ITALIAN CHAMPIONSHIP 2008 Milan, 10 May | Results: Page 10

[alkis21]

Here is the picture of the group!

By the way, that's an awesome "spot the Swede" picture!

[Abyss]

my next post is torchienglish review

Torchienglish has been almost english for a long time now. It's the biggest proof then KO2 helps education.

[Abyss]

Luca's progress is even more impressive if you consider that in his previous game vs John he lost 6-1. He must be the only player who is getting better at a faster rate than John!

[alkis21]

That's just great... Until now, we had to look out for Italian players whose names started with -Gian. Now we also need to look our for those whose names end with -luca!

[Oliver St]

Congratulations to Gianni on winning this! I´m already looking forward to playing you again some day, maybe in november. Sei un genio!

[Dr. Pain]

Thank you all for that great gathering!
I’m really happy that you all enjoyed the Italian Championship 2008, It has been a pleasure and an honour to host you all here and, as Luca said, a really big thanks to those players who made a big travel for being here to join this tournament, Luca included! As the Germans did, he travelled for the whole night!
I spent 5 memorable days, starting from Friday night till today.
I’ve improved a bit my English in these days, and for sure, I improved my KO too, thanks to all those great players who I faced in these days!
A very big thanks to all of the players who joined the tournament, everyone has been very helpful in to manage this tournament, about every aspect, from HW to move and set amigas, set up the venue and so on. Thank you very much!

About the tournament, going around details, I can say that it was one of the hardest leagues that I’ve ever joined. So I was really happy about my performance, and besides this, I was really happy for all the players who had the chance to face other great players.
As reported by Panayotis, Robert, Thorsten, Volker and Luca, we had memorable fights in this tournament, in both the 3 parts of the table.
Of course my game with Robert was THE game. Even if I had 2 great battles with Luigi and John, I can say that the game with Robert was unbelievable. It was one of those fucking games where it seems to hear the AMIGA’s voice saying to you : ”It is time to loose, baby”.
It is already very hard to play with a player like Robert, harder is playing against Amiga too.
Anyway you already know the rest of the story. What I can say is, that, perhaps if Robert saved one substitution for unlucky cases of injury events, probably now he had his first victory on me, but he used both the substitution as technical choices and probably it was a mistake. It is simple to speak after the game!
Finally I had the opportunity to face Panayotis.
I was really curious to meet him! Many respectable players like Gianluca, Spyros, Alkis, Nikos and Robert told me that my game style was similar to the Panayotis’ one so I was really exited! And of course I knew that he was out of practice but, as Spyros and Luigi teach, practice is irrelevant if you are already a strong player.
Now I understand what did they mean and I think it is true: we have few similar moves to get the ball and in the way we reach the goal. Anyway, I find him more similar to the Greek style with quick move, strong headers in midfield. Towards Alkis, even if he plays with 424 instead of the Alkis’ 532.
I don’t consider his scores with me as the “thermometer” of a player, but I consider the game style and kind of mistakes. Panayotis is a very strong player and I already know from now that in Athens he will be one of the die hard players. Because, even if he is rust now, he reached the 3rd place this Saturday.In In Athens, with practice, he will be steam locomotive. I really like his game style.
A special word for John. He is a really competitive player. Solid in defence, good in midfield and killer machine with his special BLC. His special weapon is very effective, better than Klaus and Rikki, for sure.
His problem is a not so wide repertory in attack actions. If he learn some other way to break the opponent wall, he would be very dangerous player. Anyway he will be dangerous the same in Athens, my word.
Thank you all again! Who wrote, who read and who had the joy to attend this great tournament!

[goalkeeper]

Back again in Germany after such an impressive Milan tournament it is hard to write a report from my first international Ko-trip.
My head is full of questions, matches, stories, funny things and a lot of other things happened on the way Langenfeld-Wiesbaden-Milan-Wiesbaden-Langenfeld.


So first I go back how it happens to play KO2 in Milan.
Last year I got my internet connection(yes, I know sometimes i´m out of date). What shall I google, coincidentally I looked up Kick off 2., and was surprised I found the german champs will held near by my home in two weeks. Immediately I enter and met the Italian guys Gianni, Sandro and Alessandro,.who made the german champs to a nice international tournament. I stood and stare as I saw Gianni playing firsttime(never dreamt about it´s possible to do such things with this game) and learned that you can trap the ball and there are other ways you can use after a goal as the kickoff lob.
Happy as a child I return home and tell some mates how funny it was. After that they were hot too, and I decide to make a tournament, maybe one other guy out of the forum makes it official. At least we were 8 players and had so much fun that we did plans to meet again. Before this happens I did one of my biggest mistake in my life. Only want to look if Sascha had post the standing, I answered on Alkis question” And who are you goalkeeper” and was infected by the KOA. More Langenfeld tournaments required and after trained to trap the ball and make some moves in this gatherings it was time to take the chance to see the Italian guys again.


I started the 300 km on Friday to Thorsten and had so good mood it doesn´t affect me that the police had no good mood after I show them my middle finger.(But how should I known they flashed me from a car behind instead from a machine by the way)
After a short night of three hours( I smoke more than Thorsten) we wake up Saturday morning at 3 o´clock and drove to the airport.. On the way I had time to think about what I expected and thought over if you travel by car you can move the steering wheel before an accident, if you travel by ship I can swim, by train maybe i´m only injured, get I wings if the disaster happen? Maybe you read out, my first flight ever in my life and only because of KO2.
But infected by the KO-Virus, with a very cheap ticket in my pockets and as great rollercoaster fan I entry the plane. I got the compensation in form from a fast start(I control me not to put my arms up and shout ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh like on rollercoaster) and a fantastic uprising sun in the sky.


Landed in Bergamo i took the shortest bus trip in my life and the whole bus was laughing as we stopped 200 meter further.
After Sandro took us from Milan Central Station, I know why it´s better italian drive not more than 200 m.( Thank you for the Taxi service and for showing us the milan´s cardrivers behaviour)
First stop was the legendary kickoff house, where we met Luca.After and after Robert and Panayotis awake and we had breakfast. Sandro was so polite to cook a lot of coffee before he goes sleep again and after eight espressos and a lot of cigarettes i´m still tired but don´t feel that I need sleep. So I relax in a nice garden and listen to the good old stories. Another tall, blond and blue eyed guy appears with a bottle of beer in his hand and i´m sure it´s John. Gianni comes around and after the garden filled up with Italian players we start to the holly halls. Good timing because the effect from the coffee goes away and after heard/see so much new names/faces my brain switched off. It´s time to sleep but after taking the joystick in my hands this feeling was blown away. The big moment, my first international tournament begins.


First match against Panayotis:
Very fast I recognize that the three medals for foreign people(strangers) are not mine.
Panayotis is a real kickoff gentleman and I had a lot of fun in this game, because of him and a very good kickoff for my skills. So it was a very nice beginning for a tournament and i´m happy with the result of 3:10(Not happy as a child anymore because my target was not to get more than 9 goals in a single match) But no time to be afraid because the german battle is the next game. That means who lost gets the SSS(shamie stranger shirt).

Match against Thorsten:
Maybe because Thorsten knows I hate Uli P. plays falcon and always steal my points with it, he surprises me with this tactic. What he didn´t know I practice days ago with falcon-Ule to be armed against John. So the surprise was on my side a 5:0! Less talk more kickoff. But I could write sides of mockery songs, you will hear them now every time we meet.

The next matches against Flavio, Simone and Alessandro Gu were really close matches(2:1,3:1,2:1) and I recognize Italians make one goal out two shots. They have the killer instinct which missing me(two goals out of 20 shots is to less for international standard) Happy I could handle a hand full victories i´m sad didn´t take a picture from the standing(place 4 after round 5) Now the time of victories was over and I should have taken a flight back to germany at this time.
When I remember the next game I wake up in night and shout out”No more lobs please” OMG thank you only a nightmare

The match against Sandro was a daydream:
It was the last match where I shouted out my feelings loud after this I got quieter and quieter and began to hate some kickoff-moves.4:6 could be a good result.

After Sandro I met the next Italian, I know from german champs, at the tables: Alessandro V.
It was my last really close match that I lost(2:3) Thank you for the first half time, but please relax also second half next time.

The next game is against Alessandro”Captain Kirk”C. This guy has the biggest joystick board I ever seen. It is so big it could fly me back to germany. Diverted from this I gave him his first point(1:1)

The next game is so horrible that I can´t remember the 3 matches after(Luigi 3:7(when did I 3 goals?),Luca 0:6 (Sorry Freddy B. for your ranking points, Luca is only one place in front of you but miles away from us on the field) and Marco 0:6)

The master of horror was of course Gianni: Why I had ask him at the german champs for a training lesson. A big mistake yesterday and a new training lesson today. He fucks(ehm shots) my brain totally out. I remember he headed out my kickoff lob at the german champs but what he shows me this time is unbelievable too. He speaks to me with his head turned left to my side don´t looking at the monitor but makes a goal as it is the easiest way to score. What´s next Gianni? Score a goal and put laughing your hands in the sky:”There is no joystick in my hands” He is really out of this world and I was it too after this and wasn´t able delight the other incredible tricks like aftertouch first left than right in one shot. My dream I told Oliver St., 2-9 against Gianni, was over.(0:11) Shit happens! I beat Thorsten but he gets my dream(3:8 well done)

It was time to cry:. Tired,hungry and slaughtered I wait for my end.

But John don´t want to let me die before he get his 3 points. With his very nice chip-run-head trick I covered in 2 minutes two goals before my defence answered and only lost 0:4. Thank you for the nice words of my middle defender and middlefield. Hope next time we meet you need bad words for my attackers.

Not a lot to say from the next match against Robert:
I can´t avoid the polar bear and he shit in my goal(1:7)

I have no more power but two games left. Stay awake, c´mon volker I said to me but I not hear myself.

Maurizio wins 1:5.(Congratulations to the best long haired in this tournament)

The last match against Angelo is very important because we have equal points in the standing.
I started good with a goal but at the end he wins 1:3(Congratulations for winning the fun cup)

The tournament is over for me, my smile on the face returns, and I enjoyed to talk to Angelo with hands and feet for a long time without somebody wants to play Kickoff against me. We are both finished, broke up sometimes the sentence because don´t know where we are and decide to adjourn the revenge for 2010.

I don´t take my joystick again for a friendly.

After telling Thorsten please let us stay only 15 minutes longer the tournament ends with medals for all.


Time to say good bye and Thorsten and I speak the whole way back only about this fantastic day.( I was so queery, I speak to Thorsten half sentence English, shut up and other half in german)

Pissed off that I eat bad fast food in germany instead of good pizza in Milan, I smoke some cigarettes and pass the day in review before I fall into Thorstens couch at 3 o´clock to sleep after 24 hours best time of my life. The night is short because the next tournament(IKOV Wiesbaden 2008) is in 8 hours but this is another story,


Summary:
- Thorsten and I are happy leaving Milan without the good old german tradition, a new T-shirt in our bag
- I need more English swear-words
- Thank you Gianni for hosting such a nice tournament and all the other Italians who helped to make this possible(Congratulations for winning without a defeat )
- Sorry to all people, feelings and things I have forgotten( send me 10 Euro and I will write a book, sorry when the English in it is not better)
- The fun I had with all this guys, money can´t buy


Ps:
Before you think this report is a fake because he is full of things I like, I found a dislike. The engraving of my medal shows more 2003 than 2008. Invite the man who does and I will beat him in the next year.

cu

[gdh82]

About the tournament, going around details, I can say that it was one of the hardest leagues that I’ve ever joined. So I was really happy about my performance, and besides this, I was really happy for all the players who had the chance to face other great players.

When Dr Pain says its one of the hardest leagues, you know you've been in the torture chamber!

Thank you all again! Who wrote, who read and who had the joy to attend this great tournament!

Well said Dr - I've really enjoyed just reading about the Italian Champs!

[gdh82]

Another great review, Volker!

So first I go back how it happens to play KO2 in Milan.
Last year I got my internet connection(yes, I know sometimes i´m out of date). What shall I google, coincidentally I looked up Kick off 2., and was surprised I found the german champs will held near by my home in two weeks. Immediately I enter and met the Italian guys Gianni, Sandro and Alessandro,.who made the german champs to a nice international tournament. I stood and stare as I saw Gianni playing firsttime(never dreamt about it´s possible to do such things with this game) and learned that you can trap the ball and there are other ways you can use after a goal as the kickoff lob. Happy as a child I return home and tell some mates how funny it was.

Exactly the same for me too - after attending my first two tourneys - UKC '06 and WC'06. The KOA opened my KO2 doors of perception!!!

[Torchiador]

Great review indeed, Volker!

he shows me this time is unbelievable too. He speaks to me with his head turned left to my side don´t looking at the monitor but makes a goal as it is the easiest way to score.

That was Dr. Pain indeed...

What´s next Gianni? Score a goal and put laughing your hands in the sky:”There is no joystick in my hands”

mmm.... interesting...

Now a short comment for the standing ot this "No sleep till Milano" tournament.

1 Gianni T : Close to the perfect tournament but Luigi wasted his plans with the draw.Also Robert tried to waste the plan but... Best attack and best defence.
2 Luigi F : He is back, second position and second best attack. Some problems in defence with his 433 but he can win against anyone else. Will he attend his second world cup?
3 Panayotis P: 3rd position 3rd attack and 4th defence just behind the master of their discipline. Milan as practice pitch for Athens? No guys, he laid down his low in Milan, lining many KO2 top guys.
4 Luca F: Real revelation of the tournament, 3rd best Italian 2008 without sleeping a single hour in the night, a new star is born in KOA. Solid 532 defence, he just need a bit of practice to widen his knowledge in attack. He could be the wild weasel of Athens '08
5 Marco D: a pair of friends of his wasted his plan of reaching the best defence. Out of practice he lack of attack skills. Although this one, he had a good performance.
6 John H: Another one threat in Athens. Organizers, pay attention for the seeding! I bet that he will reach the quarter final. at the very least.
7 Sandro T: Another one "no sleep till Milano" or better, "no sleep in Milano" guy, but he didn't for travel reasons... He paied with a poor performance. He needs a retreat before the tournament!
8 Robert S: Probably he has started to think that 20 seconds to go are an age in KO2, at least in his last two tournaments. Pay attention in Sweden this time!
9 Alessandro V: 9 W and 7 L are good but not enough for him. he has got a sort of competition's syndrome and he always perform less than the Alessandro who I know. I'd like to see the real Alessandro's skills al least one time in a wolrd cup. It will be Athens?
10 Maurizio L: Maurizio touched Heaven in the game with Panayotis, his highest moment in his Kick Off life and I've never seen him so much happy! than he made his honest performance 8W and 8L +60 -62, Maurizio è perfetto.
11 Angelo S: Completely out of practice for two years he managed 5 victory and one draw. and he had a burning battle with Robert. Glad to see him in the fight again!
12 Volker B: He loves this game and in about 7 months he improved his skills. unforgettable his victory in THE derby against his arcirival Thorsten! more than a match, it was a war!
13 Flavio Z: Another one who improved his skills, he is better than Roma'07 and he had some good performance in the week end, I recorded one goal of his, I'll show you soon!
14 Thorsten B: I love him. I can't hide myself. He burns in competitions, his propellent is beers, lots of beers. He managed to finish over 3 free italian. once and for all he has definitively abandoned to wear the shirt that he found in Cologne!
15 Alessandro Gu: He finished over his old friend Simone and for him it was a success! Of course he lacks of KO2 skills and he couldn't practice so he couldn't improve himself. Sure that with practice, he might have very good results.
16 Simone C: 101 goals in the red column in not good... but he have the great chance to improve himself thanks to his friend Alessandro who lives close to him and btw both of them live not so far from KOH, which is open for practice.
17 Alessandro C 9 goals scored are very few but he hadn't the worst defence in tournament. he can start from this. Also him has got the good opportunuty for practice with his friend Flavio, sure to see him improved the next time.

[Rodolfo]

It seems that eveyone is very happy after this last italian gathering. The Milan boys have shown once more how good are they organizing tournaments. I hope that I can get to one of these sometime.

Congratulations to the great champion, Gianni, and to all others for keeping on playing.

[Panayotis7]

8 Robert S: Probably he has started to think that 20 seconds to go are an age in KO2, at least in his last two tournaments.

ain't that the truth! robert's perception of time has probably severely changed after his last two tourneys... i bet now 1 sec feels like 1 hour to him!

[Semtex]

Congrats to all, especially Gianni. Another fantastic performance.
Sounds like everyone had fun. Hope it didn't rain all day..
Will this year be Gianni's world cup year?