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Interview with Troeter (U-21 Headcoach)

Written by LA-Sor3na

Because of our solid performance during season 36 of the Europe Cup and our qualification for the World Cup (U-21), I thought it would be fitting to get to know the man behind this success a little bit better.

So here it is, eleven question answered by our U-21 coach, Troeter (1386297)

I would also like to thank him for spending the time to answer the questions and hopefully, you all can enjoy them as much as I did.

1-Who is the guy behind Troeter account? Please introduce yourself to the fans.

My name is Frank Oudhuis, a Dutch guy, 50 years old. I am married with Norma from Mexico, together we have two boys, Jack and Leo (Hence the name of my HTAL-team) of 6 and 8 years). We live in Amersfoort, The Netherlands.

2-How did you find Hattrick?

I am not sure. I stated playing Hattrick in June 2004, it is too long ago for me to remember.

3-What has motivated you to play Hattrick for almost 20 years? And what aspects of the game do you enjoy the most?

In the past I have played games which required that you have to be online on certain times. I hate that games enforce you to go online (or otherwise you lose or get beaten), even when it is not convenient to you due to work or private life. The pace of Hattrick is very nice, you have all week to plan the things you need to do.
And the fact I play HT now almost 20 years: When I was less interested I kept my team alive, because I could not stand to lose the work I had put in my team.

In around 2019/2020 I regained interest in HT, I believe also because of the (small) changes they made in HT and since then I am more fanatic then ever with HT.

4-Talk to us about your teams, where the name comes from, and your goals for your teams' future.

Well, ‘troeter’ is the nick name for people from Monnickendam, a small village between Amsterdam and Volendam. I was born there and hence my name and teamname. My HTAL-team has been named after my two sons.

5-Why did you choose Northern Ireland for your second and national team activities?

Since 2004 I am member of the federation OLDER (4575). This is an very active federation with amongst others real life meetings. Over the years I have made several friends there. One of the federation member is Milsbeek (62819) who is always bragging about having finished HT because in a very very very distant past he has won the Dutch Premier League and the Dutch Cup. This lead to the idea of a competition of which manager can win a foreign Premier league the fastest. Around 10/12 managers are participating in this competition and at that time we decided to take a shot in Northern-Ireland. Main reasons where: being able to speak the language, the match times and sufficient places available for new teams. Hence the little Dutch invasion in December 2021 in Northern Ireland.

When I started I had no intention to do something in NT or U21, but throughout the process I noticed there was no communication around the U21 (very different compared to The Netherlands). I asked a few times something on the forum and when the term of the former coach was about to end I got enthusiastic about the idea of running for office.

6-Talk to us about the qualification for the World Cup and your plans for the next WC.

Having the experience of the last term and already knowing the prospects made it easier for me to start the preparations for the CC. We had a good start and probably some luck as well which let to us ending up on place 3 in the ranking.

I am very much looking forward to the WC, I believe we have a very nice lists of prospects, with plenty of players to choose from. The last term selection was easier (less players too choose from). An example: Last time there was just 1 GK ahead of the rest. Now I have around 8 Goalkeepers to choose from!
Our goal: to reach at least round 3 of the WC, since last time round 2 was where we stranded.

7-What are the positive features of the NI community and national teams, and what aspects need more work to improve?

The NI-community is quite small. Therefore there are not too many people who participate in the preparations of the matches. And that’s fine, we have nice discussions about options. More people are always welcome to participate, but it is no obligation. HT is a game and you play it for your diversion. What I like are the short messages I get form coaches saying ‘nice job’ or things like that. That is also what I am doing it for.

8-If you could summarize shortly, what would be your top pieces of advice to the newer Hattrick coaches?

Take your time to get to know the game. Read the manual. Twice. And again. It will take time to get acquainted with all the aspects of the game. I remember I myself made a print of the entire manual when I started.

9-What is your definition of "success" in HT?

That you yourself enjoy what you are doing, no matter what level you are on. Because it is impossible that every manager in HT will reach the Premier League.

10-Now, for some funny questions, what superpower would you choose for yourself?

I think I would like to be able to fly.

11-What would they be if you could only read one book and watch only one movie for the rest of your life?

Book: One of the books about Jack Reacher, written by Lee Child

Movie: I have seen Shawshank Redemption too much, so I think I go for Notting Hill. I never get bored with that one.