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+---- Thread: *Alikh retires as LON GM (/showthread.php?tid=46388)
*Alikh retires as LON GM - Alikh - 07-19-2023
Tl;dr I retire. @Tylertokesome04 is GM
Wow. Its somehow been a year IRL since I took the reins at London. S37 back in mid August 2022 was my first draft as GM, so with the S43 DSFL draft starting up in July 29th, it really has been as close to a full calendar year as you could get within the framework of the league schedule. Twelve months. Six DSFL seasons. I’m both relieved and sad that its come to its conclusion. In that light, I thought I’d sit down and write out some musings over my time as a GM, and let this post stand as my retirement announcement.
I’ll be honest, I didn’t really know what I was getting into when @Sebster hooked me into replacing him the season after my rookie year. I imagine this is the experience of many new GMs, and it was certainly mine. If I recall correctly, I was told GMing took about a half hour a week. While I had a feeling that wasn’t true, little did I know how much of my life GMing London would suck up (mostly in a good way, honestly). I had done a little sim testing. I had done a little scouting. I had an understanding that London had a culture, a vibe, if you will, that it would be my job to carry forth. Theoretically I did shadow @Sebster and @Gordon Bombay for a season, but I’ll be honest, I didn’t really do anything in that time. So when season 37 came around and Seb handed me the keys and ran off laughing, It was real. I had to actually do this job now.
Over my seasons as the GM of London I’ve definitely had my ups and downs, (we will get to the downs later), but I hope there are at least a few things that people agree went well during my tenure. My goal, all six seasons, first and foremost was to keep London London. We are blessed in our locker room to have a very healthy number of active alumni and former GMs who are still around to help keep a shared team history and culture going. I tried to do my part in keeping up the infamous Royal’s draft notes, trying to keep my own s36 class around even after our callups to the ISFL (looking at you @Twenty6 and @Reedy0rNot) , and in turn I will certainly stay around now that the crown has been passed. In terms of “new” things brought to London the one thing I am particularly proud of during my tenure is the Royal Charitable Foundation. Outside of the league charity, we ran this program over 3 seasons, and raised a total of $716. But like all things Royals, even this wasn’t a one person success. I deigned to only put myself on the hook for donations, but voluntary pledges rolled in and the money quickly piled up. Whether that charity program lives on beyond me I have no idea, but its more than likely I may pop up every few seasons in London to restart it myself.
But not everything during my GM tenure was as great as it could have been. I’ll be the first to admit- my biggest weakness as a GM was actually the football stuff. I learned to sim, I know how to sim, I wrote a sim guide (Mad Props), but I…. don’t like simming. Somehow I’ve been lucky enough my entire career to have people like @Twenty6 around who are passionate about builds, strategies, sim testing, and the like. This is my biggest blind spot as a GM, as odd as that seems. There were seasons early/mid in my GM career pre contraction talk, where the London locker room was bot heavy, and quieter than usual. We could have probably had slightly better seasons in those years if I had been more active in game planning and doing more than a few sims a season. I expect this ebb and flow is fairly regular across all teams in the league, but in hindsight I wish I had “tried harder”, for lack of a better term, during those early seasons. But the locker room was still fun, and users seemed to still enjoy themselves, so there was still that.
As has been the greater theme of all these musings, no success of London’s or my tenure as GM was due to a single person. And in that light there are a number of people I need to thank for making my time as GM as fun as it was. In no particular order:
@Gordon Bombay My fellow London GM for most of my tenure here, you’re the one who actually taught me how to GM after Seb brought me in with honeyed words and gross oversimplifications. We slapped together DCs in weeks we forgot, argued with other GMs, got a fine together, all the things that mark a great GM duo. I barely knew you when I first came on as GM, but now count you amongst my best friends in the league.
@Sebster The first non multi to DM me once I joined the league and the one who brought me to London not once, but twice between waivers and the draft. I tried to model a lot of how I GMed the team after your example my first season and a half in the DSFL.
@Twenty6 This section could become its own media piece, honestly. For the sake of the reader’s time (and eyes), I will limit the breadth of the 26/Alikh bromance here. For all your disdain for the idea of GMing, you are a face of London whether you like it or not, and an expert to both the rookies and the war room alike. Suffice to say the last six seasons would have turned out very differently in the index without you.
@DeadlyPlayer The former GM who wasn’t a contemporary like Seb or Gordo who I’ve talked to the most. War room talk, game night voice chat, and just random discord DMs, you really helped solidify in my eyes how consistent the leadership and culture of London has been passed down GM to GM without breaking. I took a lot of this to heart when league contraction was briefly put into effect a few seasons ago and from a GM point of view Gordo and I didn’t know if London was on the chopping block or not.
@"LeSizz" After a few quiet seasons and limited recruitment classes, you jumped into the locker room at exactly the right time to help reinvigorate our team, our rookies, and myself as GM. A few weeks in we already had our eyes on you for leadership. You jumped right into GMing with me and its been a great time running the team beside you for the last few seasons.
@Tylertokesome04 Welcome to the party! Like Sizz, you instantly caught my attention as a future leader of London. With every action like team captaincy, war room participation, simming, scouting, I kept dropping a line in our GM chat. They knew you’d be the one to replace me. The energy you bring to team (and league as a whole) is amazing, and I couldn’t have asked for a better replacement. London is in great hands with both you and Sizz.
And that’s it. Now I go on to a better place (more free time?) and leave London in the hands of the next generation.
BANG BANG LION GANG
RE: Alikh retires as LON GM - Twenty6 - 07-19-2023
Alikh the goat and my forever twin!!!! You did a great job, man. @Tylertokesome04 has some big shoes to fill!
RE: Alikh retires as LON GM - Tylertokesome04 - 07-19-2023
I'm not crying, you're crying...
RE: Alikh retires as LON GM - slate - 07-19-2023
There are a lot of great London GMs but you seriously have a case for being the GOAT IMO. Fantastic work, Alikh - enjoy your retirement. #bangbangliongang
RE: Alikh retires as LON GM - UberBJ - 07-19-2023
No.
RE: Alikh retires as LON GM - Sebster - 07-19-2023
I'm still laughing btw
RE: Alikh retires as LON GM - unconfident - 07-19-2023
Rip goat
RE: Alikh retires as LON GM - WrittinDirectino - 07-19-2023
Enjoy your retirement!!! Thanks for making London an awesome experience. #bangbangliongang
RE: Alikh retires as LON GM - lordcoolcats - 07-19-2023
RIP Bozo