His understudies,
Dean Cresswood and
Alex Anderson, will most likely not challenge him for the starting spot; while competent, Vaughn is on a whole different level to the two. Cresswood takes on a similar, inside-forward role; Anderson is the more traditional take-the-ball and run, hell for leather, to the corner post to swing it in.
On the left, it's a whole 'nother story; three young wingers battling it out for the starting winger spot.
Neil Fraser, bright young lad of the future, electric in pace and in the dribble, is the archetypical pick up the ball and cross it in winger;
Dylan van Heirolf, the more moody winger who decided to venture overseas to Tikariot, who prefers cutting in than crossing; and
George Hilton, who perhaps is a mix of the two, yet also somehow is more unique in the sense that he tends to venture deeper than a traditional winger would. All three should receive a healthy dollop of playtime throughout the campaign; depending on the needs of the team at that particular moment.
StrikersPhilip Cohen rules the roost here; an immaculate finisher who is every bit a complete forward, he tries to dribble his way out of trouble and can finish from pretty much anywhere. Has a powerful shot. Does require a lot more service than his competitor, Marcus Sheldon, however, and can get pissed off if he's not shooting enough — others create chances for him, he finishes them off. It's worked so far for him and the team, though his recent drought does spark cause for worry.
Sheldon typically drops back deeper to receive the ball, and is a more calmer presence, being able to create chances of his own volition. A more complete player than Cohen, arguably, the striker enjoys being involved in the build-up play as much as the finish. Meanwhile,
Nick Riordan is everywhere. Blazing, electric, he proved with his 11 goals during the 50th Di Bradini Cup that he has potential; and rightly so, having jumped Bruce Nolan to the call-up for the national team. He has proved he can finish; the only problem is that he tends to do only that, and sometimes can neglect the finer parts of the game. More often than not, he's on target, however.
Tactical Set-UpAs evinced in the earlier ten paragraphs, the team sets up in a solid 4-3-3 formation; the alternate formation is a 4-2-3-1 with a double pivot. Set-pieces are taken by whomever volunteers, as Hemmings himself doesn't place much emphasis on them; however, Adam Herlinger's free kicks are always to be taken with a lot of danger, especially on the edge of the box. The emphasis is on fast buildup and attacks; counter-pressing in defence.
Left Corner Taker Neil Fraser
Right Corner Taker Robin Vaughn
Penalties Robin Vaughn
Direct FK Taker Adam Herlinger
Indirect FK Taker Neil Fraser
Most likely to foul/be booked Tom Stansfield
Most likely to shoot Nick Riordan
Most likely to score from close-range Philip Cohen
Most likely to score from long-range Robin Vaughn
Most likely to be fouled Robin Vaughn
Most likely to attempt the spectacular Marcus Sheldon
Home StadiaThe other nine teams lucky enough to be in the same group as Tumbra will be hosted in the
Tumbran National Stadium in Straton; with a capacity of 100,000, at least 25,000 tickets will be allocated for visiting fans.
Style Mod: +3
My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my goalscorers: Yes
Godmod scoring events: Yes*
RP injuries to my players: Yes. I will decide length.
Godmod injuries to my players: Yes*
Hand out yellow cards to my players: Yes. Maximum of 3. Any more must be matched.
Hand out red cards to my players: Yes*. Maximum of 1. Any more must be matched.
Godmod other events: Yes*
COVID-19 does not exist in Tumbra.
*As a general rule, just let me know before doing something egregious. Don't know what egregious means, or unsure that what you want to do breaks
this line? Telegram me or message me on Discord. I'm on the NSS server.
TEAM RECORDS
Number of Players to have earned at least 1 Cap: 47
Most Caps: Robin Vaughn (33)
Most Goals: Philip Cohen (13)
Posted: Wed Apr 21, 2021 9:35 am
