+- Simulation Soccer League (https://forum.simulationsoccer.com)
+-- Forum: Player Development (https://forum.simulationsoccer.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=5)
+--- Forum: Capped Point Tasks (https://forum.simulationsoccer.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=23)
+---- Forum: Articles (https://forum.simulationsoccer.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=46)
+---- Thread: Blaise's Bookshelf - Vol 3 (/showthread.php?tid=9508)
Blaise's Bookshelf - Vol 3 - McTruffles - 2026-05-03
The Dinner by Herman Koch
The past week in the Simulation Soccer League felt like a long and uncomfortable dinner. We started with a tasty appetizer when we beat Atlético 6-3. Everything tasted great, and the atmosphere was peak. But then came the bitter main course. A 2-0 loss to Stockholm, followed by a lukewarm dessert in our 2-2 draw against Victoria Falls. As our results fluctuated, I was reading The Dinner by Herman Koch.
The book takes place over a single evening at a chic restaurant where, beneath the polite conversation, something dark is simmering. Koch describes the hypocrisy of civilized people who hide their true natures to protect their status. As I sat in the locker room this week, I felt that same tension. I don't just see myself as another player. I see myself as the reembodiment of the legend who stands in bronze outside the Grolsch Veste. I am here to lead, to be the "General and Official Representative for Belgium and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg" of this squad, and to show these younger players what it means to be a professional.
But leadership has a price. When we were winning, my pace and kilometers run were enough to command respect. Now that we’ve slowed down, the silence in the room feels heavier. In The Dinner, the characters struggle to maintain their masks as the night goes on. I feel that same struggle. How can I demand perfection from the boys when I only have one goal in seven matchdays? It is easy to lead when the wine is flowing and the goals are coming, but as the results turn bland, you begin to wonder if the team will break.
I recognize myself in the narrator, Paul Lohman. I see the cracks forming in our team dynamic after dropping points. We are still near the top, but the bill for our lack of finishing is coming due. In Koch’s book, you cannot ignore the truth forever with small talk. The truth for me is that a legend without goals is just a ghost in a locker room.
Rating: 4/5 Next Week: TBD