Vulgar Vikings in the Final

A few questions for Joakim Englund, manager of the football team Vulgar Vikings. Where and when is the Final going to be played? - On hattrick.org, an online football manager game with 900 000 active users. It´s free to join and build your own team to compete with. My team is in the English Cup where more than 16 000 teams are playing. The Final is tomorrow (Tuesday 8th) at 21:00 (GMT+1). We are very excited about it. With "we", you mean you and the virtual players? - Yes, but to me they are very life-like. How did you get to the finals? - I've been studying the algorithms of the game. What parameters control who gets the most goal opportunities, the best defence or how leadership affects the players. In the long run, it is important to have a good economy, earn money and make your club profitable. About six months ago, I felt like trying something new in the game and sold off my entire team. They were mostly young talents and were worth quite a lot.

With that I bought old but great players, like Henrik Larssons, that won´t last very long but can perform great in the short run. The team became really strong and has taken me to the Final. But I doubt it will still be standing in a few seasons. How will you prepare for the Final? - I have to configure the team, decide on formations and other parameters. My opponent will probably buy new strong players, and I must follow to have a chance. Being a virtual football manager takes time, I am spending around 15 hours per week on this, and it reflects your chances to succeed. My family knows I've reached a high level in the game, and have shown understanding. The best of luck to you! - Thank you. When its over I will enjoy some time off. In his real life, Joakim works as a statistician in clinical research. He is also a long time friend and co-singer of mine. Update: Vulgar Vikings have won the Cup by 3-0! Congratulations!