[FM11]Deltablue Rising II: Delta's Darlings.

[deltablue]

Nations (all leagues unless specified): Austria, Belgium. Belarus, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Rep, Denmark, England, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy (Except C2), Holland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Scotland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden (except 2nd Div), Switzerland, Turkey (except 2nd Div), Ukraine, Serbia.

With technical difficulties plaguing my time on FM 12, I decided to have another go on FM11, already fully patched when I reinstalled it. The game will be similar to my other one, starting at a small club with Sunday League rep, this time in the Slovenian Second Division, however there will be a few minor differences.

Firstly without there being a desperate CL quest, I’ll be rather more patient, not looking to change clubs as much, with a ‘stay until convinced otherwise’ attitude, as well as waiting for actual offers this time, not simply resigning when I was linked to somewhere I liked and apply, which I must admit I did last time.

I can more freely resign at the end of a season, though probably won’t, and will try and avoid mid-season resignations.

I won’t be in the same nation twice in a row, or be at arch-rivals of previous clubs (though that’ll be a common sense thing applied to ones I know about or experience rather than a blanket rule, having to keep looking up rivals to avoid it).

I’ll be trying to win as many different things as possible, though winning a title and resigning afterwards doesn’t become me so it’s not a true ‘title collecting’ challenge, though nations with unwon titles will have priority once I start grabbing a few.

Oh yes, and to give myself an extra test, I can’t sign anyone over the age of 20 (it wasn’t easy deciding the exact age), though that’ll apply to when I make the offer, so I don’t have to keep checking dates, especially when approaching players with 6 months to go on their contracts. However I can keep existing players for as long as I like. At a lot of clubs, it’s the young players that happen to flood my player search, so I’m used to getting a lot of young players in, making this a logical extension of my fondness for grabbing potential when I see a lot of it around.

My MTK side was a good example of my putting together a promising young side, when I had the chance and it really working out, with a few similar examples in my FM experiences which I want to recreate, though when I’ve been already in the thick of it, like Dortmund more senior players kept the youngsters on the sidelines or out the door a lot more, so it’s not always been pursued, well now it will.

Norway’s going to be a massive problem for one thing ever since players stopped being considered ‘homegrown’ on generation, and having been there a lot on 10 and 11 I know that a limit of 11 non-homegrown players has ironically always been a bit of a block with giving youth a chance, might avoid there but we’ll see.

Oh and the title? ‘Delta’s Darlings’ was the name a friend applied to my AIK side on FM10 as I had one of my occasional ‘grab a load of talented youngsters over a couple of years’ phases, plus quite a few good players from the youth setup, giving me an almost entirely teen squad.

Hope you guys enjoy this one.

[deltablue]

spoiler:

 
2010-11, Krsko, Second League, 9th. Left in May.
2012, Hogaborg, Div 1 South, 14th, left in July.
2013, Frigg, Div 2 Group 1, 8th.
2014, Frigg, Div 2, Group 1, 5th.
2015, Frigg, Div 2, Group 1, 6th.
2016, Frigg, Div 2, Group 1, 4th, left at end of contract.
2017-18, Sportist Svoge, B Group, 4th, promoted.
2018-19, Sportist Svoge, A Group, 9th.
2019-20, Sportist Svoge, A Group, 8th.
2020-21, Sportist Svoge, A Group, 7th.
2021-22, Sportist Svoge, A Group, 5th.
2022-23, Sportist Svoge, A Group. 7th, resigned at end of season.
2023, BATE Borisov, Highest League, 10th, arrived 5 games left.
2024, BATE Borisov, Highest League, 9th.
2025, BATE Borisov, Highest League, 2nd. Cup winners!
2026, BATE Borisov, Highest League, 4th.
2027, BATE Borisov, Highest League, 2nd, resigned at end of season.
2028-29, Coventry City, Championship, 19th, Sacked in Dec.
2029-30, Ferrol, Second Div B, 13th, arrived in Feb.
2030-31, Ferrol, Second Div B, 15th, sacked in Jan.
2030-31, Brighton, League 1, 3rd, lost in playoff final, arrived in Jan.
2031-32, Brighton, League 1, 10th, sacked in March.
2033-34, Michalovce, First Division, 6th, Cup finalists.
2034-35, Michalovce, First Division, 4th, Cup winners.
2035-36, Michalovce, First Division, 2nd, Cup finalists.
2036-37, Michalovce, First Division, 1st, Champions!
2037-38, Michalovce, First Division, 3rd, Cup winners.
2038-39, Milan, Serie A, 7th.
2039-40, Milan, Serie A, 7th.
2040-41, Milan, Serie A, 5th.
2041-42, Milan, Serie A, 4th.
2042-43, Milan, Serie A, 2nd. CL and cup winners!
2043-44, Milan, Serie A, 2nd, ESC and CWC winners.
2044-45, Milan, Serie A, 1st, Domestic Double!
2045-46, Milan, Serie A, 1st, Quadruple!
2046-47, Milan, Serie A, 1st, Quintuple!
2047-48, Milan, Serie A, 1st, CWC winners.
2048-49, Milan, Serie A, 1st, Quadruple!
2049-50, Milan, Serie A, 1st, CL, CWC and ESC winners!
2050-51, Milan, Serie A, 1st, Domestic Double!
2052-53, Dunfermline, Div 3, 10th, bottom!
2053-54, Dunfermline, Div 3, 1st.
2054-55, Dunfermline, Div 2, 2nd, promoted!
2055-56, Dunfermline, Div 1, 5th.
2056-57, Dunfermline, Div 1, 4th, Challenge Cup and Scottish Cup winners!
2057-58, Dunfermline, Div 1, 6th.
2058-59, Betis, Division 1, 20th, sacked in March.
2059-60, AEK Athens, Superleague, 3rd, cup winners.
2060-61, AEK Athens, Supereague, 3rd.
2061-62, Milan, Serie A, 3rd.
2062-63, Milan, Serie A, 1st.
2063-64, Milan, Serie A, 1st, Domestic Treble!
2064-65, Milan, Serie A, 1st, League and CL double!
2065-66, Milan, Serie A, 2nd, CWC winners.
2066-67, Milan, Serie A, 1st, 4 out of 4!
2067-68, Milan, Serie A, 1st, domestic double!
2068-69, Milan, Serie A, 1st, domestic treble!
2069-70, Milan, Serie A, 1st, 4 out of 4!
2070-71, Dusseldorf, Second Division, 14th, left in Oct.
2070-71, Charlton, League 1, 18th, arrived in Nov.
2071-72, Charlton, League 1, 1st, promoted!
2072-73, Charlton, Championship, 13th.

Internationals
Ghana
Feb 2031- Feb 2039
ACN 2033 - Final
ACN 2035 - Final
ACN 2037 - Quarters
World Cup 2038 - Quarters
ACN 2039 - Winners.

Spain
Oct 2043- June 2046
Euro 2044 - 2nd Round
WC 2046 - 2nd Round.

Greece
Oct 2061-June 2064
Euro 64 - 1st round.

England
July 2064- July 2068
Confed 65 -3rd.
WC 2066 -Quarters
EC 2068 - Quarters

Trophy Cabinet
BATE
Belarusian Cup: 1 (2025)
Belarusian Super cup: 1 (2026)

Michalovce
Slovakian Cup: 2 (2035. 2038)
Slovakian Super Cup: 2 (2035, 2037)
Slovakian Title: 1 (2037)

Milan
Italian cup: 10 (2043, 2045, 2046, 2049, 2051, 2064, 2067, 2068, 2069, 2070)
Champions League: 8 (2043, 2046, 2047, 2049, 2050, 2065, 2067, 2070)
European Super Cup: 4 (2043, 2046, 2049, 2065)
CWC:6 (2043, 2046, 2047, 2049, 2050, 2065)
Serie A: 14 (2045, 2046, 2047, 2048, 2049, 2050, 2051, 2063, 2064, 2065, 2067, 2068, 2069, 2070)
Super Cup: 10 (2045, 2046, 2048, 2050, 2063, 2064, 2065, 2066, 2068. 2069)

Dunfermline
Division 3: 1 (2054)
Challenge Cup: 1 (2056)
Scottish Cup: 1 (2057)

AEK Athens
Greek cup: 1 (2060)

Charlton
League 1: 1 (2072)

Ghana
ACN: 1 (2039)

[B.W.G]

Good luck in Slovenia,also liking the challenge of not signing anyone who is over 20.

[Dejay]

Good luck mate, I'm sure this will be awesome. I like the under 20 idea.

[HotChocolate]

Nice opening post

Poor Norway, I've always had a love affair with the Danish side: FC Kobenhavn, for no entire reason but for some reason I've never managed in Denmark. So it would be nice to see you go there at some point, maybe even with Kobenhavn?

[Deisler26]

Good luck!

[deltablue]

Nice opening post

Poor Norway, I've always had a love affair with the Danish side: FC Kobenhavn, for no entire reason but for some reason I've never managed in Denmark. So it would be nice to see you go there at some point, maybe even with Kobenhavn?

I know, but only having 11 non-homegrown players allowed, and having to wait 3 years for players to qualify just isn't conductive to building a young side while while having a good side to use while you're waiting. Still, might have a go at the challenge.

Good luck in Slovenia,also liking the challenge of not signing anyone who is over 20.

Good luck mate, I'm sure this will be awesome. I like the under 20 idea.

Good luck!

Definitely excited to be getting started given it's been ready to go for a while, it's fair to say I'm pretty short on options at the start.

[deltablue]

Summer 2010
The first order of business is to introduce you to the club, Krsko. Semi-pro predicted 8th out of 10, almost 90 years old with a 2,500 capacity stadium, and 200k in the bank, with 50k transfers budget and 2.5kpw wage budget (with adjusted expectations from ‘avoid relegation’ to ‘mid-table), with almost 1.7kpw being used, with basic or fairly basic facilities across the board, and with Serbian archrivals for some reason. They also had a completely empty trophy cabinet, and a record high position of 3rd in the 2nd league in 2007. I must admit I was very happy to be back at a small place. The interesting thing with big club and small club management is that sometimes it’s like Summer and Winter, in that when you’ve been experiencing one for a while you often wish for the other.

The available player pool wasn’t exactly extensive, with the relevant filters in place (financial as well as age) it came up to just over 200. The squad looked fairly good, so I could focus on just getting a few quality youngsters in first, and the plus side of such a low level is that even with fairly poor facilities, it’s easy to find a few young players who are up to scratch in the youth setup, and indeed from the start I saw one that looked decent among a few I promoted, which was just as well as in the end there was just 1 player out there I really fancied, plus another I got in only because I’d done something really stupid, that occasionally happens when I arrive at a club, and done a lot of releasing the poorer players assuming that with a big squad I’d still be left with players for every position, instead I found myself with only one player who could play either right or left back, and needed another, whoops.

The young star:
Bublica

The new signing I intended to make:
Znidaric

Talented young chap already in the senior squad and much sought-after:
Silvsek

Transfers

[cragswfc]

Nice 1 hope it goes as well as last 1 mi old

[deltablue]

Of course the trouble with having a young side (which we do, even with a lack of signings), is you never know how it'll go...

Aug 2010
Krsko 0-2 Interblock (2L)
We started with a tough test at home to Interblock, the title favourites, led by a wily old manager. For the most part the game had all the signs of a dull 0-0 draw with limited chances for either side, however as we tired, they got a couple of goals right at the end to get the expected win.

Mura 05 2-2 Krsko (2L)
We attacked from the off at Mura 05, and while we slowed down after a while, and they were starting to put on the pressure, we broke through and a young forward, Petric, gave us the lead. At the very beginning of the second half, they made the first attack, but having taken the ball off them we pushed up and Petric got his 2nd. However the defence was a worry, especially with the lack of spare full backs, and Mura got a double to level it, as while we pushed hard enough in the end to warrant a winner, we couldn’t get it.

Krsko 0-0 Smartno (2L)
We hoped to win at home to Smartno, the only side with either a 100% or 0% record, thankfully the latter. However the first half was slow going and in fact the closest chances were theirs. In the second half we were able to attack more but not that consistently, while at their end, they misses a stoppage time penalty, so we both could be disappointed to settle for 0-0.

Sencur 1-0 Krsko (2L)
At Sencur, we had a bit of a harsh result, as we had the better of an otherwise dull first half, yet lost what momentum we had early in the second half and they took the lead. Late on we managed to get some attacking spirit up, but a missed penalty summed up our luck.

League Table

Sept 2010
Krsko 0-1 Adria (SlC)
We played non-league Adria in the cup, and in front of a bumper crowd of 82, we failed miserably. At the start it was just a case of us failing to get going, but then they did instead, soon taking the lead. They only attacked in patches, but we didn’t really at all, not helped by injuries to Bubilca and Znidaric, my 2 new young hopefuls, as well as Petric (the only player who’s done much so far for us) already being out, and they deserved a couple more as we were completely outplayed in our own home.

Dob 2-0 Krsko (2L)
After that little was expected from a trip to table-topping Dob. They had already taken the lead, having been better, by the time they had a player sent off early on, and the best we managed for the rest of the half was making sure they weren’t pushing so hard. We had a goal disallowed at the beginning of the second half, which was the cue for a few more chances, but we didn’t get anywhere, while they wrapped things up with a second goal.

Krsko 0-3 Drava (2L)
Promotion-chasing Drava came to ours and gave us a bit of a schooling. They scored 2 goals in the first 7 minutes, and thankfully paused there, knowing we’d be able to do the square root of sod all, occasionally giving us some chances to face, and got a 3rd in the final few minutes just for kicks.

Bela Krajina 4-1 Krsko (2L)
A trip to minor rivals Bela Krajina was considered a mission impossible, which was promising. We actually has a number of chances early on, as we actually played football for a bit, but they took control early enough, and consistent enough for the rest of the first half, that when they took the lead at the beginning of the second half, it was no surprise at all, though the fact that they were 3 goals up about 15 minutes later was a bit steep. Croat forward Marinsek finally gave us a goal, far too late, and they soon got a 4th goal afterwards to mock us.

Krsko 1-0 Aluminij (2L)
The first half at home to 3rd placed Aluminij was nervy, as they had the occasional chance which we managed to keep at bay. The second half was a nice surprise when a chap named Salkic gave us the lead, and while we didn’t have many more chances, they were quiet so we were technically superior by definition. They had a minor late push but we held out to get a win at last!

League Table

Oct/Nov 2010
Dravinja 0-1 Krsko (2L)
We went to Dravinja, the one side below us. I hold my hands up that we were rather lucky, as they were easily better in the first half, we were very poor, they had a goal disallowed, but Salkic gave us the lead before half-time. We were better in the second half, so it was only as we approached the end that we got a bit of squeaky bum time that we survived, though at the cost of both full backs, and I really mean, both full backs I had in the entire squad, one for 6-7 months.

Interblock 2-0 Krsko (2L)
In the spirit of things I promoted a full back (I didn’t have the other) from the youth team for the trip to Interblock, where it’s fair to say we weren’t fancied anyway. They had a goal disallowed in the 6th minute, and oddly they didn’t seem as eager to keep having a go after that as I feared they would. We at least managed to keep the game fairly even, with some chances of our own, though only benefited by their lack of effort, and in the middle of the second half they finally realized that no, they still weren’t ahead, and rectified that with a couple of quick goals.

Krsko 1-1 Mura 05 (2L)
Mura 05 were just above us, and I reckoned that we had a chance to get something when we played them at home. I appeared to be right as we has as good a sustained period of good play as we’d had all season, topped off with Marinsek giving us the lead. They equalized just afterwards, and for most of the rest of the game, we both pushed, perhaps we did slightly more, but they particularly came close late on, and in some ways we were both lucky and unlucky with the 1-1 result, Velicevic in goal needing to put in a very good shift.

Smartno 1-4 Krsko (2L)
We were bright again early on at Smartno, and just as it looked like we were running out of attacking steam before half-time, Marinsek’s chip put us ahead, with a Slivsek free-kick extending the lead on the stroke of the whistle. I knew they’d come back hard in the second half, and so they did, getting a goal back, looking dangerous for getting an equalizer, but Marinsek’s second extended the lead before that happened. They went down to 10 men for the last 20 minutes, which didn’t make things much easier for us, but Bublica’s first goal for the club gave us a 4th. When you’re doing poorly like we have been all season, its these results that you hold out hope for, and it took us out of the drop zone for the first time in weeks, 2 points ahead of Mura 05.

Krsko 2-3 Sencur (2L)
More good early play, and the return of a proper back 4, didn’t help us at home to Sencur, as they took a comfortable 2-0 lead in the first half. I encouraged the side to still emerge from their shells anyway, and some encouraging chances led to a goal from Salkec, however a) that was in the 83rd minute, and b) they’d just got a 3rd goal. However another Salkec shot led to an own goal, and a final score of 3-2 suggested we could have got something against the 2nd places side on another day.

Krsko 1-2 Dob (2L)
Just about reaching the half-way point in the season (as we play each other 3 times), we were back to uninspiring at home to Dob. The players clearly didn’t agree with our favourites tag any more than I did, and after going in to half-time a goal behind, we didn’t even manage to do anything for a while in the second half, at least until they got a second goal. That seemed to wake us up more, with Marinsek getting a goal for us, but aside from one near the end, no further chances were forthcoming, let alone goals.

Drava 1-1 Krsko (2L)
Going to Drava, 6 points clear at the top, was going to be painful, but their behaviour was most odd. They had an intense early burst, with a goal disallowed, but acted as if it had been give, retreating into their shell, which wouldn’t have made sense even if it had stood. That gave us the chance to push forward, and Znidaric gave us the lead. They provoked a bit of a response, and while we could have had another, a Drava equalizer, which soon came, was much more likely, and they kept going. If it didn’t mean that we dropped into the relegation zone for the 2 ½ month winter break, I’d have been a lot more pleased with that result.

League Table

[HotChocolate]

Tough start but you are only there on goal difference.

[SRL88]

Had a rough start to the league campaign, but Im sure you can pull yourself out of it.

[SnakeXe]

Looks to be slowly turning around for you, good luck.

[deltablue]

Tough start but you are only there on goal difference.

Had a rough start to the league campaign, but Im sure you can pull yourself out of it.

Looks to be slowly turning around for you, good luck.

I think so too. Really enjoying being back on FM11, seems to be quite a bit faster and smoother (I didn't like there being a bit of a pause, length dependig on how many players involved, whenever I selected players to be scouted or removed them from the shortlist), even more so with the relatively short season, was amazed I got over halfway through the games in an evening. FM12 has some good new stuff but never quite liked it as much, even without the technical demons.

[City2000]

Good luck with your new career

[CityAndColour]

In fairness there's no huge difference between the match engines, and I can't think of any features on FM12 that I absolutely couldn't live without. I just like to play the latest version, however can certainly relate to those playing an older version.

[P O\'D]

things will come good. just need a couple of wins.

[B.W.G]

Tough start,hope things come good for you.

[abulezz]

Ooof, thats a rough start. Still, it looks like a couple of key signings could definitely see you into safety!

[deltablue]

Ooof, thats a rough start. Still, it looks like a couple of key signings could definitely see you into safety!

An excellent suggestion sir, with just 2 minor drawbacks. 1) There's hardly anyone out there to sign, and 2) Out of those there are, there's no one good enough.

[AcidBurn]

Tough start, good luck with the rest of the season.

[cragswfc]

Shame you drew against Mura 05, But i sure you can go past them and stay up

[AK22]

Not the best of starts, but at least you've got some points on the board and aren't cut adrift from the pack above.

Good luck with this, will be interested to see how it all pans out, and if you can stick to your self-enforced transfer policy

[deltablue]

Mar 2011
Krsko 4-2 Bela Krajica (2L)
Bela Krajica was a very tough home game to return on, and a confirmed with for Mura increased the pressure on us even further. They took an early lead, and that seemed to be that, but though they were undeniably superior, we still had some fight, and Marinsek (who was technically out of contract, and not wanting to sign another) equalizing, but they retook a deserved lead before half-time. In the second half to tried to put up a fight, but didn’t get anywhere until Bublica decided to shine, setting Petric up twice to give us the lead, and Marinsek got a 4th at the end to wrap up a great win.

Aluminij 3-0 Krsko (2L)
With Sportno 6 points ahead, and Dravinja 7 adrift, it looked like Mura and ourselves were battling for survival with 11 games left.We went behind again, after about 20 minutes, and Aluminij, but away from our own fans, the resistance wasn’t forthcoming and they got a second with little trouble. In the 50th minute, defender Lulic came on to cover for an injury and almost immediately got an own goal. After that we at least improved to ‘average’ but needn’t have bothered by this point, ad it was a relief that Mura lost theirs.

Krsko 0-3 Dravinja (2L)
We were slow to take advantage of the opportunity afforded by a home game with Dravinja, Bublica being my first player off on international duty, not helping much, but they didn’t as they snatched the lead just before half-time. That broke us, as what had previously been an even but dull game became comfortable for them as 2 second half goals finished us off, and they sat back afterwards as they knew it, closing to 3 points of us, and we were lucky that Mura blew a win to only get 1 point ahead, as the season hit the 2/3 mark.

League Table

Apr/May 2011
Interblock 3-0 Krsko (2L)
We went behind after just a minute at Interblock, and they got another un the 8th minute. They kept raiding, with no chance of a response, though only got a 3rd pretty late on, having gone down to 10 men, but it was still a pretty bad hammering nonetheless. What was worse was that we were now 4 points behind Mura.

Krsko 2-1 Mura 05 (2L)
It was they who we played next, at home, a pretty critical game where a defeat meant it would be halfway to game-over and even a draw would be of limited use. We were as weak as ever to start, and they took the lead, that seeming to be that. Snidaric equalized, but the game didn’t really come to life until the second half, with both teams scenting the opportunity. It looked like neither would get it, but Bublica gave us a winner in the last minute.

Smartno 5-3 Krsko (2L)
We roared out of the blocks at Smartno, and after 4 minutes, Marinsek and Bublica had put us 2-0 up. However that still left them most of the match to come back, and 20 minutes later, they’d pushed hard enough to be level. Knowing we were exposing ourselves to their attacks, in the second half we tried to match them, shot for shot, and left winger Jakolic gave us the lead early on. That silenced their fans, but sadly not the players as they equalized soon after. As much as we pushed, they took the lead, and despite going down to 10, then 9 men, our limited efforts came to nothing and they finished us off with a 5th. Plus Mura came from behind to win in their game. How quickly fortune turns.

Krsko 2-0 Sencur (2L)
The clock was ticking for both me and the club, and what we didn’t want was to play Sencur next, who had overtaken a fading Drava to be clear league leaders, sadly we didn’t have a choice in the matter. The first half consisted of a number of close shaves for us, but in the second we actually had a period of control early on. That was never going to last nor did it, and it was back to surviving. With 15 minutes left, a Sencur corner lead to a defensive mess for an own goal, and having broken through us, they got a second a few minutes later.

Krsko 2-1 Dravinja (2L)
Even Dravinja took a comfortable early lead at our place. They went down to 10 men just before half-time, which gave us the opportunity to have a good go in the second half. It didn’t seem to come to anything, but Petric grabbed a late equalizer, and there was still time for winger Pilipovic to give us a winner, though we remained 4 points adrift of safety.

Aluminij 1-0 Krsko (2L)
Mura were winning when we went to Aluminij, meaning we were in a sort of last chance saloon. We managed to match them with chances in the first half, but that attacking intent, which was never that great anyway, soon faded, and late in the game they struck a killer goal. We weren’t mathematically down, but we were as good as so it was time to go.

League Table

This was an example of a load of youth (and an unfamiliar bunch at that) not paying off, though more often than not it does in my experience. A very bad early run (which took us 1/3 of a short league season) followed by inconsistency which meant that in some games we put up a good fight, but not in enough of them and wasn’t enough. After waiting weeks to start at Krsko, I only lasted just over a day. Better fortunes would come, but there was a question over when.

[Pangaea]

Good luck with your new career. Interesting choice of club and going for youth only.

[HotChocolate]

Terrible April/May, you are going to have pull of something more than impressive to stay up.

[roganp]

A shame to see your FM12 career come to an end, but I look forward to seeing how this save pans out

[Dejay]

Tricky few months, hope you stay up.

[Johnny Drama]

Hopefully you can turn this around, will be reading!

[deltablue]

Good luck with your new career. Interesting choice of club and going for youth only.

Terrible April/May, you are going to have pull of something more than impressive to stay up.

A shame to see your FM12 career come to an end, but I look forward to seeing how this save pans out

Tricky few months, hope you stay up.

Hopefully you can turn this around, will be reading!

I resigned with relegation near-confirmed after the last match in the report, so that's rather unlikely, still in a pretty long wait for a new club, though only just passed summer and in the 'vacancy-light' part of the year. This can work, I know it can, while I've never exclusively gone for young players before, I've had a few sides (like MTK in the last thread) that were mostly built around them, just fortunes tend to be more mixed, it'll be all the sweeter when that happens, and make big clubs less boring.

[Jpr]

Unlucky with your debut season, Anywhere in mind for your next job or are you just going to see what offers come in?

Good luck whatever happens

[deltablue]

Well, it took until December to get an offer and I decided to take it, knowing I couldn't be choosy. Might as well give you the info now, though it'll also be the beginning of my next update.

Hogaborg
I knew I wasn’t likely to be able to get much, and I was proved right. Rep was still theoretically ‘national’, but I knew that at least on FM11, that didn’t mean so much compared to your record, and I was still described as ‘virtually unknown’. For a new club I got Hogaborg, newly promoted into the Swedish First Division South (the lowest level I was running in that nation), predicted to finish bottom, no staff or history, a smattering of players taking up just a small amount of a 6.5kpw wage budget, 30k in the bank, a 2,500 capacity stadium with 500 seating but with a full pre-season and season ahead of us, it was worth a shot, and if it didn’t end in a failure, it would do me a lot of good, and facility wise they were ‘adequate’ (which I think beats basic) with ‘above average’ youth recruitment, so if I do manage to survive (bit of a large ‘if’ though it is) there might be something here.

[abulezz]

Hogaborg look like they have some decent infrastructure and set up for a club in such a low division.

Good luck!

[P O\'D]

good luck. lots of potential in that club.

[Dejay]

Looks like the club could go far if stuck out.

[B.W.G]

Shame about your debut season but the best of luck with Hogaborg.

[deltablue]

Well, you can't say I haven't made my mark early on...

Winter 2011/12
I knew I wasn’t likely to be able to get much, and I was proved right. Rep was still theoretically ‘national’, but I knew that at least on FM11, that didn’t mean so much compared to your record, and I was still described as ‘virtually unknown’. For a new club I got Hogaborg, from Helsingborg, newly promoted into the Swedish First Division South (the lowest level I was running in that nation), predicted to finish bottom, no staff or history, a smattering of players taking up just a small amount of a 6.5kpw wage budget, 30k in the bank, a 2,500 capacity stadium with 500 seating but with a full pre-season and season ahead of us, it was worth a shot, and if it didn’t end in a failure, it would do me a lot of good, and facility wise they were ‘adequate’ (which I think beats basic) with ‘above average’ youth recruitment, so if I do manage to survive (bit of a large ‘if’ though it is) there might be something here.

The first order business was hiring some staff, then I looked at the players. The small squad contained a complete mix of ability players, but as I thought, there were 4 5 star prospects in the youth team. As things turned out, in complete contrast to Slovenia I had rather a lot of potential signings, many of them excellent, well either that or the squad was genuinely that bad. Either way, I was like a grown manager in a player shop with a lot of budget adjusting leaving me with 5kpw wage budget and over 66k for transfers. With so many of these potentially excellent signings just a few thousand max, there was plenty of scope to basically build a near-entire squad that for now should be a very strong one, and that should help us survive comfortably in the short term, and a good base to try and build on in the longer term.

No doubt the words ‘potential squad gelling issues’ are about to be winging their way into the thread. All I can say is that it worked spectacularly the last time I did this, in Belarus, though that was at an underachieving club instead of newly promoted relegation favourites. What happened then was that arriving before the mid-season window, I did a similar ‘whole squad’ investment, a lot of that in young players, things clicked to move up the table after a couple of months, stormed to promotion the next season, and became instant strong starters (though always declined too early to be challengers) each year with only a handful of new signings supplementing that squad that kept a good core from that initial investment during that time. Not that things will be that meteoric, just saying that as far as the theory is concerned, I know what I’m doing, I’m still after survival as what’s on my mind as a goal. There as a bit of a cost, in order to get a full squad of that standard I had to suspend my rule that balance overrules budget, though not going into the red that much, and the numerous ‘Hogaborg fans delight at X bargain buy’ messages suggested that it was definitely very well spent. Here's a selection...

Bennet

Ogbu

Putsi

Puustinen

Savolainen

Smolander

Stojadinovic

von Walter


Transfers

[Jpr]

New club looks like it could become a long term club, as long as you can get the team to gel you should easily stay in the division, looking forward to seeing you progress with this club

Wrong link on league table, well, wrong name on the link haha.

[deltablue]

New club looks like it could become a long term club, as long as you can get the team to gel you should easily stay in the division, looking forward to seeing you progress with this club

Wrong link on league table, well, wrong name on the link haha.

Ah yes, I've forgotten to past the link before but never to change the link word, fixed now.

[AK22]

Now that's what I call a lot of transfers

Onwards and upwards!

[HotChocolate]

Did you use one way doors?

[deltablue]

Mar/Apr 2012
Vimmerby 2-3 Hogaborg (SwC)
We had our debut at Vimmerby in the cup, we pushed them from the start but were still rusty, especially in defence, and they snatched the lead. Our efforts were rewarded in the second half with an equalizer from the Georgian Shkirtladze, but we couldn’t get a winner before the end of normal time, a right back injury reduced us to 10 fit men early in the second half, but before half-time, Afzelius and defender Maehre put is 3-1 up. The Norwegian scored an own goal to pull it back for them, and we had a late red card but still went through.

Hogaborg 0-1 Vastra Frolunda (SwC)
In the next round we were at home to Vastra Frolunda who were in our division, though looking stronger. We exchanged good chances in the first half, though they took the lead early in the second half, we pushed a little but they had the upper hand and deserved their 1-0 win, still we would have had a shot at something another day, and against a superior side in the same division, insofar as we could make any limited judgements, it could be worse.

Kristiansand 2-1 Hogaborg (D1S)
The first league game was a very tough one at Kristiansand. They took the lead almost instantly, and kept pushing. We had a brief pressure spell late in the first half, and after half-time, von Walter equalized, but they resumed pushing, and deserved to retake the lead long before they actually did, though another late bright spot meant we could have snatched something anyway despite being strongly outplayed.

Hogaborg 0-2 Oddevold (D1S)
We started brightly in the first home game against Oddevold but they suddenly hit us with a goal, and we gradually faded, being toothless after half-time as they pushed and got a deserved second, with any prospects of a decent showing falling away badly.

May 2012
Husqvarna 3-0 Hogaborg (D1S)
At Husqvarna, top of the league with 8 goals scored and none conceded in the first 2 games, we matched them for the first half an hour, just about having the better of a lot of exchanges, however as usual, them taking the lead took the wind out of our sails. They extended the lead in the first minute of the second half comfortably strode to a 3-0 win.

Hogaborg 2-2 Vastra Frolunda (D1S)
We pushed to fix our point-less situation at home to Vastra Frolunda. Late on in a first-half of being on top, von Walter gave us the lead, but that was the cue for them to really turn the heat up, especially in the second half. On a rare break, Lahtinen gave us a second goal, while Vastra Frolunda had a goal disallowed, but as they kept coming close, they eventually got on back, and I couldn’t begrudge them an equalizer shortly afterwards, as useful as the win would be, and it was good to have a point.

Falkenberg 1-3 Hogaborg (D1S)
We went behind immediately at Falkenberg, though Ogbu soon equalized, and we had some good chances. They restored the advantage after the break however, and there was only going to be one outcome, which they sealed with a 3rd.

Hogaborg 0-3 Sylvia (D1S)
The home game with Sylvia was our first against a side down here with us, and we completely turned off. We were poor in a first half where they took the lead easily, then got even worse as they got a second before half-time, and amazingly they only got one more in the second half.

LB07 2-1 Hogaborg (D1S)
Things were never going to go our way at LB07 from when they took the lead from a controversial penalty in the 3rd minute, followed by Ogbu having a goal disallowed. To be fair, again we were very poor, but still equalized in the second half through Puustinen and if it wasn’t for the disasterous showing, we would have got something from what was just a 2-1 defeat, and that summed up the season so far as we’d deserved a few more points.

There was a league table for May but it seems to have gone elsewhere.

June 2012
Hogaborg 1-3 Skovde (D1S)
Read what I said about Sylvia, this was much the same with the exception of a late Ogbu goal.

Hogaborg 0-5 Ytterby (D1S)
The big defeat that had been threatened finally came at home to Ytterby. The game was quiet early on, but after we got a defensive injury the gates opened. That they were 2-0 up at the break wasn’t unusual this season, but this time they kept on and notched up 5 goals in the end.

Norrby 2-0 Hogaborg (D1S)
The best thing that could be said for the first half at Norrby, was that it was dull, and even then we were poor enough for it to be one sided, just that they had no clue where the target was. They found a clue in the second half and scored, which actually started a bright spell for us, but the only other goal was their late second.

Hogaborg 1-2 Lund (D1S)
The only side just as bad as us, Lund got their first win at the same time, before we played them at home. They scored after a few minutes, and it seemed to be half over. They got another by half-time, but we improved in the second half, with young forward Bennet (injured up til now) getting a goal back, and we could have got a point, but as we didn’t we were now 6 points adrift at the bottom, and 10 from safety.

Sleipner 4-1 Hogaborg (D1S)
There seemed almost no point going to Sleipner, and indeed they easily went 2-0 up. Ogbu actually gave us one back, but in the second half everything fell in again and a 4-1 victory came easily to them.

Hogaborg 1-3 Rosengard (D1S)
Rosengard was the last game of a miserable first half of the season. They got a 2-0 lead, which by now had become the least remarkable thing in the whole universe. Ogbu got yet another goal back before the break, and actually we had an equalizer disallowed in the second half, so there was still hope, but as expected that was as good as it got and they got a 3rd. So ended my time in Sweden, as I resigned afterwards.

League Table

I didn’t want to get into the habit of leaving places before near-certain relegation but there’s being in relegation trouble, and then there’s only getting 1 point from an entire half of the season, and under the current circumstances I see it as sacking myself, as the board were still 'satisfied' so weren't going to do it. Having been able to do too little in Slovenia, things swung completely in the other direction, increasing the gamble, though not making this outcome an inevitability. It looks like the game is treating it’s re-installation as a cue to give me the same ‘torrid time on the first save’ thing that it did the first time, and to a lesser extend FM10, which I mentioned but was averted in FM12. Either that or I’ve been possessed by Iacovone, or the guy mentioned on his thread last year with the ‘global relegation tour’. things will click somewhere, but it looks like I’m in for quite a wait.

The plus side was that I got a couple of offers almost immediately, but from newly-promoted-into-playable-league sides, so without the desperation, I feel I can wait for 'stronger but underachiving' sides to see if that gets me anywhere.

[iHeadHunta x]

Not had the best of career starts mate! You can turn it around however!

[AK22]

Oh dear, one point!!

Mind you any team conceding almost three goals a game is going to be in trouble, especially considering you only scored nine at the other end too!

Let's hope you find the right club for you soon!

[Jpr]

Thats quite some going there Delta, hopefully the last relegation for a while at least.

Good luck with the job hunt

[Pangaea]

One point! That is most excellent. Can only go one way now

[cragswfc]

Hope you can get of the foot table. A very good point Vastra Frolunda.

[roganp]

Ouch, that didn't go too well. Hopefully you'll have more luck in your next job

[HotChocolate]

I'd say that couldn't have gone worse, but technically it could.

[Dejay]

That didn't go well. Better luck in your next job.

[deltablue]

Frigg

Winter 2013
The sort of thing that I wouldn’t reject didn’t really materialize, as either it was newly playable clubs, or teams well adrift in Portugal, however I decided to take one of the former in Norway, Frigg (familiar to a couple of people I gather), as being a repromoted side, I felt I’d have more of a chance, having nice budgets and a bit of money (815k balance at the time of accepting the job in January) helped as well. Thankfully the eligibility rules just required there to be 3 non-eu players at most, far more relaxed than higher up. The initial squad was another mixed bag, and more seasoned than the pre-existing Krsko squad or my entirely new (which I still maintain was a necessity, as badly as it failed) young Hogaborg side, which would be a good advantage, so I was confident about avoiding a repeat of either.

Since re-adding a load of the middling and smaller nations that I hadn’t had between 07-09, this would be my 6th visit to Norway in the 4 saves I’ve had on 10/11, the 4th in 3 in this version, making it probably my most common destination, but the first time outside the Premier Division.

Dropping the chaff to the reserves still meant there were many places to be filled to get a big-enough squad, but having experienced 2 extremes of situations regarding potential transfers I had a better middle ground this time as I wasn’t flooded with good potential signings but still had a reasonable selection to choose from. Squad depth issues meant there was a flurry of late signings that gave us a few more newcomers than I’d have liked, but hopefully that wouldn’t upset things too much, 7 new players (and a free from before I arrived) meant that with a few versatile players, I felt I could manage with 19 players without changing things even more. As far as expectations were concerned, while I felt we could be comfortable, survival would make a nice change.

Danielsen

Hakon

Leknes

Lynum

Norevik


Transfers

[AcidBurn]

Good luck with Frigg dude.

[Dejay]

Good luck at Frigg

[HotChocolate]

Hopefully you fair better with Frigg

[AK22]

Third time lucky!

[Shake Appeal]

You're absolutely right about the little pauses and delays in FM12 compared to 11. It makes doing a lot of player interaction a chore for me. I think I need to buy a new laptop.

Good luck in Norway.

[B.W.G]

Good luck at Frigg,hopefully you'll get a positiove break with them.

[deltablue]

Good luck with Frigg dude.

Good luck at Frigg

Hopefully you fair better with Frigg

Third time lucky!

Good luck at Frigg,hopefully you'll get a positiove break with them.

Cheers guys, definitely on slightly solid ground this time, and started alright, though didn't do that much today as I hoped. Hogaborg only got 9 points in the end, which sort of makes me feel better as a much better showing or even survival would have reflected even worse on me.

Apr/May 2013
Frigg 2-2 Brumenddal (D2)
Almost 3 years had yielded what the game described as ‘quite a career’, though that amounted to 40 games and just 7 wins. We started at home to Brumunddal. They took an early lead, but while they were still the better side,2 goals from Argie forward Petry, the only foreigner in the side, gave us the lead by the time 20 minutes elapsed. They quietened down a bit, but we both remained as much as a threat as each other, and right before the final whistle a spilled shot allowed them to equalize, but while it wasn’t a winning start (having to wait 8-9 games in Slovenia and not getting any at all in Sweden), it was fair and promising.

Skeid 3-1 Frigg (D2)
We were behind ahead at Skeid, and despite not getting many chances, they had a second, after having a goal disallowed, before half-time. We burst out of the blocks in the second half, and Hakon got a goal back just after the hour mark, but they soon got a 3rd. We kept pushing but couldn’t even get another goal back.

Sandar 0-2 Frigg (NC)
We went to non-league Sandar in the cup (who had previously played a side called ‘Fart’). For all our first half pressure, it took near the end of the half for Petry to give us the lead, after we’d missed a penalty. Hakon made things more comfortable with a goal right at the beginning of the second half, though more goals didn’t materialize.

Frigg 2-1 Nest-Sotra (D2)
We were under a lot of pressure in the first half at home to Nest-Sotra, but yet got a 2-0 lead from Hakon setting Petry up, then scoring himself. They got a goal back, which had been near-inevitable for a while, and although things eased off a while, they were still close to getting a point, so it felt great to hold on til the end, especially as in terms of time it was my first league win for 2 years, and half the career so far in terms of matches. It was rather harsh for Nest-Sotra though, and funny when their manager ranted (as they often do) about how we were heading for relegation the way we played, you mean the way we beat your lot 2-1 mate? Never fails to raise a smile when that sort of thing happens.

Moss 2-0 Frigg (D2)
We next went to pre-season favourites Moss, who had a mixed the start. The first half saw us exchange a few chances, though otherwise not a lot happened. They took the lead just after half-time, and were gifted a second goal right at the end but we hadn’t looked that bad.

Valerenga 2 0-3 Frigg (D2)
Another tough trip was to Valerenga reserves, who were top, and with the first team having been a pretty consistent pain throughout my regular times in the country. We coped well with some early pressure before the club’s youngest ever player, Hareide, gave us the lead in the 16th minute. There wasn’t too much of a response, most of that in the second half, and a penalty gave Hareide his second goal of the match, and of his career, and flushed with momentum, winger Kringberg capped a great performance with our 3rd with a couple of minutes left.

Frigg 3-4 Sandefjord (NC)
We hosted Premier Division side Sandefjord in the cup. They were struggling in the league but found it easy to take the lead against us. Despite Petry going off injured, we mounted a strong push late in the first half, and our best player, Andreassen equalized. They regained the lead right before the half-time whistle, and I thought that was that. It wasn’t. Winger Lynum, and Hareide each scored to give us an amazing lead. They fought back hard, and while we held out for a while they eventually equalized, and got a late winner, but after an epic tie like as heavy underdogs that I didn’t mind too much.

League Table

[Shake Appeal]

Seems an improvement, however small.

[HotChocolate]

Good start, what you needed

[Pangaea]

Looks like a decent start. Shouldn't become another relegation nightmare.

Good luck in my home country

[deltablue]

Seems an improvement, however small.

Good start, what you needed

Looks like a decent start. Shouldn't become another relegation nightmare.

Good luck in my home country

We're not big on consistency at the moment, but for me the only thing that really matters is survival, for a change, whether it's scrappy or comfortable probably won't make a massive difference to the massive lift in my spirits if that happens.

[Deisler26]

Better with Frigg. Fingers crossed for survival.

[deltablue]

June/July 2013
Frigg 1-2 Follo (D2)
The last game before a long break was at home to Follo. It was probably the first game where I didn’t feel like we were the inferior side, which explained how we played, lots of early dominance but no goals, and then conceding instead. They grabbed another before half-time, and it took a while for us to get back up to speed, which we did midway through the half, missing more chances before Hakon got the goal we’d been threatening throughout the game, only for that to be a consolation.

Frigg 3-3 Raucoss (D2)
Late in July, we returned to action when going to Raufoss, who were now top, yet another tricky away game. They took an early lead, but we were able to fight back with the thankfully inappropriately named Sitter (imagine if football commentators address players a bit more formally, then he’d be.... well you get it) equalizing. They hit us hard early in the second half with 2 goals, but we weren’t defeated yet, and Sitter almost immediately got a goal back, later an own goal levelled it. We played the last 20 minutes with 20 fit men after Lynum went off injured (out for almost a month) but the game was now quiet so we had little difficulty in getting the point.

Frigg 4-0 Herkules (D2)
With what seemed like a few of the tougher games already out of the way, it was nice to have a better-looking home game with bottom side Herkules, who had no points, just a single goal, and had conceded 32 goals in just 7 games. They didn’t give us much trouble, as Landro, in for the injured Lynum, gave us the lead, followed by Hakon extending it. We missed a penalty before half-time but Hakon gave us a 3rd in the second half, and completed his hat-trick in stoppage time.

League Table

Aug 2013
Stabaek 2 3-1 Frigg (D2)
The second of the 2 reserve sides in the division, Stabaek 2 were in the relegation zone, and we went to play them next. A win for them would cut our safety margin from 4 points to 1, making it an extra important one to not lose. Unfortunately it was pretty one sided in their favour. They easily had us on the ropes from the start, though it took until well into the first half for them to score. In the second half we had a massive defensive collapse and they ran up a 3-0 lead before Sitter got a consolation. That left the 2 of us at the top and tail respectively of a pack of 5 sides, from 8th to 12th, separated by just 1 point.

Frigg 1-1 Mjondalen (D2)
We faced more pressure at home to promotion-chasing Mjondalen, with a few chances from us. Hakon gave us a surprise lead, then went off injured. He was joined on the sidelines by Landro and Sitter (leaving us short on fit forwards after the latter), but while it looked like we’d actually hold out, as we hadn’t faced many chances in the second half, they got a late equalizer, ironically long after when they deserved a goal, and a few chances we had in stoppage time couldn’t give us a winner.

HamKam 1-3 Frigg (D2)
We were looking very close to the drop zone when we went behind at HamKam. Haugen equalized, but at half-time that looked like the best we could hope for. However we were able to raise our game in the second half, with Sitter and a first goal for defender Leknes giving us a great win.

Frigg 1-0 Strommen (D2)
We were expecting a big challenge from Strommen when they came to ours, but instead not a lot happened in the first half, aside from a couple of poor chances from us. We gave the game its only real bit of life after half-time, which included a goal from Kringberg, but as you can imagine I was much more delighted with a win which took us to 6th, especially against such favoured opponents, then I was worried about the dullness of the game.

Kjelsas 1-1 Frigg (D2)
Kjelsas, who were just above the drop zone, were minor rivals (but only from their end, we barely knew they existed), and we went to them next. Sitter gave us an early lead, though it took just a few minutes to respond. We both had strong periods of heavy pressure, especially in the second half, and we were sitting comfortably enough that I didn’t mind dropping points now, anyway you only really drop points when at the top end of the table, when it’s about survival you merely gain them.

League Table

Sept 2013
Brummundal 0-3 Frigg (D2)
The second half of the season started at Brumunddal. We pushed them throughout the first half, and 5 minutes from half time, finally were headed into the lead by Leknes. The boot was on the other foot for a lot of the second half, but that changes when Sitter snatched a second, very much against the run of play, and with their threat diminished, Hareide wrapped things up with a 3rd.

Frigg 4-1 Skeid (D2)
After our good recent run, Skeid, in 3rd were just too good. Even at home we couldn’t get much of a response together after they took the lead, and they opened the throttle in the second half, going 3-0 up. Sitter got one back but they comfortably took a 4th and final goal, giving us a heavy first defeat in 6.

Nest-Sotra 2-2 Frigg (D2)
Nest-Sotra also looked too good when we went to theirs, taking the lead in the first half with no trouble, and taking advantage of our side being in a complete mess to get another after half-time. We looked dead and buried, but we improved enough to support Hakon, who had come on, in what was his one-man mission. He got a goal back, had an equalizer ruled out for offside, and managed to grab us an unlikely point in stoppage time.

Follo 1-0 Frigg (D2)
He couldn’t save us at Follo, his former club. We were not bad, just average. They scored the only goal just before half-time, and we were merely good enough to keep them out and limit their chances.

League Table

[SnakeXe]

Well this job is going a bit Frigg-ing better!

[Dejay]

Going well with Frig.

[P O\'D]

good start at the new club.

[B.W.G]

Looking good so far.

[Raware]

Steady enough in Norway so far . A steady season this year could be perfect for progressing next year.

[deltablue]

Oct 2013
Frigg 2-0 Moss (D2)
Again we were in the tougher part of the fixture list, hence the slowdown but with Moss having a terrible season, we took advantage to get back up to speed. We easily had the better of a goalless first half, and managed to break them in the second with Lynum giving us the lead, then setting up defender Schroeder to give us the first win for a few games.

Frigg 2-2 Valerenga 2 (D2)
We were similar but more wasteful at home to Valerenga 2, and they struck to take the lead before the break, extending it in the second half. However we managed to rally. Andreassen got a goal back and a penalty from DM Ovrebo gave us a point.

Frigg 0-0 Haufoss (D2)
The best thing that could be said about the game with table-topping Raufoss was that it was easy to forget that they were, as it was a fairly even game, with our player probably having the better of things in terms of number of chances, but not getting that close to getting a goal.

Herkules 0-3 Frigg (D2)
Herkules got points on the board just after we last played them, but that and a few more goals were all they’d got as they were already relegated. They were little trouble, and after we pushed hard, they even kindly gave us the lead with an own goal. Schroder’s goal just after looked like it would be it, but with a few minutes left, Hakon gave us a 3rd.

League Table

Nov 2013
Frigg 2-1 Stabaek 2 (D2)
We all-but-secured survival with 4 games to go after we played Stabaek 2 at home. Petry had been injured for a lot of the season, and had made sub appearances since his return, but this was his return to form, getting a pair of goals in the first half, the second right before half time, to give us a good lead, and while they got a consolation, the win did the trick for us.

Mjondalen 3-2 Frigg (D2)
Landro gave us a slightly surprise lead in the 10th minute at Mjondalen. They came back to equalize before half-time, and the second half went all their way as they got an expected 3-1 win.

Frigg 2-1 HamKam (D2)
We looked like we were winding down at the end of the season, when at home to HamKam, they comfortably took control of the game, and the lead. We showed some life in the second half, and managed to turn it around with quick goals from Landro and Petry around the 70 minute mark giving us a win.

Frigg 1-1 Kjelsas (D2)
In the penultimate game, we had the chance to relegate our sort-of-but-not-really rivals Kjelsas, who would go down in they failed to win, plus it would boost our chances of a particularly good final position in a packed mid-table, with 2 points between 5th and 8th. Defensive uselessness gave them the lead in the first half, followed by a few attempts to equalize before half-time that just weren’t enough. We kept probing in the second half, and Kringberg gave us an equalizer with 15 minutes left, but had it mattered more the lack of success in quite a few chances to get a winner would have bugged me. As it happened even a win wouldn’t have saved them due to results elsewhere.

Strommen 4-0 Frigg (D2)
We finished the season in disappointing style at Strommen. They were expected to be clearly superior, and so they were, getting a 2-0 lead in the first half, and we were poor enough to make it easy for them. In the second half Norevik’s injury left us with a hole in our defence, though that in itself didn’t cover the poor performances of players all over the pitch, and they romped to a 4 goal win.

Once again Norway proves to be most kind to me. It was far from an impressive season, taken generally. Inconsistency was such that we never had more than 2 wins, draws or defeats together, and rarely even that (twice for wins, once for draws and either once or none for defeats depending on if you’re just counting the cup exit), a remarkably unremarkable story. Still, it easily got the job done, and it could be seen as a very good season in some points. It wasn’t boring either, aside from the unpredictability, we had the 5th most goals scored and conceded, and aside from the disastrous Herakles, only Stabaek 2 got (just 1) more goals in total in their matches. The future looked promising, with a squad that would be gelled, and with more reinforcements to come, but without making as many changes.

Final League Table

Squad stats

Star Player: Kringberg
Not one of the young stars, or one of our best players, but definitely far above the rest in this initial season, with his assists being by far the biggest individual contribution, with only Hakon's goals coming close.

[HotChocolate]

Poor old Tomas, bet he feels like the ugly duckling.

[AK22]

No relegations or sackings... that's a successful season! Well done!

[B.W.G]

Good start with Frigg,hopefully you can get in players to make your team stronger.

[Dejay]

Good season with Frigg.

[deltablue]

Winter 2014
Even before a penny had been spent, the squad looked slightly bigger and better. A few players were released, and in their place came a couple of players at the end of their contract, plus a couple of decent prospects from the youth intake who already had reasonable attributes. My first signing, a keeper, was interesting to say the least. Very eccentric, and according to the scout report, ‘inconsistent’ (which isn’t the handicap it used to be for me) and with an ‘unpredictable’ goalkeeping style, which I don’t see as being entirely a bad thing, but there were plenty of positives, already close to being as good as the aging inherited keeper, great potential, good shot stopper and one who’d perform in good games, which he’d better do at 20k. One of the most polarized signings I’ve ever made.

Aside from that, a relative lack of demand was joined by a lack of particularly good players anyway, so there was far less change, which at this point was a good thing. We were still expected to struggle, but as the only big difference to be made in budget, I set expectations to ‘mid-table’, which was really what I was confident about anyway, but if we could get some sort of consistency together, with last year being one of the least consistent seasons in history (only 3 times with back to back wins, draws or defeats), I was thinking more of getting into the top-half myself, and felt we could have a pretty strong season if things went right, though with only 1 team going up, a promotion push wouldn’t be on my mind before we did have such a strong top half showing.

Sildnes

Bye


Transfers

And the 2 youth players

Skjerve

Buljo

[SRL88]

Not a bad start to life with Frigg. Should be able to build on it.

[Jpr]

Nice signings, hopefully you can creep a bit further up the table

[deltablue]

Sorry, not played much this week after a disasterous attempt to play while drinking on Wednesday (which normally works, but this time had to go back to an earlier save after forgetting all about contract renewals and approaching players who were expiring)

Apr/May 2014
Floy 5-3 Frigg (NC)
We started at Floy in the cup, and got off to a very bad start as they went 2-0 up in the first 3 minutes. Kringberg got one back in the 21st minute, but they got a 3rd, and after Hakon gave us another back, the unpredictable Sildnes (who was actually still our best defensive player, so poor were the others) got an own goal on his debut to give us a 4th. We pushed n the second half and should have got a 3rd, but we only did from Leknes after they got a 5th.

Frigg 5-1 Strommen (D2)
The league started much better at home to Strommen. After we were the better team at the start, Petry gave us the lead. The defence was having a wobbly day and they equalized, but Kringberg restored the advantage before half time. With the defence shored up, we went wild in the second half. Hakon, Petry and Kringberg all scoring to give us a 5-1 win against a side considered to be pretty strong.

Skeid 3-3 Frigg (D2)
Skeid away was another tricky one, and while Kringberg gave us the lead again, a very weak defence again meant we were 2-1 behind at the break. We vastly improved after the break, with Bye and Sitter giving us a 3-2 lead, and we pushed well to try and get another, but 3 subs were never enough, and we still had weak points that they took advantage of to get a draw in stoppage time.

Frigg 0-0 Baerum (D2)
A home game with Baerum was a mixed bag. They were newly promoted but had won both games so far, and a fairly quiet 0-0 draw where we had what chances there were in the game summed up that ambiguity.

Mjondalen 1-4 Frigg (D2)
We were back to winning ways at Mjondalen, with Schroder and Bye giving us the lead. In the second half they got a goal back, and things looked nervy for a while, but a Bye penalty made it comfortable, and Hareide finished things with a 4th.

Moss 1-0 Frigg (D2)
We went down to a defeat at Moss, which was a dull game where we nearly survived a poor defence until they scored with 2 minutes left, and were denied a point where an immediate Petry response was ruled out.

Frigg 1-0 HamKam (D2)
On my birthday, we were at home to HamKam. Hakon gave us the lead shortly before the break, and they weren’t much of a threat at all, so without being too impressive, it was easy going.

League Table

Jul/Aug 2014
Orn Horten 0-3 Frigg (D2)
After over a month and a half break, we went to Orn Horten. The breakthough came after half an hour when Andreasen got sent off, but Hareide gave us the lead, followed by Petry before the break. You never know we were a man down, and just before the hour mark, Leknes, who had come on to fill the gap in defense, headed in our 3rd and final goal.

Stabaek 2 1-1 Frigg (D2)
I left the next game with very undiplomatic thoughts about Stabaek 2. In the first 15 minutes they decided to injure the excellent Kringberg, then the other winger, Bye, for good measure. We couldn’t overcome this, and they took the lead just after. Early in the second half, as we made game attempts to get back into it, Hakon went off injured as well, leaving us a man short. I won’t pretend we played particularly well, but Schroder’s equalizer 5 minutes after Hakon’s injury felt far sweeter than such a situation normally would, and the same could be said for a fairly dull game football-wise petering out into a 1-1 draw. Hakon would be ok, Bye would be after a week, but having Kringberg, the latest in a very long line of star left-wingers I’ve had (even who haven’t looked that amazing on paper) throughout the FM ages, out for 6-7 weeks was really frustrating.

Frigg 1-1 Asker (D2)
We could have used him at home to Asker, who were the relegated side from the First Division, and were in the mix at the top (as we were just about). They dominated from the start, being denied by an early goal-line clearance, then taking the lead. They didn’t ease off the pressure, but we got an equalizer from Lynum, getting a lucky point despite a straight red for Hakon meaning for the 3rd game in a row we finished a man down.

Skjetten 0-2 Frigg (D2)
The boot was comfortably on the other foot at home to Skjetten, this year’s whipping boys with just 1 point and 2 goals (and 39 conceded) from 9 games. Petry gave us a first-half lead in a one-sided game. Bye missed a second half penalty but scored another with 8 minutes left to give us a deserved second goal and prevent a potential shock equalizer.

Valerenga 2 3-0 Frigg (D2)
Again as a contrast, we were second best from the first minute at Valerenga 2. They comfortably had a 2-0 lead at half-time, and even encouragement, with often at least makes things closer, didn’t work as they got a 3rd early in the second half, and a potential 4th ruled out later.

Frigg 2-0 Lillehammer (D2)
We wanted to regain momentum against Lillehammer, helped by Kringberg’s return. We kept pushing, even when Petry went off injured in the first half, and it was his replacement Sitter who finally gave us a goal early in the second half, and having long expected a second by that point, Bye got it at the end.

Nest-Sotra 2-2 Frigg (D2)
We were better for a lot of a tricky game at Nest-Sotra, but as well as being wasteful, Sildnes was being a liability at the back and they scored when he made a mess of a shot after 70 minutes. Haugen equalized, but they broke through again in stoppage time. Amazingly there was still time to Haugen to get another goal to save a point, this from a forward/winger who currently was low down the pecking order for both positions.

League Table

[JackJCFC]

Play whilst drinking . Doing well in the league though, with a bit more quality you can definitly be up at the top.

[deltablue]

Sept 2014
Strommen 3-0 Frigg (D2)
We went to Strommen, who were top after the first half of the season. They got an early goal, but we were determined to push back before they had the chance to get more. That we did, but our tremendous pressure came to nothing, and they start getting more chances before half time. Early in the second half they banged in two goals, and our only threat was soaking up more pressure to stop them getting another couple.

Frigg 0-2 Skeid (D2)
A dull game against Skeid was livened up by an unfortunate incident, as a blunder by ‘liability’ Sildnes (and actually I nicknamed him that during the match, making for a very accurate bit in the match report). It wasn’t my day with keepers, they had a few chances as the only real action, and having taken Sildnes off, his replacement, Harung (the previous first choice, not a useless reserve) finished off the game with an own-goal!

Baerum 0-6 Frigg (D2)
Things worked at lot better at Baerum. Haugen scored in the 3rd minute, and had a hat-trick before we reacted 20 minutes. Hakon got one after the break, but it was Haugen’s day, as he ended up with 5 goals and a 6-0 win! Both club records, and a personal ‘take-that’ both from him to me (as I’ll probably still release him, a couple of excellent games changes little), and from me to the board after pre-match rumours that I might not get a new contract. Though I felt I would in the end anyway, I felt that would scotch those rumours right there and then.

Frigg 2-1 Mjondalen (D2)
A bad start at home to Mjondalen seemed to throw away all that, as they went ahead, and comfortably cruised in the first half. That changed when I brought on Lynum at half-time, for an oddly anonymous Kringberg, and he grabbed the equalizer, then at the end, provided the corner for Schroder to grab a winner.

League Table

Oct 2014
Frigg 4-0 Moss (D2)
We were rather lucky against underachieving Moss, in that they seemed determined to start their own space program for much of the first half. Lund grabbed a pair of goals late in the half to give us a misleading 2-0 win, and he completed his hat-trick soon after half-time. They reappled the pressure, but while they weren’t as inaccurate, there was more chance of them scoring in their own goal then ours, and in fact, with ‘liability’ (and despite the name and the errors, he’s still been solid in a lot of games and had his moments with dealing with strong pressure) managing to keep our the rare on target shot, that’s exactly what happened with a late 4th from an own-goal.

HamKam 2-0 Frigg (D2)
We weren’t expected to get anything from a trip to HamKam, and nor did we. A poor defence (that got better later) meant that Sildnes had to make a load of saves from the start, and while he was beaten twice midway through the first half, it could have been much worse so no blame could be laid at his door.

Frigg 4-1 Orn Horten (D2)
We were just as favoured at home to Orn Horten, and while Haugen gave us the lead (his 8th goal of the season, but only the 3rd in which he’s actually scored), we had a wobbly phase late in the first half and they equalized, though debutant defender Buljo (from this seasons youth intake, which feels good) wasn’t at fault. After half-time we retook control,2 quick goals, from Haugen and a Lynum-assisted own goal, gave us a comfortable lead. Haugen had another disallowed, but Hareide gave us a headed 4th late on.

Asker 1-1 Frigg (D2)
We withstood plenty of pressure at Asker, and even sneaked the lead through Haugen. They kept trying, and equalized in the second half, but we had some late chances which could have given us a winner.

League Table

Nov 2014
Frigg 1-2 Stabaek 2 (D2)
We were unfortunate again at home to Stabaek 2, pushing strongly for a lot of the game, but going behind midway through the second half. Lund scored in the 74th minute, but they got a quick winner which dashed our hopes of a deserved point.

Frigg 2-1 Valerenga 2 (D2)
We put up similar pressure against Valerenga 2, though not so much at first, and this time were rewarded with Buljo heading in his first goal for the club, followed by Kringberg. They grabbed a goal back in the final minute but it was too late to stop us winning.

Lillehammer 0-1 Frigg (D2)
The trip to Lillehammer started off very slowly, but even in the first half we were just about the better side, and started pushing well in the second half. In stoppage time, Lund managed to score gave us a just-about-deserved win but we hadn’t been that impressive over limited opposition.

Skjetten 0-7 Frigg (D2)
We had a great time at doomed no-hopers Skjetten. Hareide, Lund and Hakon gave us a 3 goal lead at the break. The latter took control of the game, with another early in the second half, then he completed a hat-trick after Buljo got another. We eased off for most of the rest of the game, though Lynum got a 7th with 10 minutes left.

Frigg 1-2 Nest-Sotra (D2)
We started well in the last game, at home to Nest-Sotra, with Hakon giving us the lead in the first minute. They equalized 5 minutes later, and continued to keep pushing, breaking the defence to take the lead. We managed to gain the upper hand in the second half, but couldn’t even get what would have been a deserved equalizer at least.

Final League Table

I was very happy with this season, even when we were in 3rd early on I knew we weren’t going to challenge for promotion, and staying consistently between 3rd and 5th was something to be pleased about, even if on balance we were lucky to grab points on quite a few occasions. There was still work to do, consistency was better (and it was impossible for it not to be), aside from having strong goalscorers, there’d be 4 players arriving on frees, and I’d probably alter the lineup a bit for next season, see if I can inject a bit more potential. I would be satisfied with staying into this comfortable position for a while, instead of seriously gunning for the one promotion spot which until I was actually up there would be very much a distant ‘if’, as possible as it was.

Squad stats

Star player: Kringberg
Proving that goal and assist stats aren't everything, as last season's best player didn't improve on those but did far better anyway. But how long can he remain one of our best?

[TaoTev]

Going well dude Keep it up. I'm hoping to take inspiration from you .. but just forth time lucky for me lol

[Dejay]

Nice 5th place

[B.W.G]

Nice improvement,hopefully you can make it third time lucky!

[cragswfc]

Things going well. Looks like 2 good signing's you be up . good luck. keep it up

[SnakeXe]

Going rapidly in the right direction! Great job.

[Jpr]

Great work, only 7 from top so promotion looks more than possible for next season.

[Stampler]

keep going and you can still win this

[HotChocolate]

Why did your top goalscorer only start 12 games?

[deltablue]

Why did your top goalscorer only start 12 games?

Aside from the fact that it's not quite as little as it looks in a 26 game season, he was simply an average player who was low down the pecking order at the start and got those 10 goals in just a few good games. Those few games did make it tricky to stick with my plan of releasing him, but I did (and very popular decision it was too apparantly), controversal as it may seem.

Winter 2015
The 4 freebees were the bulk of the winter activity. The budgets were getting squeezed, and there was little out there I was interested in, though caved in and tried for 3 players, though had to give up on two who chose to sign a pre-contract deal with their clubs, twice. That was probably just as well as while depth is hardly a bad thing, you can be too crowded for places. There were no good players from the youth intake which limited the changes to a sensible level, though there was an unplanned addition in the form of a loan from parent club Notodden, which I thought I might as well take just in case (age rules applying obviously, which is why I rejected the guy they tried to send last year). Again expectations were raised from ‘avoid relegation’ to ‘mid-table’ (though in reality I was looking for a repeat of last year’s good top-half season or better).

Idland

Jensen

Jonassen

Kristiansen


Transfers

[AK22]

Inching up the league, although I'm a tad surprised that the you didn't finish a bit higher considering you were the top scorers in the league.

[deltablue]

Apr/May 2015
Frigg 3-0 Asker (D2)
The first game was expected to be tricky, at home to Asker. In the first half we were good at playing the ball forward but not much else, as most of our attacking players were making a very poor start to the season, however that was rather more threat than Asker managed. In the second half, Lund gave us our breakthrough, and we proved dangerous enough to assists 2 own goals, the last one in stoppage time, to give us a strong opening-day win.

Fram Larvik 1-3 Frigg (D2)
Lund was staking a claim to be the strong goalscorer we lacked, as he scored after 5 minutes at Fram Larvik. Young Jensen, the signing I was most excited about, got our second goal. In the second half we were far quieter, and they got a goal back, but Jensen’s late second made it safe.

Frigg 3-0 Moss (D2)
Lund was clearly loving having Jensen as his wingman, and he bagged a hat-trick in just over half an hour at home to Moss. They started to really push back hard in the second half, and were unfortunate to have a late goal disallowed, but this was our day, and it meant we were already the only side with a 100% record.

Trauma 0-3 Frigg (NC)
We weren’t at our best at Trauma in the cup, especially in the first half, but comfortably took the lead in the 22nd minute from ‘Luciani’ Lund. Kristiansen got his first goal for the club early in the second half, and Schroder gave us a late 3rd.

Frigg 4-2 Brann (NC)
We were at home to Brann in the next round, a team I wasn’t too fond of, and they were also the reigning Norwegian champions, though weren’t having a good season so far. The first half was as one-sided as you’d expect, except we held out until a Lund penalty in the 37th minute gave us the lead. That spurred them on to finally get the ball in the net in an instant equalizer, but Kristiansen restored the advantage before the break. The second half was mostly quiet, though with 20 minutes left they headed in a corner to level the game, and after another couple of chances, we took control once more, Lund restoring the lead, and finishing things off with an added time penalty. Oh, and it was my 100th career match (finally) as well, sweet.

Frigg 3-0 Nest-Sotra (D2)
I knew we’d have a few blips coming soon, but it didn’t happen at home to Nest-Sotra. We pushed well early on, but with no goals it looked like they were taking control and punishing us, though Lund averted that with a goal after half an hour. He tucked away a second in the 58th minute (taking the 19yr old to 11 goals after just 6 games, more than anyone managed last season), and with no more resistance, Kristiansen’s 3rd in the 82nd made it look easy.

Valerenga 2 1-0 Frigg (D2)
With Stabaek’s relegation from the Premier Division meaning that the reserve side were relegated from the Second, Valerenga 2 were the only reserves in the league, and if they couldn’t improve on poor early form, that wouldn’t be the case for long, and there we went, somehow knowing they’d be a potential banana skin with some good players cast off from the first team. Indeed after a first half of occasional threatening from each side, they took the lead. We tried hard in the second half, but couldn’t quite get something.

Raufoss 3-1 Frigg (D2)
From there we moved to a tough trip to Raufoss, who had come straight back down from the First Division. They scored n the 29th minute, and we had a Kristiansen response disallowed. We kept trying, and Lund levelled it in the 63rd minute, but they quickly retook the lead, and I knew a repeat equalizer was a tall order, and in the end they got a late 3rd for good measure.

League Table

June/Jul 2015
Frigg 1-2 Skarbovik (NC)
The only game in June was in the cup, as we were awarded with a game against non-league Skarbovik. However having given out a shot, we were on the receiving end this time. They scored after 10 minutes, and we had one of our less intense games. Jonassen equalized after an hour, but they struck with 10 minutes left to put us out. Ah well, you win some, you lose some.

Kjelsas 1-1 Frigg (D2)
The league resumed in mid-July at re-promoted Kjelsas, and despite having lost 3 competitive games on the bounce, we were still right up there, 4th but just a point off all of the top 3. Kjelsas were one of those top 3, the early and long break making the season seem further along than it was, paradoxically while 6 games seems a short way it, it’s almost ¼ of the way through, still not much but longer. They scored after 10 minutes from a disputed goal, and our response was to have brief but regular chances. With just one spot available (and yes I’m definitely gunning for it), having a side going 4 points clear would not be good. Thankfully in the 65th minute, Kringberg came to the rescue to make it 1-1.

Frigg 1-0 Lillehammer (D2)
There was a late flurry from both sides, and under the circumstances I was happy to keep close to them. We got a welcome win at home to Lillehammer, though it was a hard-fought one as we pushed reasonably for a lot of the match, and Kristiansen got the only goal after an hour.

Aug 2015
Mjondalen 2-1 Frigg (D2)
At Mjondalen, Schroder gave us the lead after 5 minutes, but then equalized (actually causing me to stick two fingers up at the screen) and pushed strongly for the rest of the half. Kristiansen looked to have restored the lead at the beginning of the second half, but it was disallowed and they made it 2-1 themselves just afterwards, and a period of pressure from us couldn’t give us anything. A most annoying defeat for sure.

Lorenskog 2-0 Frigg (D2)
We were very unlucky to have two(!) relegated sides from the First Division in our group, and had to go to the table-topping other one, Lorenskog. We were able to defy the odds in the first half, attacking reasonably well, but after the break a couple of goals within the first 15 minutes secured it for them.

Frigg 2-0 Skeid (D2)
As we were dropping down the league, we faced a lot of chances from Skeid at home, but Buljo headed us into the lead. The young defender got another just after the break, and we felt free to have a go for the rest of the match.

Frigg 3-1 Strommen (D2)
Strommen at home was an example of a game with a first half where either side could have grabbed the lead with good chances, and it was Kristiansen who did it for us before half-time. Hareide set him up for another early in the second half, and with 15 minutes left, Lund got his first goal since Raufoss at the end of May, just before they got a consolation.

Holand 1-3 Frigg (D2)
The trip to Holand was relatively easy compared to recent ones. Lynum gave us the lead, and came close to another. Lund had one disallowed, and after the break, Buljo and Hareide secured the win before they got a consolation. Again it seemed like the season was far more advanced than just half-way but with Raufoss running away with it, it still seemed a tall order, and the drop in form after the excellent start, as well as some bad luck meant that we would likely have to settle to get close and try again next year with a settled squad.

League Table

[HotChocolate]

Aside from the fact that it's not quite as little as it looks in a 26 game season, he was simply an average player who was low down the pecking order at the start and got those 10 goals in just a few good games. Those few games did make it tricky to stick with my plan of releasing him, but I did (and very popular decision it was too apparantly), controversal as it may seem.

I figured that could be the case.

I wouldn't have released him I'd have given him a new contract! And I'd have played him more (which is one of the many reasons I'm cack at FM )

[deltablue]

Sept 2015
Asker 3-2 Frigg (D2)
Having looked like we’d salvage the season, we went about falling again at Asker, a very poor start saw them take the lead, though somehow Jensen gave us an underserved equalizer before the break. They re-established their superiority early in the second half, though after Kristiansen equalized, we actually had a good spell that could have seen us get a winner, though they got it in the end.

Frigg 0-1 Fram Larvik (D2)
Even a home game with bottom club Fram Larvik was a struggle, we were just about superior but they took the lead in the first half, we really should have had at least an equalizer in the second half, but didn’t push hard enough for it to really be as cruel as a lot of similar defeats.

Moss 5-1 Frigg (D2)
After that I knew we hadn’t much chance at Moss, who were in 2nd. However I didn’t expect such a poor performance that saw us 3 goals down at half-time. We didn’t improve and soon conceded a couple more, Lynum getting a useless goal in stoppage time.

Frigg 3-2 Raufoss (D2)
I wasn’t optimistic playing runaway leaders Raufoss at home, but having avoided being overrun, we went behind late in the first half, with an added time own goal equalizer. We managed to take the lead thanks to Lund in the second half, and Kristiansen made it 3-1, and though they got a goal back in an even game, we held out.

League Table

Oct 2015
Frigg 2-1 Valerenga 2 (D2)
Valerenga 2 were often troublesome, and they were no exception this time, being in the lead at half-time. We were able to overcome them in the end, Kristiansen drawing us level, then in the final minutes, bouncing a winner in off the post for a very pleasing three points.

Nest-Sotra 2-3 Frigg (D2)
We had another poor start at Nest-Sotra, going behind. Lund quickly equalized and in early the second half Kristiansen have us the lead. They equalized but another Lund goal wrapped it up with 6 minutes left, and it could have been more as Hakon (on for an injured Kristiansen) had a disallowed goal right at the end.

Frigg 1-1 Kjelsas (D2)
The reverse happened at home to Kjelsas, with Haug heading us into the ead after 5 minutes, but a quick response of an equalizer from them, and while the win was still ours for the taking, we barely tried and had to settle for a point.

Lillehammer 3-0 Frigg (D2)
We were definitely in a poor patch, and against struggling Lillehammer we made it easy for them to take a 2-0 lead within half an hour, and we couldn’t even stop them getting more in the second half as they comfortably got a 3rd.

Frigg 2-1 Lorenskog (D2)
After an even first half at home to Lorenskog, Lund gave us the lead as we took control in the second half. We kept attacking but they got a lucky equalizer with a rare push. Right at the end, justice was done with Lund’s second goal.

Nov 2015
Frigg 3-0 Mjondalen (D2)
The form pendulum (which much be very dizzy by now) was back swinging in our favour, and while Mjondalen were struggling, that didn’t mean anything. Haug gave us a couple of early headed goals. Lund’s late goal (after a slow personal performance) wrapped an easy win up.

Strommen 3-0 Frigg (D2)
At Strommen, we faced a lot of pressure, and the best we managed was to hold out until almost half-time. The second half saw them quickly getting another, and later getting a 3rd.

Skeid 1-0 Frigg (D2)
It was a similar story at Skeid, except we mostly manage to match them, except for a point early in the second half with the game’s only goal.

Frigg 1-2 Holand (D2)
We had a jolly old time on the final day against Holand, wasting chances, giving their keeper a front row seat to an attacking comedy of errors, and going behind just before half-time for good measure. Kristansen equalized, but by that point they were pushing us hard, and retook the lead. We could still have had a point with a disallowed Kringberg goal.

A pretty frustrating season, emphasizing that even 26-game seasons are marathons, not sprints, and after the early games, we proved poor even at sprinting as form was rather patchy to say the least, later on the front runners faltered, and while we couldn’t get too close, aside from near the end of the season, all those poor results represented a missed opportunity if we’d managed to avoid even a few of those, especially as later on we got very few points from games against all the sides in or around the relegation zone. In a way the early run could help us for next season, as I’d declined to go for players on expiring contracts which what then was looking like a very possible promotion, and there would be very few changes, which may provide a boost, plus the advantage of a young side is that even if you can’t upgrade through transfers, you can get some improvement, even gradual or slight, through the youngsters developing, bonding and getting experience.

Final League Table

Squad Stats

Star player: Lund
Had an amazing burst at the start of the season, wasn't that great after but still chipped in enough to have what was easily the best individual goalscoring season of my Frigg reign so far.

[deltablue]

Winter 2016
I took a bit of a gamble in the close season, releasing a few of the more experienced but less exceptional players, and leaving a few holes in the squad to plug with newer players. We no longer had the link with Notodden as they were relegated to our division, which didn’t bother me too much, but I wanted to be reasonably close to promotion, despite simply upgrading expectations to ‘mid-table’ for the 3rd season running, so there was little pressure from the board to do it. Changes were few so I was banking on a bit of stability boost.

Jacobsen

Oftedal

Toft


Transfers

[AK22]

Shame you had a sticky last couple of months; you wouldn't have been far behind Moss otherwise.

[AcidBurn]

Few bad results in the last couple of months. Good luck next time round.

[deltablue]

Shame you had a sticky last couple of months; you wouldn't have been far behind Moss otherwise.

Few bad results in the last couple of months. Good luck next time round.

Thanks, unfortunately this season hasn't started well. I've been starting to think about what to do if I can't get anywhere near promotion in the next year or 2, though its far too early to draw judgements for this season.

[SRL88]

Hopefully you can cut out so many defeats. Good luck turning your start to the season round to.

[noikeee]

Caught up now, reading from the beginning (altho if I'm honest I just skim past most match reports, not enough time to read game-by-game). Looking like you're making a slow start to this career! Time for a bit of a tactical rethink? And/or the relaxing of the signing only under 20s rule you've imposed on yourself? Nevertheless Norway seems to be going far better than Slovenia nevermind Sweden. I chuckled at this:

Either that or I’ve been possessed by Iacovone, or the guy mentioned on his thread last year with the ‘global relegation tour’.

And this:

I'd say that couldn't have gone worse, but technically it could.

[deltablue]

Caught up now, reading from the beginning (altho if I'm honest I just skim past most match reports, not enough time to read game-by-game). Looking like you're making a slow start to this career! Time for a bit of a tactical rethink? And/or the relaxing of the signing only under 20s rule you've imposed on yourself? Nevertheless Norway seems to be going far better than Slovenia nevermind Sweden.

There won't be a relaxing of the U21 rule, tactical shift a little unlikely as consistency has always paid (though I do occasionally take a new approach). Season suddenly looking a bit better but genuinely wondering whether to stay if we still don't get anywhere, try for a bit longer, be thankful for the stability or go somewhere (since I'm sure I can avoid newly promoted clubs now) in a league with a bit more potential for progression. Thoughts?