Article by Richard "Dr. Gonzo" Lewis, Senior Writer, TheCGS.com



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LONDON, United Kingdom -- If you could rewind to the point that was the making not only of this franchise but of the General Manager behind it to boot it would be somewhere in the draft. Of course, the significance of each selection takes on a different perspective or level of importance depending on what game you play and follow. One thing is for certain, Jonas “BSL” Alsaker Vikan was not afraid of upsetting the neutrals and those laying down odds when it came to his selection.

He went with his gut feelings at every turn, a decision that left him open to the ire of keyboard warriors all across the world. How great it must be for him that he ultimately had the last laugh with a narrow and hard fought victory over the hotly favored Stockholm Magnetik. But Jonas is not the kind of guy to do smug and right now gloating is the furthest thing from his mind.

So what exactly was his selection masterstroke? Some would argue that it was the surprise choice of taking the CS:S team from NoA, the organization with which BSL had historical ties, over the team that was supposed to be the one both GMs were fighting over, fnatic.

There was a grimace visible on his face as he jotted down something on his scrap of paper then furiously scribbled it out again as the time he had to make his selection ran out. In the end the choice he made caused the loudest cheers of the day, not just from the selected team but from the Swedish press who saw having two of their native teams drafted as a huge testament to their national caliber, as well as some boos. This selection qualifies as a masterstroke for the simple reason that it was this very team, that had been written off as a bad choice for the franchise, went on to beat the supposed superior opposition when Stockholm and Berlin went head to head and won the event for Berlin.

Others might look at the decision to pick up Rudolf “THE_TACTICAL” Fischer as the captain for Berlin as the factor that pushed the team on to victory. In almost all of the communications that Rudolf had with the press he spoke of his great pride at being the German captain for the German team. For him, it equated to representing his country and not just the team that was going to pay his wages. This gave him that extra hunger and desire to perform and he was very vocal with his compatriots in trying to get them to share in these feelings.

Anyone who looked at the two teams as the contest unfolded could be in no doubt who was the most together -- the sporadic chants of “Berlin! Berlin!” coming from the players not involved was a stark contrast to the stoic silence and meditative state employed by their rivals. As with all sports every manager needs a captain that can assist in transferring his beliefs and methods over to the rest of the squad and this is exactly what we saw happen in Birmingham.

Perhaps many would also point to the inclusion of Rostyslav “Manyna” Nedoviz in the roster, the twin brother of the far more well known and respected Volodymyr “Chud1kFCB” Nedoviz as his FIFA player. People were baffled by this, yet once again when it came to the crunch his choice did him proud managing to beat the European number one player in a penalty shootout that is possibly one of the best arguments for “twin telepathy” I have ever seen. This was easily one of the shocks of the event something that still beggars belief even now.

"It was a great feeling to win the European Championship" I was told by Rudolf "THE_TACTICAL" Fischer, "It was that we worked the first time so well in the team together. Its great to be the first European Champions in the history of cgs. I really want to play in the World Final, I just can’t wait to see all the teams and to play on live TV. I'm looking forward to the event.”

The team spirit was evident from the sentiments of Erno "Finpro" Kuronen.

"Winning the EU championship was something amazing. Even the loss in PGR3 wiped out of my mind when the other guys and girls performed so well by defeating Stockholm Magnetik. Roll on the World Final," said Kuronen.

Jonas is always good value, much more the media darling than his silent and brooding European counterpart Emil “Heaton” Christensen. Having been a journalist himself he knows all too well the mechanics of the media and every time we have spoken he always presents the kind of answers that keep you guessing as well as interested. It was to be no different when we spoke about the upcoming World Final when we discussed his expectations.

“I expect ten people to give their best performance when it matters the most,” he explained. “When the lights are on, regardless of if the crowd is cheering for or against them. I expect them to carry themselves in a manner that the people that follow and support them can relate to and be proud of. I expect them to stand by each other in a manner that will make me proud. These are not easy things to do but this is what I expect them to do in this tournament.”

The focus of Berlin is very much on team work and as I probed to find out who he thought as a team or player held the key to success he would not be coaxed into naming any individuals or giving out the label of “star” player.

“A star is someone who can stand out when he or she has to. My players are being told that they all will need the confidence and conviction to do this at times to be successful,” noted Vikan.

One of the things people did wonder about would be what Jonas could give to his players in terms of gaming knowledge and experience. It was perhaps felt that being reasonably quiet and modest about his gaming achievements that he would not be able to provide the players with the kind of skillset they needed to succeed as a more “household” name could. Yet he offers a simple appraisal of what he has given over to his squad.

“Livia knows how to pronounce ‘Södertälje’ in Swedish. Erno and Phil are now aware that we play with collisions on. Rudolf is lifting weights and Rosty is still smiling regardless of situation and context. David is working on his swimming skills, Robin has a girl that he likes a lot, Ted is contemplating watching Baywatch re-runs, Nordqvist missed one AWP shot recently and Joacim usually joins Rosty in smiling. They are all Berliners and ready to take the stage. In all seriousness I did a lot of things to prepare them for this, but nothing I’d want to reveal right now. I believe they are ready for what they will face. They will have to feed off their finest personal qualities to be up to the task though, and this is something you either have right off the bat, have to learn or can not learn. I will be a foot away from them to support their efforts in any of these events. The one message I’ve tried to convey is to not fear what they will come up against.”

Jonas was typically both eloquent and amusing as I asked if he had any fear himself.

“I fear that geo-political issues we are dealing with will escalate beyond the thin red line that separates reason from insanity. I do fear global warming and the consequences it may have for the children I someday hope to have. This is a computer and videogame tournament with 12 teams, 120 players and 12 managers that I respect but fear does not apply to this context.”

The squad will be looking to the future feeling very confident indeed. BSL understands that behavior breeds behavior and that confidence is infectious. The fact that he genuinely believes that his side will triumph makes the projection of such emotions easy, no chance that an elaborate facade will crack in the face of reality and the pressure it brings. You feel that even if the worst were to happen, he is the kind of manager that would be philosophical and look to the future even in the darkest hour of defeat.

Going back to that magical moment when Berlin lifted the European trophy it would have been all too easy for Jonas to gloat and to stick some metaphorical -- of course -- fingers up at the people who had said that he didn’t know what he was doing. This is not his style, nor the style of any of the players he recruited. Instead on the front page of their website there was a picture of the jubilant team with a simple caption: “No words, only smiles”. The belief in the camp right now is that the actions of Berlin will speak louder than any words ever could at the World Final.

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EDITOR'S NOTE: This article was submitted for publication prior to the World Final.

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RELATED: Complete World Final Coverage



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