Having not long been back in Middenheim after visting the Patriots in Lyonesse it is, with trepidation, that your correspondent sets off once again to more familiar (and enemy) territory.
As a general rule of thumb, Middenheimers don’t fare well when they travel south to Broekwater.
But, this time, it may well be different…
As we arrive at the High Tide stadium, it is strange to see something so familiar, but yet different.
There is the sounds of a team hard at practice, the bustle of a stadium in use and no longer abandoned, but the colours and iconography do not necessarily match the memory.
It would be disconcernting, if it was not for being met by an old DLE favourite on arrival.
Coach Arcayn and his assistants could not make more of a fuss if Karl-Franz himself had arrived. A generous (as to be expected) spread awaits us and after sampling to our fill, your correspondent sits down with the Coach to catch up.
Die Fauschlag Nachrichten: Coach Arcayn, its with pleasure that Blitz! welcomes you back to the league, how does it feel both to be back in the league generally, and to be in the SHC now, being a previous KFC alumni?
DFN: What prompted the move to Broekwater? Surely the sun, sea and sand is better in Estalia then the Wasteland!
DFN: Have ownership set you any targets for S14?
DFN: How do you feel your SoS has gone to start the season what do you make of your rivals start in the SHC?
Coach A: SoS went pretty well. I would have liked 5 or 6 Points, but I believe 4 is a success. And to be +10 in the CAS category makes for a solid beginning
I think both my division rivals in the South and the main threats in the SHC are all about where I would expect them after SoS. Vikes, Manticores, Legion at the Top of the Conference. My division is going to be a dogfight, but currently is almost exactly where I’d expect them to be.
DFN: What has surprised you most about the DLE on your return?
Coach A: For me the biggest surprise in the DLE is that the Vikings have not won a Superbowl and that they have only reached 1. As for the league itself, I find it amazing that through all the change to both the game itself, the admin of the league, and the coaching turnover, a league of 32 franchises has continued to run so smoothly. Thanks to you and so many others for that.
DFN: The bruisers have a solid, if not spectacular history, how do you plan to add your name into that legacy?
Coach A: I hope that I can be more successful this go around in the DLE. My coaching history here is far less than spectacular. If it wasn’t for being one of the founders of the league, being the Enforcer in those important fledgling seasons, and being a vocal presence, I would probably not be regarded as highly as I am in the DLE. I hope this go around I will be able to take this strong roster I have built and play it up to it’s potential against these other world-class coaches in the DLE. If I can do that, I believe the writers of the history books in some years from now, will be kind about the legacy I leave here.
Your correspondent wants (for a change) to spend longer in Broekwater and he puts that down to the bonhomie of Coach Arcayn, but Coach has work to attend to.
Remas wasn’t built in a day and there is a still a long road ahead for the Bruisers. For sure the ghosts at the High Tide will not be satisfied until the name of Broekwater is back on top, and Coach A is off to a very encouraging start.