I feel like I haven't been playing very well recently and I've been trying to figure out what's causing it. I seem to have lost something from my game somewhere ... maybe it's partly because I haven't had a lot of time to play recently and I've been a bit pre-occupied with stuff going on in RL. Maybe I'm over-analysing and trying to be too clever, but forgetting some of the basics. I seem to have lost some confidence and I feel a bit more uncertain tactically and strategically than I used to be.

Playing badly is probably the thing that frustrates me the most. I'm ok with getting some bad dice once in a while or having a couple of good players RIPed, but what really annoys me is when I make silly mistakes and when I know I'm not playing as well as I can do.

Maybe some of it is bad dice, but I can't put it all down to that. I feel like I've not been concentrating properly in-game, and I know I've been making mistakes. Often I can see it after the game, but I'm not spotting it while I'm playing.

So, I've analysed my game a bit and I've made this watch list of the main things I think I need to bear in mind while I'm playing:

1. Be more patient, on both offense and defense - I think quite a bit of impatience has crept in to my defensive game-style recently, perhaps as a consequence of playing a lot with skaven. Sometimes I'm aggressive to the point of recklessness and I often throw all my eggs in one basket in all-or-nothing gambits to try to get the ball before my opponent can secure it in a cage.

2. Protect the ball when i have it - basic and there's really no excuse for getting this one wrong. Must be thinking about this at all times and it should be the first concern whenever I have the ball. It's ok to move the ball backwards if I'm under pressure, and sometimes it's better to hold a position, protect the ball and consolidate, rather than trying to move it forward without adequate protection.

3. Don't be afraid to make the odd 3+ roll, especially if I have rerolls to spare - been getting into the habit of twisting myself in knots to try to avoid 3+ rolls at all costs, even if I have a reroll. I think this has led me to become overly conservative, especially on offense, as I attempt to minimise my risk. Sometimes I shy away from totally viable (and sometimes maybe even optimal) plays because I don't want to trust to the 3+.

4. Have a plan - of "how I'm going to score this TD" and "how I'm going to win this game". A bad plan is better than no plan.

5. Have fun - winning isn't everything. Sometimes just settle for the draw. Against a good opponent there's no shame in getting a draw. Have a look at the w/d/l ratio for my [B ]ox skaven team and you can see how all-or-nothing my game plan tends to be.

Well, getting this off my chest and focusing on the above points when I play might help a bit. It would probably also help if I spectate more games and maybe even spectate some of my old games to try to see what I was doing differently before.

I'm currently playing pretty much exclusively with my rats in [B ] and underworld in the WIL. Hope to see you on the pitch!

Jelly :)