Thunderbird Delta: International Footballing Rescue

[Big Marv]

Brilliant read Delta, another great career starting with some challenging times. I've said it before, but these are much better red than instant success careers!

[SRL88]

Not the worst start by any means.

[deltablue]

Hopefully you can pick it up again in a bit. Going to be a seriously big ask to be promoted in this league though by the looks of it, not the most generous allocation of places.

I know, and I'm not sure I've ever gone up from a league with just a single promotion place (which goes for the Scottish Division 1 as well), but we're certainly in a position to challenge for a couple of years, and I really need to stay and push for it as much as I can rather than keep hopping about and getting nowhere. It's not ideal but the effort and patience needs to be put in.

Brilliant read Delta, another great career starting with some challenging times. I've said it before, but these are much better red than instant success careers!

Thanks, I've actually been thinking about when I get promoted to the PL or simiar league for the first time (which will be a long way away admitedly) it'll feel even better than it would otherwise.

Not the worst start by any means.

Indeed not, but really needs to be much better.

Anyway not felt very well these past few days, (spent most of Wednesday afternoon wishing I was able to go to bed, and most of yesterday afternoon glad I was able to do so) so while I might get on later, it could be a day or two before there is much else to update.

[Hypanimz]

Decent start. As others have mentioned it looks extremely difficult to get out of this league.

[AcidBurn]

June wasn't very good with those two losses but you did well to get a win at the end, looks like it'll be tough to get promoted from that league.

How do you find the team morale? Mine goes down very quickly after a couple of losses in a row.

[cerud]

A decent start. Took a bit to get going, but you're on your way now.

[deltablue]

A decent start. Took a bit to get going, but you're on your way now.

Sadly we've not been going anywhere for years.

First time I've caught up with this for a while, it remains a great read.

Thanks, though it's turning into a long-term farce.

June wasn't very good with those two losses but you did well to get a win at the end, looks like it'll be tough to get promoted from that league.

How do you find the team morale? Mine goes down very quickly after a couple of losses in a row.

Decent start. As others have mentioned it looks extremely difficult to get out of this league.

Going up is the least of my concerns right now, form's been very poor. Morale's not been too bad just on a couple of defeats, but still had some long bad runs where it does drop that bad. I think the reason people moaned that FM12 was too easy was that it was easier to keep morale up.

Euro 2016

Ukraine's win is a bit of a surprise, but aside from that the only real surprises are France's early elimination, and Slovenia winning their group.

[deltablue]

July/Aug 2016

Randaberg 3-2 Nest-Sotra (D2)

We had to go to table-topping Randaberg, and went behind in the 12th minute. However we had been alright, and equalized from Motland half an hour later. Grytten gave us the lead in the second half, but one underperforming defender messed it up. Their equalizer wasn’t too hard to take as it was deserved, but their late winner was, given the importance of the game if we wanted to have a promotion challenge.

Nest-Sotra 0-2 Staal (D2)

Having had a good effort in the last game, we disappointed against Staal, going behind in the 42nd minute. They pushed on with a 73rd minute goal, and we were now starting to slip behind the top half, let alone.

Fana 1-1 Nest-Sotra (D2)

We battled hard at Fana, going behind in the 56th minute, but Naess equalized 12 minutes later. Having hoped to win early on, it was clear that a draw was the best we’d deserve, though we managed to get it at least.

Nest-Sotra 0-1 Ardal (D2)

We needed wins, but against Ardal we went behind to a harsh penalty just before half-time. They had another disallowed in the second half, but otherwise it was another case of plenty of effort but falling short on the end result.

Asane 0-2 Nest-Sotra (D2)

We now had just 1 win (and 4 points) from the last 8 games, and looked like that run would continue at Asane, where we were second best from the start. However Naess snatched the lead just before half-time, Motland securing it with 10 minutes left. It’s amazing how great each win feels when you’re doing poorly.

Algard 3-1 Nest-Sotra (D2)

We failed miserably to build on it at Algard, conceding a penalty in the 17th minute, followed by two goals in 3 minutes. We improved after the break, an own-goal giving us an 81st minute consolation.

Nest-Sotra1-0 Vindbjart (D2)

We had a bunch of games coming up when we hoped to rise up the table a bit, starting against Vindbjart. We lucked out a bit with an own-goal in the 37th minute, and though the win was deserved, they also had a late equalizer disallowed.

Sept/Oct 2016

Nest-Sotra 0-1 Jerv (D2)

In contrast to the previous game, we looked good against Jerv, only for it to be a typical ‘lost when we should have won’ game as inefficiency cost us, and we dropped to a miserable 10th.

Nest-Sotra 2-2 Floy (D2)

We went behind against Floy, but Becken equalized in the 40th minute, and Altermark gave us the lead after 57 minutes. They fought back to equalized but I was glad to get a point at least.

ManKam 0-4 Nest-Sotra (D2)

Going to ManKam, we had our best performance in months. Therkelsen scored in the 13th minute, followed by an Iversen penalty. Naess gave us a 3rd goal in the 72nd minute before Iversen’s second finished them off.

Nest-Sotra 1-0 Vidar (D2)

We were strongly expected to beat Vidar, and were on top from the start, however a goal proved hard to come by. In the 82nd minute Therkelsen rescued the win, giving us our first back to back victories since early May, and we went up to 6th for the first time in a few months.

Bryne 1-0 Nest-Sotra (D2)

We were unlikely to make it 3 at table-topping Bryne, but had a good try, matching their shot stats exactly, and it was a little unlucky that they sneaked the win in the 66th minute.

Staal 3-2 Nest-Sotra (D2)

Therkelsen gave us the lead in the 16th minute at Staal, and within 6 minutes it was 2-1 as they equalized, then Motland restored the lead. We looked comfortable but let it slip later as they turned it around to win 3-2, and they had two players sent off too late to make a difference, as it was another hard defeat to take.

Nest-Sotra 0-2 Os (D2)

Os was also bad, for different reasons, as they were bottom and it should have been an easy win, but a brace in the first 11 minutes left us stunned and unable to do much to come back.

Nest-Sotra 2-0 Randaberg (D2)

We finished the season against Randaberg, taking the lead from Stueland in the 56th minute. They had an equalizer disallowed just before Motland finished it off 12 minutes later, an excellent win but not enough to get a top-half finish.

It had been a disappointing season, 1 point from the first two games was followed by a good little run of form that raised hopes, but most of the rest of the year was mediocre. We improved in the last past of the season but couldn’t always get the results to show for it. However I lived to fight on, and despite a loan needing to be taken out (loan repayments already being the biggest expenditure, dragging us down considerably), having changed clubs a few times already like they were going out of fashion, staying and fighting was what I’d do. Beyond the first 11 (and even in it) we had a lot of young players (half the squad after players were released were 18 or under) which didn’t help squad depth but did provide hope that things could improve in the future, as well as still having spare budget (both wage and a little bit for transfers) to work with. I expected we could climb a bit into the top half next year, but how much remained to be seen, and the ‘only champions go up’ thing didn’t help, but it was possible, and worth working towards, the potential was there, even if the consistency, efficiency, and luck wasn't.

Squad Stats

Star player: It was amazing to see a young signing shine so soon (ditto with Altermark,despite having all the maneuverability of a palace), and it was probably no coincidence that our main poor run came when he was our for a few months with a couple of injuries.

Therkelsen

[AK22]

Vidar relegated

[B.W.G]

Unlucky with things disrupting your season.Hopefully something will fall right for you in the future.

[deltablue]

Vidar relegated

Yep, sorry about that.

Unlucky with things disrupting your season.Hopefully something will fall right for you in the future.

Signs are still very mixed right now.

Winter 2017

We started the season over 100k in the black, thanks to a 700k loan late last season, and even with repayments (3k a month) we were projected to avoid dipping into the red, however that was before I got starting using 18k transfer budget and just under £900pw for wages. It was enough for a few good players, which we needed especially at full back, where we only had 2 players last season, one mediocre, and one in the Glen Johnson tradition of being a strong all-rounder but with terrible tackling (of just 5), joined late on by a youth player who could play on both sides but was nowhere near ready for action. We could also use a winger or two, especially since while Altermark had done well as needed on the left (which meant I could play both him and Motland, taking up the Target Man position up front), he could be outpaced by an oak tree, so clearly we could do a lot better on that front as well.

There weren’t quite the full-back reinforcements I hoped for, but a new right back (and the existing one being in the process of being retrained) gave us better depth in defence, especially without needing to resort to a 3rd (and often inadequate) centre-back occasionally. Elsewhere the wing reinforcements were useful, and not just for their quality, which was better than the want-away Naess and the immobile Altermark (strong players though they both were in their own right), freeing the latter to go up front, giving us a strong alternative to Motland (and vice versa), having had to field an underachieving guy when the latter was out or suspended and the former stuck as the only available player on the left, so while on the face of it, the signings may mostly seem unimpressive, when seen in depth, like I’ve just explained, they put us in a much better squad position going into the season, coupled with more development for the younger players like Therkelsen, Altermark and Bakken, and a good atmosphere (commented on in a board confidence report) there were definitely reasons to be optimistic. We looked well equipped to move up into the board-expected top half of the table, though I had no idea how much.

Bogild

Monsen

Schei

Skogli

Transfers

One to watch:

I can't believe his old club let me have him for nothing (I did have to go through them with a proper bid and everything)! Unless I move to 2 up front (which I won't for now) he'll be deployed in midfield, and has already got a good CA rating, so he can handle action right away, even if he hasn't got as much improvement left in him as you might think at that age. Yet another reason to be hopeful even if things don't improve in the short-term.

[JackJCFC]

Moreland looks class for that level, he should surely be able to bang them in?

[Big Marv]

Ok, only 8th, but a fine base to build upon.

[Hypanimz]

I like the look of Morland. Should be a class act at that level.

[snootyjim]

Agreed, Morland looks very promising. Hope the season goes well.

[SRL88]

Work to do, but you are the man to do it.

[AcidBurn]

Not too bad of a finish, I'm sure you'll end up higher than that next season.

[deltablue]

Moreland looks class for that level, he should surely be able to bang them in?

I like the look of Morland. Should be a class act at that level.

Agreed, Morland looks very promising. Hope the season goes well.

He's made a very good start, though Altermark has been so good as a lone Target Man up front that I'm not going to be putting Morland up with him just yet. Give it time though, and I'm sure it can really work out.

Ok, only 8th, but a fine base to build upon.

Work to do, but you are the man to do it.

Not too bad of a finish, I'm sure you'll end up higher than that next season.

Been having a bit of a 'mid 20's crisis' today so lovely seeing SRL88's comment. I actually changed my manager name to 'Legend Deltablue' for this save, which is amusingly at odds with how it's gone so far. Despite looking better so far this time around, costly defensive errors in a lot of matches mean that we're not doing that much better, but when things eventually swing our way there should be a lot more improvement. Feel a strong attachment to the current side so will be great to eventually go up, even if it's a long wait.

[AcidBurn]

It's worth the wait if you feel something for the team, promotion and success just for the sake of it is not as rewarding.

[cerud]

You have a strong position to build from. Your newest signing looks like he could definitely help as well!

[deltablue]

It's worth the wait if you feel something for the team, promotion and success just for the sake of it is not as rewarding.

It could be a long one, and I do need to start going up before long, but having jumped between a few clubs early on, and feeling better about this one (not least with a few very strong young players, and room for improvement in some places, especially defensively), so worth being patient for a couple more years at least. I would have said 'understanding', though if that was true we'd probably be doing better, but I surprised myself in the pre-season update with talking about how the new signings helped us in a number of ways that weren't 'being better players', which is more than I normally manage by way of tactical insight, so this is definitely a team I do want to keep working with.

You have a strong position to build from. Your newest signing looks like he could definitely help as well!

Building is tough work, but I'm sure that given time and luck swinging our way...

[SnakeXe]

Building is tough work, but I'm sure that given time and luck swinging our way...

You're telling me! Good luck - this could be the season.

[deltablue]

You're telling me! Good luck - this could be the season.

It probably won't be due to a defence dropping points left right and centre, but I stand by my confidence in our potential.

Anyway I forgot the PL table and CL final last year, so here they are along with this years.

PL 2015/16

PL 2016/17

CL 2015/16

CL 2016/17

[deltablue]

Apr/May 2017

Ardal 1-2 Nest-Sotra (D2)

We started the season at Ardal, and made a terrible start, especially defensively, letting them through to score in the 3rd minute. However there was just one goal in it despite a limp first half, which allowed us to get back into it. Altermark equalized in the 63rd minute, soon followed by a Therkelsen shot being deflected in for an own-goal. They came very close to scoring in the last 10 minutes, but we held out to get a very promising opening day win.

Nest-Sotra 1-3 Egersund (D2)

Altermark was enjoying being up front, giving us the lead in the 35th minute against Egersund. Unfortunately we were on the receiving end of a comeback this time. They were 2-1 up 7 minutes into the second half. Stueland had a 72nd minute goal disallowed, and we really deserved a point, not a late Egersund 3rd.

Voss 1-3 Nest-Sotra (D2)

Therkelsen gave us the lead in the 32nd minute at Voss, and though they equalized from a penalty 6 minutes later, Altermark made it 3 goals in 3 games to quickly restore the lead. We deserved another in the second half, though late on they looked like snatching an equalizer, but Altermark scored another a few minutes from the end. Unfortunately we also had our keeper Hoidahl injured for a few weeks, which didn’t help our chances.

Nest-Sotra 4-3 Lyn (NM)

Lyn were a tough challenge in the cup, but surprisingly we took the game to them early on. Inevitably when they did finally attack, the 16yr old backup keeper Nilssen couldn’t cope, and they took the lead in the 29th minute. However like with Ardal, we took our chance to come back in the second half. Monsen equalized in the 47th minute, followed 10 minutes later by Altermark. They each scored again to give us a 4-1 lead by the 76th minute, and although the defence was as poor as I feared, and they pulled it back to 4-3, we held on to go through.

Nest-Sotra 1-2 Algard (D2)

Unusually it was the attack that underperformed against Algard. They had a goal disallowed in the second half, but took the lead from a penalty after 70 minutes. We equalized from Morland (who had just turned 17), but they went on to win.

Nest-Sotra 2-2 Notodden (D2)

Notodden were looking for a quick return to Division 1, and took the lead in the 19th minute. Morland equalized in the 52nd minute, but a Brevig own-goal restored the lead, and it looked bad until Morland’s second goal (and 3rd in 2 games) gave us a point in stoppage time.

Fana 3-1 Nest-Sotra (D2)

An unfit Hoidahl was back in to go to Fana, and we needed him as after Furdal gave us an early lead they attacked hard. However they eventually sunk us with 2 goals in as many minutes in the middle of the second half, with a 3rd later.

Nest-Sotra 1-3 Lillestrom (NM)

We played Lillestrom in the second round of the cup, which was tough as they were a Premier Division team with players on most or more than our entire squad. Unsurprisingly it was one-way traffic. They scored in the 9th, 20th, and 55th minutes, though Morland gave us a consolation.

Staal 1-1 Nest-Sotra (D2)

We had another difficult task at Staal, eventually going behind just before half-time. We fought hard to equalize in the second half, and got it from Salamondsen, celebrating being part of a partnership up front (meant to be Altermark-Morland, but the latter was in need of a rest) instead of struggling as he had in his solo appearances. However it was alarming that it was just our 2nd point in 5 league games.

June 2017

Nest-Sotra 1-1 Floy (D2)

We were disappointingly flat in the first half against Floy, who we were expected to beat. A Becken header finally gave us the lead in the 67th minute, but with 10 minutes left yet another defensive mistake let them equalize, as two more points were thrown away.

Stord 0-1 Nest-Sotra (D2)

There was great relief when Altermark gave us the lead after half an hour at Stord, thankfully they didn’t have a single shot so we couldn’t let it slip, and we got our first league win for 6 games.

Nest-Sotra 4-1 ManKam (D2)

We fought hard to build on it against ManKam, but went behind against the run of play a few minutes from the break. Thankfully a back-in-form Altermark equalized just before the half-time whistle. Morland gave us the lead early in the second half, followed by a disallowed goal for each side. Morland eventually got his second in the 83rd minute, quickly completing a hat-trick.

Nest-Sotra 4-2 Asane (D2)

It great finding form at last, in an admittedly comfortable run of games, continuing against Asane. Stueland gave us the lead in the 7th minute, followed a few minutes later by Becken. Altermark made it 3-0 in the 37th minute, however Asane goals in the 74th and 80th minute led to fears of throwing it away, though Morland’s last minute goal thankfully meant that didn’t happen. With the Staal and Floy draws, 5 games without a win had turned into 5 without defeat.

If it wasn't for so many points thrown away we'd be serious challengers, as it is we're certainly gaining ground on the top of the table, though the fixture list has helped a bit. We could just as easily disappoint for the rest of the year as mount a close challenge. The defence has proven to be a mess that it's been very hard to improve or sort out, but now Morland and Altermark are together up front, they're looking a very promising combination at just 17 and 19 respectively. I certainly rate our chances in the near-future.

[AK22]

Not a bad start. Well done beating Lyn!

[snootyjim]

Bit of an indifferent start, but as you say, even if this isn't the season, the next one might be. Don't think it's an insurmountable deficit already, but it will surely be pretty hard to overhaul - Egersund look particularly strong.

[deltablue]

Not a bad start. Well done beating Lyn!

Thanks, I think it's actually the first (and so far only) cup match I've won so far in the career.

Bit of an indifferent start, but as you say, even if this isn't the season, the next one might be. Don't think it's an insurmountable deficit already, but it will surely be pretty hard to overhaul - Egersund look particularly strong.

Well you're right that it's not insurmountable.

July/Aug 2017

Nest-Sotra 2-1 Vindbjart (D2)

Vindbjart would be a trickier challenge than recent games. They took the lead in the first half from a chance they never should have been allowed to have, followed by Morland going off injured for about a month (thankfully he had been poor in the match anyway, and we only had one more match within 4 weeks). Our efforts were eventually rewarded by an Altermark equalizer, and Salamondsen scored a late winner.

Randaberg 0-1 Nest-Sotra (D2)

The only other game in July was a trip to Randaberg, who were close to going up last year, but were barely in the top half right now. It was a tense affair, where we found chances hard to come by, but luck was on our side and we edged it with a 59th minute Therkelsen goal. After 5 wins in a row we were now up to 3rd, 3 points off top.

Nest-Sotra 4-0 Ardal (D2) (D2)

No sooner had Morland recovered from his earlier injury, he sustained another for a month and a half. We managed fine without him against Ardal, where Salamondsen scored two goals in the first 25 minutes, followed by Altermark making it 3-0. Early in the second half they threatened to come back, but we completed a remarkable record of scoring with every shot thanks to Stueland.

Egersund 4-0 Nest-Sotra (D2)

With Therkelsen out, things unravelled badly with a woeful performance at Egersund, and that description was being charitable. They took the lead in the 12th minute, scoring again a few minutes later, and with just a single shot on target we never looked like getting anything. Two more second half goals gave us a 4-0 defeat, however even though we dropped to 5th, results elsewhere kept us just 3 points off top.

Nest-Sotra 2-1 Voss (D2)

We needed to bounce back at a terrible Voss side (who had just 9 points from 15 games, only kept off the bottom by a winless Stord). We didn’t really take the chance very well, only taking the lead from a Salamondsen penalty shortly before half time. They equalized in the 65th minute, but Altermark struck immediately afterwards to give us the win.

Nest--Sotra 3-1 Fana (D2)

Fana was another good opportunity, but we wouldn’t get away with as mediocre a performance. Altermark pounced on a missed penalty to give us the lead in the 32nd minute, but was sent off early in the second half. We fought hard to get more despite the numerical disadvantage, Salamondsen scored twice, before an 84th minute consolation.

Wow, as disappointing as Egersund was, we've still won 8 of the last 9 league games (which is a lot in a 26 game season), the sort of form I thought I'd have to wait much longer to see going from 10th in late May, right into a title challenge. We have quite a fight ahead, and I'm probably more likely to be booking the celebration party next year rather than this, especially as Egersund are the only top half team we've played twice, so we have to play all our rivals. If we'de started a lot better we'd be cruising, and as it is this looks like it could be the closest I've ever come to getting promoted from this level, and as long as we're not too far off there'll be a lot to be pleased about. We still have just over 1/3 of the season left so no way of knowing what will happen, but looks like a great battle at the top. However we have had 6 of the last 9 games at home, and now have 6 of the remaining 9 away (all in pairs), league leaders Notodden being the second.

On a side-note, it's great to finally having things going really well.

[cerud]

That's a great stretch of form

[DodgeeD]

At least the 4-0 was just a blip. If your form holds up, a title challenge could be on the cards

[B.W.G]

Nice to see things have picked up for you,hopefully your able to maintain some of it towards the end of the season.

[JackJCFC]

Still in touch of the top, great work so far.

[deltablue]

That's a great stretch of form

At least the 4-0 was just a blip. If your form holds up, a title challenge could be on the cards

Nice to see things have picked up for you,hopefully your able to maintain some of it towards the end of the season.

Still in touch of the top, great work so far.

Well we have been able to (mostly) keep it up at least enough. Here's the table going into the final round...

We have Randaberg at home last, which in theory should give us the win we need. Vindbjart are at Floy, Staal play Ardal, so if we don't win, at least one of them will and go up instead.

[AK22]

Right in contention! (I don't want to jinx you by saying anything else! )

[deltablue]

Right in contention! (I don't want to jinx you by saying anything else! )

We only drew 1-1

[deltablue]

Sept 2017

Algard 1-3 Nest-Sotra (D2)

A big couple of months started at Algard, the first of three pairs of away games left. We were deprived of both our star frontmen, the suspended Altermark, and Morland who was recovering after his injury, and not really ready to be thrown back in yet. Motland had been mostly employed as a scout instead of a forward this season, but he made the most of finally getting on the pitch, putting us ahead after just a few minutes, linking up well with Salamondsen, as the second choice strike partnership showed the absent regulars they could do it as well. Becken scored another header in the 20th minute, and though they pulled one back, a second goal from Motland just before the break gave us a 3-1 win. After Egersund it was a great relief to show that we could still go to the stronger teams and get results, we’d need to if we had an chance of going up.

Notodden 1-3 Nest-Sotra (D2)

Far more important was the trip to leaders Notodden. We would draw level at the top if we won (though needed to win by 4 goals to go top), but I wasn’t too sure, a point to keep pace would be a good result. It was a very slow start, but we had a few promising chances, then Monsen gave us the lead with a free-kick after half an hour, followed immediately by a goal from the returning Altermark to put is in a great position. After that the game went really quiet again, to the point where the commentator could have gone to the pub and no one would have noticed. That changed when they pulled one back in the 63rd minute, but another Altermark goal quickly sealed it. It was unusual to put him back in for Motland after the latter had played so well against Algard, but I felt we needed him for a game like this, and it very much paid off, taking his overall tally for the season to 15 in 20 games.

Nest-Sotra 1-2 Staal (D2)

One of our few remaining home games was against Staal, who were also within striking distance of top spot. It was a fairly quiet game, but gradually it warmed up. They scored in the 82nd minute, and though an own-goal equalizer levelled it, they scored again in stoppage time, but while it was a disappointing defeat, Notodden had also lost, so the three of us were level at the top. We also now had 2 of the toughest remaining games out of the way.

Floy 1-2 Nest-Sotra (D2)

We recovered with a good performance at Floy, with Altermark giving us the lead after 10 minutes. Though we kept pushing, they looked like equalizing until Altermark scored again in the 74th minute, while they only managed to score a stoppage time penalty. Another Notodden defeat left us top on goal difference from Staal.

ManKam 1-2 Nest-Sotra (D2)

I was worried we would throw it away immediately after a slow first half at ManKam, going behind just before the break. Therkelsen equalized in the 68th minute, followed 10 minutes later by Altermark giving us the win, and a 2 point lead at the top with 4 games left.

Oct 2017

Nest-Sotra 2-0 Stord (D2)

Altermark shone again against the league’s no-hopers, Stord (that said, they had beaten Notodden recently). He gave us the lead in the 18th minute, scoring again later in the half, assisted by Therkelsen both times. What was most important was that the lead was extended to 4 points, as we had a couple of tricky tests left.

Asane 3-0 Nest-Sotra (D2)

We made a terrible start at Asane, going 2 goals down in the first 10 minutes. We struggled to get back into it, and conceded a late 3rd. However Vindbjart had beaten Staal, meaning both were 4 points behind instead of Staal closing the gap, which meant that whatever happened next, it would be in our hands going to the last day, where we had a game we would probably win.

Vindbjart 2-1 Nest-Sotra (D2)

However before that we had to go to Vindbjart. If we won, we’d go up, and a point would be enough to secure promotion if Staal didn’t win, but they took the lead just before we went behind to Vindbjart. We didn’t play like a team that were only playing 10 men, as we had been since shortly before they scored. However not for the first time, there being just one goal in it gave us home, and Salamondsen equalized in the 65th minute. This time it came to nothing, as they scored twice to keep it a 3-team race going into the final day.

Nest-Sotra 1-1 Randaberg (D2)

4 suspensions and an injury was especially damaging to the defence when we played Randaberg on the final day, we even had a 17yr old making his debut! They took the lead just a couple of minutes in, and I was worried that we were slow getting back into it. With no goals so far in the other games, Altermark’s equalizer after half an hour at least took us back top for the time being. We came close to taking the lead a few times before the break, Staal had even gone behind, but it would just take one win from them and Vindbjart to deny us if we couldn’t take a win ourselves. Randaberg worryingly came close to retaking the lead themselves early in the second half, then Becken got sent off, damaging an already depleted defence (we had already used up the one spare defender we had in the squad), just as Vindbjart took the lead! The news improved as Vindbjart quickly went from being ahead to going behind, but Staal had equalized in their game, and were just one goal away from denying us. Thankfully they didn’t, and we squeezed through in the end.

Oh my giddy aunt! That was a very nervous end to the season for sure, especially after Becken’s sending off. We hadn’t started the season too well, and I doubted we would even get close, but the start of the summer saw a tactical switch(and the update, which was probably not a coincidence), seeing us storm up the table. In the Autumn, results elsewhere helped us take pole position, allowing us to survive a few poor results near the end... just.

It felt amazing going up, especially as I was worried I’d be stuck at the bottom for a while (though my rep had already gone up to ‘national’ at the club), plus needing to win the league to do it meant that I didn’t have that long a wait for a first trophy, as I usually do, and right now the Norwegian Second Division looked just as sweet as the Premier League or Serie A. Yet again the first time in Norway hadn’t been great (the second season at Tollnes had been good, but only with a threadbare squad that was the limit the budget could handle, and I doubted even that would hold up), while the second time brings glory. It also meant that I’d play in the First Division for the first time ever, having been in the Second and Premier Divisions many times, but never there.

Having taken the step forward I needed to, there was no pressure going into next year, which was just as well as there was a lot to do. The defence had been a constant worry, though I had made a couple of deals in the summer to get good reinforcements who would still be an improvement, promotion or not, but a lot more needed to be done, especially as a new keeper was also on the agenda. Hoidahl was a decent Second Division keeper, but I still would have replace him given the chance, and we definitely needed a new guy in the First. Elsewhere wasn’t too much of a problem, as in the midfield and upfront we had some players who probably could manage, especially with a couple of reinforcements, though not set the division alight. Unfortunately having to shell out over 900k for undersoil heating (putting us 1M in the red) meant that a decent budget was unlikely, though we would still be able to attract stronger players.

Squad Stats

Star player: Altermark scored a respectable 6 goals last year, given he wasn't that much of a regular, and of the left wing a lot of the time he was, but thrusting him in as our main frontman this time (even with a partner later on) really paid off as he was the league's top scorer.

[Big Marv]

Jeez, squeaky bum time at the end! Good work on promotion.

[B.W.G]

Congrats on winning promotion.

[JackJCFC]

Great work, not an easy league to get out of by any means.

[deltablue]

Jeez, squeaky bum time at the end! Good work on promotion.

Indeed, just 1 point from the last 3 games is certainly stumbling over the line, and for almost all of the last day I thought we'd blown it, given I was genuinely thinking even before the Vindbjart defeat 'It'll be in our hands on the last day no matter what, Randaberg at home last, easy win, hello First Division'.

Congrats on winning promotion.

Thanks, despite the slow finish, it feel great coming on top of an epic race, and having turned the season around.

Great work, not an easy league to get out of by any means.

It's probably the first time I've gotten out of an ' only one up' league.

[SnakeXe]

You're telling me! Good luck - this could be the season.

Go me

[Mikal]

Excellent work this season.

[deltablue]

Go me

Mystic SnakeXe

Excellent work this season.

Thanks, but now things get tough.

Winter 2018

At the start of the season we had 5.5kpw wage budget (over 2kpw spare), but with the budget slider I was able to put it towards the middle, getting 50k for transfers (which would be more than enough, especially with few players available with a value anyway) and keeping most of the wage budget. There were already 3 signings (two much needed defenders, and a very young winner with plenty of potential) from end-of-contract deals made in the summer, and with the defence having been a major problem even in the Second Division, more defenders kept coming in, making up 6 of the 10 signings made, along with the goalkeeper I wanted, but who didn’t improve us as much as I hoped.

The other signings were mostly for squad depth (or a couple of young players, though the need to improve the team to survive meant those options weren’t as attractive as they normally would be), as while I was looking to slightly improve other areas, we were well-served enough in midfield and up front that there weren’t any obvious stronger options available worth getting in. Financially, the board had invested enough money to wipe out the 900k being spent on undersoil heating, and while we were still projected to make a small loss over the season, I hoped the higher level would bring in the money to pretty much stabilise things.

Jensen

Knutsen

Nygard

Sarr

Vik

Transfers

One to watch:

Unusual to feature a defender, but a strong one that can play anywhere in the back three will be critical, as that's where we need to considerably improve from last year.

[JackJCFC]

Always useful to have a versatile defender, especially if it means you can have an extra attacking sub.

[AK22]

Just about held on then! Well done!

[deltablue]

Always useful to have a versatile defender, especially if it means you can have an extra attacking sub.

Especially when they won't all perform decently in a single game!

Just about held on then! Well done!

Unfortunately survival will be very tough.

Apr 2018

Nest-Sotra 0-1 Sarpsborg (AL)

We started the season against Sarpsborg, with an entirely new defence (and keeper), but unchanged in the midfield, on the wings, and up front. We weren’t completely bad, but otherwise didn’t look like getting anything, and lost to a 14th minute goal.

Bodo/Glimt 3-0 Nest-Sotra (AL)

We were even worse in the first half at Bodo/Glimt, going behind in the 5th minute. We looked better for some of the second half, but they later hit us with 2 more goals.

Nest-Sotra 1-2 Baerum (AL)

We went behind again against Baerum, though after missing a few chances, Altermark equalized in the 33rd minute. It wasn’t enough to get anything as they retook the lead early in the second half, and we were lucky not to concede another. We were now the only team with a 0% record.

Strommen 2-3 Nest-Sotra (AL)

It was important to get something at Strommen, who were only just above us, and we responded in style. Boglid gave us the lead after a few minutes, Morland extending it in the 36th minute. Boglid’s second goal made it look safe midway through the second half, though they pulled one back, and scored again in stoppage time, pouncing on a rebound after Jensen saved a penalty, but the win took us off bottom and (briefly) out of the 4-team relegation zone, showing how tight things were so far.

Nest-Sotra 0-5 Lorenskog (AL)

Lorenskog were one of the teams we were now ahead of, but we didn’t look like it. They took the lead in the 1st minute, and it stayed that way for a while, but three very quick goal late in the half left us 4-0 down! Later they added a 5th, and I was absolutely fuming.

May/June 2018

Fana 1-2 Nest-Sotra (NM)

We went to Fana in the cup, which I was slightly worried about, and sure enough they took the lead in the 40th minute. However it had been slightly unlucky, and Salamondsen’s 77th minute equalizer was the least we deserved, followed by Altermark sending us through 10 minutes later.

Ull/Kisa 2-2 Nest-Sotra (AL)

We had a very poor defensive day at Ull/Kisa, going behind in the 4th minute. Altermark immediately equalized, but they retook the lead in the 24th minute. Morland scored in the second half, and we fought well to deserve the point, but it still put us back bottom. That said the rest of the bottom 6 were just a point away.

Hadeland 1-5 Nest-Sotra (NM)

Altermark had a goal disallowed in the 6th minute at non-league Hadeland in the cup, but Morland gave us the lead 11 minutes later. They equalized, but Morland soon restored the lead. Altermark had another goal disallowed early in the second half, but made it 3rd time lucky in the 53rd minute, soon scoring another, and Morland gave us a late 5th.

Lyn 2-1 Nest-Sotra (AL)

It didn’t look good when we went to Lyn for a bottom vs top clash. We went behind to a Knutsen own-goal in the 24th minute, but otherwise played pretty well. Morland equalized from a 49th minute penalty, but they went on to retake the lead 10 minutes later. However it had been a more promising performance than I expected.

Nest-Sotra 7-3 Honefoss (AL)

Things picked up against Honefoss, who were 3rd. Knutsen gave us a 10th minute lead, extended by Altermark, but then they started pushing as hard as we expected, really testing Jensen in goal, getting a goal back. Morland quickly restored the 2-goal advantage, but two second half goals made it 3-3. However Altermark wasn’t going to let them off that easily, going on to get three more goals, and Morland rounded off an epic 7-3 win!

Nest-Sotra 2-4 Follo (AL)

We had a good chance to build on it against mid-table Follo, and Altermark gave us the lead in the 33rd minute. They immediately equalized, but Altermark set up Morland in the 59th minute. It looked like we’d climb out of the relegation zone for the first time, but they hit back with two goals, followed by a penalty, sending us back to the bottom.

Sandefjord 5-0 Nest-Sotra (NM)

We went to strong Premier Divison Sandefjord in the cup, and unsurprisingly we were no match for them as they started taking us down with two first-half goals. The sub’s couldn’t be used up fast enough, so when Therkelsen went off injured (ruled out for the entire summer), we ended up a man down, going on to lose 5-0. Over 100k in prize money was decent consolation though (being about 5 months wages for the entire squad, putting it into context).

Mjondalen 3-0 Nest-Sotra (AL)

We went to Mjondalen with both Altermark and Morland having a much needed rest. We went behind in the 14th minute, and without a single shot on target, things were only going to get worst, and we conceded twice more in the second half.

Kristiansund 3-3 Nest-Sotra (AL)

Kristiansund was our last trip before the summer break, and they were just a couple of points and places above us. It didn’t look good when they took the lead late in the first half, and scored again in the 50th minute. Stueland hit back immediately, then goals from Salamondsen and Vik gave us a surprising 3-2 lead. Sarr’s injury left a defensive hole late on which they exploited to equalize, which didn’t do an awful lot for either of us, but I was glad we fought back to get something.

It's been very tough so far, which isn't too much of a surprise. The improved defence still hasn't clicked yet, though they're taking it in turns to be stupid rather than there being anyone that's been a particular failure, either way we've conceded almost 3 goals a game in the league, which isn't great to put it mildly. On the up-side, we're the 2nd highest scorers in the league, so we're definitely the team to go or if you want goals. Slightly no surprise that the last game was 3-3 when we were facing the next worst defence (admitedly there's some margin between us).

Using some advice from the useful thread posted for the benefit of all those losers on GD (I may have very little notion of tactics beyond formation but that doesn't mean I shouldn't have a go at doing it properly), I tweaked things slightly before starting playing today, starting from the better-than-expected showing at Lyn, and the excellent displays against Honefoss and Follo (at least until they turned it around), which raised hopes that we could easily push on out of and away from trouble, but it hasn't happened. However there's still not that much in it so there's still plenty of opportunity to survive, and even if we don't I should be able to make a bit of career progression, but that's a bridge to cross when we come to it.

Elsewhere

FA: Man Utd 2-1 Reading

League Cup: Man City 4-1 Newcastle

Europa: Liverpool 4-2 Stuttgart

La Liga: : Real Madrid; Barcelona; Valencia

Serie A: Milan; Napoli; Roma

Ligue 1: PSG; Lyon; Sochaux

Bundesliga: Dortmund; Stuttgart; Leverkusen.

[JackJCFC]

Tought start to life in Division 1 but at least your not too far off safety... yet.

[deltablue]

Tought start to life in Division 1 but at least your not too far off safety... yet.

Not played much for the past few days for various reasons, almost finished the season this evening before I had to go off out. The news likely won't be good.

[noikeee]

Congratulations on finally moving forward in the career with a very earned promotion! Shame the club is holding on so well to the tier above however, but it was still a step forward.

[B.W.G]

Tough start to life in first division,hopefully things can turn around for you.

[deltablue]

Congratulations on finally moving forward in the career with a very earned promotion! Shame the club is holding on so well to the tier above however, but it was still a step forward.

Indeed it has, and it has helped take the career forward a little further.

Tough start to life in first division,hopefully things can turn around for you.

Sadly there was very little chance of that. Still, we'll always have that 7-3 over Honefoss.

Jul/Aug 2018

Skeid 3-1 Nest-Sotra (AL)

We returned after the World Cup to face Skeid, losing both central midfielders to injury within a few minutes of each other (Stueland was fine afterwards, but Bekken was out for up to 2 months), then going behind in the 39th minute. Aside from on the wings we had been decent otherwise, so it was a bit harsh that they scored twice more in the second half, Altermark getting a late consolation.

Nest-Sotra 1-3 Sandnes Ulf (AL)

We were truly miserable against Sandnes Ulf, a team who were playing in Europe this year, going 2 goals down after 17 minutes, conceding another in the 35th. Morland scored a goal in the 66th minute, but it was never going to be the start of a comeback.

Nest-Sotra 2-3 KFUM Oslo (AL)

We looked to be slipping ever further from survival when going 2-0 down against KFUM Oslo. However I felt we had earned more points than we had, and a decent display saw us get an goal from Bogild a few minutes from half-time, and an equalizer from Furdal after 70 minutes. It sadly wasn’t enough as they went on to get a winner, putting them in the last safe spot, 6 points ahead. L)

Moss 2-1 Nest-Sotra (AL)

We now had a run of 3 away games starting at Moss. We generally looked good, Altermark giving us a 35th minute lead, but they equalized early in the 2nd half, and despite having earned a point at least we again fell to a late winner.

Sarpsborg 5-1 Nest-Sotra (AL)

We didn’t have much chance at league leaders Sarpsborg, and we were completely helpless as we went 3-0 behind in the first-half. They got a 4th before Morland got one back in the 72nd minute, but it was always going to be too little, too late, with another goal giving us a 5-1 defeat!

Baerum 2-1 Nest-Sotra (AL)

I hoped we’d be lucky when Bogild gave us the lead in the 17th minute at Baerum, but the game turned when they equalized before half-time. We were on the back foot for most of the second half, and a penalty gave them an admittedly deserved winner. Sarr’s red card in stoppage time didn’t improve the mood.

Sept 2018

Nest-Sotra 2-1 Bodo/Glimt (AL)

We still had plenty of fight left in us, and Altermark gave us an early lead against Bodo/Glimt. Although they equalized, we kept pushing, Altermark scoring again after an hour, and we held on for just our 3rd league win of the season!

Nest-Sotra 0-1 Strommen (AL)

Strommen were just one place above us, but a suspended Altermark damaged our chances. In the end they scored in the 17th minute from what proved to be the only shot on target in the entire game, as it was a miserable relegation scrap.

Nest-Sotra 1-0 Ull/Kisa (L)

Ull/Kisa were only just above them, another golden opportunity to try and fight back, though we were now 10 points of safely with 11 games left. Altermark showed us what we missed against Strommen by giving us the lead in the 5th minute. It proved to be the only goal, but it was at least better than Strommen, which was a missed opportunity to start getting into it.

Lorenskog 2-1 Nest-Sotra (AL)

We were back up against it at Lorenskog, resisting in the first half, but going behind at the start of the second. Altermark equalized but they went on to win anyway.

Honefoss 3-0 Nest-Sotra (AL)

We went to Honefoss knowing there was no chance of a repeat of that epic 7-3 earlier in the year. They took the lead in the 11th minute, had two more 13 minutes later, and not conceding any more was some minor achievement.

Oct 2018

Nest-Sotra 2-1 Lyn (AL)

Our fate was looking set when we played Lyn. They took the lead in the 28th minute, that proved to be their only chance of the match. Altermark soon equalized, later on giving us a winner, but 9 points looked like too much to make up in 7 games.

Follo 4-1 Nest-Sotra (AL)

We put up a good fight at Follo, only to go behind from a penalty late in the first half. Furdal’s injury later reduced us to 10 men, and they took full advantage to go 3-0 up, with only a consolation from Vik by way of response, and another penalty (with an accompanying red card) finished us off.

Nest-Sotra 0-4 Kristiansund (AL)

After the fight, we were slumping again towards the inevitable, going 2-0 down in the first half against Kristiansund. There was no sign of that getting better, and another two goals summed up our chances.

Nest-Sotra 2-1 Mjondalen

Things were very quiet for most of the first half against Mjondalen, however an own-goal gifted them the lead before the break. However they soon went a man down, with Monsen taking advantage to quickly equalize, and he set up Altermark for an unexpected late winner.

Nov/Dec 2018

Sandnes Ulf 4-2 Nest-Sotra (AL)

The inevitable was finally confirmed at Sandnes Ulf. We resisted for the first half an hour before they struck two quick goals. Sarr got one back, but it was 3-1 by half-time. They scored a 4th in the second half, before a late consolation from Monsen.

KFUM Oslo 1-1 Nest-Sotra (AL)

We went to KFUM Oslo with a couple of offers starting to appear for my services. Altermark gave us the lead in the 18th minute, and though they equalized later in the half, we were well matched for the rest of the game, and as far as draws go, this was a pretty well deserved one.

Nest-Sotra 3-1 Skeid (AL)

We went behind in the 2nd minute against Skeid, but Salamondsen equalized 10 minutes later, going on to take control of the match. He had very been released after my first season at the club, so poor had he been, but as he improved it was great to see the faith repaid, and he went on to complete a hat-trick as we won 3-1.

Nest-Sotra 1-3 Moss (AL)

The last game was at home to Moss, and it was a disappointing end to a disappointing season. They went 2-0 up after 20 minutes, and although Altermark pulled one back, they sealed it with a late 3rd. However we managed to avoid finishing bottom thanks to the Skeid win.

Oh dear, I really didn’t want it to end this way, but when we went up I had a bad feeling this would happen. For at least parts of the season, we had a number of games where we scored reasonably well for effort, and should have at least come close to survival, but not only didn’t we get the points we should have done, we were absolutely sitting ducks the rest of the time, the result being that we were bottom almost all year, and as they say, the league table doesn’t lie, when you’re bottom for so much of the season, you can’t complain too much. In September/October we did finally get a few results, but only after a run of just 1 point from 9 games (after that amazing 7-3 in late May) it wouldn’t be enough without an exceptional end to the season, and all that did was keep an already large gap to survival steady at around the 10 point mark for the last few months.

Squad Stats

Star player: Strong parallels with Mark Gilmour (if you remember who he is, well done), in that Altermark is a forward who kept up a very good goalscoring record at a higher level (the Premier League with West Brom in Gilmour's case) but with a team around him that were mostly terrible by contrast.

The question remained of what to do next. In recent years I’ve taken a ‘relegation=failure=resignation’ policy, though I had been reconsidering for this career if it was a case of falling back down a division. However I wouldn’t be staying in Norway for 3 reasons. The first was that I hadn’t really decided on any policy change, the second was that as you can imagine I’m not too keen to see the Norwegian Second Division yet again, and the third was that I’ve noticed that regardless of rep, the league you were last in does seem to make a big difference when job-hunting, so I wanted to do so on the back of being in the First Division (a 2 ½ star league), though the relegation would probably limit that advantage.

In the past I had left clubs before relegation was confirmed in order to avoid that black mark (like at Krsko at the start of my last career), but recently I’m realized that’s unrealistic and cowardly, so as painful as it was, I decided to fight on in Norway, as much as relegation had seemed inevitable since early summer, and take the hit. As it happened as soon as relegation was confirmed I had an offer from Carlisle (while still at Nest-Sotra), which looked good indeed aside from the instant expectation of promotion from League 2 when they were only 17th, and as above, I sort of felt honour bound to complete the season in Norway unless something very good came up, however it was a promising sign for the future.