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FM16: The Frozen Throne


Rikulec

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So the beta is live now and so is my first - and hopefully only - Football Manager 2016 save. What is happening here?

The Aim

Basically I'll be trying to win all the Nordic top divisions and so claim the Frozen Throne. Not very creative, I admit, but that's an idea that's been stuck in my mind for quite some time now. I'll be starting unemployed, looking for a job in my manager's home country, which is...

The Manager

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Iceland. As it usually happens with the "start from the bottom" saves, I'll be starting with no coaching badges and minimum experience.

The Save

I've chosen a total of 43 leagues from 25 nations. The start date is 14th April 2015.

Let's do this then!

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Best of luck Rikulec, I'll be following! :D
Another follower here. :thup:

Can't wait to get back into everything FMCU.

Thanks for your comments guys, I can't wait to get this underway properly.

FM16 underway on the forums. Good luck.

Why does Rafa hate an unknown manager like you though?

No idea, you should ask him. :D

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I had to wait until the 4th of August for my first job offer.



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As you may know, seasons in Iceland fly by very quickly with only 22 league games. In this case we're already past the halfway point and things aren't looking good for Þróttur Reykjavík. The team's sitting dead last in the table and they're 6 points behind the safe spot with just 8 games to go. Hopefully I can get done with the interview before matchday 15 comes, every match will be extremely important this season!

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Only three days have passed since the interview, but the dreaded matchday came and the managerless team lost again. That didn't change anything in terms of point differences luckily, but it took away a game that could have been vital. Oh well, here's to the challenge anyway!

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Elvar Björgvinsson's Management Career - New Club - ÞrĂłttur ReykjavĂ­k

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I just hope it lasts longer than the seven league games remaining this season.

Club Name: Þróttur Reykjavík

Nickname: Þróttarar

Year Founded: 1949

Status: Semi-Professional

Stadium: Gervigras Laugardal (2,500 capacity, 1,500 seated)

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Not much to talk about here really. They haven't played in the top division since getting relegated in 2009. Their highest ever league position in the top flight was 5th and that was way back in 1954.

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Enough with the introductions, we start our Great Escape in five days away at Haukar who are sitting 8th in the league at the moment.

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Elvar Björgvinsson's Management Career - August 2015 - ÞrĂłttur ReykjavĂ­k

Icelandic First Division

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What can I say when the images speak for themselves? The new FM hasn't really been kind to me...

There's a lot of frustration though. Nothing was lost for us going into the Haukar game, but we had to turn things around very quickly if we wanted to fight against relegation effectively. Based on the players' ability (and availability - I had no less than seven players injured) I decided to set up a fairly basic counter-attacking 4-2-3-1. The lads' frustration was clearly visible almost straight from the kick-off. We commited 21 fouls throughout the whole game, but I'll get to that later. With frustration there was also lack of confidence, kind of expected when taking over a team that's rock bottom in the league. We actually played well, but were unable to convert our chances. Strikers JĂłn Arnar BarĂ°dal and Viktor JĂłnsson (whom I had to play on the left wing) wasted a few decent opportunities. Generally we controlled possession, but in the 29th minute Haukar launched a quick counter-attack on the right wing and Björgvin StefĂĄnsson put the ball past Trausti Sigurbjörnsson after a decent cross. In the 90th minute our centre back DaviĂ° Þor Ásbjörnsson was sent off for a second yellow card. Even more frustration was to follow in a massive six-pointer against our fellow relegation strugglers, FjarĂ°abyggĂ°. This time it was our right back who was at fault for letting the winger put in a cross which resulted in a goal as early as six minutes in. Despite this blow we - again - played well and created chances, but out of 13 shots we took only one was on target. Despite my instructions to stay on feet we commited 27 fouls this time. One of them cost us a penalty in the 64th minute and that sealed our fate. Again I believe we were the better team. And again we had a player pick up a second yellow as soon as stoppage time started, this time the lucky boy was central midfielder Oddur Björnsson. Five days passed and we travelled to our fierce rivals Fram. We kicked off hoping to end our abysmal run of seven games without a single win. 90 minutes, 15 fouls and one red card later we could celebrate. My first goal on Football Manager 2016 came through our number 10 Omar Koroma, who finished a nice passing move with a well placed shot from the edge of the penalty box. For the third time in a row we ended the game with ten men, for the third time in a row it was a second yellow card. Axel Ólafsson allowed me to complete this weird hat-trick. Even though we finally won, the situation before the KA game didn't look well. Four matches to play, seven points from safety. We needed a lot of things to go our way. Our hopes were cut short though - for the first time since I took over we simply got outplayed and lost to a better team. Viktor JĂłnsson had a very good chance in the first half, but that was it. We held them off until the 53th minute when JĂłhann Helgason found himself at the end of a cross from the left wing. Then the 80th minute marked my fifth goal conceded, four of which were crosses - this one was special though, as it was a rabona cross. Juraj Grizelj delivered what the assisting player expected from him. That result combined with FjarĂ°abyggĂ°'s win sent us down to the Second Division.

My fate is already sealed, but there are still three games to play. We will fight.

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Elvar Björgvinsson's Management Career - September 2015 - ÞrĂłttur ReykjavĂ­k

1. Deild karla

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And we manage to end the season with some dignity at least. I'd say I'd probably be able to keep the team up if it was a 30-game season, but well.

The month didn't start well for us though as we lost to Grotta who still had a faint chance of promotion. The result doesn't tell the whole story, statistics-wise we were the better team, we had more possession, more shots, even managed to get eight of them on target, but it took us a ridiculous fluke goal by JĂłn Arnar BarĂ°dal in the 91st minute to finally find the net. Way too late. We fell behind just before half time - yet again we failed to deal with a cross into the box, this time the striker headed the ball down, making use of a good run by Ásgeir Aron Ásgeirsson who scored with a well-placed first time shot. We continued to actually play well and get into decent positions, but all shots seemed to fly straight at their goalkeeper. My hopes for a draw vanished in the 74th minute. Another cross, another goal - this time it was a low ball played towards the penalty spot. As mentioned before, we pulled one back in stoppage time but failed to follow up on that in any way. Next up, BÍ/Bolungarvik at their place. This game started very well for us for a change with youth product centre back Axel Ólafsson finding himself at the end of a corner cross in the 12th minute. The home fans only had to wait six minutes for the equaliser. Our right back Aron Ýmir PĂ©tursson did well to intercept a through ball, but he underhit the backpass, setting their striker Pape Faye free on goal. The home team controlled the game generally, but we were doing a good job holding them off and launching quick counters. That is, until the 56th minute, when they were awared a dodgy penalty which was converted by Albert Hafsteinsson. A few minutes later I brought on my improvised inside forward, Viktor JĂłnsson. Even though he didn't score or assist himself, he had a significant impact on the game. To make long story short, it was BarĂ°dal who netted a brace in the last 20 minutes to give us the third win of the season and the second under my helm. Interestingly, both goals came from crosses from the right wing. Eight days later we finally rounded the season off with a home match against Selfoss. No big story there really - it was a fairly even game, both teams had their chances, both keepers put in some decent saves, it all came down to a last minute penalty. Omar Koroma stepped up and gave us another three points. It obviously didn't change anything, but it certainly made me feel a little better. I might even get a job next season.

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****ing hell, that's amazing. You must be one of the first persons in the world to have achieved that this year. :lol:

Better luck for the next job.

I actually believe I could be the first person to do this, apart from the SI employees obviously. :D

Is this a Steam achievement? :D

There should be one for this certainly. Sort it out SI!

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Elvar Björgvinsson's Management Career - Season Review - 2015 - ÞrĂłttur ReykjavĂ­k

1. Deild karla

Results

League Performance: 12th (relegated)

It was never going to be easy. When I came to the club, we had seven games to play and a six point gap between us and the safe 10th position. At the end of the season this gap stretched by a point, so you could say I did pretty bad. Well, that's true, but I strongly believe I'd be able to finish mid-table with this team if I got the chance to play a full season and avoid the confidence issues I've encountered upon arrival.

Deildabikar

Competition Performance: Group Stage

The previous manager failed to win a single game and finished bottom of the group.

Borgunarbikar

Competition Performance: Fourth Round

Another competition I didn't get to play in. The team got past two lower league sides before losing on penalties to top division BreiĂ°ablik.

Squad

A decent team. Not very good and not very bad either. Your typical mid-table side, I'd say. Shame it was too late for me to be able to achieve at least that.

Transfers - Finances

I didn't get to make any moves on the transfer market yet. I also didn't get to play JĂłn Ingason as he was out with a torn calf muscle when I came to the club.

As it usually happens at this sort of clubs, we're losing money on a monthly basis. Nothing to worry about too much though, the club made a profit and there's still sponsorship money to come in.

Player of the Season

1st - David Þor Ásbjörnsson - by far our most solid and consistent defender. Without him we'd surely have conceded more than we did.

2nd - JĂłn Arnar BarĂ°dal - if it wasn't for the lack of confidence, I'm sure he'd be scoring constantly for us. He grabbed three goals in September and showed some quality, unfortunately it came too late.

3rd - Viktor JĂłnsson - our improvised inside forward. The team seemed to look better overall with him on the pitch, on the other hand his poor finishing turned out costly for us in a couple of games.

Next Season

After the imminent sacking I'll be looking for another job in the mighty second tier of Icelandic football. The sooner I find it, the better for me and for the team concerned.

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It appears getting sacked in Iceland can be very costly - I spent the entire 2016 season unemployed!

Knattspyrnufélag Akureyrar (also known as KA, luckily) have finished 9th in 1. Deild karla and decided that wasn't good enough. It's only October 10th, so I'd have a lot of time to prepare for the next season if I get the job.

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So everything went surprisingly smooth and a few days after the interview I was offered the managerial post at KA. I negotiated my wage to ÂŁ200 per week - just as I did with my previous club - and accepted the year-long deal.

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Elvar Björgvinsson's Management Career - New Club - Knattspyrnufélag Akureyrar

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This time I'll have a few months to prepare the team for the season, so hopefully I'll be able to meet the board expectations, whatever they're going to be.

Club Name: Knattspyrnufélag Akureyrar

Nickname: KA-Menn

Year Founded: 1928

Status: Semi-Professional

Stadium: Akureyrarvöllur

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I was genuinely surprised to see how good the facilities are at the club. KA have been champions of Iceland once in their history and that was in 1989. Their most recent success is winning the Deildabikar in 2015.

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There are a few philosophies I had to accept in order to get the job, hopefully I'll be able to deliver what's expected from me.

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Elvar Björgvinsson's Management Career - Season Preview - 2017 - Knattspyrnufélag Akureyrar

Board Expectations:

1. Deild karla: Top half finish

Borgunarbikar: Fourth Round

Deildabikar: Don't get outclassed

My Expectations:

1. Deild karla: We have the squad to meet the board expectations, personally I'm hoping for a promotion challenge.

Borgunarbikar: It all depends on who we get really, Fourth Round would be nice.

Deildabikar: Gain the match sharpness before the league starts.

Budgets:

Transfer: ÂŁ3,214

Wage: ÂŁ2,234 (currently spending ÂŁ2,181)

Balance: -ÂŁ41,104

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So it appears December 13th is the annual election day at KA. Let's see what comes out of this...

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Alright, looks like I'm keeping my job.

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So no major changes apart from a loan which I don't feel we really needed. Any positives then?

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Well, there's that.

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Basically I'll be trying to win all the Scandinavian top divisions and so claim the Frozen Throne. Not very creative, I admit, but that's an idea that's been stuck in my mind for quite some time now. I'll be starting unemployed, looking for a job in my manager's home country, which is...

Iceland. As it usually happens with the "start from the bottom" saves, I'll be starting with no coaching badges and minimum experience.

Ahem, you aiming for winning all the Scandinavian top divisions and you're starting off in Iceland? Sure you don't want to win all the Nordic top divisions?

Scandinavia: Norway, Denmark, Sweden

Nordic: Scandinavia plus Finland and Iceland (and finnish/danish dependencies).

A quite important difference for us natives..

Otherwise, good luck with your challenge, a tough one, but surely it's very possible to make it, I've got faith in you!

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Ahem, you aiming for winning all the Scandinavian top divisions and you're starting off in Iceland? Sure you don't want to win all the Nordic top divisions?

Scandinavia: Norway, Denmark, Sweden

Nordic: Scandinavia plus Finland and Iceland (and finnish/danish dependencies).

A quite important difference for us natives..

Otherwise, good luck with your challenge, a tough one, but surely it's very possible to make it, I've got faith in you!

Wow, I didn't actually know that. Thanks, I'm going to edit the OP right now.

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Scandinavia: Norway, Denmark, Sweden

Nordic: Scandinavia plus Finland and Iceland (and finnish/danish dependencies).

A quite important difference for us natives..

As a fellow native: Most Danes (not me!) use the terms interchangeably anyway.

Probably because if you want to get really pedantic, the Scandinavian peninsula only consists of Norway and Sweden. So potato/potato... ;)

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Elvar Björgvinsson's Management Career - Pre-Season - 2017 - Knattspyrnufélag Akureyrar

Friendlies

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Only two friendlies were scheduled before the Deildabikar, we lost away to a lower league team and beat a top division side at home.

Transfers

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A few fringe players were released on a free transfer and Josip Serdarusic was sold to a Costa Rican club Ajauelense for ÂŁ40K which was our record sale. We also brought in three new players to cover the positions that needed strenghtening.

Marinó Þór Jakobsson - we didn't have a single right back in the first team, this guy will be the first choice player for this position with a talented youngster from the U-19s providing cover.

Elvar Ingi Vignisson - his contract at FjarĂ°abyggĂ° was running out and we needed a good finisher. Should be one of the two starting strikers in our system.

Benjamin Gunnlaugarson - after Serdarusic left, we needed to someone to replace him in midfield. This guy won't be first choice, but he'll probably get a few appearances.

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Elvar Björgvinsson's Management Career - February 2017 - Knattspyrnufélag Akureyrar

Deildabikar

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The Icelandic equivalent of the League Cup serves mostly as a testing ground for our 4-4-2 and an opportunity to gain match fitness and it works pretty well so far.

We started the competition with a match against Pepsideildin side Vikingur Reykjavik. The result is extremely misleading in this case - inside the first 23 minutes we took five shots, a couple of them from very good positions and failed to hit the target once while our rivals only managed two shots, both of which went past our goalkeeper Fannar Hafsteinsson and into the net. In the 8th minute we conceded from, yes, a cross - we cleared the ball after a corner back to the flank it was taken from, another ball came in and our defence failed to deal with it. Fifteen minutes later a good passing move by Vikingur set Stefan Þór Palsson free on goal. Hafsteinsson got his hand to the shot, it hit the post, but ultimately crossed the goal line. Despite our efforts and controlling the game we conceded again in the 51st minute - a ridiculous pinball resulted in an own goal by our right midfielder Juraj Grizelj. The lack of match sharpness was brutally visible - we had a ridiculous amount of misplaced passes, missed balls and balls bouncing off players without them even noticing. A week later we played against Pepsideildin freshmen, Fjarðabyggð. Remember where we got Elvar Ingi Vignisson? Well, our new striker scored his first ever goal for the club in the 16th minute of the game. He received a pass with his back to goal, about 20 yards away from it. He managed to turn despite high pressure from two defenders and placed a shot in the right bottom corner. Just before half time Vignisson added another goal, this time converting a long ball behind the defence delivered by Bjarni Mark Antonsson. Fjarðabyggð had their opportunities, but their shots were blocked by our defenders on a few occasions and Hafsteinsson also played well in goal. The last game of the month was against fellow 1. Deild karla side Leiknir Reykjavik and we were very unlucky not to win there. Despite a few attempts from both sides, the first half ended goalless. In the 53rd minute Vignisson scored his third goal in the cup after some gorgeous build-up by our midfield. Our lead didn't last though as we conceded straight from the kick-off, a cross came in from the left, none of our defenders actually attempted to clear the ball away and Atli Arnarson punished us from point blank range. We maintained control of the game, but failed to make use of any of the good chances we created.

In March we'll continue our Deildabikar campaign, maybe trying to sneak into the Quarter Finals.

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Elvar Björgvinsson's Management Career - March 2017 - Knattspyrnufélag Akureyrar

Deildabikar

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Things are starting to shape up with the core of the team already visible.

Haukar seemed like an interesting opponent because they're at a similar level to ours. We started the game really well and in the 17th minute we took the lead. Within one offensive move our striker Elvar Ingi Vignisson managed to waste two open goal opportunities and then squeeze the ball past the line from a ridiculously tight angle. Instead of letting the foot off the gas, we took control of the ball and created a few more opportunities, but the support striker Elfar Árni AĂ°alsteinsson also managed to miss an almost open goal. I was afraid it could turn out costly for us as Haukar did try to equalise towards the final whistle, but thanks to a good performance by Hafsteinsson we held on to a valuable win. Next up, Afturelding, seemingly the easiest opponent of the bunch. And yet again, we were painfully inefficient in front of goal which made me really frustrated. When the infamous bug which causes everyone to freeze hit us around the 60th minute with 0:0 on the board, I was pissed. Luckily they made a substitution which set everything in motion again. They must have regretted it though as in the 86th the deadlock was finally broken. Again it was Vignisson who put his name on the scoresheet. AĂ°alsteinsson nodded the ball on for his run after a long pass launched from the halfway line and our star striker smashed it past the goalkeeper into the net. March ended with a six-point clash against Fjölnir. Selfoss played their game a few hours earlier, so we knew they had already qualified for the Quarter Finals. A win would give us control over our own fate, a loss would throw us out, a draw would leave us hoping. Despite our recent good defensive performances we fell behind twelve minutes into the game. For the millionth time it was the cross - it seems it's really the only way I ever concede. This time it was a low, powerful ball from the left and Djordje Panic smashing it in with a first time shot. Overall it was a weird match - Fjölnir had more shots on target, eventually stopping at 10, but apart from the goal there was only one more dangerous situation really and Hafsteinsson dealt with it with ease. Our performance in front of goal was the usual story really, but to an even bigger extent. To put the most interesting part in chronological order: out of frustration I brought Vignisson off in the 70th minute, replacing him with Marko Blagojevic, a natural defender who's also a competent striker. Then he went on to miss a clear cut chance. Then in the 80th minute he equalised after a brilliant cross by our right back MarinĂł Þor Jakobsson. Then we had two open goal situations and we missed both, through AĂ°alsteinsson and left midfielder Ólafur Hrafn Kjartansson respectively. A draw. Just a draw.

The situation in the group is very interesting before the final round. We face the already-qualified Selfoss while Fjölnir play against Vikingur Reykjavik. We need to win our game and hope either Fjölnir don't win our we win by a bigger margin than they do.

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